Kyoto Fusioneering to build prototype fusion fuel breeding device at Oak Ridge National Lab

New Prototype Device for Fusion Fuel

Kyoto Fusioneering, a startup specializing in fusion power supply chain components, has announced plans to construct a prototype fuel breeding device named Unity-3. This project will be located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the U.S. The company secured grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Tennessee to fund this initiative.

Strategic U.S. Expansion

Alongside the development of Unity-3, Kyoto Fusioneering is relocating its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge. This move positions the company closer to key research facilities and collaborators in the U.S. fusion energy sector. The company has raised $121 million in committed capital to date.

Advancing Breeding Blanket Technology

The Unity-3 device will focus on testing a fuel cycle technology known as a breeding blanket. These blankets are designed to both harvest energy from a fusion reactor and generate new fusion fuel, specifically tritium, an isotope of hydrogen. One design involves using liquid lithium, which absorbs heat and neutrons, splitting into helium and tritium when bombarded with neutrons. The tritium is then separated and recycled as fuel, while heat is extracted for power generation.

Validating Fusion Reactor Components

Unity-3 will test various breeding blanket materials, including liquid lithium, to validate performance data that has primarily been generated through computer models. This physical testing is critical for researchers and other fusion startups to confirm their theoretical data and advance the development of practical fusion power plants. Over half of fusion startups plan to work with external suppliers like Kyoto Fusioneering for fuel cycle technologies, indicating the importance of this work.