The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd, a Japanese privately funded fusion technology company, have signed a Communication Framework Agreement to foster partnership on the exchange of knowledge and skills.
The agreement enables the collaboration on the development of technology pertaining to tritium ‘breeding blanket’ design and sets the stage for future joint initiatives, including areas such as tritium fuel cycle, remote handling, and power conversion (thermal cycle) technologies.
A breeding blanket is a component to be used in future fusion machines. It is mainly used for producing tritium, which is one of the fuels of fusion reactions.
The agreement between the two parties aims to advance blanket technology from its conceptual stage towards commercialisation.
Professor Satoshi Konishi, Kyoto Fusioneering CEO, said: “Kyoto Fusioneering is proud to work closely with UKAEA. We have aspirations to expand the global impact of our technology beyond Japan.”
“UKAEA is one of the world’s most renowned fusion research institutions, and we hope our collaboration will take the best of public and private sector ambitions and capabilities, to deliver a better result than each of us could have achieved alone,” Professor Konishi added.
One of Kyoto Fusioneering’s recent contracts with UKAEA involved the development of gyrotron technology for UKAEA’s fusion machine, MAST-U, sited at Culham Campus. Gyrotrons can provide high-power microwaves for amplifying fusion reactions. The outcomes of this project intend to provide insights and inform the early designs of STEP, the UK’s prototype powerplant to be built at West Burton in Nottinghamshire.
Stephen Wheeler, UKAEA Executive Director, said: “Fusion energy promises to be a safe, low carbon and sustainable part of the world’s future energy supply. Kyoto Fusioneering has expanded its skills and capabilities in the UK and Japan and this partnership provides us a means to access them in both locations. We look forward to working with them on these projects to develop new technologies.”
Photo caption: Tritium Fuel Cycle facility at UKAEA’s Culham Campus (credit United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority).
