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

  • Plasma-wall interaction | Marseille palace hosts preeminent conference

    Fifty years after the first International Conference on Plasma-Surface Interactions in Magnetic Confinement Devices in 1974, the 26th edition of this much-laude [...]

    Read more

  • Public-Private | Birth of a truly global fusion community

    The global fusion landscape is undergoing a profound mutation. In the ambition of harnessing 'the energy of the Sun and stars,' public projects, government or u [...]

    Read more

  • 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

Of Interest

See archived entries

ITER NEWSLINE -

ITER assembly

First large tool rises

ITER's first 22-metre-tall vacuum vessel sector sub-assembly tool is going up quickly in the Assembly Hall.

(Click to view larger version...)
After a long period during which the anchoring elements—including base plates and rails—were set into place and precise measurements taken, the installation of ITER's first giant assembly tool is underway.

The inboard column already stands at 18 metres, with only 4 metres to go to reach its full height. To either side of the column, lateral wings are under construction and two other tall columns—the outboard columns—will be erected in the days and weeks to come. A testing phase will follow.

The tool, once fully erected, will be capable of supporting loads of 1,200 tonnes. Vacuum vessel sectors shipped from Europe and Korea will first be upended from their horizontal shipping position, and then suspended vertically by one of two sector sub-assembly tools while a pair of toroidal field coils plus thermal shielding is attached. The final assembly will be transported by overhead crane to the Tokamak assembly arena.

(Click to view larger version...)

In all, about half of the major components for the first tool have been installed. In parallel, the elements for the second tool have been manufactured and assembled at Taekyung Heavy Industries (THI) in Korea, where testing is underway.

return to the latest published articles