This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Investigadores de Ceit-IK4 crean un nuevo material, clave en la reproducción de la energía solar
Ceit-IK4 researchers create a new material, key in the reproduction of solar energy
27/04/2009
April 27, 2009
A team of researchers from the Ceit-IK4 technological centre, in collaboration with Tecnun-School of engineering at the University of Navarra, has created a new material that is key to develop future reactors that will replicate the Sun's energy. The research, led by scientists from the Department of materials, part of the European project Extremat, which integrates with 37 research centres in 13 different countries and has an investment of EUR 17 million.
The material is a key player for the most critical area of Iter, a device that is being developed in Cadarache (South France) to study the scientific and technological feasibility of these reactors. It is based on graphite with additions of titanium. Their properties allow it to withstand the extreme conditions which will be submitted during the production of energy from nuclear fusion, when it is exposed to a plasma hydrogen at temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees.
Infographic on the process of creation of the new material, key in the development of future reactors that reproduced the energy from the Sun.
In this way, resolves several issues related to the activity of future reactors: supports high thermal conductivity, is highly resistant to erosion by bombing of particulate from the plasma of fusion and is capable of withstanding differrent thermal loads.
