Hundreds of metres of concrete pipes (two-metres in diameter) have been installed for the platform's deep rainfall drainage network. The mountains of dirt will soon disappear: 80% of backfilling and levelling is now completed.
Backfilling operations continue after the heavy rainfall of mid-May. The deepest galleries will be filled over; at a later stage, digging will begin again for the cooling water pipes that will lead to and from the Tokamak Building.
All around the Tokamak Pit galleries are being dug for critical networks (heating, cooling, electricity). The excavated material is then used for backfill.
Crossing the platform between the Headquarters building and the Poloidal Field Coils manufacturing facility is part of the platform's deep precipitation network. Photo: F4E
The worksite canteen will be ready to serve its first hungry clients in September 2013. In the swing of construction works, evening meals will be served as well as noon meals. Photo: F4E
The different stages of pipework are visible in this photo: galleries not yet filled in to the left, chimneys poking up from completed networks to the right. Photo: F4E
Workers fill in the trenches for the overflow drainage network progressively, as sections of the network are completed. Regular chimneys (pictured) will provide access to the pipes for inspection. Photo: F4E
By June, this office building for 50 and the surrounding parking areas must be completed for staff that will arrive to manage the construction of the Tokamak Complex. Photo: F4E
The worksite canteen is scaled for 1,500 people. During the peak of construction activities, when over 3,000 workers are expected on site, certain construction companies will plan their own dining halls. Photo: F4E
With work on the deep drainage networks and on Contractor Area 2, it's not as easy as it once was to see across the ITER platform. In the foreground, foundations are installed for the worksite canteen. Photo: F4E
Work progresses on Contractors Area 2—a 3,500 square-metre area that will be reserved for the companies participating in the peak construction activities of the next few years. Photo: F4E
Large concrete pipes, measuring up to 2.2 metres in diameter, will collect rainwater from the platform buildings, roads and trenches.¶The deep underground network is configured to handle the water flow coming from a "centennial rain"- extreme rainfall that statistically occurs only once every century. Photo: ITER Organization
The rainwater captured on the platform will be carried by underground networks to the storm basins located at the southwest corner of the site. Work on this drainage network begin in March 2012 and will be completed in November. Photo: ITER Organization
Four years are necessary to bring the ITER switchyard to fruition. Beginning with technical and environmental studies and ending with 12 months of construction works, the realization of the RTE switchyard is part of France's commitment to the ITER project. Photo: F4E
Installing and financing the ITER switchyard and power-line extension was part of France's commitment to ITER. The switchyard will be "powered on" in June. Photo: Engage-AP
An image taken from a crane at the corner of the Tokamak Pit shows the RTE electrical switchyard (left) and the beginning of construction works (right) for a new contractor area (offices, parking lot, facilities). Photo: Engage-AP
On the left, the "pantograph" has been deployed; on the right its articulated arms sit waiting. The 400kV pantographs connect the RTE busbars, source of high voltage current, to the ITER transformers. Photo: ITER Organization
The first 120-ton pylon is erected in December 2011 by aerial acrobats; twelve more like this are necessary to link the ITER facilities to the 400 kV power line six kilometres distant. Photo: ITER Organization
Electrical supply to the ITER site will be assured by an existing network that feeds the Tore Supra Tokamak; a one-kilometre extension will be enough to link the ITER machine into the network. Operating the ITER Tokamak will require from 120 MW to up to 620 MW of electricity for peak periods of 30 seconds. Photo: ITER Organization
It will take 22 pylons to connect the ITER platform switchyard to the existing 400kV power line feeding the neighbouring Tore Supra installation at the CEA. Each 43-metre steel pylon weighs 100 tons. Photo: ITER Organization
The 22-metre pylons in the foreground support five-ton crossbars; from here, electricity will be directed toward seven 400 kV transformers. ITER's very high voltage electrical substation will be remotely controlled by RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Electricité). Photo: ITER Organization
The 42-hectare ITER platform, seen from the southern corner in September 2011. Counterclockwise from left: the RTE switchyard, the Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility, the Seismic Pit—home to the future ITER Tokamak—and, in the distance, the ITER Headquarters, forecast for completion in July 2012. Photo: Altivue/ITER Organization
In a four-hectare area on the southwest portion of the platform, pylons are installed for the RTE (Réseau de Transport d'Electricité) switchyard that will deliver power from the French grid to the ITER facilities. Photo: ITER Organization
An artist's impression of what ITER will look like. The large orange building in the centre is the Tokamak hall, the long building at the top is the Winding Facility for the Poloidal Field Coils. Image credit: ITER Organization
All photos are to be credited to the ITER Organization unless otherwise specified. The ITER Organization provides images and videos on its public website free of charge for educational and institutional use. An explanation of the "Terms of Use" is available for download.
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