6 December 2024
Assystem is proud to announce its partnership with GenF, a subsidiary of the Thales group, for the development of the TARANIS project, carried out in collaboration with the CEA and the CNRS. The aim of this project is to develop an inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor, a key technology for the future of clean and sustainable energy.The initial duration of the partnership is until 21 December 2027.
The aim of the TARANIS project is to demonstrate the economic viability of a nuclear fusion reaction based on a high-gain fusion scheme, with a targeted gain of over 100 MW (for every 1 MW of electrical power used, the reactor generates 100 MW of fusion power).
This technology is based on the principle of inertial confinement fusion (ICF), in which ultra-powerful lasers rapidly compress a small capsule containing a mixture of deuterium and tritium. This compression enables the extreme temperature and pressure conditions required to initiate fusion to be reached.
Thales, a long-standing leader in the field of high-power lasers, is playing a key role in the project by supplying the high-energy lasers required for this revolutionary process.
Assystem expertise at the service of energy innovation
As part of this partnership, Assystem will mobilise its expertise in systems engineering and digital technologies to support GenF in a number of strategic areas:
- Development of systems engineering processes and deployment of associated tools to develop a digital twin of the reactor
- Creation of a digital twin of the reactor, an essential tool for simulating and validating performance and safety
- Definition of the Level 0 functional analysis of the reactor to lay the foundations for the detailed design
- Support for structuring the safety approach
A strategic step forward for Assystem
This project reinforces Assystem's position as a key player in nuclear innovation. Our digital and engineering expertise, particularly in the development of digital twins, places us at the heart of the industrialisation of disruptive technologies in the nuclear sector.
What's more, it reinforces our role in developing nuclear fusion solutions in Europe, a crucial step forward in meeting global energy transition targets.
With the TARANIS project, Assystem is positioning itself as a key partner in building the future of clean energy.