Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville are collaborating with a fusion company to push a new fusion facility in the state, per Knoxville News Sentinel.
Type One Energy is working with researchers to establish a fusion development campus at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Energy Complex in Clinton.
The project will involve the development of a high-heat-flux facility to test how different materials respond to the extreme conditions in a fusion device.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fusion energy devices typically entail the combination of two nuclei under intense heat and pressure from plasma gases. These gases reach a high enough temperature to release ions within the nucleus, which are then collected and fused together to produce clean, constant energy that can be converted into electricity, so long as the process continues.
This HHF facility, only the second of its kind in the United States, represents a major step forward in evaluating the components that can withstand the harsh conditions of the fusion process, granting both private and public entities the information they would need to better approach future fusion projects and pave the way for access to cleaner, sustainable energy.
“It’s exciting to witness the convergence of science and innovation toward a commercially viable fusion industry in the U.S.,” said Joe Hoagland, interim associate lab director for fission and fusion at ORNL, per Knox News.
“We very much look forward to the insights gleaned from these partnerships and the realization of real-world impacts toward making fusion a viable energy source for the future.”
As scientists and researchers continue to advance fusion energy, the industry can grow, offering potential savings for consumers as they see lower energy bills and a more efficient power supply.
The wider adoption of fusion energy as an affordable alternative to more labor-intensive and dirty sources of power will mean fewer resources will be spent, and developers can make way for near-limitless energy.
“This unique collaboration of breakthrough science, industry innovation, and academic leadership will result in the creation of a national facility critical to the success of realizing commercial fusion,” said ORNL Laboratory Director Stephen Streiffer, in a UT statement.
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