SBRI Competition: Fusions Industry Challenges Cycle 2 Phase 1

Tender description

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). The aim of the competition is to develop solutions to fusion energy challenges in two themes for key priority areas. 1. Driving up fusion power plant performance with innovative heating and cooling systems. 2. Improving fusion power plant availability with novel fusion materials, technology, and manufacture. This is phase 1 of a potential 2 phase competition. The decision to proceed with phase 2 will depend on the outcomes from phase 1 and assessment of a separate application into a subsequent phase 2 competition. Only the successful applicants from phase 1 will be invited to apply to take part in phase 2. Lot 1: Driving up fusion power plant performance with innovative heating and cooling systems. A Pre-Commercial Procurement Activity under SBRI Driving up fusion power plant performance with innovative heating and cooling systems. Projects can focus on one or more of the following under this theme: Microwave heating challenges: high power, long pulse microwave sources with high electrical efficiency (greater than or equal to 55%) development of special waveguide components, for example, diamond window assemblies, power monitors, expansion units, vacuum pumping access improvements on the high voltage power supplies (50kV) for reduced voltage ripple in a compact assembly while maintaining high electrical efficiency (greater than or equal to 98%) development of optical mirrors for evacuation of high thermal loads (approximately 5MW/m2) high precision optical alignment assemblies for the free space to waveguide coupling Neutral particle beam heating challenges: negative ion beam system with high electrical efficiency (greater than 60%) improved beam neutralisation efficiency, for example, Plasma or Laser Neutralisers development of residual ion energy recovery. improved negative ion source efficiency with caesium free operation reduction in scale; improved ion optics, source uniformity and power handling to reduce size of components development of actively cooled high heat flux components (approximately 5-10 MW/m2) with reactor relevant materials development of fault tolerant 1-2MV fast switching power supply systems with high electrical efficiency development of vacuum pumping systems with pumping speeds of millions of litres per second which allow continuous operation Reactor high heat flux components: jet impingement cooling technology transfer sCO2 as coolant diamond components for heat dispersion novel discrete limiter designs, for example, vaporisation layers, speed of maintenance or increased heat flux performance has context menu Additional information: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1156/overview#summary Lot 2: Improving fusion power plant availability with novel fusion materials, technology, and manufacture. A Pre-Commercial Procurement Activity under SBRI Improving fusion power plant availability with novel fusion materials, technology, and manufacture Projects can focus on one or more of the following under this theme: fusion grade steels, for example, reduced activation Ferritic or Martensitic (RAFM) development, including, Castable Nanostructured Alloys (CNAs), and Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels liquid Metal testing, for example Li, PbLi and Pb scalable or large volume manufacture of tritium breeder materials irradiation resilient joining materials and processes, for example, Tungsten based armour materials, CuCrZr or vacuum vessel ports including fused silica, Mo, MgAl2O4, ZnS, ZnSe novel manufacture of multi-metre complex structures and components for fusion environments testing and evaluation scalable or large volume manufacture of neutron shielding materials manufacture of complex geometry components in refractory metals additive manufacture for non-water coolant components anti-corrosion coatings or novel application methods of corrosion and tritium barrier coatings for complex geometry components development of on-line activation measurements in situ health monitoring of fusion reactor components novel inspection of interfaces in complex multi-material fusion components radiation hard improvements for fusion equipment and plant novel energy conversion technology high temperature superconductors composite materials such as silicon carbide fibre, reinforced silicon carbide novel materials for radiation hard electronic components Additional information: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1156/overview#summary