Commonwealth Fusion Systems joins UKAEA's tritium blanket testing programme

[Marlin]

Commonwealth Fusion Systems joins UKAEA's tritium blanket testing programme

https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/cfs-joins-ukaeas-tritium-blanket-testing-programme

[Core Content]

A rendering of the Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation facility (Image: UKAEA)

Commonwealth Fusion Systems will collaborate with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to test tritium breeding blanket technologies at the Culham Campus. The partnership utilizes a high-flux neutron source to verify blanket designs for future commercial fusion reactors. This collaboration allows the company to develop testing protocols and build experimental components intended to demonstrate sustainable tritium production in fusion-relevant environments.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority has named US private fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems as the first international company to join its flagship Lithium Breeding Tritium Innovation programme. ;

Future fusion power plants will rely on two hydrogen isotopes – deuterium and tritium – to produce energy. Deuterium can be readily extracted from seawater. Tritium, however, is scarce in supply, necessitating the development of methods to produce it sustainably. To address this challenge, tritium must be produced (or 'bred') in a lithium-containing blanket that surrounds the fusion reaction. This 'breeder blanket' will perform several tasks: producing tritium; absorbing heat; and acting as a...

Read the full article at World Nuclear News:
https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/cfs-joins-ukaeas-tritium-blanket-testing-programme