Component Developement & Vacuum Technology
Description
The research topic “Component Development & Vacuum Technology” focuses on the development of specific components and processes intended for use in a fusion fuel cycle and beyond.
By developing novel components and processes specifically tailored to the fuel cycle of a fusion power plant, we enable a licensable fuel cycle with the lowest possible tritium inventory. To this end, we conduct experiments to fill knowledge gaps and generate a database that allows us to perform reliable design work. With our expertise and experimental results, we support companies in developing new products for the fusion market.
In addition to our work in the field of nuclear fusion, we also develop novel components in the field of vacuum technology, which are used in particular in fundamental research. One example of this is the development of special cryopumps for use in future gravitational wave detectors.
References
- Development of novel vacuum pumps as part of the EUROfusion project (liquid ring pumps and diffusion pumps using mercury as a tritium-compatible working fluid, and metal foil pumps specifically designed for pumping hydrogen exclusively).
- Development of the TSA process and the associated active materials for the separation of hydrogen isotopes in the EU-DEMO fuel cycle.
- Design of a cryogenic vacuum pumping system to protect the cold mirrors inside the Einstein Telescope.
- Development of a pellet injector for fusion reactors capable of handling 3 mm pellets at an injection velocity of up to 1 km/s at 15 Hz.
Research infrastructure
- Experimental facilities MAIA & HESTIA for the development of an isotope separation process based on temperature swing adsorption
- Experimental facility HERMES for the investigation of superpermeation
- Development platform DIPAK for test and validation of components and processes for the fusion fuel cycle
