The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Italian multinational Eni, specialized in energy technology, have incorporated the Canadian company Kinectrics as a design and manufacturing partner for the experimental facility H3AT (UKAEA-Eni Tritium Loop Facility), an international center for the development of technologies for the handling of tritium, an essential fuel for nuclear fusion. nuclear fusion.
Technology at the service of fusion energy
The H3AT facility, located at the Culham Campus in Oxfordshire, will be the world’s largest dedicated tritium fuel cycle facility and will house state-of-the-art technology to process, store and recycle tritium under fusion conditions.
Among the systems to be developed by Kinectrics are:
- Atmospheric Detritonation System (ADS): captures tritium from gaseous streams to prevent its release.
- Water Detritiation System (WDS): allows the recovery of tritium from tritiated water.
- Specialized glove boxes: guarantee safety in the experimental handling of tritium under controlled conditions.
The facility will include a prototype-scale process plant, computer simulations and platforms for testing, model validation and technical training.
A key infrastructure towards 2030
The UKAEA-Eni H3AT facility is expected to be fully operational by 2030. This project is part of the UK’s vision to position itself as a global center for fusion energy research and development. It also strengthens the links between Canada, the UK and Italy in the energy sector, broadening the industrial impact of applied tritium science.
Source: United Kingdom Government