The new facility will evaluate how plasma facing components perform when exposed to the extreme heat loads and particle bombardment expected in fusion devices, with the goal of accelerating the deployment of robust materials for future fusion pilot plants.
Located alongside Type One Energy's Infinity One stellarator testbed now in development at the Bull Run site, the facility is also being considered as part of the broader campus that could ultimately host the company's proposed Infinity Two fusion power plant.
The high heat flux installation will be only the second facility of its kind in the United States and is planned to be the most powerful, capable of reproducing the intense thermal loads seen in advanced fusion systems using electron beam technology.
In addition to achieving steady state surface heat loads greater than 10 megawatts per square meter, similar to the conditions inside some rocket engines, the new facility will include pressurized helium gas cooling, the preferred coolant for many U.S. fusion concepts because of its high operating temperature, chemical inertness and stability in fusion environments.
Project backing comes from the Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences program within the Office of Science, Type One Energy and the state of Tennessee, reflecting growing public private interest in making fusion energy a commercially viable source of power.
Partners say the effort will strengthen East Tennessee's position as a hub for nuclear and fusion innovation, building on the region's existing investments in fusion materials research, advanced manufacturing and nuclear engineering education.
ORNL will bring its fusion materials development program, extensive materials characterization tools and Manufacturing Demonstration Facility to the collaboration, while UT will contribute its expertise in fusion materials design and training opportunities for students and faculty.
The high heat flux test stand will complement ORNL's Materials Plasma Exposure Experiment, now under construction, which is designed to answer key questions about plasma material interactions and help define lifetime limits for plasma facing components.
Leaders at the lab describe the new installation as a national asset that will allow both private companies and public research programs to qualify and validate components for fusion pilot plant designs in conditions that closely match real world operation.
"This unique collaboration of breakthrough science, industry innovation and academic leadership will result in the creation of a national facility critical to the success of realizing commercial fusion," said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer.
"As the Oak Ridge Corridor continues to serve as the hub of nuclear and fusion energy development, ORNL is excited to play a role in this pivotal next step in the future of fusion," he said.
Type One Energy CEO Christofer Mowry said the project underscores the region's momentum, noting that the partnership with DOE, ORNL and UT will help advance America's commercial fusion sector and further elevate Bull Run as a center for fusion innovation.
The facility directly addresses a need in the Department of Energy's Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap for domestic high heat flux capability to study materials performance and lifetime in plasmas hotter than the sun.
By testing components under realistic thermal loads and coolant conditions, researchers expect to gain critical data for designing and qualifying plasma facing structures and heat exchangers used in future stellarators and tokamaks.
Joe Hoagland, interim associate laboratory director for ORNL's Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate, said the partnerships around Bull Run demonstrate how science and innovation can converge to deliver practical steps toward commercial fusion power.
"It is exciting to witness the convergence of science and innovation toward a commercially viable fusion industry in the U.S. We very much look forward to the insights gleaned from these partnerships and the realization of real world impacts toward making fusion a viable energy source for the future," Hoagland said.
Brian Wirth, head of the Nuclear Engineering Department at UT and UT ORNL Governor's Chair Professor, said the project will give students and faculty opportunities to contribute to materials and technology development for fusion power deployment to the grid.
He added that the work strengthens East Tennessee's nuclear ecosystem by linking public and private partners across advanced fission and fusion initiatives, all benefiting from strong local community support.
State leaders view the project as another milestone in Tennessee's drive to become a focal point for next generation nuclear technologies, building on earlier state funding for Type One Energy and recent federal support for small modular reactor development at Clinch River.
"Type One Energy was the first company to receive the state's nuclear funding in 2024, and we remain committed to supporting their work, which further solidifies Tennessee's role as the epicenter of next generation nuclear innovation," said Deputy Governor and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter.
"Our state is also fortunate to have the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as a world class partner, and we are proud to work alongside them to bring this project to life. Following the announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy, I am excited for the growth, investment and opportunity this new facility will generate regionally and statewide," McWhorter said.
Zeke Unterberg, ORNL fusion materials R and D lead, said the combined activities across the nuclear and fusion sectors in East Tennessee mean the region will have the capabilities needed to develop components for next generation fusion pilot plants.
The project team is now working to finalize the design, move into procurement and start assembly, while TVA conditions the Bull Run site to host the new facility.
Construction and commissioning are slated to be completed by the end of 2027, after which the facility is expected to become a key national resource for fusion materials testing and qualification.
ORNL officials emphasize that the lab's broader mission is to support U.S. energy needs through research in affordable, abundant and competitive nuclear technologies while also strengthening national security, and they see the high heat flux facility as an important part of that strategy.
UT Battelle manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the nation's largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences and is focused on addressing some of the most pressing scientific and technological challenges.
Related Links
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
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