The OPTIMA DONES project, launched in January 2025 and scheduled to run until 2027, is a research and innovation initiative aimed at developing new solutions for the safe maintenance of IFMIF-DONES, a scientific facility dedicated to studying the behavior of materials under extreme radiation conditions, similar to those expected in future fusion power plants.

The project was created to address the need for proactive supervision and maintenance tasks in such environments without exposing people to radiation, while anticipating potential system failures. It will allow the simulation of different working scenarios, analyze how radiation levels affect systems, and assess possible failure scenarios before they occur in the real facility. This way, maintenance tasks can be planned in advance, defining when and how they should be performed, and avoiding urgent interventions that would require acting without prior information in a high-radiation environment.

CT Engineering will participate in the consortium led by Ayesa, which also includes Quantia, Transformación Digital, Softcrits, Sando, the University of Granada, the University of Málaga, and IFMIF-DONES, which contributes the experience and knowledge necessary to tackle the technical challenges of these operations.

CT Engineering is responsible for research on cyber-physical systems applied to maintenance in high-radiation environments. Their work focuses on the study and development of technologies related to the design of robotic elements capable of operating under these conditions, the creation of digital twins of radioactive fields and remote maintenance systems, the interaction between these tools and the personnel in charge of supervision, as well as risk analysis and predictive maintenance.

This line of work includes the development of a digital twin of a collaborative robotic arm, or CoBot, intended to carry out basic maintenance tasks in high-radiation zones. This allows virtualization of the robot itself, the environment in which it must operate, and the distribution of radiation, with the goal of simulating its behavior, analyzing wear on critical components, and anticipating when maintenance or replacement interventions will be necessary before system failures occur. This technology is conceived as a component to be integrated into the full digital twin of the facility, which will be developed by the University of Málaga.

CT Engineering’s experience in other sectors has been essential for tackling this challenge. According to Eduardo Garre, Business Unit Manager and director of this project: “CT Engineering’s participation in this project is supported by multidisciplinary experience consolidated across different sectors, which is essential for contributing to research of this nature. Industrial experience in robotics and mechanical design allows understanding the real needs of complex environments and developing maintenance solutions adapted to demanding conditions. This is complemented by extensive experience in the development of digital twins, simulation, and predictive maintenance, applied in projects such as ECOMOVIL 23, focused on predictive maintenance for urban buses; EcoMobility, centered on creating digital twins of urban traffic networks; GAVILANSO, analyzing battery life in unmanned aerial platforms and eVTOLs; as well as the development of digital twins for energy facilities and naval power systems, such as those implemented on the F110 Frigate. To this experience is added CT Engineering’s involvement in high-complexity industrial processes, for example those developed with Airbus, which enables them to address the challenges of the nuclear sector.”

Thanks to CT Engineering’s expertise, OPTIMA DONES will have advanced tools to anticipate problems and plan maintenance in high-radiation environments, consolidating facility safety and opening new opportunities for innovation in highly complex installations.

OPTIMA-DONES (Cyber-physical system for monitoring and proactive maintenance of critical IFMIF-DONES systems). Project PLEC2024-011195, funded by MICIN/AEI (10.13039/501100011033), FEDER, EU, and CDTI under the Transmisiones 2024 program.