Jan 21, 2025
The UK's LIBRTI fusion initiative has placed orders for essential equipment.
The LIBRTI program from the UK Atomic Energy Authority has revealed several important measures to enhance the development of fusion energy. Alongside acquiring a neutron source, it has also allocated funds for 12 small-scale experiments focused on tritium breeding and digital simulations.
Future fusion energy plants will depend on two isotopes of hydrogen – deuterium and tritium – to generate energy. Deuterium can be easily extracted from seawater, but tritium is limited in availability, which necessitates the creation of sustainable production methods.
To tackle this issue, tritium is to be produced (or 'bred') in a lithium-infused blanket surrounding the fusion reaction. This 'breeder blanket' will serve multiple purposes: producing tritium, absorbing heat, and functioning as a radiation shield. By ensuring a stable supply of tritium for the operations of the fusion machine, the breeder blanket facilitates a self-sustaining fuel cycle.
The LIBRTI (Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation) program, supported with GBP200 million (USD244 million) funding and part of the larger Fusion Futures initiative, aims to make advances in fusion fuel and enhance industry capabilities through international collaboration.
Throughout its four-year duration, the program intends to demonstrate controlled tritium breeding. As part of this initiative, UKAEA plans to acquire a neutron source, which will be crucial for a pioneering testbed facility to be established at Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, England.
SHINE Technologies from Janesville, Wisconsin, USA, is set to provide a 14 mega electron volt (MeV) deuterium-tritium fusion system, expected to deliver the LIBRTI neutron source in 2027.
"The chosen neutron source will produce neutrons with energy similar to those emitted from a fusion reactor, allowing LIBRTI to test a variety of materials and engineering designs to refine the breeding models needed for future blanket systems," stated John Norton, LIBRTI Director at UKAEA.
SHINE Technologies CEO Greg Piefer remarked: "These fusion spectrum neutrons are crucial for validating tritium breeding materials that are vital for scalable fusion energy systems. We are thrilled to collaborate with UKAEA to create next-generation fusion solutions that will help lead to clean, plentiful energy."
UKAEA will also invest GBP9 million in 12 small-scale tritium breeding and digital simulation experiments, each of which is projected to continue until March 2026.
The selected recipients of the LIBRTI procurement call include Amentum Clean Energy Limited (Developing a Liquid Lithium Digital Twin), Astral Neutronics Ltd (Evaluating the effectiveness of 6LiD as a solid breeding material), Bangor University – Nuclear Futures Institute (Conducting TRIMAX (Tritium reactor integrated analysis experiment, multiphysics code)), IDOM UK Limited (Linking scaled models to full-size using multiphysics), Kyoto Fusioneering (Developing TRI-PRISM (tritium permeation real-time in-line sensor for monitoring)), Lancaster University (TriBreed (Utilizing High Flux neutron source facility at the University of Birmingham)), University of Manchester (Creating a Breeder Agnostic Tritium Inventory Digital Twin System), US university (Developing openTBB (Tritium Breeding Blanket) – multiphysics transport simulation), Oxford Sigma (VICE (Quantifying uncertainties in tritium breeding in ceramics, manufacturing, and testing)), Tokamak Energy (Conducting experimental programs including lithium impurity control, diagnostics, and irradiation testing), University of Birmingham (Creating a small solid lithium ceramic breeder with in-line tritium detection capability for calibrated neutron sources), and University of Edinburgh (Studying tritium breeding in FLiBe).
Other organizations involved in these projects include Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, DigiLab, ENI, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of California Berkeley, University of Illinois Urbana, and University of Oxford.
Expected results include new models for tritium transport, innovative breeding materials and diagnostics, as well as digital platforms for the testbed facility.
UKAEA has developed a comprehensive digital strategy for the program. This digital platform includes a Building Information Management System that will work alongside a multi-physics simulation model. This digital structure will allow the program to replicate performance and ensure precise modeling and optimization for future designs of tritium breeder blanket systems.
"Our goal is to transition from a scientific study to providing the supply chain with the confidence required to support future fusion power plants," expressed Amanda Quadling, Executive Director for Fusion Fundamental Research and Materials Science at UKAEA and Senior Responsible Owner for LIBRTI. "The experimental results at the engineering scale combined with a strong digital platform offer effective approaches to designing and validating future breeder systems for industrial applications."
