DONES EVO: Risk mitigation for the IFMIF-DONES facility

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility- DEMO Oriented Neutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is a scientific infrastructure aimed to provide an intense neutron source for the qualification of materials to be used in future fusion power reactors. Its implementation is critical for the construction of the fusion DEMOnstration Power Plant (DEMO). IFMIF-DONES is a unique facility requiring a broad set of technologies. Although most of the necessary technologies have already been validated, there are still some aspects that introduce risks in the evolution of the project. In order to mitigate these risks, a consortium of companies, with the support of research centres and the funding of the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology and Innovation), has launched the DONES EVO Programme, which comprises six lines of research: • Improvement of signal transmission and integrity (planning and integration risks) • Optimisation of RF conditioning processes (planning and reliability risks) • Development of a reliable beam extraction device (reliability risks) • Development of technologies for the production of medical isotopes (reliability risks) • Improvement of critical parts of the lithium purification system (safety and reliability risks) • Validation of the manufacture of critical components with special materials (reliability risk). DONES EVO will focus on developing the appropriate response to the risks identified in the IFMIF-DONES project through research and prototyping around the associated technologies. This contribution will present a discussion of the risks, the proposed response to them and the evolution of the technologies involved, following selected experiments carried out throughout the project.