This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). The aim of the competition is to develop solutions to fusion energy challenges in two themes for key priority areas.

1. Driving up fusion power plant performance with innovative heating and cooling systems.

2. Improving fusion power plant availability with novel fusion materials, technology, and manufacture.

This is phase 1 of a potential 2 phase competition. The decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1 and the assessment of a separate application in a subsequent phase 2 competition. Only the successful applicants from phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in phase 2.

In applying to this phase 1 competition you are entering into a competitive process.

Any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject to a separate, possibly competitive, procurement exercise. This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution.

The funding type is procurement.

Timescale

Competition opens: 9 May 2022 – 22 June 2022 11:00am
Online briefing: 23 May 2022 – find the slides of the briefing here

Phase 1 contracts awarded: 1 September 2022

Feedback provided: 1 September 2022

Project Eligibility

Your project is expected to start by 1 September 2022, must end by 31 March 2023. Your project lasts between 3 to 6 months.

Scope

Your project must focus on one of these 2 themes:

1. Driving up fusion power plant performance with innovative heating and cooling systems.

Projects can focus on one or more of the following under this theme:

– Microwave heating challenges:

• high power, long pulse microwave sources with high electrical efficiency (greater than or equal to 55%)
• development of special waveguide components, for example, diamond window assemblies, power monitors, expansion units, vacuum pumping access
• improvements on the high voltage power supplies (50kV) for reduced voltage ripple in a compact assembly while maintaining high electrical efficiency (greater than or equal to 98%)
• development of optical mirrors for evacuation of high thermal loads (approximately 5MW/m2)
• high precision optical alignment assemblies for the free space to waveguide coupling

– Neutral particle beam heating challenges:

• negative ion beam system with high electrical efficiency (greater than 60%)
• improved beam neutralisation efficiency, for example, Plasma or Laser Neutralisers
• development of residual ion energy recovery.
• improved negative ion source efficiency with caesium free operation
• reduction in scale; improved ion optics, source uniformity and power handling to reduce size of components
• development of actively cooled high heat flux components (approximately 5-10 MW/m2) with reactor relevant materials
• development of fault tolerant 1-2MV fast switching power supply systems with high electrical efficiency
• development of vacuum pumping systems with pumping speeds of millions of litres per second which allow continuous operation

– Reactor high heat flux components:

• jet impingement cooling technology transfer
• sCO2 as coolant
• diamond components for heat dispersion
• novel discrete limiter designs, for example, vaporisation layers, speed of maintenance or increased heat flux performance

2. Improving fusion power plant availability with novel fusion materials, technology, and manufacture

Projects can focus on one or more of the following under this theme:

• fusion grade steels, for example, reduced activation Ferritic or Martensitic (RAFM) development, including, Castable Nanostructured Alloys (CNAs), and Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels
• liquid Metal testing, for example Li, PbLi and Pb
• scalable or large volume manufacture of tritium breeder materials
• irradiation resilient joining materials and processes, for example, Tungsten based armour materials, CuCrZr or vacuum vessel ports including fused silica, Mo, MgAl2O4, ZnS, ZnSe
• novel manufacture of multi-metre complex structures and components for fusion environments testing and evaluation
• scalable or large volume manufacture of neutron shielding materials
• manufacture of complex geometry components in refractory metals
• additive manufacture for non-water coolant components
• anti-corrosion coatings or novel application methods of corrosion and tritium barrier coatings for complex geometry components
• development of on-line activation measurements
• in situ health monitoring of fusion reactor components
• novel inspection of interfaces in complex multi-material fusion components
• radiation hard improvements for fusion equipment and plant
• novel energy conversion technology
• high temperature superconductors
• composite materials such as silicon carbide fibre, reinforced silicon carbide
• novel materials for radiation hard electronic components

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants are welcome from all sectors.

To lead a project, you can:

• be an organisation of any size
• work alone or with others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector as subcontractors

This competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian entity as lead or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian source.

How To Apply

You need to create an account and apply online here.

Guidance and detail of the process of applying can be found here.