Making fusion energy a reality
Fusion Computing Lab is a collaboration between the Hartree Centre and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) aiming to build a digital twin of a fusion energy device to help make commercial fusion a reality.
Our expertise in advanced digital technologies such as supercomputing, AI and data science, combined with UKAEA’s domain expertise of fusion, will accelerate digital-first design solutions that will reduce the need for costly, time-intensive real-world prototyping. This partnership is also fostering the growth of a new industrial sector, partnering with pioneering SMEs, universities, and engineering specialists poised to deliver and commercialise fusion.
How we are helping make fusion energy a reality
As we look to the future of climate change, we need to tackle the environmental challenges around energy production to help decarbonise the economy and build sustainable energy resources. Fusion has the potential to be an efficient alternative power source as it produces an enormous amount of energy and does not generate any greenhouse gas emissions. In the videos below, our experts share how we are combining the Hartree Centre’s expertise in advanced digital technologies with UKAEA’s fusion knowledge to help pave the way for a cleaner, more energy-efficient future.
Modelling fusion energy devices
One of the key challenges of fusion energy research is being able to effectively model a fusion device, also called a tokamak. A tokamak uses magnetic fields to levitate fuel plasma in a doughnut-shaped chamber. The leading approach to the confinement of plasma requires precise control of the magnetic fields. To improve simulations on confining hot plasma, our collaboration developed FreeGSNKE, an open-source Python-based simulation code designed to help researchers study and optimise plasma shaping and control.