Image of the week | Last module for the central solenoid
A sixth central solenoid module has successfully completed testing at the General Atomics Magnet Technologies Center in Poway, California.
US ITER and supplier General Atomics have finished testing the sixth and final module required for the 18-metre-tall superconducting magnet at the heart of ITER. Only a seventh module, to be used as a spare, remains to be finalized.
Each 4-metre-tall, 110-tonne cylindrical module is wound from approximately 6 metres of niobium-tin superconducting cable and requires more than two years of precision fabrication and verification. The final phase, in-factory testing, verifies performance by simulating conditions that the module will experience during operation at ITER.
The sixth production module, which is the last module required to complete the central solenoid stack, was subjected to a series of demanding tests including helium leak testing, high voltage insulation testing, cooldown to 4.5 K and charging to 48.5 kA followed by a series of tests designed to measure as-built performance of the superconductor.
Four central solenoid modules have already been delivered by US ITER and stacked on a dedicated assembly platform. The fifth module is en route and the sixth will ship in summer. US ITER has also delivered the “exoskeleton” support structure that will enable the central solenoid to withstand the extreme forces it will generate. The exoskeleton is comprised of more than 9,000 individual parts, manufactured by eight US suppliers.