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News & Media
Latest ITER Newsline
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The physics behind the transition to H-mode
H‐mode—or thesudden improvement of plasma confinement in the magnetic field of tokamaksby approximatelya factor of two—is thehigh confinement regime that all mo [...]
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In search of the green plasma
Sébastien König's core competence is in planning and scheduling; his passion is in understanding the workings of the Universe. In his previous life, before join [...]
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An outing into the future
Open Doors days occur with scientific regularity at ITER (spring and autumn) and yet—due to the rapid evolution of work on site—each event offers something new. [...]
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Fusion "grandfather" tells family story
Grandfathers like to tell stories. And Robert Aymar, the 'grandfather' of the French fusion community, is no exception. 'Being so old,' he quipped at last week' [...]
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An AC/DC adapter ... ITER size
Like flashlight and smartphones, the ITER magnets—all 10,000 tonnes of them—will run on direct current (DC). And like flashlight and smartphones they will need [...]
ITER NEWSLINE -
A complex landscape of concrete and steel
The more construction progresses on the ITER worksite, the more the complexity of the project becomes obvious—and striking.
Now—except at the very centre of the Tokamak Complex worksite where the middle crane stands—the foundations are no longer visible and construction has already advanced to the second basement level (B1).
The B1-level slab has been completed for the Diagnostic Building (right), is half completed for the Tokamak Building, and—on the site of the Tritium Building at left—workers are busy laying steel rebar prior to concrete pouring.
Aerial pictures like this one, taken on 11 July, reveal a complex landscape of concrete and steel and show the extraordinary density of embedded plates welded into the rebar.
The simple geometric forms of yesteryear have been replaced by complex structures but the magic remains—the ITER worksite is still a fascinating place.
View a selection of aerial photos below.
Directly over the heart of the worksite
Taken by drone, this picture shows the extent of work underway for the Tokamak Complex—the central suite of three buildings that will house the ITER Tokamak, diagnostic systems and tritium management. Adjacent to the Tokamak Complex is the Assembly Hall, for pre-assembly operations, and the Cryostat Workshop (far right), where welding operations have just begun.
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Work underway on level B1
With work underway on the second basement level (B1), the concrete and steel of the Tokamak Complex is nearly flush with the ITER platform. In addition to two basement levels, there will be five levels above ground, bringing the Tokamak Building to the same height as the Assembly Building.
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Bull's eye
It's easy to see where Tokamak assembly operations will take place, in a bottom-up fashion. Assembly will begin when the seven-floor Tokamak Building is ready for occupation; Assembly Building cranes will travel out along extended rails to deliver components to the assembly "pit."
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