ITMA Foundation, a group of researchers formed by Javier Belzunce, José Manuel Artimez, Ana Moran and Ruben Coto, has developed the first quality steel with a potential application as structural material in future nuclear fusion reactor (ITER ), whose design is an ambitious project that could facilitate future production of energy from hydrogen.
The quality of steel produced, has been named the ‘Asturfer’ has been developed under the project within the Techno-Fus-iIgenio Consolider 2010 the Ministry of Science and Innovation in a pilot plant using ITMA Foundation the vacuum fusion technique, according to the institution in a press release.
The material obtained by Fundacion ITMA is a ferritic-reduced activation martensitic (RAFM) with potential for application in experimental fusion reactors.
The extreme conditions they must endure these reactors makes the material requirements are very demanding so only a few families of materials have been validated for these applications, the most important being the RAFM, family that owns this new grade of steel , which makes him candidate for structural material of the blankets of the future nuclear fusion reactor ITER.
This project is led by the Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT) and has a duration of three years. The activities are organized around the development of a concept of regenerating housing and its auxiliary systems “plant” reactor power production by fusion. In this study involving more than one hundred researchers from twelve institutions (universities and public and private research) as well as 19 research groups all over the country.
The research carried out by Fundación ITMA has been presented in various international scientific forums where he has captured the interest of reference research centers worldwide in the field of nuclear technology and has won awards in the forum ‘Matra-1 First International School on Materials for Nuclear Reactors’ held in Belgium.
