Scientists make progress on ultra-futuristic device that could generate virtually unlimited energy — here’s the tech that’s bringing it one step closer to reality

Scientists may be one step closer to unlocking the virtually unlimited energy of nuclear fusion thanks to the development of a cutting-edge device that can superheat plasma.

As Interesting Engineering reported, Japan-based Kyoto Fusioneering built a 1-megawatt gyrotron — a device that generates high-power microwave radiation required for heating and controlling plasma in fusion reactors. The futuristic tool could be the key to helping Tokamak Energy, a private fusion power company in the United Kingdom, achieve sustainable, commercially viable fusion energy.

“The new gyrotron will generate high-power electromagnetic waves for controlling and heating a hydrogen plasma many times hotter than the centre of the sun,” Tokamak Energy said in a press release. “It will also be used to start up and drive plasma current.”

The company received the gyrotron in late December and plans to install it on its spherical tokamak ST40 this year. Once the fuel-heating technology is operational, Tokamak and several of its partners, including the U.S. Department of Energy, will begin testing lithium on the inner wall of the ST40 for a future fusion pilot plant.

According to Tokamak Energy, the ST40 tokamak is the “most advanced of its kind in the world,” achieving a record 100 million degrees Celsius (more than 180 million degrees Fahrenheit) plasma ion temperature in 2022. This is over six times hotter than the sun’s core temperature and is considered the threshold for commercial fusion energy.

The ultra-powerful gyrotron will further Tokamak’s efforts to produce nuclear fusion for commercial use by 2030, as the International Energy Forum reported.

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The IEF explained that nuclear fusion generates nearly 4 million times more energy than dirty fuels such as coal, oil, and gas and four times more than nuclear fission. Since it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide, other polluting gases, or long-lived radioactive waste, it’s an ideal clean, low-cost energy source to potentially power the world in the future.

And gyrotrons will likely play a major role in bringing sustainable fusion power to homes and cities. Interesting Engineering said that gyrotrons offer several benefits that can drive progress in fusion research, including their ability to superheat plasma and transmit microwave radiation through waveguides, allowing for more flexibility in positioning.

The technology also reduces the size needed for the central solenoid — a key component in tokamaks that generates a strong magnetic field used to initiate and maintain the plasma current during the fusion process.

“A gyrotron, which uses Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH), solves one of the key challenges for a spherical tokamak – limited space for a central solenoid, which would otherwise be required to induce the plasma current,” Tokamak Energy stated.

Tokamak said it plans to use both its current neutral beam injection heating system and gyrotron heating on the ST40 to better understand the balance needed for future spherical tokamak pilot plants.

Ross Morgan, director of strategic partnerships at Tokamak Energy, said, “We’re excited to work with our partners Kyoto Fusioneering to add this important upgrade to our record-breaking fusion machine, and continue to operate ST40 to test and push new boundaries.”

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