Proton Irradiation Facilities Envisaged for the ESS-bilbao Project

The ESS-Bilbao (ESS-B) proton linear accelerator has been conceived as a multipurpose machine that will support experimental facilities using both proton and neutron beams.Concerning proton applications, three main irradiation laboratories are currently under design: radiation biology (P4B), radia- tion testing of aerospace industry components (P4I) and fusion materials (P4 M). The P4B and P4I facilities require the use of low intensity beams and will be set up in the first phase of the ESS-B project. However, the P4 M laboratory, projected for the second stage, will make use of the high proton beam fluxes available at the ESS-B linac, to study experimentally the radiation damage in materials for future fusion reactors.The scientific case and the conceptual design of the three proton irradiation facilities will be presented in this contribution.