Preparation for Experimental Apparatus and Site

After intensive construction, the technical renovation project of the Startorus Fusion experimental base has made phased progress, the experimental apparatus site has been basically completed, and the spherical Tokamak host and supporting equipment and spare parts have entered the site.

Installation of the Apparatus, Test of Vacuum, Measurement of the Position

The installation of SUNIST-2 apparatus was carried out smoothly and efficiently, as well as the installation of apparatus and magnet base, arrangement of vacuum chamber baking heating wire, test of vacuum, installation of the PF coil and position adjustment were completed successively, and the final assembly of the apparatus was successfully completed.

Assembly of TF Power Supply and Test of PF/CS Power Supply

With the completion of the host installation, it enters the stage of power supply assembly and commissioning, assembly of TF power supply and test of CS power supply are carried out simultaneously, the test of PF power supply has achieved outstanding results, and has the conditions for mass production and deployment.

Installation of Diagnostic Equipment, Installation of Auxiliary Facilities, Preparation for Discharge

After the installation of TF/CS/PF power supply bracket and the assembly of power supply, the SUNIST-2 power supply system developed by Startorus Fusion can be put into use and debugged with the coil. The magnetic diagnosis inside and outside the vacuum chamber, THz interferometer and optical test clean room are also deployed one after another, which prepares various conditions for the debugging of the first plasma experiment.

Test of Power Supply, Test of Subsystem and Joint Commissioning

According to the operation characteristics of the toroidal magnet, the modular design is adopted for the Startorus Fusion, and the energy storage, inverter and control circuits are integrated into a kA-level power supply module, which can achieve 100kA-level current output through array stacking. The power supply has a built-in perfect state monitoring system, complete protection measures, good current adjustment ability, and excellent scalability, which can quickly build other power supplies with various topologies and current levels based on the module.

Realization of Continuous Upgrade of the First Plasma and the Apparatus

SUNIST-2, designed by Tsinghua University and jointly constructed by Startorus Fusion and Tsinghua University, has been successfully operated recently, and has obtained 100 kiloamperes of plasma current, successfully achieving the initial goal.

Experimental Attempt at Reconnection Heating

Startorus Fusion and Tsinghua University team successfully realized double-ring plasma and magnetic reconnection heating on SUNIST-2 spherical tokamak, and preliminary observed significant plasma heating effect. new_line bold Installation of the First Wall and Deployment of Key Diagnostic Systems new_line After completing the design and installation of the first wall of graphite tile, the deployment and installation test of MC power supply, the debugging and installation of TS diagnostic system, and the offline test of advanced wall processing system, SUNIST-2 has high-parameter magnetic reconnection heating conditions, successfully realizes the double-ring plasma breakdown and magnetic reconnection compression experiment, and preliminary observes the remarkable.

Development of D-shaped High Temperature Superconducting Magnet Prototype

In cooperation with Tsinghua University, Startorus Fusion has successfully developed a prototype of D-shaped high temperature superconducting magnet by using the high temperature superconducting tape of Shanghai Superconductor Technology Co.,Ltd. to meet the needs of future fusion reactors. The highest field strength in the magnet is 18T, which is the highest field strength of D-shaped magnet reported publicly in China. The 18T field strength can fully meet the toroidal field strength requirements of the spherical Tokamak apparatus to achieve fusion conditions, and the successful operation of the magnet has laid a solid foundation for the design of the company’s next generation apparatus. new_line bold Realization of the Stable Operation of the First International Repeated Reconnection Technology Scheme new_line Startorus Fusion realizes the start of plasma heating by magnetic reconnection twice in a discharge cycle. The realization of magnetic reconnection heating and repeated reconnection indicates that the core operation scheme of SUNIST-2 apparatus jointly constructed by the company and Tsinghua University has been thoroughly engineered in the Startorus Fusion, and both active magnetic reconnection heating and repeated reconnection operation are the first time in China. At the same time, it lays a solid foundation for the successful operation of the next generation CTRFR-1 apparatus which meets the fusion conditions.

Startorus Fusion is about to start the construction of the negative triangular spherical tokamak NTST

After the initial engineering verification unit SUNIST-2 was successfully completed and put into operation, and met the main design indicators, Xinghuan Energy is about to start the construction of the Negative triangular Spherical Tokamak NTST (negative Triangularity Spherical Tokamak). This device is expected to become the world's first negative triangular spherical tokamak, or even the world's first negative triangular tokamak.

The Cooling Technology of 20K Cold Helium Gas Cycle Superconducting Magnet Is Mastered

Following the research and development independently of SH-150 Helmholtz superconducting magnet, Startors Fusion has recently mastered another cutting-edge technology-cold helium circulation system, which can provide a stable 20 K (-253.15℃) low temperature and large cooling capacity test environment for superconducting magnet. With this “super refrigerator”, high temperature superconducting materials can enter the superconducting state steadily. This means that a relatively mature high-temperature superconducting magnet coil test platform has been built with the help of this test platform, which will rapidly promote the engineering verification of large-scale high temperature superconducting magnets!

Achieved significant advancements in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology.

Startorus Fusion continues to invest in the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) direction, achieving significant progress in HTS magnet scheme design and multi-physics coupling simulation, D-shaped magnet fabrication processes and experimental testing, as well as the development of high-current current lead joints.

SUNIST-2 device pushes the limits toward highest parameters.

Following lithium wall conditioning in the vacuum chamber, a high vacuum condition was achieved, enabling the SUNIST-2 device to push toward its highest parameters with a plasma current approaching 500 kA. Utilizing independently developed control system hardware and feedback algorithms, SUNIST-2 achieved a long-pulse flat-top discharge lasting 200 ms for the first time, demonstrating its capability as a high-level plasma experimental platform.

