On September 27, the completion and shipment ceremony for the batch production of TF coil cases for BEST (Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak), the world's first compact fusion energy experimental device, was held at the Deyang base of China National Machinery Industry Heavy Equipment Group Co., Ltd. With this, all 8 TF coil case batch components developed by the company have been completed in manufacturing and final assembly and successfully shipped.
Controlled nuclear fusion is regarded as the ultimate energy source for humanity, and because its principle is to simulate the nuclear fusion reactions inside the sun, it is also often called the "artificial sun." BEST is designed under the leadership of the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and constructed by Fusion New Energy (Anhui) Co., Ltd. Its core mission is to fill the engineering gap between "experimental reactors" and "demonstration reactors," and to drive fusion power generation from the laboratory toward commercialization.
The TF coil case is a core component of the superconducting magnet system and plays an important role in the safe operation of the BEST device. It must operate over the long term under ultra-low temperatures, ultra-strong magnetic fields, and extremely high stress, placing extremely high demands on manufacturing materials. The 8 TF coil cases took 14 months to manufacture. During the development process, the team achieved breakthroughs in key technologies such as the preparation of ultra-low-temperature high-strength and high-toughness materials, controlled-temperature uniform refinement forging of thick and large forgings, and high-nitrogen stainless steel welding, realizing a breakthrough from "0" to batch engineering application and forming full-process manufacturing capability from raw material development to test assembly.
Once this batch of TF coil cases is put into use, it will serve the construction of BEST, support the implementation of the national controlled nuclear fusion strategy, promote the improvement and upgrading of related industrial chains, and inject new momentum into cultivating and developing new quality productive forces in the energy sector.