Site tour for ITER staff

Hope you can spare an hour on Tuesday 23 September, because that's the day all ITER staff get to visit the ITER site.

Want to see the impressive progress that has been made over the last few month in shaping the environment of our future ITER machine and its infrastructure? Don't miss this opportunity to see it all for yourselves!

6 Buses, with a capacity of 50 passengers each, will be leaving from the ITER building that day, between 9 a.m. and 3.30 p.m., according to a schedule that will be send out in the coming weeks. You will be asked to pre-register to the visit on a first-come-first-served basis, to avoid queuing and long waiting times.

So stay tuned for more info on this visit soon.

-Iris Rona

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Tracking down all the world's tokamaks

Ask anyone in the fusion community how many tokamaks have been built. What would you guess? 50? 100? I think most of you will find the answer as surprising as I did.

Four or five years ago, when I was quite new to the fusion community, someone told me that each of the big tokamaks was able to do something that none of the others could do. I was surprised to find that there was no centralised database summarising the specifications and achievements of the machines that have been built. There were many lists of a few tens of machines, and thousands of technical articles giving details of their discoveries, but no complete overview. Hence my collection started. I decided to catalogue tokamaks, but not stellarators and pinches unless they have run in tokamak configuration at some time. Working from the biggest tokamaks, the list grew quite quickly.

About two years ago I was encouraged by some of my friends at Culham to set up a web site to share the collection with the rest of the fusion community. Initially I was reluctant because of the difficulty of obtaining permission to publish the information, even though it is all in the public domain already. However, after some discussions, the web site was agreed by the Culham management, on the condition that it was made clear that it was not part of my formal duties, but simply a hobby. Hence "All-the-World's Tokamaks" was created, at www.tokamak.info and run rather anonymously. People then started to volunteer more information, send news and photographs and claim discoveries and achievements. A few of the larger fusion labs around the world were kind enough to link to the web site and now it can be found very easily via Google. It has had over 10,000 visits, and the daily hit rate is an interesting barometer of public interest in the subject.

Last year it was suggested that it would be fun to create a poster, and I am pleased to say that the idea has received universal support from all the large machines featured, and in particular, the PR team at JET who provided a graphic designer. Thank you to everyone who has provided a photograph, corrected my text and helped to produce the poster of "Conventional Tokamaks from around the World". Perhaps it is controversial to have excluded spherical tokamaks, but it would be interesting to consider a second poster dedicated to them. Someone has recently suggested creating a new game, "Tokamak Top Trumps" like the popular children's card game. I think he was joking, but... at least I would have a chance of winning this version of the game!

And finally, I have to admit that I still don't know how many tokamaks there have been. I know that at least 210 have been built in the last 50 years, the smallest being the size of a compact disk! I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can contribute more information.

-Nick Balshaw, UKAEA (Contact: nick@tokamak.info)

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Once upon a chateau

Honore de Berre—not Berre-L'etang, where the ITER components will start their land journey to Cadarache, but Berre-les-Alpes, near Nice—is the first of the provencal high lords to have actually lived at Cadarache. In the 1450's, he was a very powerful man, the Grand Steward to the House of Rene d'Anjou who ruled over Provence, Naples and Jerusalem.

Honore loved his domain, where he could invite his overlord the "Good King Rene" to hunt hares, deer and wild boar. To accommodate his guests, he transformed the old tower into a three-storey construction with vaulted rooms and huge fire places—this is the origin of the present Chateau de Cadarache.

On Honore's death in the late 1480s, the castle and domain passed into the estate of the Villeneuve family, whose crest—with a couple or orbiting electrons added—CEA-Cadarache adopted when it was established in 1959. For the following three centuries the castle remained the property of the Valbelle and Castellane families until the Revolution in 1789, when it was decided that all castles belonged to the people. The Castellane were ousted and Cadarache was auctioned as "National property".

New money soon replaced old aristocracy and lawyers, merchants and industrialists succeeded counts, seneschals and marquis. In 1863, a rich public works contractor became the new "lord" of Cadarache. In his old age, in 1905, he bequeathed the entire domain to his hometown, the village of Embrun in the Hautes-Alpes department. Five years later, the Embrun municipal council, having reaped no profit from the domain, handed it down to the State.

And so it happened that, looking for a place "near a river, not too heavily populated, close to a university town and located in a pleasant region where scientists and engineers would be happy to settle with their family", the CEA decided in 1958 that the largest of its research centres would be established here, close by a chateau whose history goes back more than a thousand years.

