News

Shimadzu Corporation and Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd. have jointly developed a prototype turbomolecular pump (TMP) for fusion power plants. Fusion is a technology that fuses atomic nuclei such as tritium and deuterium to generate immense energy. Because it recreates the processes occurring in the Sun, fusion is often described as a “Sun on Earth.” At fusion power plants, the use of vacuum technologies that use TMPs is indispensable across a wide range of operations. These include recovering and reusing unreacted tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen) and deuterium, and maintaining a high-vacuum environment inside the plasma core. The prototype TMP will undergo performance testing at UNITY-2, an integrated test facility currently under construction in Canada by Kyoto Fusioneering and its partners, and Kyoto Fusioneering plans to supply the pump to companies and research institutes involved in fusion development.

The newly developed prototype TMP is designed for continuous, long-term, stable operation under tritium conditions. To mitigate lubricating oil degradation caused by tritium (an issue for ball-bearing designs), the pump uses a magnetic-bearing system that magnetically levitates the rotor and supports it without physical contact. Materials that resist degradation from tritium exposure have also been used inside the pump. The unit features mechanisms that enable excellent exhaust performance for light gases such as tritium and deuterium.

Photo: Prototype Turbomolecular Pump Jointly Developed by Shimadzu Corporation and Kyoto Fusioneering

Stable operation of fusion power plants requires a continuous supply of fuel. Therefore, technologies for exhausting, separating, and recirculating fuel—such as tritium—from the plasma core are essential. Kyoto Fusioneering is developing this technology under the Fusion Fuel Cycle System concept, ahead of competitors worldwide. In this system, the processes of recovering, purifying, and recirculating mixed gases—such as tritium and deuterium fuel, and helium produced by fusion reactions—require vacuum pumps designed for fusion power plants, including specialized TMPs resistant to radioactive tritium.

Shimadzu Corporation, which has a strong global share in industrial TMPs, and Kyoto Fusioneering, with deep expertise in the fusion energy field, have been collaborating on R&D of TMPs dedicated to fusion power plants. Through its diverse lineup of TMPs, analytical instruments, and related technologies, Shimadzu Corporation will continue contributing to the practical realization of fusion power—the energy source of the future.

About Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd.

Kyoto Fusioneering is an engineering company for fusion power plants. Founded in 2019, it builds on many years of fusion research in Japan, including work at Kyoto University.
The company has advanced engineering capabilities in plasma peripheral technologies. It is engaged primarily in gyrotron systems for plasma heating, fusion thermal cycle systems for utilizing the energy generated by fusion reactions, and fusion fuel cycle systems that continuously supply fuel. It is developing the integrated test facilities UNITY-1 and UNITY-2, which combine these technologies for demonstration testing, and is working toward the early realization of fusion energy.
Website: https://kyotofusioneering.com/en/ 

Introduction to the Prototype TMP (on the Kyoto Fusioneering website)