Sheffield Forgemasters has been tasked with identifying routes to manufacture the interior vessel for General Fusion’s Culham-based Fusion Demonstration Plant (FDP) (reported here last week on the Machinery Market website).

Sheffield Forgemasters is using its extensive experience and manufacturing capabilities in nuclear power to develop a specification and method of manufacture for the forged, thick-walled pressure vessel body, a key component in the proposed FDP.

The new facility will showcase General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion technology at the UKAEA’s Culham Campus, which is a leading hub of fusion research. The FDP is an important step to bringing the game-changing benefits of zero-carbon fusion energy to the world.

Jesus Talamantes-Silva, Sheffield Forgemasters research, design and technology director, said: “Fusion is an exciting technology, which could become a key deliverable for the world’s future green energy provision.”

“Our initial remit includes evaluation of potential steel grades, modelling of forging and heat treatment processes, and their effects on microstructure and properties. The scale and manufacturing complexity of the vessel requires a flexible and responsive approach to the work.”

Sheffield Forgemasters is establishing practical manufacturing solutions for all aspects of manufacturing the new vessel, including steelmaking and forging, heat treatment, mechanical and non-destructive testing, machining and metrology.

This work will utilise Sheffield Forgemasters’ extensive knowledge and experience relating to the manufacture of pressure vessels and other critical components for nuclear sectors. It also relies on the company’s strengths at developing novel and creative solutions to complex manufacturing challenges.