Accelerating Fusion Energy Research with the Construction of ’UNITY’ Fusion Power Generation Test Plant
Kyoto Fusioneering (KF) is set to establish its own R&D facility, the Kyoto Research Centre, in Kumiyama, Kuse District, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The Kyoto Research Centre will focus on research and development of the Thermal Cycle System, a critical component for fusion plants, and will also construct a fusion energy generation test plant known as UNITY (UNITY-1). This initiative aims to advance the realisation of fusion energy. The UNITY-1 demonstration facility will not create a fusion reaction, and will not use any radioactive materials.
Our R&D activities related to fusion plants were previously dispersed across various research facilities in Japan, including those affiliated with Kyoto University. These efforts primarily focused on individual devices and systems. As we consolidate these various components and move into the integrated phase of research and demonstration testing, we have made the decision to establish a dedicated R&D hub to foster an optimal environment.
After considering numerous potential locations for our R&D centre, we chose the Kyoto Research Centre as the facility that best meets our R&D requirements. Its location in Kyoto is the birthplace of our company.
At the Kyoto Research Centre, our primary focus is on advancing research and development of the Thermal Cycle System, which harnesses heat generated through fusion reactions for power generation. We are also conducting research and development on the Fuel Cycle System, ensuring a stable and safe supply of fuel to the fusion core. These systems have critical roles in the configuration of fusion plants and are expected to experience significant demand in the future experimental plant market, which is critical for the realisation of fusion energy, as well as after the commercialisation of fusion energy has been achieved. They are the core of our business.
Furthermore, we are preparing to construct the fusion energy generation test plant UNITY-1, as announced last July, within the Kyoto Research Centre. UNITY-1 will include components such as a blanket for high-temperature heat-extraction from the fusion core, liquid metal loops for heat transfer, an advanced heat exchanger, a power generation system, and a tritium fuel circulation system. This setup aims to simulate an environment with high temperature and strong magnetic fields equivalent to a fusion plant in order to demonstrate various power generation systems without the use of radioactive materials. In addition, we are actively enhancing the technological maturity of the Fuel Cycle System (technology to exhaust, separate, and circulate hydrogen isotope gases from the fusion core) in the joint project UNITY-2 with the Canadian Nuclear Laboratory (CNL).
KF will persist in our efforts to accelerate the realisation of fusion energy.
Research and Development Centre Overview
Name: Kyoto Research Centre
Location: Kumiyama, Kuse District, Kyoto Prefecture
Total floor area: 657.75m2
Moving date: September 1, 2023
About KF
Kyoto Fusioneering, established in 2019, is a privately funded technology startup with facilities in Tokyo and Kyoto (Japan), Reading (UK), and Seattle (USA). The company specialises in developing advanced technologies for commercial fusion power plants, such as gyrotron systems, tritium fuel cycle technologies, and breeding blankets for tritium production and power generation. Working collaboratively with public and private fusion developers around the world, Kyoto Fusioneering’s mission is to make fusion energy the ultimate sustainable solution for humanity’s energy needs.
Explore more about KF’s vision for the future of energy at www.kyotofusioneering.com/en/ or by contacting media@kyotofusioneering.com
