Development of a small tokamak with high temperature superconducting magnets for sale as a fusion research instrument

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Fusion power has the potential to be clean, green and plentiful. It is inherently safe andcarries no risks of nuclear proliferation. Projections of future world energy supply anticipatefusion power being responsible for 36% of all global electricity production by the year 2100.However, with the present R&D proposals, including the €15bn investment in the ITERtokamak in France, it is unlikely that fusion power can become an economic reality before2050.Tokamak Solutions has built an early prototype of a small tokamak that has the potential tospeed up the fusion R&D process and bring forward the time when fusion power will beavailable. While huge experiments such as JET at Culham and the future ITER tokamaktackle major problems in fusion R&D, small tokamaks designed and built by TokamakSolutions can tackle many of the challenges of fusion that are amenable to rapid developmentwith a small device. In other words, Tokamak Solutions aims to provide a research tool toallow rapid incremental innovation in fusion in a way that is complementary to, and willspeed up, mainstream fusion R&D.As demand for electricity increases (at 5% per annum worldwide) and global warmingconcerns increase, the need for fusion energy will become more pressing. Annual globalexpenditure on fusion energy R&D is about £2bn. Our proof of market study has shown thatevery country with a serious scientific effort would want its own tokamak for fusion researchwith the latest magnet technology.The objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate the world’s first tokamak with allits magnets made from high temperature superconductor (HTS). We will demonstrate that thissmall tokamak is easy to use by students and researchers and is capable of ground-breakingresearch. If we can win initial orders for small tokamaks from universities and researchinstitutes, then the opportunities to participate in larger fusion projects will open up.