UK-based Tokamak Energy is leveraging digital twin technology to enhance its fusion research capabilities.
The company’s SOPHIA software, a digital twin of its ST40 fusion machine, enables researchers to maximize the impact of each experiment without needing to test multiple scenarios in the physical machine.
SOPHIA: A Powerful Tool for Fusion Research
Developed in-house and trialed last year, SOPHIA has proven its effectiveness in mirroring actual experiments, ensuring that ST40 tests do not exceed machine limits and cause disruptions.
The software can run multiple simulations simultaneously, accelerating research and development productivity.
Mike Porton, Tokamak Energy’s Chief Engineer, highlights the significance of SOPHIA in accelerating their mission to validate power plant designs and deliver commercial fusion by the 2030s.
He states, “Successful experiments tested virtually by SOPHIA will go forward to ST40 for real, producing measurable, publishable, verifiable, physical results.”
Tokamak Energy’s Ambitious Fusion Roadmap
Tokamak Energy, spun out of the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in 2009, has an ambitious roadmap for commercializing fusion energy.
In 2022, the company announced plans to build a prototype spherical tokamak, the ST80-HTS, at the UKAEA’s Culham Campus by 2026.
This prototype will demonstrate the full potential of high-temperature superconducting magnets and inform the design of their fusion pilot plant, ST-E1, which aims to generate electricity in the early 2030s.
Collaborating with the US Department of Energy
Last week, Tokamak Energy signed an agreement with the US Department of Energy, joining a $46 million initiative to accelerate the development of commercial fusion. The company will collaborate with national laboratories and universities to address technical and commercialization milestones for the design of a fusion pilot plant.
With its innovative digital twin technology and ambitious roadmap, Tokamak Energy is at the forefront of fusion research. The company’s progress demonstrates the increasing viability of fusion as a clean, safe, and abundant source of energy for the future.