“At the limit of technical feasibility: extraordinarily captivating!”

Why did you decide to join Demcon?

Following a long time as domain architect I wanted to broaden my horizons. I found it was possible to do this at Demcon. In my role as systems engineer I am able to fully apply all of my creativity as early as in the concept phase. Furthermore, my work as working foreman is highly varied; ranging from making models to managing a project team. I stay technically involved and for me that is an important job satisfaction factor.

why does this project present such a major challenge?

Working on the LightHouse technology does not come with standard solutions. The extremely high heat input demands solutions at the limit of technical feasibility. We extract 2 megawatts of heat from a volume as big as a matchbox. You have to be very careful with this, because the machine becomes extremely hot. The question then becomes: how do you cool it? Normally speaking we use cooling water or oil, but here we use liquid metal. This is because liquid metal has a far greater cooling capacity. In this project, Demcon is designing the cell in which the molybdenum (Mo-99) is radiated and this therefore is where the 2 megawatts of heat must be cooled. In addition we are designing the Mo-99 harvesting machine for this purpose. This is at the limit of available technical knowledge and that makes the project extraordinarily captivating. Aside from the technical challenges, the project also serves a social goal. That makes it a fun and instructive project.

how do you approach a complex project of this nature?

We work together with colleagues from various disciplines. For example, colleagues specialized in thermodynamics and rheology, mechanics, electronics, physics and software development. We all have a practical and results-oriented attitude. We want to build something together and everyone clearly has a passion for technology and engineering. Technology and engineering is a priority at Demcon. People have a very open attitude and are always ready to help. As a result we are able to participate in extraordinary, cutting-edge projects, such as SMART and working on the LightHouse technology.

Would you like to learn more about system engineering at Demcon? Come visit us for a cup of coffee (or tea). Send an email to coffee@demcon.com and we will be happy to contact you!