Hanhai Fusion Energy Receives Project Approval Support from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology Key R&D Program

The project "Development and Application Demonstration of Megawatt-Level Microsecond Pulsed Energy Output and Recovery Energy Storage System for Transient Operating Conditions of Fusion Devices," organized and applied for by Chengdu Hanhai Fusion Energy Technology Co., Ltd., has recently been officially approved for establishment following rigorous review by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and has been included in the Sichuan Provincial Key R&D Program with dedicated research funding support. This is the first time that a Sichuan provincial-level key R&D program has supported controlled nuclear fusion commercialization technology exploration in the form of a dedicated project, with the project focus precisely targeting the development of pulsed energy output and electromagnetic direct recovery energy storage systems unique to the field-reversed configuration technical route.

As global controlled nuclear fusion gradually transitions from the fundamental physics question of "whether ignition can be achieved" to the commercialization engineering consideration stage of "whether economical power generation can be achieved," the FRC technical route—with its high beta value, compact physical configuration, and low construction cost potential—has attracted widespread attention from the international fusion community. In pulsed operation mode, the large amount of energy generated during the reaction process of FRC fusion devices is primarily stored in the form of transient pulsed magnetic energy, and the theoretical conversion efficiency of its electromagnetic direct recovery can reach over 90%, which can physically bypass the traditional indirect power generation mode of the "boiling water—driving steam turbine" thermodynamic cycle; the level of direct recovery efficiency directly determines the net energy gain (Q value) and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the entire system. However, achieving megawatt-level "output—recovery—storage" integrated closed-loop control under extreme transient fusion conditions had previously remained a gap in China's fusion engineering field.

The project approved for Hanhai Fusion Energy this time aims to thoroughly overcome this fundamental technical bottleneck constraining commercialization implementation. The project strictly follows the engineering technical route of "topology—device—control—integration—demonstration," with key research focusing on bidirectional ultrafast energy conversion topology architecture under extreme fusion conditions, solid-state power switch arrays with ultra-high current rate of change (di/dt) and voltage rate of change (dv/dt) withstand capability, nanosecond-level fully distributed synchronous control algorithms, and multi-physics coupled thermal management. The project will ultimately develop a highly integrated megawatt-level pulsed energy output and recovery industrial prototype, covering bidirectional pulsed power supply modules, solid-state switch arrays, hybrid energy storage units, and intelligent central control systems, building a full-chain technical capability from physical principle verification and key subsystem manufacturing to real engineering scenario applications.

The difficulty in developing this industrial prototype lies in the fact that it must withstand the harsh challenges of a real fusion discharge environment. During the axial translation and compression of FRC plasma, the drastic sudden changes in coil magnetic flux will induce strong bipolar induced reverse voltages, requiring the system to complete bidirectional lossless throughput of megawatt-level energy within microseconds, with dynamic voltage balancing and current sharing control precision far exceeding conventional industrial pulsed power supplies. The Hanhai Fusion Energy technical team has previously completed engineering validation of theta-pinch high-voltage pulsed power supplies and high-power steady-state power supplies on the first-generation fusion device, and has accumulated extensive process parameters and waveform debugging experience in formation zone plasma physics experiments, laying an engineering foundation for the high-reliability integration of subsequent hardware modules.

According to the project plan, Hanhai Fusion Energy will steadily deliver engineering milestones following a "three-step" strategy: the first stage completes bidirectional fast conversion topology simulation and nanosecond-level control algorithm prototype development; the second stage delivers power switch engineering modules, hybrid energy storage units, and distributed controller prototypes, and conducts in-depth verification of power generation mechanisms and direct energy recovery efficiency on the second-generation experimental device; the third stage completes full-power integrated testing of the complete system and installs it on the fusion device for empirical demonstration, ultimately applying it in the third-generation high-repetition-rate pulsed fusion demonstration power plant. The implementation of this dedicated project will push the LCOE of the FRC route from purely theoretical estimation to engineering physical measurement, opening up an entirely new technical pathway for China to develop compact, low-cost, high-efficiency commercial fusion power plants.