UKAEA has unveiled its new fusion machine, ELSA, which uses extreme temperatures to inform engineering and design under fusion-relevant plant conditions.
Located at its Fusion Technology Facility (FTF) in South Yorkshire, ELSA produces temperatures on a cryogenic scale between 20 and 70 Kelvin (-253.15 to -203.15 degrees Celsius).
This enables the machine to simulate the operating temperatures of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets.
Professor Matt Stephenson, Head of the UKAEA’s Fusion Technology Facility, stated: “Here in South Yorkshire, we are tasked with answering the ‘how?’ in the delivery of commercially viable fusion energy.
“Our team is working hard to test and provide accurate results that inform us of the optimal environments and materials for durable power plant design.”
Low energy use for reduced costs
HTS coils are critical for confining and shaping the plasma in a fusion machine by generating high magnetic fields with minimal resistive losses.
UKAEA engineers aim to achieve resistances one millionth of those found in consumer electronics.
Lowering the temperature for the strongest magnetic fields requires the lowest possible energy use, reducing operational costs and supporting the commercialisation of fusion energy.
ELSA tests remountable joints for future fusion power plants
The ELSA fusion machine is currently testing novel ‘remountable joint’ (RMJ) components that feature extremely low electrical resistance and will be essential for efficient maintenance of future fusion power plants.
RMJs are part of a fusion machine’s toroidal field coils, which confine the plasma. They are fitted around the magnetic cage of a tokamak to allow rapid access for maintenance during plant operations.
This novel RMJ design is a critical part of the UK’s STEP Programme, a prototype fusion energy power plant to be built in West Burton, North Nottinghamshire, with operations targeted for 2040.
“Remountable joints and other aspects of high-temperature superconducting magnet technology require cryogenic facilities like ELSA to test various aspects of the technologies, and are few and far between,” explained UKIFS’s Remountable Joints Engineering Manager, Chris Lamb.
“Having the ELSA facility come online at the Fusion Technology Facility, on the doorstep of both STEP’s West Burton site and the rich vein of manufacturing capability at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, will be fantastic in helping the engineers get up close and personal with realising these critical HTS technologies.”
Developing and testing fusion machines to power STEP
A recent report by Amion, on behalf of Local Authorities in the area, estimated that the STEP project would create 6,500 on-site jobs when the power plant is fully operational, and more during the construction phases.
The STEP campus is expected to become a global centre for fusion research and development, working with local education providers to develop a pathway into fusion-related jobs.
The success of STEP in demonstrating this commercial viability will pave the way for the development of a fleet of fusion power plants worldwide.
Dr James Cowan, STEP Programme Director at UKIFS, concluded: “Harnessing the power of the stars to generate clean, sustainable energy on earth requires meaningful collaboration across scientific, engineering and construction disciplines.
“UKIFS is committed to bringing the best people and organisations together to deliver STEP, and the ELSA fusion machine is a perfect example of this approach in action.”
