MONOLITH VESSEL LOWER AND MEDIUM MONOLITH VESSEL

2018 - 2020 | ESS Bilbao

The spallation reactions produced in the ESS target will generate a large amount of radiactive isotopes. The amount of activated material generated by this process is comparable to a 5 MW fission reactor hence, enclosure barriers are needed to avoid damage to the public and workers. In order to confine the activated material, the target systems are enclosed in a vacuum or inactive helium atmosphere confined by a pressure vessel: the Monolith Vessel.

The monolith vessel provides a leaktight boundary between the outer air atmosphere and the TMR system atmosphere. Once installed, the vessel will not be changed during the 40 years of planned lifetime of the facility and it shall confine the activated material for normal an accidental conditions. The Monolith Vessel is an ESS safety component classified as MQC3. Due to this fact, the Lower and Medium Vessel, as part of the Monolith Vessel, have been designed and manufactured according to these boundary conditions.
The Monolith vessel main parts are:
1. Lower Vessel
2. Medium Vessel

Client: ESS Bilbao