US fusion start-up Type One Energy has successfully completed the first formal design review of its 350 MWe power plant, Infinity Two, using stellarator fusion power technology. The design review was conducted by an independent board chaired by Dr Thomas Sunn Pedersen and included experts from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Westinghouse Electric Company.
Type One Energy’s approach has been recognized as a comprehensive and unified solution to addressing the complex relationship between competing requirements for plasma performance, startup, construction logistics, reliability, and economics. The company’s stellarator fusion physics basis was deemed “setting the gold standard” by the Journal of Plasma Physics.
The Infinity Two design is built on the advantages of stellarators, which use external coils to create the magnetic field that confines the plasma, rather than relying on internal currents. This approach has the potential to lead to more efficient and continuous fusion power generation.
Type One Energy’s accelerated development programme for advanced modular high-temperature superconducting (HTS) stellarator magnets was made possible by accessing MIT’s VIPER technology and utilizing certain additional capabilities. The company announced tests of its derivative VIPER technology, which will be evaluated further at the MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Centre (PSFC).
The Infinity Two architecture is grounded in stellarator fusion technology, which has demonstrated stable operation at large scale by the Wendelstein 7-X machine. By properly architecting Infinity Two, Type One Energy aims to create a proprietary fusion power plant design that supports a two-year power plant operating cycle separated by 30-day planned maintenance outages using existing materials and enabling technologies.
The successful completion of the initial design review confirms that Type One Energy’s approach aligns with the expectations of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the broader global energy market for a commercially viable First of a Kind (FOAK) fusion power plant.
Source: https://www.neimagazine.com/news/infinity-two-clears-first-major-design-review