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News & Media

Latest ITER Newsline

  • Fuelling fusion | The magic cocktail of deuterium and tritium

    Nuclear fusion in stars is easy: it just happens, because the immense gravity of a star easily overcomes the resistance of nuclei to come together and fuse. [...]

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  • 360° image of the week | The cryoplant

    Cryogenics play a central role in the ITER Tokamak: the machine's superconducting magnets (10,000 tonnes in total), the vacuum pumps, thermal shields and so [...]

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  • Central solenoid assembly | First sequences underway

    What does it take to assemble the magnet at the heart of ITER? Heavy lifting, unerring accuracy, and a human touch. The central solenoid will be assembled from [...]

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  • Assembly | The eyes of ITER

    Supervisors ensure compliance and completion as machine and plant assembly forges ahead. In Greek mythology, Argus was considered an ideal guardian because his [...]

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  • Component repairs | Removing, displacing and disassembling

    A good repair job starts with a cleared workbench, the right tools on hand and a strong vise. This axiom, true for odd jobs in a home workshop, is also true for [...]

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Of Interest

See archived entries

ITER NEWSLINE -

A peep into the future

ITER Director-General Motojima introduces Pere Torres, the representative of the Catalonian government, to the ITER machine. (Click to view larger version...)
ITER Director-General Motojima introduces Pere Torres, the representative of the Catalonian government, to the ITER machine.
Last week, 16-20 September, the fusion community convened in Barcelona, Spain for the International Symposium on Fusion Nuclear Technology (ISFNT). More than 750 participants gathered at the Palau de Congressos to be brought up to date on developments in the field of fusion technology and materials and on the construction of ITER—the "symbol and example of global cooperation to tackle a global energy problem," according to Pere Torres, Secretary of Enterprise and Competitiveness of the Generalitat de Catalunya, as he opened the symposium.

The ISFNT is recognized as one of the main international gatherings on fusion energy with a clear focus on reactor-relevant technology. In its 11th edition last week, the symposium took a close look not only on the current state-of-the-art technology related to ITER, but also dared to look forward to the possible design, requirements and safety aspects of future DEMO reactors and power plants.

The way ahead is discussed at the Roadmap Panel chaired by Mohamed Abdou and set up by Gianfranco Federici, Yuanxi Wan, Gyung-Su Lee (speaking), Roberto Adinolfi, Pietro Barabaschi, Neil Morley, Kunihiko Okano and Botris Kuteev. (Click to view larger version...)
The way ahead is discussed at the Roadmap Panel chaired by Mohamed Abdou and set up by Gianfranco Federici, Yuanxi Wan, Gyung-Su Lee (speaking), Roberto Adinolfi, Pietro Barabaschi, Neil Morley, Kunihiko Okano and Botris Kuteev.
The road forward, it seems, is not yet clearly delineated. Different concepts were presented; some countries, like China, seem to even have more than one iron in the fire. Complementing these discussions, a special fusion Roadmap Panel—moderated by prominent fusion representatives—tried to narrow down the key issues on the way to a fusion reactor.

Dedicated workshops addressed future reactor-relevant technologies such as ceramic breeder blankets or the treatment of beryllium; a half-day industrial workshop was set up to provide companies with updated information on the current procurement status of ITER and forthcoming opportunities; no less than 161 posters gave lots of opportunity to exchange and connect. And this is what the ISFNT is all about. In the words of Pere Torres, "This event contributes to the collaboration amongst researchers and allows for the sharing of knowledge." 

The conference closed with a presentation by South Korea as host to the next ISFNT from 14-18 September 2015 on the island of Jeju.

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