Since its launch in April 2023, the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Tritium Training Course has provided world-class development to more than 180 fusion industry professionals.
In those 18 months, the course has welcomed attendees from as far afield as the USA and Europe to Culham Campus, where they spend a day with UKAEA’s tritium experts and learn about the fuel which is vitally important for the commercialisation of fusion energy.
Representatives from 20 industry organisations have attended including from Atkins Realis, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, First Light Fusion, Fusion for Energy, Helion Energy, and US ITER, along with the Universities of Bristol, Manchester, Bath, Sheffield, Surrey, University College London and Sapienza Università di Roma.
In addition, the course has been attended by representatives from the UKAEA’s regulators, the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive, who have received insight and information on the challenges and solutions associated with handling tritium, including the key differentiating factors between fusion and fission environments.
The day at Culham also includes a tour of the Active Gas Handling System, UKAEA’s tritium processing plant, which played a vital role in JET’s record-breaking campaigns and is still managing the tritium being off-gassed by the tokamak.
“I want to express my appreciation for the outstanding course on tritium for fusion energy. The delivery was excellent, and the interactive nature of the course made the learning experience even more enriching. The chance to upskill in such an exciting area of engineering has been truly valuable. Thank you for organizing this exceptional course!”
Wilf Harness, Senior Engineer, Frazer Nash Consultancy
“The Tritium Training Course is a great opportunity to learn about pioneering systems and technologies for the treatment and handling of tritium in nuclear fusion facilities.”
Mario Garcia Hormigos, Radwaste and Decommissioning Mechanical Engineer, Empresarios Agrupados Internacional
“1 day course with facility tour enhanced my understanding of fusion – Basics, technical challenges and plant system overview. Lots of interactions and facility tour during the course helped understanding. The knowledge obtained during the training course contributed to explore further areas of work!”
Aya Shin, Chemistry and Corrosion R&D Technical Lead, EDF UK R&D Nuclear
The next courses for external attendees will be on 6th February, 12th June, and 11th September, 2025.
The Tritium Fuel Cycle division is not resting on its laurels, however. Plans are being put in place to make the training course available to be delivered on location at companies and organisations. This will allow the course to be provided to a larger number of people, as well as tailoring to a company’s specific needs, and reducing costs and carbon footprint associated with travelling to Culham.
“The Tritium Training Course is an important part of our work in the division to develop tritium expertise both internally and externally to UKAEA,” commented Tritium Fuel Cycle Director, Sarah Clark. “We have extensive expertise at UKAEA and it is important to make our knowledge available to our peers from across the fusion sector. It has been really pleasing to come into a division where there is such a positive and proactive approach to providing outstanding professional development opportunities.”
To find out more about the Tritium Training Course contact the organisers at TritiumTrainingCourse@bd.ukaea.uk
Tritium Training Course modules include:
| Tritium Fundamentals |
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| The Tritium Fuel Cycle |
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| Tritium Plant Key Concepts |
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