Jan 22, 2025
High-power gyrotron prepared for installation in ST40 tokamak.
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A gyrotron manufactured by Kyoto Fusioneering in Japan has been sent to Tokamak Energy in the UK and is set to be installed on the ST40 spherical tokamak this year. It is anticipated to significantly contribute to the design of fusion pilot plants.
This new gyrotron will deliver 1 MW of radio frequency power to Tokamak Energy over a period of 18 months. It produces high-power electromagnetic waves used for heating and controlling hydrogen plasma to temperatures far exceeding that of the sun.
Ross Morgan, the director of strategic partnerships at Tokamak Energy, based in Oxfordshire, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Kyoto Fusioneering to upgrade their record-setting fusion machine. He stated that ongoing operations of ST40 aim to test and explore new limits, with the forthcoming experiments utilizing the high-power gyrotron heating system expected to yield vital data for the design of future spherical tokamak pilot plants, contributing to their goal of commercializing clean and unlimited fusion energy by the 2030s.
Satoshi Konishi, CEO and Chief Fusioneer and Co-Founder of Kyoto Fusioneering, commented on the honor of supporting Tokamak Energy’s ST40, highlighting it as a model for public-private partnerships and global collaboration. He mentioned that this partnership, strengthened by robust UK-Japan collaboration, marks a significant advancement in the quest for fusion energy. He emphasized their commitment to providing top-tier gyrotrons and engineering support, eagerly anticipating cooperation towards the common objective of sustainable fusion power.
Tokamak Energy clarified the operation of a gyrotron, which involves a beam of electrons accelerating through a strong magnetic field, resulting in the emission of microwave radiation. This radiation is directed through a waveguide to the hydrogen fusion plasma. The frequency of the microwaves is tailored to match the electrons' cyclotron resonance frequency in the plasma (104GHz or 137GHz for ST40). The interaction of microwaves with the plasma transfers energy to the electrons, heating and driving the plasma. Employing Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, a gyrotron addresses a major challenge for spherical tokamaks—limited space for a central solenoid, which is typically essential for inducing plasma current. With a gyrotron, the size of the central solenoid can be minimized.
Tokamak Energy intends to utilize both its existing neutral beam heating and gyrotron heating jointly, stating that this approach will enhance their understanding of gyrotron functionality, needed control systems, and the optimal balance between the two heating methods.
Background
Tokamak Energy was established in 2009 from the UK's Atomic Energy Authority. In February 2023, it announced plans to construct a prototype spherical tokamak, the ST80-HTS, at the UKAEA's Culham Campus, aiming for completion by 2026 to showcase high-temperature superconducting magnets' full potential and to inform their fusion pilot plant design, which aims to deliver electricity to the grid by the 2030s, targeting globally deployable 500-megawatt commercial plants.
In October, they revealed initial details about a high-field spherical tokamak plant capable of producing 800 MW of fusion power and 85 MW of net electricity, aligning with the USA's Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy program. The preliminary designs include an aspect ratio of 2.0, a plasma major radius of 4.25 meters, a magnetic field of 4.25 Tesla, and a liquid lithium tritium breeding blanket. This will feature a new generation of high-temperature superconducting magnets to control the deuterium and tritium hydrogen fuel in superheated plasma.
In December, it was announced that the US and UK energy departments would partner with Tokamak Energy for a $52 million upgrade to the ST40 fusion facility, which will include lithium coating on its inner wall. The privately owned ST40 facility, which utilizes magnetic fields to confine plasma, has been valued at over $100 million according to the US Department of Energy at the time of the announcement.
Previously, Tokamak Energy, along with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, achieved temperatures in ST40 that were six times hotter than the sun, marking the first instance a private company reached a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius. Both laboratories will contribute their expertise to the ST40 upgrade, with Princeton focusing on lithium coatings and Oak Ridge on pellet fueling capabilities.
This new gyrotron will deliver 1 MW of radio frequency power to Tokamak Energy over a period of 18 months. It produces high-power electromagnetic waves used for heating and controlling hydrogen plasma to temperatures far exceeding that of the sun.
Ross Morgan, the director of strategic partnerships at Tokamak Energy, based in Oxfordshire, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Kyoto Fusioneering to upgrade their record-setting fusion machine. He stated that ongoing operations of ST40 aim to test and explore new limits, with the forthcoming experiments utilizing the high-power gyrotron heating system expected to yield vital data for the design of future spherical tokamak pilot plants, contributing to their goal of commercializing clean and unlimited fusion energy by the 2030s.
Satoshi Konishi, CEO and Chief Fusioneer and Co-Founder of Kyoto Fusioneering, commented on the honor of supporting Tokamak Energy’s ST40, highlighting it as a model for public-private partnerships and global collaboration. He mentioned that this partnership, strengthened by robust UK-Japan collaboration, marks a significant advancement in the quest for fusion energy. He emphasized their commitment to providing top-tier gyrotrons and engineering support, eagerly anticipating cooperation towards the common objective of sustainable fusion power.
Tokamak Energy clarified the operation of a gyrotron, which involves a beam of electrons accelerating through a strong magnetic field, resulting in the emission of microwave radiation. This radiation is directed through a waveguide to the hydrogen fusion plasma. The frequency of the microwaves is tailored to match the electrons' cyclotron resonance frequency in the plasma (104GHz or 137GHz for ST40). The interaction of microwaves with the plasma transfers energy to the electrons, heating and driving the plasma. Employing Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, a gyrotron addresses a major challenge for spherical tokamaks—limited space for a central solenoid, which is typically essential for inducing plasma current. With a gyrotron, the size of the central solenoid can be minimized.
Tokamak Energy intends to utilize both its existing neutral beam heating and gyrotron heating jointly, stating that this approach will enhance their understanding of gyrotron functionality, needed control systems, and the optimal balance between the two heating methods.
Background
Tokamak Energy was established in 2009 from the UK's Atomic Energy Authority. In February 2023, it announced plans to construct a prototype spherical tokamak, the ST80-HTS, at the UKAEA's Culham Campus, aiming for completion by 2026 to showcase high-temperature superconducting magnets' full potential and to inform their fusion pilot plant design, which aims to deliver electricity to the grid by the 2030s, targeting globally deployable 500-megawatt commercial plants.
In October, they revealed initial details about a high-field spherical tokamak plant capable of producing 800 MW of fusion power and 85 MW of net electricity, aligning with the USA's Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy program. The preliminary designs include an aspect ratio of 2.0, a plasma major radius of 4.25 meters, a magnetic field of 4.25 Tesla, and a liquid lithium tritium breeding blanket. This will feature a new generation of high-temperature superconducting magnets to control the deuterium and tritium hydrogen fuel in superheated plasma.
In December, it was announced that the US and UK energy departments would partner with Tokamak Energy for a $52 million upgrade to the ST40 fusion facility, which will include lithium coating on its inner wall. The privately owned ST40 facility, which utilizes magnetic fields to confine plasma, has been valued at over $100 million according to the US Department of Energy at the time of the announcement.
Previously, Tokamak Energy, along with Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, achieved temperatures in ST40 that were six times hotter than the sun, marking the first instance a private company reached a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius. Both laboratories will contribute their expertise to the ST40 upgrade, with Princeton focusing on lithium coatings and Oak Ridge on pellet fueling capabilities.