For a more detailed history: "Cadarache, a chateau between the Durance and Verdon rivers", by Marie-Jose Loverini, Jeanne Laffitte publishing, 2005

-Robert Arnoux

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CERN Courier on nuclear fusion

Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, Chairman of the ITER council and former director-general of CERN, talks to Antonella Del Rosso about Energy options and the role of nuclear fusion.

http://cerncourier.com/cws/article/cern/35457

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Arctic sea ice drops to 2nd lowest level on record

The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center reports that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03 million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in 1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September. With about three weeks left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous record, scientists say.

http://www.nola.com/newsflash

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ITER on Television

The local Television company TLP is producing a series of short documentaries about the ITER project.

To watch the latest programme, visit:

http://www.tlp.fr/

The "Iter en Provence" programme is at last available with English subtitles at the following address:

http://www.tlp.fr/video_view.php?id_video=1435

-Veronique Marfaing

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ITERfan.org Club Forum

http://forums.iterfan.org/

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ITER on the Radio

If you are interested in the progress of the ITER project, then listen to Radio Verdon on 96.5. The local Radio Station has set up a special 7 minute programme "des Nouvelles d'ITER''. The programme is broadcast every Friday at 17h on Radio Verdon, in French and English. You'll find a weekly summary of news on the construction site and also ITER staff members, news, portraits, features... covering the various aspects of the ITER project.

The programme is repeated every Saturday at 08h30, and all previously broadcast programmes can be found here:

http://www.radio-verdon.com/

-Veronique Marfaing

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Cooling down the heat

Works are progressing on the ITER site at full speed, including the excavation of the four water basins that form part of the ITER Cooling Water System.

The water that is needed to remove the heat from the Tokamak vessel and its in-vessel components is derived from the Canal de Provence. It is used to cool down the diagnostics and the heating systems, the power supply and the cryogenic system. It is separated into two closed heat transfer circuits plus a Cooling Tower open circuit.

After having cooled these systems, the water flows through the primary and the secondary separate heat exchangers that reduce the water temperature from a maximum value of 150 degrees C to 50 degrees C. Then the heat is released to the environment through the Cooling Tower at an average thermal power of 450 MW during the Plasma operation.

In fact, as ITER is a research facility not aiming to produce power, most of the cooling water simply evaporates in the Cooling Towers.

The remaining water is released into the Durance River (Canal EDF). But before it does that, it will have to pass through three of the four cooling basins with a capacity of 3000 cubic metres each. The first basin will simply be used for collecting the outlet. From number one it then flows into number two where it will be tested for various parameters such as temperature (maximum outflow temperature is 30 degreesC), pH, hydrocarbons, chlorides, sulphates and tritium. All tests will be submitted to the Prefecture. Only then will the water flow into basin number three and finally out into the Durance river. The fourth basin will be used as a backup.

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Picnicking under the pine trees

If you want to enjoy the Provencal summer sun but haven't found the time during your long and busy working days, how about a lunchtime picnic in the woods?

Eight wooden picnic benches have been installed under the pine trees near building 525, for ITER staff to eat outside instead of going to the canteen when the weather is nice. All you need to do is bring your own food and drinks and enjoy a peaceful lunch away from the crowds.

Please beware though that smoking is strictly prohibited in this picnic area because of the risk of forest fire. We would also like to remind you to clean up your table after you have finished your lunch and to dispose of your litter in the containers near the buildings.

-Iris Rona

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On 29 August, as part of a European tour, managers of companies in nuclear facilities of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency visited the Cadarache site, including Tore Supra. They held discussions with Japanese staff in the ITER offices, followed by a visit to the ITER construction site.

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The work on the ITER site seen from the roof terrace of the new Visitor's Centre that will open in the coming weeks.

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Pascal Garin presents IFMIF

This Friday, 5 September, Pascal Garin, IFMIF/EVEDA Project Leader, will give a talk about the status of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility currently being built in Rokkasho, Japan. The talk will begin at 11.00 at the Salle de Conferences Rene GRAVIER, Batiment 506, CEA Cadarache.

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Potential traffic delays at main gate

Be aware that two months of roadworks outside the main entrance to the Cadarache site start on 1 September. The width of the two lanes coming into the site will be reduced, the external parking area will be closed and there will only be one exit lane, as the access onto the D952 to Vinon will be closed.

