A control room today, whether for a railway system, space mission or power plant, is more than just seats, desks and computer screens. It is a highly organized working environment where nothing is left to chance.

Over the past decades, a branch of science and engineering has developed that aims at optimizing the relationship between the human operators and the systems they operate. "Human factors" is a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates contributions from ergonomics, psychology, ethnography, industrial design, and biomechanics.

It is at the heart of how ITER approaches the design of its Control Room. But what is standard procedure in most industries takes on a special dimension here: the specificity of the ITER experimental machine and operation program generates some unique challenges.

"Due to the complexity of the machine and to the number of people involved both on location and through remote participation, the ITER Control Room is larger than usual," explains ITER head of the Assembly & Operation Division Ken Blackler. "Where JET or Tore Supra have an average of 20 operators in their respective Control Rooms, we will have 60 to 80 operators, engineers and researchers."

The size of the room and the number of operators means that special attention must be paid to noise dampening, seating design, and the floor plan. "The operation of a fusion research device is very collaborative, especially on an international project such as ITER," adds Ken. "You have to anticipate how people will group, and decide on the optimal distance between desks: not too close to prevent a feeling of crammed place ... not too far to facilitate communication."

As in any Control Room, computer screens will display all the information needed to drive the machine. But in what way? "Beyond the raw data, we need to give operators a 'vision' of the information, using real-time 3D images for instance to provide a better sense of understanding. That's what we did in JET and that's what we will optimize in ITER."

Providing a physical, realistic perception of the machine is also essential. Operators in the ITER Control Room will see in real time—in both the visible and infrared spectrum—what is happening inside the Tokamak.

The ITER Control Room will occupy a large area under 7-metre ceilings, creating a "strong sense of space." Interior lighting will follow the pattern of natural light to provide a "sense of time"—important in a facility that will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Windows will also let in a bit of natural light or allow a vision of the night sky. And an outside balcony, adjacent to the small restaurant area, will allow for a breath of fresh air from time to time.

The multicultural nature of the project will generate other challenges—colour codes and symbols are not as universal as we may think. "What does a red light signify?" asks Ken. "Does it mean something is working or stopped? Safe or dangerous? This is something we have to clearly establish."

	The ITER shop window As the "shop window" of the project, the ITER Control Room will comprise a glass-walled viewing gallery that will give visitors a panoramic view of the operators and control screens. An exhibition space will also be organized nearby so that the public can get a sense of what it is like to work at harnessing the energy of the stars.

At this stage of the project, it is necessary to producing a preliminary design of the ITER Control Room in order to finalize the design of the Control Building, the two-storey structure that will host the Control Room, the CODAC computer centre and several meeting rooms and offices.

To this end, the ITER Organization has commissioned the UK human factors consultancy specialist CCD which has completed more than 350 control room designs over the past 30 years, among them the London Air Traffic Control Centre, the Easy-Jet Operations Room, and control rooms for the Hong Kong Police and CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

Final design will be completed in a few years' time, just before procurements are launched. The layout will be flexible as possible for it may need to be adapted in the course of ITER commissioning and operation.

In less than eight years, by crossing the glass-walled walkway leading to the operational centre of ITER, one will enter a world scientifically designed for the efficient, productive and safe interaction between man and machine.

 

Pascale Dauguet, Scientific Market Manager and International Expert for Air Liquide Advanced Technologies (France): "The exchanges we had with members of the ITER Organization and the European Domestic Agency F4E were fruitful, and gave us a good idea of the current status of the project. IBF/13 also offered our purchasing and project responsible officers the opportunity to meet new potential suppliers. We will now analyze the capacities of these suppliers with a view to optimizing our outsourcing. The contacts we formed are potentially very valuable to us, for our work for ITER but also for other Air Liquide Advanced Technologies projects. Having all of these actors in one place for several days was very useful!"

Kyung-Ho Park, Project Manager for Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Korea): "It was very significant for the representatives of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI), the largest industrial company in the world, to be present at the IBF/13, which was quite well organized. HHI is manufacturing two sectors of ITER vacuum vessel as contractor to the Korean Domestic Agency and also the toroidal field coil sturctures (TFCS) which was awarded by the Japanese Domestic Agency. In the progress of manufacturing these core components of the ITER project, HHI has prepared and equipped various facilities and workshops tailored for ITER. HHI has also experienced many trials and errors, which have resulted in the acquisition of important knowhow and technology. We hope this kind of experience and knowhow can be used for project improvement and development in order to achieve expected results in the nearest future."

