This Spanish company is collaborating in the ITER initiative, which is the fifth most costly scientific research project of all time after the Apollo and Manhattan programs, the International Space Station and the design of GPS.
Mos Integasa (Industrias Técnicas de Galicia), a company specializing in the design and manufacture of heat exchangers and pressure vessels for a variety of industries (maritime, chemicals, petrochemicals and nuclear), is participating in the international ITER project. This initiative is the largest experimental scientific installation in the world, aimed at researching the viability of nuclear fusion energy. It is now under construction in France.
The Spanish company has recently received a U Certification from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which will facilitate exports to North America and other areas. It has received an order for 24 vessels from ITER, which is the fifth most expensive project in scientific history after the Apollo and Manhattan programs, the International Space Station and the development of GPS technology.
ITER, which originally stood for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, is a cooperative effort on a global scale and the first in the energy field. The complex itself extends over a 42 hectare area in France’s Cadarache research complex, and will include 39 buildings. At mid-year about 300 people were working directly on construction of the project; by mid-2015 this number is expected to rise to 2,000. According to the project’s organizers, ITER will be the world’s largest facility dedicated to experimental fusion, designed in order to demonstrate the scientific and technological viability of fusion energy.
The goal of fusion research is to develop a source of clean, inexhaustible, safe energy that is environmentally friendly. Europe will finance almost half of the cost of construction, estimated to be about €14bn, while the other six members of the international consortium involved in the project (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Russia and the United States) will contribute equal shares.
Integasa’s experience in the pressure vessels sector led to the company’s participation in this project. The firm entered the nuclear energy market two years ago, and the demanding nature of ITER both in terms of its technical requirements and engineering standards helped prepare the firm to achieve ASME’s U-Stamp certification. This in turn will open the door for exports to the United States, Canada and other regions such as the Middle East and Asia.
Integasa also recently built 66 heat exchangers for Belgium’s nuclear plants at Doel and Tihange, six titanium vessels for two offshore platforms operated by British Petroleum and four helium coolers for Qatar’s RasGas.
Integasa invests about €250,000 annually in R&D. The company is collaborating on several research protects with Spain’s Universidad de Vigo and technology center Centro Tecnológico Aimen. It is also involved in developing a prototype for orbital laser welding, as well as the design of technology to maximize energy efficiency during ship construction.