Rosatom scientists have completed the first stage of qualification tests for tungsten to clad the first wall of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor ITER, which is being built in France. The work was carried out at NIIEFA named after Efremov: specialists soldered previously manufactured panels, performed ultrasonic testing on a robotic complex, and conducted thermal cycling tests.
Research and development work will continue until 2028. After that, full-scale serial production of cladding for ITER will begin.
Anatoly Krasilnikov, Director of the ITER Project Center, recalled that three years ago, project participants decided that the first wall panels should be made of tungsten. Specialists faced a serious challenge — to reconfigure all production to the new material. He called the work in St. Petersburg only the initial stage of a whole complex of research, but their successful result indicates the correctly chosen technological path and high competencies. Without this, it is impossible to move to serial production of a key component of the future reactor.