Kyoto Fusioneering begins work on key fuel-breeding device for fusion power
Japan's Kyoto Fusioneering has secured grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and Tennessee to build a prototype fuel-breeding device at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, while relocating its U.S. headquarters there.
While most attention in the fusion power industry focuses on the reactors themselves, a wide range of supporting equipment is also required to make fusion energy viable. Japan-based Kyoto Fusioneering has emerged as one of the largest specialist suppliers in this supply chain, having raised $121 million in committed capital.
The company has now received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Tennessee to build a prototype fuel-breeding device at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Alongside the announcement, Kyoto Fusioneering said it is relocating its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge.
Testing breeding blanket technology
The new device, called Unity-3, is being developed together with ORNL and will test what's known as a breeding blanket — technology that harvests energy from a fusion reactor while simultaneously generating fresh fuel.
One design under consideration uses liquid lithium, which absorbs both heat and neutrons. When lithium atoms are struck by neutrons, they split into helium and tritium, a hydrogen isotope that serves as key fuel for many reactor designs. The tritium is separated and routed to the reactor, while the captured heat is used to generate electricity. The process requires heat-resistant materials and specially built pumps.
Unity-3 will evaluate liquid lithium alongside other breeding blanket materials, helping researchers validate data that has so far come mostly from computer modeling. Kyoto Fusioneering is also developing systems for heating fuel into plasma, recycling unburned fuel, and capturing heat for power generation.
Several other fusion startups — including Realta Fusion, Thea Energy, Type One Energy, and Xcimer Energy — plan to use data from the Unity-3 experiments in designing their own reactors. According to a recent survey by the Fusion Industry Association, more than half of fusion companies intend to rely on external suppliers like Kyoto Fusioneering for fuel cycle technologies.
