IFMIF-DONES Preparatory Phase

Project Information

DONES-PreP

Grant agreement ID: 870186

DOI

10.3030/870186

Project closed

EC signature date 17 December 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 31 December 2021

Funded under

• Euratom

Total cost

€ 4 246 325,63

EU contribution

€ 3 988 290,00

Coordinated by

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DONES-PreP (IFMIF-DONES Preparatory Phase)

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2021-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The key problem / issue being addressed in the DONES PreP project is preparation of the construction of the IFMIF-DONES facility, taking into consideration all aspects: organisational aspects (governance and management, HR management, users’ access), financial aspects (cost and procurement), utilisation of European funds, legal aspects (legal framework and IPR), licensing, radiological & safety, role of support facilities and possibility of Complementary Research to increase societal impact of the facility etc.

The importance of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility - Demo Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) for society lies in the fact that it will be a single-site facility for the purpose of testing, validation and qualification of the materials to be used in fusion power plants. It will be based on a unique neutron source with energy spectrum and flux tuned to those expected for the first wall in future fusion power plants. Materials irradiation data and property changes under such conditions are of fundamental interest for the fusion community addressing science, engineering as well as safety and licensing, which would accelerate development of the first European Demonstration fusion power plant - DEMO. Additional importance of IFMIF-DONES for society is its role as a technology hub for development of a unique high-current high duty-cycle accelerator technology, liquid metal target technology and advanced control systems.

The overall objective of the DONES PreP project is to elaborate and draft an international framework for the development of the DONES Program and the required agreements that allows the construction of the IFMIF-DONES facility.

Taking into account the work being developed in the framework of this project, EURATOM, with the support of the Fusion for Energy Governing Board, has taken the initiative to organise a working group with Spain, Croatia, and other interested member’s states, and with the support of F4E, to define a scenario that includes governance, sharing of contributions, and possible international participation to the DONES Program. Up to 14 EU countries are involved in the work of this Working Group.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

From the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report, work in this project was performed according to the DoA (with minor deviations caused by Covid-19) by following accepted schedule for completion of deliverables in Work Packages 1-10.

Main results achieved so far are summarized in key deliverables listed below:

a) Development of a strong and systematic coordination between all the different IFMIF-DONES related projects including DONES-PreP, IFMIF/EVEDA, WPENS, DONES-PRIME and DONES-UGR (up to 6 different deliverables up to now).
b) Completion of the governance and management model for DONES and related legal frameworks including aspects like Intellectual Properties Rights, User´s Access strategy, Human Resources Strategy as well as a draft proposal for the Rules of Operation of the DONES Steering Committee.
c) Development of a financial planning for IFMIF-DONES construction, including Cost Estimate, Cost Book, Project Schedule, Project Plan, Risk Analysis, as well as an overview of the agreed possible contributions from different partners and utilization of European funds for this purpose.
d) Progress on licensing of IFMIF-DONES facility and radiological and safety issues of IFMIF-DONES.
e) Identification and evaluation of other (non-fusion related) complementary experiments at IFMIF-DONES, analysis of upgradeability of IFMIF-DONES facility, as well as analysis of energy optimization alternatives.
f) Identification of a network of DONES’ Support Facilities of interest during construction and operation of IFMIF-DONES facility as well as for exploitation of results.

Furthermore, particular effort has been devoted to communication activities and dissemination of results including a dedicated website, social network activities and edition of electronic newsletters. Other promotional activities are also carried out at the school and university level, as well as among the business and scientific community.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Overall objective of this project is to elaborate and draft the consortium agreement (taking into consideration all aspects: governance and management, financial and legal aspects, safety and licensing, etc.) which would enable construction of the first-of-a-kind IFMIF-DONES facility and realization of the DONES Program.

Progress beyond the state of the art therefore relates to novel organizational and legal solutions, conclusions and findings related to the drafting of the IFMIF-DONES’ consortium agreement, and can be summed in the following points:
- Construction of the IFMIF-DONES facility and realization of the DONES Program require new, dedicated governance and management model, similar to Broader Approach Agreement between EU and Japan. DONES Governance and management model has been designed for DONES Program, not just for the IFMIF-DONES Facility.
- A dedicated legal framework, based on bilateral MoU between Spain as the Host Country and other Partner Countries, has been proposed.
- DONES financial planning, consisting of Project Schedule, Project Plan, Cost Book and Procurement Strategy, has been developed.
- Not just Spain as the Host Country of IFMIF-DONES, but also other Partner Countries could utilize ERDF funding for procurement of IFMIF-DONES component, since implementation of ERDF is enabled outside the programme area. Socio-economic and Cost-Benefit studies for IFMIF-DONES have been completed.
- Health, Safety and Environmental Studies, required for radiological licensing of the first-of-a-kind IFMIF-DONES facility, have been developed.
- Studies for utilization of IFMIF-DONES in Complementary (non-fusion) Research are prepared, aimed to increase socio-economic and societal impact of IFMIF-DONES.
- Studies for utilization of renewable sources in IFMIF-DONES have also been drawn up.
- Network of EU Support Facilities aimed to help construction and utilization of IFMIF-DONES has been identified.

All above mentioned results imply that completion of the DONES-PreP project would enable timely construction of the first-of-a-kind IFMIF-DONES facility, for the benefit of realisation of European Fusion Roadmap, for the benefit of wider European scientific community through various Complementary (non-fusion) Research, as well as for the benefit of European business sector through technology transfers and procurements required for the construction and maintenance of the IFMIF-DONES facility and various Support Facilities.

DONES Plant 3D Model

IFMIF-DONES Worksite