UKAEA is an executive non-departmental public body under the sponsorship of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and serves as the UK's national organization for research and the implementation of sustainable fusion energy.
Future fusion energy plants will depend on two isotopes of hydrogen – deuterium and tritium – to generate energy. Deuterium can be easily extracted from seawater, but tritium is limited in availability, which necessitates the creation of sustainable production methods.
To tackle this issue, tritium is to be produced (or 'bred') in a lithium-infused blanket surrounding the fusion reaction. This 'breeder blanket' will serve multiple purposes: producing tritium, absorbing heat, and functioning as a radiation shield. By ensuring a stable supply of tritium for the operations of the fusion machine, the breeder blanket facilitates a self-sustaining fuel cycle.
The LIBRTI (Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation) program, supported with GBP200 million (USD244 million) funding and part of the larger Fusion Futures initiative, aims to make advances in fusion fuel and enhance industry capabilities through international collaboration.
Throughout its four-year duration, the program intends to demonstrate controlled tritium breeding. As part of this initiative, UKAEA plans to acquire a neutron source, which will be crucial for a pioneering testbed facility to be established at Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, England.
SHINE Technologies from Janesville, Wisconsin, USA, is set to provide a 14 mega electron volt (MeV) deuterium-tritium fusion system, expected to deliver the LIBRTI neutron source in 2027.
"The chosen neutron source will produce neutrons with energy similar to those emitted from a fusion reactor, allowing LIBRTI to test a variety of materials and engineering designs to refine the breeding models needed for future blanket systems," stated John Norton, LIBRTI Director at UKAEA.
SHINE Technologies CEO Greg Piefer remarked: "These fusion spectrum neutrons are crucial for validating tritium breeding materials that are vital for scalable fusion energy systems. We are thrilled to collaborate with UKAEA to create next-generation fusion solutions that will help lead to clean, plentiful energy."
UKAEA will also invest GBP9 million in 12 small-scale tritium breeding and digital simulation experiments, each of which is projected to continue until March 2026.
The selected recipients of the LIBRTI procurement call include Amentum Clean Energy Limited (Developing a Liquid Lithium Digital Twin), Astral Neutronics Ltd (Evaluating the effectiveness of 6LiD as a solid breeding material), Bangor University – Nuclear Futures Institute (Conducting TRIMAX (Tritium reactor integrated analysis experiment, multiphysics code)), IDOM UK Limited (Linking scaled models to full-size using multiphysics), Kyoto Fusioneering (Developing TRI-PRISM (tritium permeation real-time in-line sensor for monitoring)), Lancaster University (TriBreed (Utilizing High Flux neutron source facility at the University of Birmingham)), University of Manchester (Creating a Breeder Agnostic Tritium Inventory Digital Twin System), US university (Developing openTBB (Tritium Breeding Blanket) – multiphysics transport simulation), Oxford Sigma (VICE (Quantifying uncertainties in tritium breeding in ceramics, manufacturing, and testing)), Tokamak Energy (Conducting experimental programs including lithium impurity control, diagnostics, and irradiation testing), University of Birmingham (Creating a small solid lithium ceramic breeder with in-line tritium detection capability for calibrated neutron sources), and University of Edinburgh (Studying tritium breeding in FLiBe).
Other organizations involved in these projects include Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, DigiLab, ENI, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of California Berkeley, University of Illinois Urbana, and University of Oxford.
Expected results include new models for tritium transport, innovative breeding materials and diagnostics, as well as digital platforms for the testbed facility.
UKAEA has developed a comprehensive digital strategy for the program. This digital platform includes a Building Information Management System that will work alongside a multi-physics simulation model. This digital structure will allow the program to replicate performance and ensure precise modeling and optimization for future designs of tritium breeder blanket systems.
"Our goal is to transition from a scientific study to providing the supply chain with the confidence required to support future fusion power plants," expressed Amanda Quadling, Executive Director for Fusion Fundamental Research and Materials Science at UKAEA and Senior Responsible Owner for LIBRTI. "The experimental results at the engineering scale combined with a strong digital platform offer effective approaches to designing and validating future breeder systems for industrial applications."
UKAEA is an executive non-departmental public body under the sponsorship of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and serves as the UK's national organization for research and the implementation of sustainable fusion energy.