Oxford Sigma is delighted to announce that it has been successfully awarded Lot 1 (“A neutronics-thermal-structural analysis”) and Lot 4 (“Liquid metal magnetohydrodynamics in non-uniform magnetic fields and subject to external heating”) under the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Industry Simulation Software for Fusion programme.
Industry Simulation Software for Fusion is a multi-year rolling project aiming to define Fusion relevant analysis and simulation case studies and use them as a formal basis to engage industry for evaluation of their simulation software capability and identify development needs. The case studies will span the full range of domains relevant to the realisation of fusion as an energy source, with a mixture of single and multi-domain scenarios and involving the use of a variety of methods and techniques.
“By delivering advanced case-study methodologies in both neutronic-thermal-structural domains and liquid metal MHD applications, the company will support UKAEA’s ambition to drive fusion energy innovation closer to commercial reality. Furthermore, they affirm Oxford Sigma’s robust simulation capabilities and its recognised role as a leading SME in high-performance engineering software.”
Dr Mustafa Iqbal, Design & Analysis Lead at Oxford Sigma
“UKAEA’s dedication to engage with suppliers on fusion simulation challenges allows us to demonstrate, and then build upon, our capabilities. We are delighted to be progressing key aspects of these challenges in line with Oxford Sigma’s belief in a need for looking at integrated, collaborative, problem solving with a strong emphasis on the materials.”
Dr Alasdair Morrison, Chief Technology Officer at Oxford Sigma
“We have been delighted with the response to our call for engagement with fusion’s simulation challenges. The collaborative approach we are encouraging will be the fastest route to achieving the simulation capability needed for realisation of commercially viable fusion. We thank Oxford Sigma for bidding for this work and look forward to working with them on the project.”
Dr Jonathan Horne-Jones, ISSF Project Lead at UKAEA
The contract is structured across four Lots, each representing a specialised case study:
- Lot 1: Neutronics-Thermal-Structural Analysis
- Lot 2: Structural Response to Electromagnetic Loads
- Lot 3: Reliability Analysis of Monoblock Failure
- Lot 4: Liquid Metal MHD in Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields with Heating
Oxford Sigma’s success in Lots 1 and 4 underscores its cross-domain versatility and domain-specific excellence in simulation technologies.
About Oxford Sigma
Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.
Get in touch at [email protected]
About the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Who we are
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation. We are an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
The work we do
UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. We do this by being technical experts, partnering with companies and the international research community.
At the core of UKAEA’s efforts is the operation of world-leading facilities that build a comprehensive knowledge base for fusion energy. By addressing and solving the challenges across the full lifecycle of fusion, and integrating solutions from various disciplines, we establish technical centres of excellence that serve as the foundation for future fusion power plant programmes.
UKAEA collaborates with its partners to develop fusion power plants by providing access to our skills, facilities and expertise. UKAEA owns UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) on behalf of the UK government. Through UKIFS, we’re spearheading the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant in Nottinghamshire.
To grow the fusion ecosystem, UKAEA focuses on cultivating skilled talent, growing the fusion industry and creating ‘innovation clusters’. We actively seek opportunities to advance fusion technologies and communicate its vast potential to stakeholders and the public alike to accelerate fusion energy’s future – the energy of tomorrow we need today.
More information: https://www.gov.uk/ukaea. Social Media: @UKAEAofficial
About fusion energy
When a mix of two forms of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) is heated to form a controlled plasma at extreme temperatures – 10 times hotter than the core of the Sun – they fuse together to create helium and release energy which can be harnessed to produce electricity. There is more than one way of achieving this. UKAEA’s approach is to hold this hot plasma using strong magnets in a ring-shaped machine called a ‘tokamak’, and then to harness this heat to produce electricity in a similar way to existing power stations.