Jean-Luc Borel, Regional Director for KSB SAS (Germany): "Now in its third edition, IBF has become indispensable for the actors of the ITER project, especially the industrial companies. We were able to hear the latest on the project from the ITER Organization, from the European Domestic Agency, and from representatives of diverse areas of industry who are potential clients for an equipment supplier like KSB. The information we learned from the presentations was of a practical nature and immediately exploitable in terms of potential opportunities. The IBF/13 event brings together and federates the suppliers engaged in this complex scientific and industrial project. What's more, the communication tools developed by the French Industrial Committee (C2I) allow us to remain in touch with the project between two editions of IBF. As a potential Level 2 actor of the project, we were favourably surprised by the success and the quality of the one-to-one meetings that we participated in. Two examples: a meeting with an important French group—already a contractor for ITER (and a client of KSB's for valves )—became the opportunity to learn about current tender offers and opened our eyes to new regional associations. Our exchanges have continued beyond IBF in Toulon, and visits are planned. A second meeting with a group based in the PACA region has resulted in possible pump activities for KSB beyond the scope of ITER. As a last note, I would have to mention the quality of all the informal discussions that I was able to have during IBF/13..."

Michèle Debret, Major Project Commercial Manager for APAVE (France): "For APAVE, already heavily involved in the ITER project through contracts with the ITER Organization and the European Domestic Agency, IBF/13 was an excellent opportunity to consolidate and develop our exchanges with industrial companies and institutions working with the project. The event stands out for the following reasons: the quality of contracts, the international dimension of the Forum, the presence of high-level representatives of the ITER Organization and Industrial Liaison Officers, and excellent organization. In effect, a number of the industrial firms present had well-defined expectations for the partnerships they hoped to form for contracts underway or tender offers to come. Our exchanges were oriented toward practical opportunities for doing business together. Also, it is rare to find such an international selection of top industrial companies in one place—our interaction with them was extremely valuable, even beyond the scope of ITER. The movement around ITER is accelerating; component fabrication is underway all over the world. For APAVE, specialized in quality and risk management, important opportunities are ahead. IBF/13 acted as a galvanizer for industry around ITER and we are pleased to have participated."

Jean-Claude Cercassi, Business Development Manager / ITER & Large Scientific Instruments for CNIM Industrial Systems (France): "IBF/13 was particularly rich in people contacts—the five representatives of CNIM attended quite a number of conferences and obtained more than 40 meetings with ITER actors, partners and potential suppliers. I was impressed by the efficiency of the one-to-one meetings—the subjects were well defined, well prepared and a concrete plan of action resulted from most. It's true that the ITER project has reached maturity: 3D models are now being replaced by components and companies like CNIM have concrete projects to share and offers to build based on industrial partnerships. The ITER Business Forum has accompanied the project since its beginnings and the maturity can be felt—the conference program was consequential and the business meetings well organized. Perfect! Thanks to its implantation in Toulon and the fact that it was awarded the radial plate contract by the European Domestic Agency, CNIM was in the spotlight during IBF/13—for this I'd like to thank the organizing team. The ITER Business Forum is now a "must" for CNIM, because it contributes directly to the expansion of our activities for ITER and for fusion."

	A strong French regional partnership On 21 March 2013, the "Welcome Around ITER Partnership" was officially launched at the ITER Business Forum in Toulon. This is a strong French regional partnership, designed to welcome ITER companies and provide services matching their multiple needs (immigration, housing, relocation services, human resources, industrial partnerships, business setup). French entities making up the new partnership are: the Agence Iter France Welcome Office, the interface for accommodation in the area, operational solutions, joint hosting capacities, and visa and relocation services; Pôle Emploi, which provides tailor-made approaches for recruitment in the region; the French Industrial Committee (C2I), in charge of promoting partnerships between French industry and European or international companies; and the Welcome Office for International Companies (WOIC) which offers customized, confidential and free-of-charge support to companies seeking to implant their activity in the region. Emmanuelle Bellange, Head of the Welcome Office, Agence Iter France

Ruben Moreno Zubelzu, Business Development, ENSA (Spain): "Participation in IBF/13 was a success for ENSA. After the conferences, the number of contacts with potential subcontractors or potential partners for new business opportunities increased significantly. The contract with ITER has been an opportunity for ENSA to participate in a project with international repercussions, working together with top-level technological companies."

Thomas MARTY - Project Manager ITER, ASTARE - Engineering Services, Westinghouse Electrique France (France/USA): "This year was the second time I attended the ITER Business Forum. Once again, the event was very fruitful. It was a great opportunity to get an update on project progress and learn about the future calls for tender planned by the ITER Organization but also the European and other Domestic Agencies. Westinghouse had many requests for one-to-one meetings and we were not able to answer all of them positively, although we established several very interesting contacts which I hope will lead to future cooperation around ITER or for the other activities of Westinghouse in France and the rest of the world. The previous IBF in Manosque led us to win the ITER Organization framework contract for design engineering and CAD services. We hope the contacts we have established and the information we have collected this year will also turn into similar achievements. In the context of such an active procurement phase for the project, I think many of this year's attendees are looking forward to another IBF next year."

