Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DONES-ConP1 (DONES Consolidation Phase 1)
Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2024-10-31
DONES-ConP1 is a project which answers to the call of support action for consolidating the IFMIF-DONES ESFRI facility.
It is linked to the brandnew DONES Programme serving as a transition for policy makers until funds are available, consolidate and expand the users community.
The project deals not only with the Construction Phase of the facility, but also with the operation and exploitation phase of the project. Although the Andalucia and the Spanish Government are ready to finance the investment to the extent of 50%, Croatia a 5%, and EURATOM through F4E are also ready to invest another 20%, negotiations with different partners are ongoing in order to secure and equilibrate the full construction budget and to assure the operation costs.
This Consolidation support action is the ideal framework to ensure these contributions. The project focuses on critical financial, legal and organisational issues related to the international character of the IFMIF-DONES facility during its construction and operation phases.
The experience of the partners supplying in-kind procurements to other European and International facilities is a clear asset to benefit and developing update models for all the documentation and planning related with in-kind of commercial procurements at IFMIF-DONES.
One of the main objectives of the project is to consolidate the scientific users community of both fusion and non-fusion experiments, developing cutting edge proposals in fields of nuclear physics, medicine or industry.
The DONES Experimental Programme is one of the key objectives of the project.
Finally, the project will update all the DONES Programme documentation in order to ensure they are ready for the start of the construction, and also the installation and commissioning phases. This will include an update of the documentation related to licensing of the proposal of experiments, and the transport to support facilities.
It is linked to the brandnew DONES Programme serving as a transition for policy makers until funds are available, consolidate and expand the users community.
The project deals not only with the Construction Phase of the facility, but also with the operation and exploitation phase of the project. Although the Andalucia and the Spanish Government are ready to finance the investment to the extent of 50%, Croatia a 5%, and EURATOM through F4E are also ready to invest another 20%, negotiations with different partners are ongoing in order to secure and equilibrate the full construction budget and to assure the operation costs.
This Consolidation support action is the ideal framework to ensure these contributions. The project focuses on critical financial, legal and organisational issues related to the international character of the IFMIF-DONES facility during its construction and operation phases.
The experience of the partners supplying in-kind procurements to other European and International facilities is a clear asset to benefit and developing update models for all the documentation and planning related with in-kind of commercial procurements at IFMIF-DONES.
One of the main objectives of the project is to consolidate the scientific users community of both fusion and non-fusion experiments, developing cutting edge proposals in fields of nuclear physics, medicine or industry.
The DONES Experimental Programme is one of the key objectives of the project.
Finally, the project will update all the DONES Programme documentation in order to ensure they are ready for the start of the construction, and also the installation and commissioning phases. This will include an update of the documentation related to licensing of the proposal of experiments, and the transport to support facilities.
During the first year, the project has held several technical meetings to define the activites and the tasks.
One of the main activities has been the realization of the Third DONES Users Workshop in Zagreb (Croatia). More than 80 users met to discuss the experimental capabilities of IFMIF-DONES from many different areas such as nuclear physics, biology and nuclear medicine, industrial applications and of course fusion users. This includes the definition of new irrdiation modules in the main high flux, such as the test modules for the breeding blankets. The discussions help to the current definition of the content of the first DONES Experimental Programme for Fusion and Non-fusion users.
A first version of the definition of operational and experimental data within DONES has been produced, as well as the policy for remote data access. Those documents are the input for the production of the first version of the DONES Data access Management Plan.
Another important activity this year has been the definition of the strategy for the acceptance tests defined within the procurement arrangements with the in-kind contributors. A first draft of the report has been produced and is currently under discussion with the different project stakeholders. Associated with this, the list of packages has been updated, including new potential opportunities linked to the acceleration of the fusion strategy.
Template documents for updating project organisation and CODA have been agreed, and it is expected to define the new versions during the next months.
Finally, first work in the safety for complementary experiments and transport of irradiated samples to support facilities has been produced.
One of the main activities has been the realization of the Third DONES Users Workshop in Zagreb (Croatia). More than 80 users met to discuss the experimental capabilities of IFMIF-DONES from many different areas such as nuclear physics, biology and nuclear medicine, industrial applications and of course fusion users. This includes the definition of new irrdiation modules in the main high flux, such as the test modules for the breeding blankets. The discussions help to the current definition of the content of the first DONES Experimental Programme for Fusion and Non-fusion users.
A first version of the definition of operational and experimental data within DONES has been produced, as well as the policy for remote data access. Those documents are the input for the production of the first version of the DONES Data access Management Plan.
Another important activity this year has been the definition of the strategy for the acceptance tests defined within the procurement arrangements with the in-kind contributors. A first draft of the report has been produced and is currently under discussion with the different project stakeholders. Associated with this, the list of packages has been updated, including new potential opportunities linked to the acceleration of the fusion strategy.
Template documents for updating project organisation and CODA have been agreed, and it is expected to define the new versions during the next months.
Finally, first work in the safety for complementary experiments and transport of irradiated samples to support facilities has been produced.
IFMIF-DONES once constructed will be a first-of-a-kind facility producing results which are fundamental for the construction of the first demonstration fusion reactor (DEMO), and the following commercial one. The experimental capabilities are linked to the simulation of the effects of the damage into materials alike the ones in fusion reactors. The facility will be therefore beyond the state of the art.
In addition, the research for the construction of the facility has already conducted many beyond the state of the art results, such as the acceleration of a 125 mA deuteron beam in the prototype LIPAc in Japan or the validation of the biggest lithium loop in the world, ELTL.
The challenges associated with the construction and operation of the IFMIF-DONES require the participation of leading institutes in the important technologies around Europe and worldwide. DONES-ConP1 is trying to consolidate the participation of those institutes in the DONES activities while they are provided access to funds by their respective governments, becoming contributors to the DONES Programme.
In addition, the research for the construction of the facility has already conducted many beyond the state of the art results, such as the acceleration of a 125 mA deuteron beam in the prototype LIPAc in Japan or the validation of the biggest lithium loop in the world, ELTL.
The challenges associated with the construction and operation of the IFMIF-DONES require the participation of leading institutes in the important technologies around Europe and worldwide. DONES-ConP1 is trying to consolidate the participation of those institutes in the DONES activities while they are provided access to funds by their respective governments, becoming contributors to the DONES Programme.