For further details about this year's seminar and to book your place, visit the event website.
Please briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with the nuclear industry
Debbie Kempton (DK): I’m responsible for STEP’s (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) overall engineering programme in addition to developing links with industry to support our concept design.
I previously worked at BAE Systems as Group Engineering Director and have over 30 years’ experience in aerospace engineering, applied research, technology demonstration and major programme delivery. I’m originally from Texas and have held roles in the US and UK.
What is the top challenge facing your industry at present?
DK: Putting fusion electricity on the grid – economically and reliably – requires finding and integrating technological solutions to several major challenges. These include using structural materials that withstand high energy neutrons and operate at high temperatures for thermal efficiency in addition to breeding, storing and supplying tritium fuel in sufficient quantities for continuous operation.
A core aim of STEP is to ensure future fusion plants are built with high energy efficiency that make best use of the life of the materials and components. Delivering fusion energy is a quest – one of the biggest scientific and engineering challenges of them all.
How would you say your industry has evolved over the past five years?
DK: Technologies benefiting from fusion R&D include robotics, computing, and artificial intelligence with applications for these technologies expected in other fields, such as space exploration, mining, healthcare, and transport. Undoubtedly, AI will have an increasing role to play in engineering design.
However, the breakthroughs of the last five years have to be JET’s (Joint European Torus) record-breaking results along with those recently seen in the US. The momentum behind fusion is continuing to build with STEP aiming to generate electricity from fusion energy in the 2040s.
What developments are going on in your industry that may have an impact on the development of future fusion energy plant design?
DK: The UK Government is backing fusion technology with a published strategy and regulatory framework – this early development of a fusion-specific regulatory framework, coupled with our national capability, has helped in attracting investment into the UK, supporting the emergence of a growing fusion cluster and private fusion sector. There will be thousands more job opportunities in the future as the industry grows.
Earlier this year, we announced a collaboration between UKAEA, Dell Technologies, Intel and the University of Cambridge that will explore how supercomputers – capable of making up to one quintillion calculations per second – and AI technologies with advanced predictive capabilities, can deliver a ‘digital twin’ of the STEP design.
Exascale computing – the next generation of computing technology – will provide powerful analytics to test STEP’s initial concepts.
What will you be presenting at the ‘Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design’ seminar and how will this benefit participants?
DK: I will be providing an overview of the UKAEA’s ambitious STEP programme, our journey to date and future milestones. This is a chance to show how industry can be part of making fusion energy a safe, low carbon and sustainable energy source for generations to come. STEP is a major technology and infrastructure project – we can’t do it alone!
Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the forthcoming seminar?
DK: It is an excellent programme with really interesting speakers.
Why is it important for engineers and industry to come together at this event and share best practice?
DK: In the hybrid world that we now live in, we spend so much of our time in online meetings, but I still very much believe there is space for the human element! Meeting people in person and having the opportunity to build relationships, as well as sharing best practice, is invaluable.
The Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design 2023 seminar will take place on 3 October 2023 in Manchester
It will focalise the progress of Advanced Modular Reactors and Small Modular Reactors to capture the interest of technical innovators, manufacturers, designers, and government regulators.
Don't miss your chance to hear about the forefront of reactor design, optimisation, installation and management, with input, guidance and technical insights from UK Atomic Energy Authority, Rolls-Royce SMR, MoltexFlex, BAE Systems and many more.
For further details about this year's seminar and to book your place, visit the event website.