Ispra Research Centre

History

The Ispra Research Center, whose construction began in 1956, on an area of about 160 hectares (nearly 400 acres), was View of the Ispra Joint Research Centre ENEA’s first research facility. At that time, ENEA was called the National Committee for Nuclear Research (CNRN); the name was later changed to National Committee for Nuclear Energy (CNEN).

The laboratories and facilities built here (including Italy’s first operational research reactor) were intended to implement the major research program established to support the nation’s energy policy. In those days, peaceful applications of nuclear ener- gy were seen as one of the most promising ways to generate electric power.

In 1960 the Italian government handed the Ispra Centre over to EURATOM to use as a Joint Research Centre (JRC). CNEN conti- nued to operate its own laboratories and offices at the JRC, but started to create other research centres at various loca- tions across Italy. ENEA’s programs diversified over the years, and in the 1980s, as one of many projects intended to support the development of renewable sour- ces, a bioclimatic building incorpo- rating solar technology was erec- ted on the JRC’s premises at Technicians at work around the Ispra 1 research reactor Ispra. This is the building that now hosts the ENEA Centre. The building that hosts the Ispra Centre. Its innovative construction technologies and installations make it an excellent example of bioclimatic architecture

Activities

ENEA’s Ispra Research Centre conducts experimental activities aimed at promoting sound energy use, and activities as an agency serving public administrations and the productive system.

The Centre’s experimental, research and service activities concern refrige- rating and lighting equipment for the civil and services sectors. Their objectives are to: • provide qualified technical support to public entities and local government bodies; • collaborate with public agencies in Europe, together with or on behalf of Italian industrial concerns, in assessing the performance of new products from the standpoint of energy and the environment; • carry out, on behalf of the public agencies concerned, supervision and control activities to ascertain whether home appliances on sale comply with current energy and environmental regulations.

The laboratories dedicated to these activities are used to: • determine the energy profile of lighting systems and components under working conditions; • determine the influence of environmental factors on lighting; • analyse light-flow regulation systems; • verify lighting system software experimentally; • determine the performance of refrigerators and freezers; • determine the energy consumption of refrigerators and freezers; • determine the influence of the environment and user habits on the performance of refrigerators and freezers; • conduct experimental studies on innovative prototypes of refrigera- tors and freezers.

The Centre’s agency activities fall into three broad categories: • support to public administrations on energy and environmental issues and on technology transfer, in pursuit of the objectives of sustainable development; • support to projects aimed at re-industrialising older manu- facturing districts and converting them to high-tech sectors with low environmental impact; • creation of new high-tech enterprises, based on the results of research conducted by ENEA. Laboratories

In the Centre operate two ISO 9002-certified laboratories used to test electrical equipment for home and civil use: • CORVO tests the energy and environmental performance of lighting systems; • ICELAB tests the energy and environmental performance of refrigerators and freezers.

The CORVO lab is equipped with: • test chamber (4.5 x 4.5 x 3.2 metres) that simulates an ordi- nary room used in the civil or services sector; an electric system moves the measuring sensor along the X and Y axes; • test bed for measuring electrical magnitudes; • portable instruments for on-site monitoring.

ICELAB has two climate chambers (CC1 and CC2) that control temperature, relative humidity and air speed in the following ranges: • CC1: temperature 10-48 °C, relative humidity 30-90% • CC2: temperature 0-70 °C, relative humidity 30-90%. Each chamber can accommodate up to three appliances at a time.

The ICELAB laboratory

The CORVO laboratory Address of the Centre ENEA - Ispra Research Centre Via Enrico Fermi 20120 Ispra (Varese) Tel. +39-0332-788111, fax +39-0332-788240

How to visit the Centre To make arrangements to visit the Centre, contact: Caterina Banfi Tel. +39-0332-788235, fax +39-0332-788240 e-mail: [email protected]

How to reach the Centre

By car Via Autostrada A8 (Milan-Varese-Sesto Calende): Driving from Milan, pass the Gallarate exit, bear left at the fork onto the Genoa-Gravellona T. highway, and exit at Sesto Calende- Vergiate. Take the highway towards Luino-Laveno-Besozzo. At the seventh traffic light (Travedona-Monate), exit leftward towards Ispra. One kilometre after Cadrezzate, at the “Unione Europea” traffic circle, turn right and head for the entrance to the Joint Research Centre. Follow the signs to the ENEA Centre. Via Autostrada A26 (Voltri-Alessandria-Gravellona): Driving from Alessandria towards Gravellona, pass the Borgomanero exit and at the fork bear left towards Milan. Exit at Sesto Calende-Vergiate and follow the directions given above.

By train Sesto Calende station on the Milan-Domodossola line (about 12 km from the ENEA Centre)

By plane Malpensa Airport (about 30 km from the ENEA Centre)

For further information, visit www.enea.it/com/ispra/ Published by ENEA – Communication Unit – Graphic design by Bruno Giovannetti – Printed by Primaprint (Viterbo) – April 2005