Fusion research continuously pushes technologies beyond conventional operating limits: extreme temperatures, high vacuum, radiation, strong electromagnetic fields, demanding plasma environments, remote operation and highly accurate diagnostics.

Many of these challenges are not unique to fusion.

Over the past years, the Fusion Technology Transfer Programme has collected technology needs directly from companies operating in sectors ranging from energy and aerospace to nuclear, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Some of these industrial challenges show striking similarities with problems already being addressed within the fusion community.

Here is a selection of recent industrial R&D needs collected:

• Component-specific temperature measurement in high-vacuum furnaces at high temperatures

A method is needed to measure and document the actual temperature experienced by individual components during high-vacuum brazing processes, rather than relying on a single furnace temperature measurement.

• Non-contact surface temperature measurement for turbine hot-gas components

A power-generation manufacturer is looking for a compact, non-contact sensor capable of remotely measuring turbine component surface temperatures in real time, without interfering with machine operation and with a long operational lifetime.

• Remote measurement of the mechanical behaviour of infrastructure materials

A major European EPC contractor is looking for technologies and sensors capable of remotely monitoring the mechanical behaviour of infrastructure materials, including solutions based on fibre-optic sensing.

• Compact sensors and materials resistant to high temperature, pressure and corrosive environments

A nuclear technology provider is seeking a multifunctional sensor capable of measuring gas pressure and flow rates at 400-700°C inside a 30 cm-diameter pipe, as well as materials resistant to highly corrosive chloride salts.

• High-temperature arc-resistant cathode for plasma jet engines

An aerospace propulsion company is seeking a durable cathode material capable of withstanding ignition and sustaining an electrical arc of approximately 100 A in an oxygen-rich plasma torch.

• Dichroic coating combining visible reflection and SWIR transmission

An optical systems company is seeking a coating reflecting >98% of visible light between 400 and 900 nm, while providing high transmission around 1550 nm within a very narrow spectral range and with a sharp transition.

• High-Temperature Superconductors for power transmission and grid stability

A European energy infrastructure operator is exploring HTS materials, such as YBCO, for high-power transmission and energy storage systems, with the objective of reducing transmission losses and improving grid efficiency.

• Modernisation of test chambers and gas concentration monitoring

An industrial company specialising in odour analysis is looking for technologies to modernise its test chambers and improve the monitoring of gas concentrations.

If one of these challenges sounds familiar, or if a technology developed in your laboratory could provide part of the solution, get in touch with your EUROfusion or F4E Technology transfer broker.