Tokamak Energy to test specialised materials in extreme fusion conditions

Specialised materials made for the extreme conditions of nuclear fusion will undergo rigorous testing in a new research project.

Oxfordshire firm Tokamak Energy, which is pursuing commercial fusion energy through the development of spherical tokamaks with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, received funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the research.

The specialty steel materials will undergo testing in extreme fusion conditions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The project will help inform the design of future power plants, including Tokamak Energy’s pilot plant ST-E1.

One of the most technically challenging components in a commercial tokamak is the ‘breeder blanket’, which will be used to produce part of the hydrogen fuel mix. One part, deuterium, is abundant in sea water, but tritium is not available naturally. Fusion energy power plants will therefore be designed to produce tritium using a breeder blanket, to be self-sufficient when operating.

The devices will be complex assemblies, however, so identifying the optimal structural material will be a major challenge. The material will need to be resilient to high temperatures, while remaining robust when exposed to high-energy neutrons and chemical coolants.

“Fusion promises to be a transformative global source of limitless, clean energy. It is crucial that we test and develop the most resilient and suitable materials for the design of future power plants as early as possible,” said Jim Pickles, Tokamak Energy’s head of materials.

“This new research using the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s world-class facilities will push our understanding forward as to the likely lifetime of materials under relevant operating conditions, as we work towards demonstrating grid-ready fusion power in the early 2030s.”

The research will impact the expected preference in the fusion community for liquid lithium blankets, Tokamak said.

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