MIT and Thea Energy test flat superconducting magnet for stellarator fusion
The full-scale planar coil is designed to replace complex three-dimensional magnets in commercial reactors planned for 2035.
Fusion energy startup Thea Energy has joined forces with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to test a full-scale superconducting magnet designed for its next-generation stellarator. The trials at MIT evaluate whether a flat encircling coil can withstand the magnetic fields and mechanical stresses of a commercial power plant.
Testing planar magnets under power plant stresses
The collaboration between clean-tech startup Thea Energy and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT focuses on evaluating a full-field, full-force planar encircling coil built for the Eos stellarator, as reported by Interesting Engineering. This technological innovation relies on MIT's cryogenic facilities and its research on high-temperature superconducting magnets. Researchers will measure the coil's electrical and mechanical resilience under conditions simulating steady operation, while building predictive performance models to evaluate long-term reliability.
Replacing complex 3D coils with flat geometry
Stellarators confine superheated plasma inside magnetic cages to create fusion reactions without requiring internal electrical currents. Traditional stellarator designs depend on twisted, three-dimensional coils that are notoriously difficult and expensive to manufacture. The Eos stellarator design replaces those intricate coils with 12 encircling coils and approximately 300 programmable shaping magnets, according to Interesting Engineering. The encircling coils create the primary confinement field, while the modular shaping magnets adjust local fields and can be swapped out individually during routine maintenance, marking a breakthrough invention in reactor engineering.
From university spin-off to pilot plant Helios
The Princeton-born company has already manufactured and validated the smaller shaping coils at full scale, leaving the encircling magnet as the next critical component to verify. Spun out of Princeton University and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 2022, Thea Energy aims to deliver a commercial fusion facility by 2035, backed by expanding patent protection and valuable intellectual property. Data gathered from the MIT tests will also guide the design of Helios, a subsequent commercial fusion reactor concept that shares the same planar magnet architecture, as documented by Interesting Engineering and highlighted across recent patent news.
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