The meetings have addressed the detection of improvement areas and optimization of solutions proposed in the design of the DONES facility

During the months of November and December, three meetings were held at CIEMAT in which the design of the DONES (DEMO Oriented Neutron Source) facility was addressed by external panels of international renowned experts. The reviewed systems were ‘Security’, ‘Logistics, Maintenance and Remote Handling’ and ‘Buildings and Plant Systems’.

As a result of these meetings, a series of modifications to the final design of DONES will be implemented. The panels of experts also put into high value the work conducted, confirming the feasibility of the construction of DONES in Escúzar (Granada) where the construction of the first laboratories will begin soon.

This facility will study the materials that will be needed in future nuclear fusion reactors, which will have to resist considerable energy flows coming from high-energy neutrons. To do so, DONES will create an environment in which the materials will be tested under realistic nuclear fusion conditions. Particularly, the facility will have a particle accelerator for deuterons which reach an energy of 40 MeV and an intensity of 125 mA impacting flowing liquid lithium, which delivers a spectrum of neutrons irradiating the tested samples.

The design of DONES has been developed thanks to the international collaboration of research organisms from different countries (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Lithuania).