UK Atomic Energy Authority
🇬🇧 Culham, GB · Founded 1954 · Active
Also known as UKAEA
The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is a UK government research body, established in July 1954 and responsible for fusion energy research, with its main site at Culham in Oxfordshire. It hosted the Joint European Torus (JET), whose final experiments produced a record 69 megajoules of fusion energy before the machine stopped operating, and it runs the MAST Upgrade spherical tokamak along with materials, robotics and tritium research facilities. Its subsidiary UK Fusion Energy Ltd is delivering STEP, a planned prototype fusion power plant at West Burton in Nottinghamshire. UKAEA says it has around 2,600 employees at Culham, West Burton, Cumbria and South Yorkshire. It is a public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
- Sector
- Fusion
- Technology
- Spherical tokamak, Tokamak
- Fuel
- Deuterium–tritium
- Role
- Research institute, Operator, Government programme
It is the operator of record for MAST-U (operating) and Joint European Torus (decommissioned). Measured results for Joint European Torus are listed below.
Terms
- Spherical tokamak
- A tokamak squeezed towards a cored-apple shape. The tighter aspect ratio holds plasma pressure with less magnetic field, which is efficient, but leaves very little room at the centre for the central column.
- Tokamak
- Doughnut-shaped magnetic confinement using a strong toroidal field plus a current driven through the plasma itself. The most-studied configuration, and the one ITER uses. Its main open problem is heat exhaust at the divertor, where the plasma edge concentrates power onto a small area, together with the risk of disruptions: sudden, uncontrolled losses of the plasma current.
- Deuterium–tritium
- Lowest ignition threshold; 80% of energy in 14.1 MeV neutrons. The reference fuel for every near-term net-gain claim.
Results
Plasma gain (Qplasma) (average)
Fusion power produced ÷ External heating power coupled into the plasma
claimed2023-10-03shot 104522
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Fusion energy yield
achieved2023-10-03shot 104522
Plasma gain (Qplasma) (average)
Fusion power produced ÷ External heating power coupled into the plasma
claimed2021-12-21shot 99971
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Fusion energy yield
superseded2021-12-21shot 99971
JET Tokamak’s Latest Fusion Energy Record Shows Mastery of Fusion Processes
Plasma gain (Qplasma)
Fusion power produced ÷ External heating power coupled into the plasma
claimed1997-10-31shot 42976
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Fusion triple product (nTτE)
claimed1991-11-02shot 26087
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Ion temperature (peak)
claimed1991-11-02shot 26087
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Plasma density
claimed1991-11-02shot 26087
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Energy confinement time (τE)
claimed1991-11-02shot 26087
Continuing progress toward fusion energy breakeven and gain as measured against the Lawson criteria
Design values
| Device | Parameter | Value | Unit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joint European Torus | Major radius | 2.96 | m | design valueclaimed |
| Joint European Torus | Minor radius | 1.25 | m | design valueclaimed |
| Joint European Torus | On-axis magnetic field | 3.4 | T | design valueclaimed |
| Joint European Torus | Plasma current | 5 | MA | design valueclaimed |
| Joint European Torus | Plasma duration (nominal) | 60 | s | design valueclaimed |
| MAST-U | Major radius | 0.85 | m | design valueclaimed |
| MAST-U | Minor radius | 0.65 | m | design valueclaimed |
| MAST-U | On-axis magnetic field | 0.52 | T | design valueclaimed |
| MAST-U | Plasma current | 2 | MA | design valueclaimed |
| MAST-U | Plasma duration (nominal) | 5 | s | design valueclaimed |
Devices
Related companies
Sources
- Home | UKAEA Fusion Energyoperator
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authorityaggregator
- Spherical Tokamak for Energy Productionaggregator
- www.ukaea.org/about-ukaea/operator