DEMO: Demonstrating commercial fusion energy
Developing concepts for the maintenance of the world’s most ambitious fusion energy project.
Europe’s DEMO will be the next step to follow JET and ITER – a proposed grid-connected fusion device that will demonstrate safe and consistent generation of electricity. In order to keep costs down and maximise the amount of electricity that can be generated, plant down-time has to be minimised. As a result, remote maintenance is ‘device-defining’ for a fusion powerplant, strongly influencing the architecture of the plant.
RACE is the lead laboratory for DEMO’s remote handling, integrating technologies that have been developed under EUROfusion in the UK and a number of other European countries. Where the remote maintenance strategy requires novel solutions, RACE leads the development of the technologies to meet the challenges. For example, our Model-based Advanced Control Systems are designed to minimise oscillation of the large, flexible payloads, to maximise positional accuracy.
To learn more about DEMO, please see the EUROfusion website.
Working at RACE is about solving some of the most difficult technical challenges faced by humans. The possibility of realising something that was once considered impossible is really exciting.
Aditya Sinha
Strand Leader for In-Vessel Maintenance, DEMO
RACE Programmes
RACE is engineering the freedom to operate in challenging environments. To achieve our fusion engineering goals, we work internationally with end users, industry supply chains and academia.
Developing maintenance techniques for the UK’s ambitious prototype fusion energy plant.
Developing, maintaining and operating the unique remote handling system at JET, the record-breaking fusion facility.
Collaborating with leading academic institutions and innovative organisations to identify and develop new fusion-relevant robotics.
