September 10, 2025
| Tokamak Energy’s fusion strategy integrates High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) magnets and Spherical Tokamak (ST) geometry, emphasizing pure lithium for tritium breeding and plasma-facing applications. Lithium offers unique benefits, including a high neutron economy therefore not needing enrichment or neutron multipliers, excellent thermal conductivity, and high affinity for hydrogen isotopes reducing requirements on tritium barrier coatings on structural materials. Its low activation products simplify waste management, while its plasma-enhancing properties improve reactor performance. While these benefits are clear, lithium’s strong affinity for hydrogen isotopes, including tritium, creates challenges in tritium extraction from molten lithium streams in blankets and divertors. In partnership with Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) this project investigates High Entropy Oxides (HEOs) as advanced solid electrolyte materials for electrolysis-based tritium extraction, addressing limitations of current technologies like LLZO (Li7La3Zr2O12). Electrolysis- based extraction reduces the tritium inventory, and power draw of the fuel cycle system. Key objectives include fabricating scaled HEO electrodes, testing them in molten lithium-hydride environments, and developing process designs and digital models. By establishing the feasibility of HEO electrodes, this work aims to improve the efficiency and safety of liquid lithium systems, supporting future fusion plant designs.
Highlights: – Development, with SRNL, of HEO electrolytes as a potential alternative to LLZO for tritium extraction from lithium, with enhanced ion conductivity and high temperature stability – Process development with supporting digital models to understand integration in the fuel cycle – Assessment of feasibility at scale of this technology |