The Building Material Of The Device Of ITER

At the construction site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, known as ITER in southern France, the foundations of the facilities are already in place.

At the construction site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, known as ITER in southern France, the foundations of the facilities are already in place. The equipment for the complex of 39 buildings, which will be built in an area of 420 acres, like 50 football fields, arrive daily from all over the world. While energy production is not expected to begin in the near future, the facility is already considered as nuclear, and admission to the public is prohibited.

The ITER is by far the largest international scientific cooperation for peaceful purposes on Earth. The total construction cost is estimated that will not exceed 15 billion euros,

The EU, India, Japan, China, South Korea, Russia and the US, are the seven members who have joined forces for the construction of ITER, in order to determine whether nuclear fusion as an energy source, is possible on Earth.

The building material that is planned for use in ITER, is tested by scientists at the Research Centre "Demokritos". "A kind of steel, called Eurofer, goes through various tests to determine its characteristics under irradiation," says Mr. Tsalas Maximus, an expert in nuclear fusion and researcher in European experimental reactor JET.

Steven Cowley, chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), head of the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy stated "I believe we are going to need fusion power at some point. I can't guarantee there will be a fusion reactor in the future, but if we don't solve some materials problems I guarantee there won't be."