聚變原型反應器：託卡馬克能源公司與古河電氣公司合作
・託卡馬克能源公司ST80-HTS開發取得進展
・古河電工將供應高溫超導線材
我們提供古河電工所揭露資訊的摘要。
Tokamak Energy: Furukawa Electric: Super Power
On January 12th, Tokamak Energy signed contracts with leading companies in Japan and the United States.
Concerning the supply of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire used in the advanced fusion prototype reactor ST80-HTS.
Furukawa Electric Super Power (NY, SPI)
Tokamak Energy’s fusion reactor construction will require hundreds of kilometers of high-temperature superconducting wire.
Furukawa Electric and SPI will supply Tokamak Energy in Oxford, UK, for several years.
What is ST80-HTS:
The world’s first full-scale high-field spherical tokamak fusion reactor.
This device uses Furukawa Electric’s high-temperature superconducting wire.
Tokamak Energy Fusion Pilot Plant
The pilot plant will provide 200 megawatts of clean net electricity by the first half of 2030.
This supply agreement is an important step toward realizing a nuclear fusion pilot plant.
What is high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet:
The spherical tokamak reactor will realize low-cost commercialization and global expansion.
High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets are essential devices for spherical tokamak reactors.
HTS magnets confine and burn fusion fuel at ultra-high temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius.
Tokamak Energy is a leading company in HTS magnet design.
The Furukawa Electric Group is a leader in the development and manufacturing of HTS wire rods.
SPI’s NY factory:
The NY factory has already started manufacturing HTS wire rods for ST80-HTS.
The first production batch was delivered to Tokamak Energy.
The NY factory will be expanded to mass produce the wire rods needed for Tokamak Energy’s ST-E1 pilot plant.
Comments from Tokamak Energy CEO: Chris Kelsall
The construction of the next-generation ST80-HTS is an important milestone in our mission.
Commercial fusion delivers energy that is clean, sustainable, cheap, and usable anywhere in the world.
https://www.furukawa.co.jp/release/2023/kenkai_20230112.html
Entered Into a 10 Million Pound Investment Agreement in Tokamak Energy
Furukawa Electric｜News Release
Furukawa Electric：SuperPower Inc.
Furukawa Electric entered into a new share subscription agreement for an approximately 10 million pound investment in Tokamak Energy .
In addition, a memorandum of understanding (the MOU) was signed in conjunction with the investment,
which will strengthen the partnership with the company to drive forward commercial fusion energy.
Fusion offers the following three advantages.
I. No carbon dioxide generation.
II. Deuterium, the main fuel, is abundantly contained in seawater, safe, and no worries about running dry.
III. The reaction ceases immediately after the fuel supply disruption and no risk of running out of control.
To achieve a commercial fusion reactor,
superconducting magnets are indispensable for condensing fuel plasma compactly and boxing it efficiently inside the reactor.
The Company：
Furukawa Electric has been developing and manufacturing a niobium-based low-temperature superconducting (LTS) wire rod
used in winding wire for superconducting magnets in Nikko Works for many years.
This LTS wire rod
is also used in superconducting magnets including International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France and the critical plasma test equipment JT-60SA in Japan.
Tokamak Energy：
is proposing a spherical tokamak with a proprietary design of ultra-high magnetic field and superconducting magnets
which is also the preferred route to fusion of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) STEP project and other organizations.
The yttrium-based high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire rod,
developed and manufactured by SuperPower Inc., (Head office: USA) in the Group,
has excellent high magnetic field characteristics and has contributed to the development of the compact fusion reactor by Tokamak Energy.
The Company and SuperPower together with Tokamak Energy
will jointly develop new markets including Japan, and conduct R&D aiming at the improvement of performance and reliability of HTS wire rods and HTS magnets using them, and further solidify our position as a leading global company in each field.
https://www.furukawa.co.jp/en/release/2024/kenkai_20240118.html