Electromagnetics

Magnetic Containment of Fusion Energy Seen as Key to ‘Breakthrough of the Century’ 

Focused on magnetic technology for the confinement of fusion energy, German venture-backed startups Gauss Fusion and Proxima Fusion are moving resolutely to become front-runners in the global race to pioneer commercial fusion power – seen by many as what could be one of the greatest breakthroughs of this century. New leadership, new partners and new funding are coming together at Gauss, but it is not a lone runner as Proxima builds on its close affiliation with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. […]

Electromagnetics

HTS Tape Manufacturers Scale Up for Magnetic Tokamak Growth for Fusion Energy 

The prospect of carbon-free energy from fusion has accelerated the development of tokamaks in recent years, driving the demand for high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tape, the technology at the heart of the extremely strong electromagnets used to confine plasma in magnetic-confinement fusion reactors. Now, manufacturers of HTS tape, notably Faraday Factory and Fujikara, both located in Japan, are ramping up their production capabilities and deliveries as the global demand for HTS tape is expected to grow tenfold in the next five years. Lasers from Coherent Corp. are playing a key role.  […]

News

Superconducting Magnets Built by Tokamak Energy for Fusion Power

Creating clean, sustainable fusion energy requires strong magnetic fields to confine and control the extremely hot, positively-charged hydrogen fuel, which becomes a plasma several times hotter than the sun. Now, Tokamak Energy in the UK has built a world-first set of new generation high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to be assembled and tested in fusion power plant scenarios. The magnets use HTS tape from Furukawa Electric and SuperPower, a New York-based affiliate in the Furukawa Electric Group. […]

News

CFS Blazes Path to Fusion Power with Powerful Magnet and $1.8 Billion Funding 

With more than $1.8 billion in blue-ribbon investor funding and successful demonstrations of the practicality of a record-powerful magnet, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a spinoff from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is trailblazing a path toward commercializing fusion energy. It plans to reach the long-coveted destination in the early 2030s. Two big steps were accomplished recently – one involves money, the other technology using high-temperature superconducting tape. […]

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Peer into the Future of Magnetics for Energy at ARPA-E Summit 

Magnetics technology plays a key role in much of today’s energy research – looking for breakthroughs in electric propulsion for aviation, high-temperature superconductors, fusion energy, machine modeling for power magnetics, new embedded cooling and winding topologies for improving permanent-magnet motors, even magnetic resonance imaging of crop roots. Visitors to the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit & Technology Showcase can explore a fascinating array of these and meet the scientists behind them, as well as many other aspects of energy R&D. It will be held in Denver in May. This article highlights some of the magnetic-related projects. […]