From Liguria the first prototype of the nuclear fusion reactor

It weighs 5 quintals concentrated in eight almost two meters long copper alloy tubes, covered with tungsten blocks, a material with a high melting point, excellent thermal conductivity and high strength. It is the Inner Vertical Target, a “made in Italy” project created by ENEA and Ansaldo Nucleare. It is one of the three components of the ITER fun, the great reactor for nuclear fusion research under construction in the South of France.

The Inner Vertical Target – composed of 54 modules able to withstand a thermal flow of 20 MW per square meter and temperatures reaching 2 thousand degrees centigrade – will serve as a “target” of the particles produced in excess by the plasma to keep the fusion reaction turned on , dispose of heat and make it available for the production of electricity.

The construction process developed by ENEA is called Hot Radial Pressing (HRP): in practice, the copper alloy tube is coupled to the tungsten block, “inflated” with a pressure of 60MPa (600 bar) and simultaneously brought to a temperature of 600 ° C. Besides allowing a welding able to withstand the most extreme load conditions, the technology allows the maintenance of the mechanical characteristics of the copper pipes and the perfect geometry of the surface facing the plasma, avoiding further expensive and dangerous mechanical machining.

An international excellence in a strongly high-tech sector, which is a great success for Italian research and industry.