The UK Government has committed £220m funding for the design of a fusion power station, putting the UK at the forefront of developing nuclear fusion as a viable energy source.

Potentially a clean and abundant source of low carbon energy, fusion presents some unique challenges.

This event will explore some of these challenges and the technologies that are being developed to support the coming nuclear fusion industry.

Technologies for Fusion Energy

Introduction: The Global Fusion Challenge – Alexandra Davies, UKAEA

Gain an understanding of the UK fusion programme in the context of the global push for fusion energy.

Talk 1: Designing Materials that Withstand Fusion – Jason Hess, UKAEA

The materials that a fusion power plant will be composed of have very interesting requirements. For example, the components that face the 150 million degree plasma must endure its heat and hitherto unknown radiation loads. Jason will explore why designing these ‘plasma facing components’ is so challenging.

Talk 2: Maintaining the Reactor: Robotics and Remote Handling – Iain Farquhar, UKAEA

After an operational history of over twenty years carrying out remote maintenance of JET, the UKAEA is facing a series of challenges to maintain its current capabilities, as well as multiple opportunities to share its unrivalled expertise with both domestic and international partners. Iain will describe some of these challenges and how they are informing upcoming upgrade and maintenance campaigns, and the development of new remote handling technologies.

Talk 3: Technologies for Tritium – Zoltán Köllő, UKAEA

Tritium handling in a fusion power plant poses significant challenges. Large amounts of tritium and tritiated materials have to be transferred and processed continuously and efficiently. Technologies from breeding tritium, through separating tritiated gases, to gaining back tritium from tritiated water have to be advanced. These involve significant amount of research on properties of materials in contact with tritium, changing known processes and developing new ones. The interaction of tritium with components will influence the design of most reactor elements.

Event key details

Venue: Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queen’s Building, University of Bristol

Timings:

• 18:00 – coffee and refreshments
• 18:30 – Talks start
• 20:00 – close

Registration

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Event Organisers