EPIC has undergone four generations of upgrades and iterations and is now newly launched

EPIC's fourth generation has achieved high-precision data acquisition at the microvolt level, featuring 16 data acquisition channels. It can simultaneously collect voltage, temperature, Hall signals, strain, and 4-20mA current signals. new_line bold LIBS enables the identification of 304 and 316 stainless steel, which will expand alloy detection and optimize portability new_line Under certain experimental conditions, Startorus Fusion has achieved the identification of 304 and 316 stainless steel within the visible light range of 400-700nm. It will continue to iterate and optimize towards portable products in the future

The full-size high-temperature superconducting coil of Startorus Fusion has completed the full-process technology verification

The full-size high-temperature superconducting TF coil and CS coil independently developed by Startorus Fusion successfully completed a series of key tests in a liquid nitrogen cooling environment, covering core test items such as rated current, ultimate current, overcurrent loss and overcurrent loss, and undercooling and overcurrent loss. Test data shows that the coil performs exceptionally well in key indicators such as current-carrying capacity, stability under extreme working conditions, and self-protection capability in case of failure, meeting the expected design standards. This marks an important progress for Star Ring Energy in the development of fusion-grade device magnets. Next, Star Ring Energy will further carry out 20 K low-temperature tests and other work, taking a crucial step towards the rapid and economical realization of fusion energy.

Startorus Fusion has made significant progress in the fields of high-field side feeding, plasma control, and the integration of "AI+ nuclear fusion" technologies

Startorus Fusion has initially mastered the high-field side feeding technology. The compact ultrasonic molecular beam intake valve independently developed by it can adapt to the narrow high-field side space of spherical tokamaks, increasing the plasma feeding efficiency by three times compared to the original. Meanwhile, this technology, in combination with PCS configuration control, has successfully achieved rapid feedforward density control. new_line Startorus Fusion has made significant progress in the field of plasma magnetic confinement control technology. Currently, it has initially acquired isoflux control capabilities, significantly enhancing the precision of plasma shape control and achieving a leap from 0-dimensional global parameter control to 1-dimensional fine distributed control. This provides key technical support for the high-performance operation of future fusion reactors. new_line The intelligent monitoring system for plasma diagnostic data developed by Transwarp Energy, relying on a neural network model constructed with deep learning algorithms, has achieved real-time automated monitoring and early warning of abnormal data. This achievement marks a further breakthrough for Starring Energy in the field of "AI + nuclear fusion" technology integration, providing strong support for the stable operation of controllable nuclear fusion devices.

Startorus Fusion, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, has pioneered the world’s first Double-Ring Local Helicity Injection (DLHI) technology, advancing Merging Compression (MC) startup

Startorus Fusion, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, has pioneered the world’s first Double-Ring Local Helicity Injection (DLHI) operation technology. By utilizing injection currents of 2 kA from each of the two plasma guns, it successfully drove a double-ring plasma with a total current of 50 kA. This technology was jointly proposed by Startorus Fusion and Tsinghua University and achieved for the first time internationally. It helps reduce the reliance on central solenoids during the operation of spherical tokamaks and further enhances the performance of spherical tokamaks. Additionally, this technology addresses the long-standing issue of plasma gun arcing in spherical tokamak devices—a problem unresolved in similar international devices—thereby expanding the application scope of plasma guns and significantly increasing their driving potential. Moreover, the successful coupling of DLHI with Merging Compression (MC) startup stably forms the initial configuration of double-ring plasma, effectively reduces the volt-second consumption during the MC startup process, increases the plasma current during MC startup, and contributes to further improving various parameters in the double-ring startup of tokamaks.

Under high magnetic field conditions (0.4–0.8 T), this technology also validated two current-driving scales of Local Helicity Injection (LHI) : it not only verified the current-driving scale derived from helicity conservation, confirming the results from similar international devices and proving theoretical reliability, but also further validated the current-driving scale derived from Taylor relaxation theory. This enhances the experimental verification of helicity injection theory and demonstrates the advanced nature of this operational mode.

The NTST toroidal field coil prototype (TF0#) has successfully completed all performance tests, and the construction of the NTST device is advancing at full speed.

Startorus Fusion has achieved a major milestone in the development of China's first Negative Triangularity Spherical Tokamak (NTST) device—TF0#, one of its core components and the first full‑scale prototype cryogenic copper conductor coil for NTST, has successfully passed comprehensive performance tests. These tests covered dimensional accuracy, electrical performance, magnetic permeability, cryogenic adaptability, thermal load, and deformation. Following its successful delivery, this accomplishment signals a crucial step forward in the construction of the NTST device.new_lineAs a prototype toroidal field coil for NTST, TF0# not only needs to generate a quasi-stationary strong magnetic field but also must overcome complex stress challenges—such as twisting, compression, and contraction—in a confined space. It also addresses key manufacturing challenges, including magnet winding, coil case welding, permeability control, epoxy impregnation, joint sealing, and dimensional precision.nwe_lineUnder rigorous simulated operating conditions, TF0# demonstrated outstanding performance across all measured parameters, meeting or exceeding design expectations. Moreover, in a cryogenic environment, the coil's resistance decreased by approximately 87%, and its current-carrying capacity is projected to more than double compared to that under room-temperature conditions. This fully validates the engineering potential of cryogenic copper conductor magnets.new_lineThe successful delivery of this prototype has established a reliable process foundation for the subsequent batch production of NTST’s toroidal field coils. It will also significantly accelerate the overall construction progress of NTST, providing a solid guarantee for completing the manufacturing, assembly, and commissioning of the NTST device by 2026.