Croatia and Spain are cooperating well on the project of testing the materials needed for the construction of the first fusion power plant in the EU, and new partners could soon join them, said the head of the Spanish delegation, Ángel Ibarra, in an interview with Hina.
Around the year 2050, the EU wants to build a power plant in which electricity would be produced by nuclear fusion, by joining two lighter hydrogen atoms into one heavier one, releasing enormous energy.
Physicist Ibarra says that such a fusion nuclear plant would produce the same amount of electricity as the current fission plant, but it would not produce as much radioactive material.
"In fusion reactors, the fuel would be lithium and deuterium obtained from water. The products created by such a reaction are not so radioactive and have a shorter lifespan, so it is a safer way of producing energy.", he explains.
"In addition, the fuel of the existing nuclear fission reactors is uranium, the quantity of which is limited and which will disappear with further extraction (in the world)", he adds.
But in order for the fusion power plant to be built, it is necessary to first test the materials necessary for its construction.
Spain and Croatia have agreed on joint testing of these materials near the Spanish city of Granada in 2021, for which 707 million euros must be allocated. Spain participates with 50 percent in the project, and Croatia with five percent.
"Cooperation with Croatia is going very well so far", says Ibarra. "Not only in this specific project, but also around other topics related to fusion", he adds.
Croatia sends components
The Croatian team, led by physicist Tonči Tadić, announced last year that Croatia would fulfill its obligation of a five percent share by sending components for a research center in Spain, rather than money.
Cranes, oil and water heat exchangers for lithium cooling, and four specially designed modules should be exported from Croatia. This equipment should be delivered by the end of 2029 to Escuzar, 20 kilometers from Granada.
Ibarra will meet with Tadić in Zagreb on Thursday as part of the meeting between the two teams. At the meeting, the formation of an international team should begin, which will include physicists from other countries, and which should formalize a document detailing the contributions of Croatia and Spain.
"Now we have a document that states what the two countries want to contribute, but we need a more detailed description in a more credible document", says Ibarra.
The meeting in Zagreb should be attended by 16 other countries and international organizations that currently have observer status in the Spanish-Croatian project called IFMIF-DONES (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility – Demo Oriented NEutron Source).
"They observe how the project unfolds. The idea is that they get information so that it will be easier for them to make a decision about joining", says Ibarra. In recent months, the prospects of including observers such as EUROATOM, Japan, Germany and Italy in the remaining 45 percent of the project have increased.
"Probably one of them will join sooner or later, but there is still no official announcement. I don't know if she will be at the meeting tomorrow, but we will talk", says Ibarra. He believes that the official announcement about the new partner could be made in October at the next meeting.
Good progress
At the same time, construction work is ongoing in Escuzar, where the tests will be conducted. A building has already sprung up on one plot of land, and another is under construction.
"After the summer, we will have scientific and technological installations there", notes the head of the Spanish team.
In one of these buildings, there will be a 100-meter-long pipe with a diameter of 30 centimeters. Through it, "balls will pass with the intention of accelerating at the other end and hitting something, during which a reaction similar to the one that occurs in a nuclear reactor will occur."
"We will do an experiment with that instrument. We will use it to simulate what happens in the reactor", explains Ibarra.
Experimentation could begin in 2035 when 300 engineers, technicians, administrators and scientists will work there. Based on these tests, a demonstration reactor should be built five years later, which is an introduction to the construction of fusion nuclear power plants in Europe.
"We are making good progress towards that", concludes Ibarra.
Photos: Pexels
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