Tokamak Energy Inc, the US subsidiary of UK-based Tokamak Energy, has been selected for the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives. This is a $128m initiative aimed at accelerating core fusion energy science and technology.
As part of a University of Houston-led project, Tokamak Energy Inc is helping to develop advanced superconducting tapes designed to withstand neutron irradiation. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) are key to building the powerful magnets needed for commercial fusion energy, and this project aims to push HTS materials to the next level to meet the demands of future fusion power plants.
Tokamak Energy Inc is also serving as technical advisor on eight FIRE projects, partnering with leading US national laboratories and universities to help guide early-stage fusion research toward commercial viability, including pilot plant design, fusion blanket development, and advanced materials for fusion environments. These include Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Savannah River National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the University of Tennessee.
Tokamak Energy Inc has also been awarded its 10th INFUSE grant by DOE’s Innovation Network for Fusion Energy programme which connects private companies with national labs and academic institutions to accelerate fusion development.
The latest INFUSE project, led by Dr Aaron L Washington and Dr Emre Yildirim, in collaboration with Savannah River National Laboratory, will investigate electrolysis of lithium for tritium extraction using high entropy oxides. This could play a vital role in enabling efficient tritium recovery, which is a key requirement for a sustainable fusion fuel cycle.