-Jennifer Hay

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Discovery Day in Cassis

On 12 September, the Welcome Office is organizing another "Discovery Day" for ITER spouses. This time, the place to discover is Cassis, a charming little village at the seaside.

For any information please contact Eve-Mary Ries by email at eve-mary.ries@cea.fr or by phone at 0033 (0)4 42 25 20 25 before Monday, 8 September.

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ITER at the Foire Internationale de Marseille

From 29 September - 6 October it is "Foire" time again. La Foire Internationale de Marseille is one of the biggest events in the region, the exhibition attracted around half a million visitors to the Parc Chanot last year. The ITER Organization will be presenting the ITER project with its own exhibition stand, together with Agence ITER France and Mission ITER.

More information: http://www.foiredemarseille.com

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1-4 September, 2008
13th EU-US Transport Taskforce Workshop
Copenhagen, Denmark

1-12 September, 2008
2nd Karlsruhe International Summer School on Fusion Technologies
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany

8 - 12 September, 2008
International Congress on Plasma Physics
Fukuoka, Japan

10 - 12 September, 2008
1st International Conference on Negative Ions, Beams and Sources
Aix-en-Provence, France

15 - 19 September, 2008
Twenty-Fifth Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT 2008)
Rostock, Germany

22-26 September, 2008
IPP Summer University on Plasma Physics and Fusion Research
Garching, Germany

28 September - 2 October, 2008
ANS Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE2008)
San Francisco, USA

13 - 18 October, 2008
22nd IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, 50th Anniversary of Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research
Geneva, Switzerland

17-21 November, 2008
50th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Dallas, TX, USA

6-10 April, 2009
4th International Conference on the Frontiers of Plasma Physics and Technology
Kathmandu, Nepal

31 May-5 June, 2009
36th IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS2009) and 23rd Symposium on Fusion Engineering (SOFE2009)
San Diego, CA, USA

24-26 June, 2009
18th Topical Conference on Radio Frequency Power in Plasmas
Gent, Belgium

20-24 September, 2009
14th International Symposium on Laser-Aided Plasma Diagnostics
Castelbrando, Italy

2-6 November, 2009
51st Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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The ITER Newsline is produced by Sabina Griffith. Suggestions for future articles, comments and corrections, as well as items for the calendar are welcome, and can be sent to sabina.griffith@iter.org.

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Quality Assurance -
more than just a bureaucratic process

Normally, when referring to our Department, the word Safety quickly comes to mind - it is in the name, and it is certainly an important part of our activity, but I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of the second leg of our Department: Quality Assurance, intimately linked to safety and one of the key ingredients needed for a successful accomplishment of ITER goals. With the recent incorporation of the new Head of the QA Division, David Sands and the new recruitment going on at the moment, we are starting to have the resources needed to implement a strong quality culture all along the project. Not only is the implementation of a quality programme an essential requirement to achieve licensing for ITER, but educating people in quality culture as normal practice will enhance the project. Quality Assurance should not be seen as a bureaucratic process but an essential and practical aid to achieving the goals of ITER.

The immediate focus of the Quality Division is in developing a process-based management system and training programmes to educate personnel in quality culture. It is important that ITER is seen to be conforming to regulatory requirements, therefore it is essential that the quality system is implemented, audited and continually improved. ITER will need to assess itself internally before being subjected to outside scrutiny.

-Carlos Alejaldre, Deputy Director General
Department for Safety & Security

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Used to large scales: Arnaud Foussat

He is used to thinking in big dimensions and to working in an international environment. The fact that he used to be a rugby player is most certainly not a handicap: Arnaud Foussat, a material science engineer and a graduate of the National Institute of Applied Science in Toulouse, is one part of the two-man-team (besides Paul Libeyre) in charge of ITER's Central Solenoid and the Correction Coils. He joined the ITER Organization in May 2008 after having worked on high pulsed power electrical technology in Basel and with Oxford Instruments developing Quench protection systems on magnets in Oxford. The last 10 years he spent at CERN constructing ATLAS Toroidal magnets, one of the huge detectors magnet system on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Arnaud has been part of the ATLAS project right from its beginning, the cavern excavation, until the final commissioning magnet test. So he knows all about the ups and downs of a big science project.

"Talking about ITER's Central Solenoid, the magnet is still on paper", Arnaud says. "But sooner or later we will start manufacturing and finally assembling towards its commissioning. Then, I am sure, we will have to face many technical issues, big and small,, as well as the odd last minute repairs." At this point the team player enters the game: "From my former experience at CERN I know that some of the problems that arise when building these big systems are too complex for one man, one team or even one party alone. That will really be the time to play and interact between teams."

