Subscribe options

Select your newsletters:

Please enter your email address:

@

Your email address will only be used for the purpose of sending you the ITER Organization publication(s) that you have requested. ITER Organization will not transfer your email address or other personal data to any other party or use it for commercial purposes.

If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe option at the bottom of an email you've received from ITER Organization.

For more information, see our Privacy policy.

News & Media

Latest ITER Newsline

  • Industrial milestone | First cryopump passes all tests

    The serial production of ITER's powerful torus and cryostat cryopumps is progressing at Research Instruments, Germany, on behalf of the European Domestic Agency [...]

    Read more

  • Cryoline installation | Ball joints against earthquakes

    In order to reach clients inside the Tokamak Building, cooling fluids produced by the ITER cryoplant flow through many kilometres of highly sophisticated p [...]

    Read more

  • The changing fusion landscape | ITER hosting private sector workshop

    Take out your smart phone and search your favourite news site for 'nuclear fusion' or 'fusion energy.' On any given day, you will find articles discussing break [...]

    Read more

  • Image of the Week | Advisory committee season

    The 30th Meeting of the ITER Council Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC-30) took place at ITER Headquarters from 13 to 16 May. The Science and Tech [...]

    Read more

  • ITER Design Handbook | Preserving the vital legacy of ITER

    The contributions that ITER is making to fusion physics and engineering—through decades of decisions and implementation—are delivering insights to the fusion co [...]

    Read more

Of Interest

See archived entries

ITER NEWSLINE -

Central solenoid

The "table" is set for the first module

The two workers on the cherry picker had spent more than one hour slowly turning the three turnbuckles attached to the straps that held the load. Millimetre by millimetre they had adjusted the straps' length so that, once lifted from its frame, the 110-tonne component would be perfectly balanced and the lift perfectly vertical. Eventually, the electrical motors on the double overhead crane started purring and the load began to lift. Out of the whole operation, performed on Thursday 10 February, this was the most delicate moment: any contact with the fragile electrical connections on the central solenoid module would have had severe consequences. And the clearance was very small.

The central solenoid module that was lifted on Thursday 10 February is one of six more or less identical elements which, once assembled, will form the 18-metre tall, 1,000-tonne magnet standing at the very centre of the machine. (Click to view larger version...)
The central solenoid module that was lifted on Thursday 10 February is one of six more or less identical elements which, once assembled, will form the 18-metre tall, 1,000-tonne magnet standing at the very centre of the machine.
The central solenoid module is one of six more or less identical elements which, once assembled, will form the "beating heart" of the ITER Tokamak. Procured by the United States, the 1,000-tonne central solenoid has been dubbed "the most powerful magnet in the world," capable of lifting an aircraft carrier out of the water. The first module was delivered to ITER in September 2021 and the second one month later.

Like the 18 toroidal field coils that surround the vacuum vessel, the central solenoid's superconducting windings, and the protruding "lead" that feeds the high-voltage, are made of niobium-tin, a compound that, contrary to the niobium-titanium of the poloidal field coils, is quite brittle. This relative fragility explains the extreme care that went into the lift operation's preparation and execution.

Equipment and tests will be performed on this simple ''table'' before the module is moved over to the assembly platform, visible on the right side of the image. (Click to view larger version...)
Equipment and tests will be performed on this simple ''table'' before the module is moved over to the assembly platform, visible on the right side of the image.
Having travelled almost the whole length of the Assembly Hall, the module and its lifting frame were eventually lowered and positioned on a simple "table" where months-long tests will be performed. The module's instrumentation, sensors and superconducting joints need to be carefully checked and tested before it is transferred to the bespoke assembly platform nearby.

Lifting, stacking and assembling the six modules into a 18-metre high, 1,000-tonne magnet will require a set of high-precision tools also procured by US ITER and already delivered. The total value of the assembly tooling contracts is in excess of USD 10 million.

Once finalized, the ITER central solenoid will be placed at the very centre of the Tokamak pit where the central column (a temporary assembly tool) presently stands.

return to the latest published articles