Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, Inc. (Bruker Energy) said that its subsidiary, Bruker EAS GmbH, has been awarded a EUR24.5 million contract to supply 37 metric tons of high-performance superconducting niobium-tin wire to the ITER international fusion energy project.
This order has been placed by Fusion for Energy (F4E). Bruker Energy expects to begin shipping the niobium-tin superconductor strands in the second half of 2010, with deliveries phased over the next 30 months thereafter.
The ITER project is a international collaboration of China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and US, whose mission is to design and construct an experimental fusion reactor to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power generation at a facility being sited in Cadarache, France.
Fusion of light elements, the process powering the sun and the stars, could allow future generations to tap into abundant and infinite forms of energy while at the same time reducing risks to the Earth’s climate, and helping to preserve the quality of our environment. Fusion energy is considered inherently safe and could contribute to energy independence for many countries. Furthermore, fusion does not result in radioactive waste that represents a long-term storage and potential security problem.
Large-scale superconducting magnets made from niobium-tin strand wire will be used to confine the fusion plasma in ITER, as well as in future fusion power reactors similar in design to ITER. Magnetic confinement in such large-scale fusion reactors is critically dependent on the availability of superconductor material of the highest performance and quality.
Burkhard Prause, president and chief executive officer of Bruker Energy, commented: “BEST has a long history of supplying superconductors to fusion research projects, including model coils for ITER. I am proud that our team is part of this endeavor to provide clean and abundant energy for future generations.”
Klaus Schlenga, chief technology officer of Bruker Energy, added: “This large new superconductor order represents an exciting opportunity for BEST to expand its participation in the ITER fusion project. The niobium-tin superconductors made by our manufacturing operation in Hanau are recognized as being among the best superconductors in the world, as this award from F4E clearly indicates.
“Because of its uniform properties, the niobium-tin wire made by BEST has been selected as the standard material for the world-wide benchmarking of ITER niobium-tin strand test facilities.“
F4E is a Barcelona-based agency which is responsible for providing Europe’s contribution to ITER.