The world's first compact fusion energy experimental device BEST TF coil box batches are completed and shipped

China News Service, Chengdu, September 28 (Liu Zhongjun, He Wei, Tang Xiaoguang) On September 27, the completion and shipment ceremony of the batch parts of the BEST TF coil box, the world's first compact fusion energy experimental device, was held at the Deyang Base of SINOMACH Heavy Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SINOMACH Heavy Equipment"). The eight batches of TF coil boxes developed by SINOMACH have now been manufactured and assembled and shipped smoothly.

BEST TF coil box shipping site. Photo by Zhang Yi

Controlled nuclear fusion is regarded as the "ultimate energy source" for mankind. Because its principle is to simulate the nuclear fusion reaction inside the sun, it is also often called the "artificial sun". What the BEST device needs to do is to fill the engineering gap between "experimental reactor" and "demonstration reactor". As the core component of the superconducting magnet system, the TF coil box needs to operate under ultra-low temperatures, ultra-strong magnetic fields, and extremely high stress for a long time, which places extremely high requirements on manufacturing materials.

Song Yuntao, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Institute"), said that when the TF coil box project started, the team faced a core technology gap in the industry and could only start from scratch and conduct repeated experiments to turn "impossible" into "delivered". In just 14 months, eight coil boxes were manufactured with high quality, becoming a concentrated display of my country's fusion equipment manufacturing capabilities. In his opinion, it is the right choice to hand over the key components of the BEST project to SINOMACH for reinstallation.

From undertaking CRAFT's first piece in 2020, to winning the bid for the first BEST piece in 2023, and then signing a batch contract for 8 pieces in 2025, SINOMACH has gradually overcome extreme manufacturing problems. "The successful development and shipment of all eight batches of TF coil boxes is a major achievement of complementary advantages and collaborative innovation between the two parties, and an important milestone on the road to independent control of my country's fusion equipment." Han Xiaojun, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of SINOMACH Heavy Equipment, said that from "0 to 1" breakthrough to "1 to N" batch engineering, every step is inseparable from the attention and professional guidance of the Institute of Plasma, and it also embodies the efforts of both teams. Today, SINOMACH has fully mastered the entire process of core manufacturing technology from raw material development to test assembly, and has opened up the engineering manufacturing link for key core components of fusion reactors. This year, the two parties joined hands again to sign a batch manufacturing contract for shielding blocks for the BEST project. The scope of cooperation continues to expand and the level continues to deepen.

It is understood that after these batches of TF coil boxes are put into use, they will serve the construction of BEST devices, assist the implementation of the national controllable nuclear fusion strategy, promote the improvement and upgrading of related industrial chains, and inject new momentum into the cultivation and development of new productivity in the energy field. (over)