The 30th Symposium on Fusion Energy 2023 (SOFE-30) was held at the Examination Schools in Oxford, UK from 9-13 July 2023 under the local organization of the Culham Science Centre of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). The SOFE is a biennial conference with a focus on bringing together individuals from across the global sector to present and discuss latest activities, initiatives, and achievements in fusion engineering. SOFE2023 was held in Oxford, UK, which is only the second time that it has taken place outside of the U.S., and the first time it has ever been held in Europe. This special satellite session to discuss the opportunities in private-public partnership (PPP) in the fusion energy industry was the brainchild of Fusion-for-Future in Germany, and it was soon fully supported by Kyoto Fusioneering in the UK, and the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) in the U.S. to work collaboratively to make the session a reality. The session organizers would like to thank the SOFE2023 leadership at UKAEA, especially Heather LEWTAS (SOFE Chair), Kate CONWAY, and Iain FORCER for all their help with the on-site arrangements. We would also like to thank all of the presenters/ panelists, without whose enthusiastic participation, the program would not have been possible.

The Beryllium Health & Safety Committee (BHSC) 2023 Spring Meeting was held on 9-10 May 2023 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, California. The meeting has been held annually since 1995, with a break due to the recent pandemic. This Executive Summary is an abbreviated version of the Minutes of the Spring Meeting, which has omitted the images of the slides from the bulk of the technical presentations. A copy of the Meeting Minutes containing all presentation slides is available to all dues-paid BHSC members in the Members Only area of the organization's website.

Kyoto Fusioneering (KF), a private fusion technology company based in Japan, is exploring the use of FLiBe (a lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride eutectic mixture) molten salt as a promising breeder-coolant for tritium breeding in fusion reactors. FLiBe has many attractive features, such as: high neutron multiplication, excellent tritium breeding properties, low tritium solubility, limited interaction with the strong magnetic fields present in a magnetic fusion reactor, and the ability for operation at relatively low pressures. However, FLiBe and its associated technologies are at relatively low technology readiness levels and its use also raises several safety concerns that need to be addressed before it can be deployed in experimental - and, ultimately, commercial - fusion reactors.

Kyoto Fusioneering (KF), a private fusion technology company based in Japan, is exploring the use of FLiBe (a lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride eutectic mixture) molten salt as a promising breeder-coolant for tritium breeding in fusion reactors. FLiBe has many attractive features, such as: high neutron multiplication, excellent tritium breeding properties, low tritium solubility, limited interaction with the strong magnetic fields present in a magnetic fusion reactor, and the ability for operation at relatively low pressures. However, FLiBe and its associated technologies are at relatively low technology readiness levels and its use also raises several safety concerns that need to be addressed before it can be deployed in experimental-and, ultimately, commercial-fusion reactors. In collaboration with Kyoto University, KF is currently working with lab-scale quantities of FLiBe in a benchtop loop to develop our experience and capabilities, marking the start of the FLiBe-oriented arm of our overall tritium breeding research and development programme in the coming years (other breeder-coolants under exploration are lithium-lead and pure lithium). This work provides an overview of the identified safety issues associated with the use of FLiBe. In a FLiBe breeding blanket, tritium will be produced by the interaction of neutrons with the lithium. This results in the production of tritium fluoride (TF), which is highly reactive and corrosive to the structural and functional materials, as well as components. The occurrence of corrosion comes with a risk of releasing materials to the environment, which could have serious safety consequences from both a conventional and radiological point of view. Additionally, a fusion reactor must breed its own fuel, so any tritium produced in the form of TF must also be separated out from the coolant to be injected back into the fusion reactor as fuel. TF is difficult to handle and transport due to its high reactivity and mobility, and thus specialized equipment and facilities are required for handling. It is thus desirable to remove TF, and strategies to remove TF using Be and Li in redox reactions are being investigated by KF.

This article outlines Kyoto Fusioneering’s (KF’s) initial engineering and development activities for its self-cooled lithium lead-type blanket: Self-Cooled Yuryo Lithium-Lead Advanced (SCYLLA). We provide details on overall design, including an initial tritium breeding ratio (TBR) assessment via neutronics analysis, as well as the status of SCYLLA-relevant R&D. This includes silicon carbide composite (SiC $_{\text{f}}$ /SiC) manufacturing techniques, tritium extraction, materials compatibility, and heat transfer, which are being explored via collaboration with Kyoto University. Results of previous work in relation to this R&D are presented. Permeability coefficients indicate a promising property of SiC $_{\text{f}}$ /SiC tritium hermeticity at high temperatures. Tritium extraction technology via vacuum sieve tray (VST) is shown to be demonstrated at engineering scale. A local TBR of up to 1.4 can be achieved with the SCYLLAconfiguration. Fabrication methods for various SiC $_{\text{f}}$ /SiC components including the blanket module, heat exchanger, and flow path components are provided. A tritium compatible high-temperature SiC $_{\text{f}}$ /SiC heat exchanger is discussed. Commercial viability and reactor adaptability are considered as a theme throughout. Finally, KF’s plans to build a facility for demonstration reactor relevant testing of a SCYLLAprototype in the mid-2020s, which will provide a significant step toward commercial fusion energy, are presented.