Laseroptik, a supplier of laser giant Trumpf and coherent, has announced that it is one of the ten selected partners in the PriFUSIO research project, Germany's nuclear fusion research program.
Previously, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) based on the fact that nuclear fusion is a great opportunity to solve all of humanity's energy problems in the context of the energy crisis. For this purpose, a research project called FUSION 2040 was launched, which aims to pave the way for the construction of the first fusion power plant in Germany in 2040.
Germany's Federal Minister of Research has said that we want to build a fusion ecosystem of industry, start-ups and science in order to build fusion power plants in Germany as soon as possible.
It is understood that in September last year, the German Federal Minister of Research announced that Germany would significantly increase funding for nuclear fusion research, and would invest an additional 370 million euros (equivalent to about 2.896 billion yuan) in the next five years.
At present, together with the funds already allocated to research institutions, it is expected that by 2028, the BMBF will provide more than 1 billion euros (equivalent to about 7.83 billion yuan) in funding for nuclear fusion research.
The PriFUSIO research project in which Laseroptik is involved is part of the FUSION 2040 – Fusion Power Plant Research Program, grant number 13F1000I. The project, which is led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), describes the systematic development of key technologies for future-oriented, climate-neutral fusion power plants.
Laseroptik is known to be a premium supplier of laser giants such as TRUMPF and coherent in Germany, which is mainly a manufacturer of high-LIDT laser optics and coating products from ultraviolet to infrared, with more than 40 coating machines and 7 different coating methods, such as magnetron sputtering and ion beam sputtering.
Laseroptik's products include mirrors, partial mirrors, AR coatings, thin film polarizers, complex filters, chirped mirrors, and more.
At the heart of Laseroptik's mission in this PriFUSIO research project is to develop a new generation of precision-coated, extremely powerful, reliable and cost-effective high-end optics that will be stable in the future for IFE reactors and thus operate permanently.
Currently, the first phase of the project is expected to run until early 2030 and is primarily aimed at advancing the technologies, components and materials needed for fusion power plants. The focus of the second phase will be on its integration into the power plant design.
Once the project is commercialized in Germany, laser-driven inertial fusion energy (IFE) will provide clean and safe energy production around the clock. One gram of fusion fuel can produce the equivalent of burning eleven tons of hard coal, without producing long-lived, highly radioactive waste, and without nuclear meltdowns at all.
In addition to Germany, the mainland and the United States are also conducting in-depth exploration and research in the field of laser-driven inertial fusion energy.
Continental's research in the field of laser fusion started relatively late, but it is developing rapidly. Among them, laser fusion research units include the Laser Fusion Research Center of China Academy of Engineering Physics, Shanghai Laser Plasma Research Institute, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, etc. Commercial controllable fusion start-ups include Energy Singularity, Transwarp Fusion, Fusion New Energy, ENN Group, Yixi Technology, etc.:
- The "Shenguang" series of laser nuclear fusion experimental devices are the representative research achievements of the mainland, among which the "Shenguang-III" host device was completed in 2015 and fully met the design indicators, becoming the second largest laser driver in operation in the world and the largest high-power laser device in Asia.
- China is currently building a more powerful Shenguang IV unit.
The United States is a global leader in the field of laser fusion, and related research institutions and companies include the University of Rochester, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Colorado State University, Xcimer Energy, LongView, Blue Laser Fusion, etc.:
- The U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world's largest laser fusion facility, built in 2009 and achieved thermonuclear fusion ignition in 2022, and so far, NIF has achieved 4 successful ignitions.
- In 2024, Longview announced a major agreement with Fluor to build a groundbreaking energy plant based on the same energy-gain fusion method as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and to co-design the world's first commercial laser fusion power plant.
- Blue Laser Fusion is currently focused on developing a leading-edge, high-power laser technology designed to enable stable and efficient nuclear fusion power generation. According to the company's plan, they expect to complete the first prototype in 2025 and aim to build a 1 billion watt fusion power reactor in Japan or the United States around 2030, so as to realize the commercial application of laser fusion technology.
In addition to China, the United States and Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and other countries are also conducting relevant research and exploration in the field of laser fusion.
Last April, Japan released its first national strategy for fusion energy, outlining its goal of commercializing the technology around 2050 and supporting start-ups and other entrants into the field.
The number of nuclear fusion projects in the world is distributed by country
图源：the Fusion Industry Association
As of July 2023, 43 companies around the world have engaged in fusion research, attracting a total of $6.2 billion in investment, an increase of $1.4 billion from last year, according to a report by the Fusion Industry Association.
From: ofweek
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