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Open Doors Day

Front-row experience

23 Oct 2017 - ITER Communication
Craning their necks to take in the full size of what will be the ITER Tokamak, the crowd reacted spontaneously: "This is much bigger than I thought." "Really impressive!""I've never seen anything like it!" For the 11th time, the ITER Organization and the European Domestic Agency teamed up to open the doors and let close to 750 interested members of the public get a front-row view of the progress made on the construction site of this complex scientific endeavour.
JPO_1.jpg
Standing on the recently installed "lid" inside the bioshield — a unique opportunity for the participants in the 11th "Open Doors Day" at ITER.
Large buses seating more than 50 passengers toured the site at half-hour intervals. The Tokamak Building was the first stop offered on Saturday 21 October for the ITER Open Doors Day. Passing winding walkways and clambering across narrow steps, visitors entered the circular bioshield through an opening that will accommodate one of the neutral beam injectors, used to heat the plasma, and found themselves standing in the very space where the ITER machine will be installed and assembled. Experts on site guided visitors through the complex science and technology that would one day take shape there. Those interested in the details of the engineering of the concrete wall itself could inspect elements of the steel reinforcement that were displayed close at hand.

The large building looming above the visitors during their visit of the bioshield—the Assembly Hall—was the second stop of the tour. Its 60-metre-tall structure, covered in polished steel, makes it a gleaming landmark in the Provencal landscape. The building is still largely empty on the inside except for a very important feature: the gigantic twin overhead cranes with a lift capacity of 750 tonnes each, capable of maneuvering component loads of up to 1,500 tonnes. Visitors heard that these cranes would be instrumental in delivering the heaviest components of the machine to the Tokamak Pit for installation.

Many visitors, like Solange from France, were visiting ITER for the first time: "I didn't know about ITER, but I find this project very interesting and important. I hope that it all works out." Her friend Annie added: "It was very moving indeed, because in the end this will be for our children."

Others were repeat visitors, with a passion for the project that keeps them coming back. Giacomo, a PhD student from Italy, hopes to make a career in fusion: "I come here every time I can and it is always fascinating. I strongly believe in fusion and I decided to study it so I can contribute to a certain extent." His fellow PhD student Anastasia from Russia was equally enthusiastic: "I always come to the Open Doors Days. It's exciting to see things advancing — I saw the Assembly Hall for the first time today. The project is a great solution to the energy problem."

ITER Open Door Days are organized bi-annually, in the spring and autumn, hosted by the ITER Organization and the European agency for ITER, Fusion for Energy.

Bright lights
The ITER Visitors Centre was the first stop for participants to the Open Doors Day. Here, visitors formed their first impressions and received background information to prepare them for what they would see during the tour. Some enthusiasts, like those pictured, had come from as far as Montpellier.
Push the button
The Tokamak model proved to be a highlight for visitors. Pushing the buttons illuminated key systems of the future reactor and staff volunteers were on hand to provide explanations.
Top guide
ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot was also on site to share his enthusiasm and explain, in the clearest of terms, the potential of fusion and the importance of realizing ITER.
It was the eleventh time that the ITER Organization had invited the public-at-large to visit the construction site. Registration was limited to 850 due to the particular tour that was planned and slots filled up quickly. The next Open Doors Day will be held in the spring, hosted by the ITER Organization and the European agency for ITER, Fusion for Energy.
This year's tour took visitors to the Tokamak Pit, where the ITER machine will be situated, and also to the Assembly Hall, where heavy components will be prepared for installation in the machine.
Yellow is in fashion
Neon yellow was the predominant colour on the worksite Saturday, as hundreds of visitors in safety vests visited different areas of the construction site to see the world's largest scientific experiment in the making.
Elements of the steel reinforcement for the concrete works were available for close inspection.
On large cameras or on smart phones, visitors were busy capturing the inside of the Tokamak Building.
Visitors entered the bioshield through an opening that will accommodate one of the neutral beam injectors, used to heat the plasma.
To see the main feature of the Assembly Hall today, you have to look up. The heavy lift cranes—with a total capacity of 1,500 tonnes, have been installed and are ready for load testing. In December, they will be asked to lift 1,875 tonnes as part of the commissioning process. (See Image of the Week in this week's issue.)
The roof terrace of the ITER Visitors Centre is the best place to take in the sheer size of the ITER site as it nestles into the Provencal landscape.
Videos and 3D animations told the story of how the ITER machine is going to be assembled and how it is going to work.
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