Doosan Enerbility Ships Out Pressurizer for ITER Project

Doosan Enerbility is supplying a component that was specifically designed and built for an international “artificial sun” project, an energy source that is referred to as “the dream energy.” On May 29th, Doosan Enerbility announced that it had shipped out a pressurizer that is to be delivered to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) organization.  In 2020, Doosan had won an international bid that led to its signing of a pressurizer supply agreement with the ITER organization. The ITER project is an international collaboration project that involves using nuclear fusion, a process based on the same principle as that of powering the sun, to develop artificial suns, a safe and clean energy source that is touted as the future of energy. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of mass producing nuclear fusion energy, a total of seven nations including Korea, the United States, Japan and the European Union, are collaborating on the development, construction and operation of the ITER device. The ITER is slated to be built in Cadarache, France by 2025 and will be operated until 2042. The pressurizer supplied by Doosan Enerbility will be performing the function of maintaining the pressure of the heat exchanger that is to be installed at the ITER and protecting it from overpressure. The highest level of quality assurance and design verification needs to be maintained for the device to meet Europe’s strict requirements.  Upon signing the supplier agreement, Doosan Enerbility had immediately embarked on the design and purchase of necessary materials, after which fabrication was commenced in March 2022 together with local Korean partners and was completed this past April.  The functionality test and hydrostatic test were also completed on the heater, with the client attending as an observer. “It is truly significant that we are taking part in this project which aims at commercializing nuclear fusion energy, a ‘dream energy’ that is receiving worldwide attention,” said Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group. He added, “As we were able to satisfy Europe’s strict criteria by leveraging the experience and technical expertise we acquired over the years at home and abroad, we aim to now strive forward with confidence in our endeavors to widen participation in the European nuclear components market.”