[Press Release] Fusion Energy Power Generation Demonstration Project “FAST” Starts FAST Project Secretariat Press release: November 12, 2024 Fusion energy power generation demonstration project “FAST” started Aiming for the fastest power generation demonstration from Japan with a tokamak-type fusion energy reactor
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engineering, in order to be an important milestone in resolving the remaining technical issues. This project will be promoted jointly with Kyoto Fusioneering, researchers affiliated with cutting-edge universities and research institutes in Japan and abroad, domestic industry partners, and international collaboration partners. This will build on the world’s current fusion science and technology and integrate it with cutting-edge reactor engineering technology to solve technical issues, bridge the technological gap from research and development to practical application, and promote industrialization. We aim to build a foundation. [Background and purpose of FAST] The main purpose of FAST is to solve the technical challenges necessary for social implementation of fusion energy, operate it in an integrated environment, and demonstrate it. In fusion energy research and development to date, we have succeeded in verifying plasma performance in a short period of time, but it is still difficult to utilize the generated energy as external output, to create a system for multiplying that fuel, and to establish energy technology that integrates these. Yes, there are still many challenges remaining. Although the development of individual technologies to address these issues is progressing, there are no demonstration cases using actual combustion plasma devices, especially neutrons generated by nuclear fusion reactions, and it is necessary to integrate these individual technologies to build a safe energy system. There is still a large gap between the current state of the art and the technological level of social implementation. In order to resolve these technical issues and fill in the technological gaps, FAST provides a new venue for technological development for commercial reactors, including DEMO reactors, which are aimed at commercialization around the world. Based on the nuclear fusion research and manufacturing technology that Japan has cultivated to date, we will solve essential and efficient technical issues as quickly as possible in order to establish a safe and clean next-generation energy industry and build a supply chain. We aim to make a major contribution to the world’s fusion energy development. [Global fusion energy trends and the positioning of FAST] Countries such as the US, UK and China are already pursuing their own programs to industrialize fusion energy. In the US, a private startup is leading its development with support from the Department of Energy. In the UK, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), a public organization, is underway, and in China, the large-scale test facility group “CRAFT” and ITER to acquire elemental technology of nuclear fusion are underway. Projects such as the tokamak-type fusion experimental reactor “BEST”, which aims for D-T operation, are underway. The Japanese government has also set out a “Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy,” aiming to significantly bring forward development plans for industrialization and to be the first in the world to achieve power generation demonstrations in the 2030s. FAST is a private sector-led project to achieve this new national goal, building a team centered on Japan and aiming to construct equipment to demonstrate fusion energy power generation technology. [Technical issues that can be demonstrated with FAST] To demonstrate fusion energy power generation technology in the 2030s, we will solve the following technical challenges through FAST: 1. Demonstration of D-T combustion – Generation, sustainment, and control of combustion plasma using tritium, a core technology of Fusion Energy. 2. Energy extraction and utilization – Extraction, conversion (power generation, etc.) and utilization of energy generated by nuclear fusion reactions. 3. Demonstration of tritium production and fuel cycle – Demonstration of technology to multiply, extract, and utilize tritium, which is the fuel for nuclear fusion reactions. 4. System Integration – Developing and demonstrating plant technology that integrates fusion energy systems and operates safely and sustainably. [Technical overview of FAST] FAST is a fusion energy generation technology system that integrates combustion plasma, energy conversion, and fuel systems. If realized, this plan would be the first of its kind in the world. Maintain and control fusion combustion plasmas with energy outputs and durations that contribute to engineering advances, while maintaining compact equipment size and relatively efficient cost. We will also demonstrate technology that safely extracts generated energy at high temperatures and converts it into industrially usable forms such as electricity. In addition, we will demonstrate a fuel cycle that generates and utilizes the fuel tritium within the system, and build a technical system for a sustainable industrial system, including operation and maintenance and waste treatment. For the plasma confinement method, we have adopted tokamak types, which are the most reliable and have the most advanced database construction, including ITER and JT-60SA, and among these, we have selected a low aspect ratio tokamak configuration, which is expected to be cost-effective and short in construction period. . We are aiming for an output of 50,000 to 100,000 kilowatts and a discharge time of 1000 seconds using a D-T fusion reaction. The magnet uses a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil, and in addition to power generation through a
high-temperature blanket, we are testing technology for multipurpose use of heat and neutrons, and we plan to operate at full power for a total of 1,000 hours during the project period. . Based on these basic designs, we will proceed with detailed designs and aim to realize commercial fusion energy power generation as soon as possible. Image
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/152790/1/152790-1-6ea6e1eb514e469c2ed13e9b4d5f7378-1152×802.jpg [Project promotion and future development through industry-academia collaboration] FAST will be promoted with Kyoto Fusioneering as the project leader in cooperation with major universities and research institutes in Japan and overseas. In the future, we will first form a conceptual design team consisting of plasma researchers, reactor engineering researchers, and experts listed below, and will begin design activities as soon as 2024. FAST also works with Kyoto Fusioneering’s shareholders Mitsui & Co., Mitsui Fudosan, Mitsubishi Corporation, Marubeni, and Fujikura, as well as Kajima Corporation, which has a proven track record in plant safety analysis, as well as trading companies and real estate companies including Furukawa Electric. In cooperation with industrial partners, mainly J-Fusion participating companies such as companies, manufacturers, and general contractors, we will gradually accelerate initiatives such as plant design and safety analysis, site recruitment, and site preparation. Aiming to complete the conceptual design within fiscal 2025, we plan to closely examine the domestic and international environment, including technology, funding, and policy, at the time of moving to detailed design, and separately judge the effectiveness of the plan, including the pros and cons of implementation. We will continue to broadly recruit industrial and international partners in collaboration with J-Fusion participating companies in order to promote the participation of researchers and engineers conducting design work, site preparation, and compliance with related laws and regulations. List of collaborating researchers: University of Tokyo Professor Akira Ejiri Tohoku University Professor Kenji Tobita Tohoku University Professor Yuji Hatano University of Tokyo Professor Yasushi Ono Tokyo University of Science Associate Professor Hiroaki Tsutsui Nagoya University Professor Takaaki Fujita Kyoto University Professor Hitoshi Tanaka Kyushu University Professor Kazuaki Hanada Kyoto Fusioneering Company Tetsuyuki Konishi CEO Tokamak Energy Professor Yuichi Takase Prinston Plasma Physics Laboratories Dr. Masayuki Ono Dr. Brian Grierson, General Atomics Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Dr. Sam Suppiah Dr. Ian Castillo, Fusion Fuel Cycles We will actively disseminate specific progress and results in the future through our website and presentations at academic conferences.
