A Korean research team has successfully created a virtual replica of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in a digital space. This virtual fusion reactor technology will also be provided to private domestic companies, with expectations that it will accelerate the early commercialization of fusion energy and foster new industries linked to future supply chains.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 10th that it has developed a 'virtual tokamak platform' software that replicates a fusion reactor in a digital space, securing the technology to precisely verify the performance and safety of core internal components for future fusion devices.
Fusion power generates energy by replicating on Earth the nuclear fusion reactions that occur inside stars like the sun. This is typically done in a donut-shaped device called a tokamak, which uses powerful magnets to confine ultra-hot plasma exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius to trigger fusion reactions. As a future clean energy source that produces no carbon or radioactive materials, fusion power is gaining attention as a potential solution to power shortages driven by developments like artificial intelligence (AI).
The Korea Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) has virtualized the tokamak fusion device using its proprietary 'digital twin' technology, developed based on data acquired from research at the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) facility. They developed a technology to precisely analyze various thermal energy changes on the inner wall of the fusion device through supercomputer analysis.
A digital twin is a technology that creates a virtual model of a physical device or system in a virtual space to predict or verify various scenarios. Running simulated operations on a virtual fusion reactor to analyze its safety and performance can enhance research efficiency and reliability. It also reduces the risks and costs associated with physical experiments.
The research team successfully created a virtual model of the ITER fusion reactor, an international fusion project, in a digital space and succeeded in predicting and analyzing changes in the inner wall's heat flux under various operating conditions. This demonstrates that Korea's fusion reactor digital twin technology can be applied not only to KSTAR but also to other fusion devices like ITER.
The developed software is seen as a potential driving force for creating new industries in the fusion sector, as it will be made available not only to international researchers collaborating with Korea but also to domestic industries.
Jung Taek-ryeol, Director General for Public R&D Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "We will actively respond to the global competition for the early realization of fusion energy by establishing a strategy to secure core fusion technologies based on private-sector cooperation and by fostering a sustainable research and industrial ecosystem."