Comparing ATLAS and ITER, there are many similarities—and differences.

"Although ITER operates on a larger scale—and that is not only with regard to the magnets' size and energy capacity—the project's functionalities and its technological challenges are very similar", Arnaud admits. The word "cost cut" is also not new to his ears. "We had to cut the costs for ATLAS by one third which we did, for example, by implementing value engineering tools at each stage of the project. So, the phase we are going through right now with a profound review of the estimated costs for ITER is a very natural process in large science projects."

At ATLAS, a system of four magnets provides the magnetic field for the inner detector, the solenoid, and the muon detectors, the toroids. There are eight so—called Barrel Toroid (BT) Coils on ATLAS with conductors made of NbTi. These BT Coils are currently the largest superconducting magnets in the world.

ITER	ATLAS
18 TF coils	8 BT Coils
Nb3Sn conductor	NbTi conductor
8,7 m wide x 13,8 m high	20 m diam. x 25 m long
810 ton superconductor	170 ton superconductor
TF coil weight: 6540 tons	BT coil weight: 1320 tons
81 km conductor	90 km conductor
Force per TF coil: 403 MN	Force per BT coil: 15 MN
Current: 68 kA at 11.8 T	Current: 20.5 kA at 4.1 T
Energy in TF coils: 41 GJ	Energy in BT coils: 1.55 GJ
Construction: 10 years	Construction: 8 years

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Two weeks in September, 1958:
Atoms for Peace Conference in Geneva

Long before the "Iron Curtain" fell, a conference on the shores of Lake Geneva celebrated the end of classified documents and secret research behind closed doors: From 1-13 September 1958, 5000 scientists, government officials and observers from both East and West had come to the old League of Nations building in Geneva - and the nearby exhibition hall that had been constructed especially for this first nuclear world "fair" - to bear witness to the revelation of nuclear research.

Sponsored by the United Nations, the "Second United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy", better known as the "Atoms for Peace" conference, was the largest international gathering ever to focus on the potential of taming nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The main attraction: the promised revelation of secret fusion research by the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, i.e. the talks of the leading fusion scientists Hannes Alfven, Lev Artsimovich, Ludwig Biermann, Peter Thonemann and Edward Teller on "the possibility of controlled fusion. "On the second day of the conference the fusion scientists crowded into the League of Nations assembly hall. This was the moment of reckoning", writes Robin Herman in her book "Fusion - the search for endless energy". "The first day had been spent mostly on formalities. Now, in major speeches, each country's top scientists were set to present the first broad revelation about what they had achieved in fusion."

In his report on fusion research in the USSR, keynote speaker Lev Artsimovich, stressed the importance of this new joint international effort : "We must not underestimate the difficulties which will have to be overcome before we learn to master thermonuclear fusion", he said. "A most important factor in ensuring success in these investigations is the continuation and further development of the international cooperation initiated by our conference. The solution [...] will require a maximum concentration of intellectual effort and the mobilization of very appreciable material facilities and complex apparatus." And Edward Teller, his colleague from the other side of the world, later added: "It is remarkable how closely parallel the developments in the different countries are and this, of course, is due to the fact that we all live in the same world and obey the same laws of nature. [...] It is wonderful that over a large and important area of research we can now all talk and work together freely. I hope that this spirit of cooperation will endure, that it will be generally exercised throughout the world in this field and that be extended also to other fields."

Click here to read the
"Proceedings of the Second United International Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy"

More info: Fusion - the search for endless energy,
by Robin Herman, Cambridge University Press, 1990, ISBN 0-521-02495-1
(also available at the ITER library!!)

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As well as various important conferences happening this month (see conferences), there are a number of internal high-level meetings and workshops on the agenda for September:

Starting tomorrow, 2 September, a two-day Value Engineering Workshop on the ITER buildings organized by the Civil Engineering and Construction (CCS) Department will take place in the Aquabella Hotel in Aix-en-Provence. Please contact Timothy Watson for further details.

From 8-10 September, the management of the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies will meet in Moscow for their routine Coordination Meeting (IO-DA Meeting).

On 16 September, the Briscoe Review Panel will convene in Aix-en-Provence to continue its independent assessment of the IO's resource estimate.

Towards the end of the month, starting on 29 September, the Financial Audit Board will come together in Cadarache for another "on the spot" meeting examining the IO's financial statements within the year 2007.

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