"If we had a script, I couldn't think of a better outcome." That's how Ron Strykowsky, head of the NSTX Upgrade, described recent results for a critical stage of the project's construction. Riding on the outcome were months of work on the first quadrant of magnetic field conductors for the tokamak's new center stack, which forms the heart of the $94 million upgrade.

The crucial stage called for sealing and insulating the first quadrant through a volatile process known as vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI). Preparing the nine 20 foot-long, 350-pound copper conductors for this step required the coordinated efforts of engineers and some dozen skilled technicians. The multiple tasks included soldering cooling tubes into the conductors under the direction of Steve Jurczynski, and sandblasting, priming and wrapping the units with fiberglass tape in operations led by Mike Anderson.

For close to 20 months, since concrete pouring began in August 2011, grey was the dominant colour in the Tokamak Seismic Pit. With preparatory works progressing fast on the next basemat, grey is receding, replaced by the bright yellow of the formwork. This spectacular change in colour, however, is only temporary: soon, the whole surface will be covered with dark brown plywood and dense steel rebar to prepare for the pouring of the 1,5 metre-thick B2 slab.

One can never know what will inspire an artist. Take sculptor Tim Sandys, for instance: his latest work, soon to go on on display at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, draws from ... nuclear technology.

For the self-taught 38-year-old Scot, things nuclear have a beauty of their own. Many of his sculptures, like "Crossroads Baker," were named after some of the experimental detonations of the 1940s-1970s. Don't look for "Crossroads" on a map—it was just a 23-kiloton hydrogen bomb test on Bikini Atoll in 1946.

Sandys even did a "Portrait of Edward Teller," a polyester resin, iron and vinyl abstraction that expresses the dark torments of the father of the H bomb.

When, in the course of his research, he encountered the tokamak, the artist knew he'd found something that he could elaborate on artistically. "The classic D-ring tokamak really resonated with me," he recalls. "I have a kid's appreciation of this donut structure, as if you could walk around inside the reactor. Aesthetically, the symmetrical precision of the torus has an elegance that's hard to ignore."

To realize his tokamak-inspired pieces, Sandys dug into the "visual goldmine" of tokamak drawings, cutaways and diagrams that are available on the Internet. "Then," he explains, "I sat down with a calculator and tried to summon my high-school geometry to plan the work. It was often exhausting—my last tokamak sculpture consisted of over 1,400 individual pieces of wood."

Sandys' interpretation of the tokamak is minimal. "I try to depict a cross-section or a segment emerging from a wall and then looping back into it. If I can get across a sense of mathematical rigour or simplicity then I'm happy."

The artist refuses to theorize his work. "I'm wary of artists who deliberately confuse or preach," he says. "Personally, I'd far rather find some kind of common language using mathematics or physical properties—one that doesn't need to be explained."

Wood and petroleum-jelly tokamaks, displayed on art gallery walls, is a first step in that direction.

The National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) held its 5th KSTAR Program Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting in Daejeon, Korea from 20-22 March 2013. The KSTAR PAC was first established in 2009 and has provided critical analysis of each year's experimental campaign and constructive counseling to the KSTAR campaign ever since.

This year, eight world-renowned fusion scientists and researchers, including Hartmut Zohm (IPP, Gerrnany), Mickey Wade (General Atomics, USA), and Joseph Snipes (ITER Organization) were invited as PAC members and reviewed the 2012 KSTAR campaign results, 2013 research plan and beyond. PAC members shared their critical views and comments with KSTAR management and researchers; this input can now be utilized to steer the upcoming campaign and as a basis for long-term KSTAR research planning.

The chairperson of the KSTAR PAC meeting, H. Park (POSTECH, Korea), stated that the PAC found that the 2012 KSTAR campaign had achieved remarkable progress in spite of short run time and scarce resources.

It is recommended that KSTAR research should fully exploit its unique innovative research tools such as IVCC and 3D imaging systems to explore new research areas which are not accessible in other devices while pursuing the goal of steady state, high beta operation.

"It is widely expected that KSTAR will meet the expectations of world fusion communities since it has produced far better results than originally envisioned. In order to ensure the path for forefront KSTAR research, it is critical to have the PAC check on the progress and results of the campaign and provide the counseling necessary to establish an efficient experiment," commented President Kwon of NFRI.

KSTAR will run its 2013 campaign from June until October, including collaborative experiments for the two months of August and September.