On site
Through the eyes of a crane operator
17 Jun 2019
Sitting in his cabin 80 metres above the ground, Alex Dumonteil enjoys a most spectacular view. To the north, on a clear day, he can see as far as the Alpine ridge covered in eternal snow; to the south he has a clear view of the Sainte Victoire—the "mountain" that inspired Cézanne, Renoir, Kandinsky and several other art luminaries from the past two centuries.
Alex Dumonteil is one of 18 crane operators working in shifts on the ITER construction site. Last week he opened his cabin (perched 80 metres above ground) to Newsline.
Although he is well aware of the landscape's artistic references, Alex doesn't dwell on them. He has a job to do, and it is one that requires his constant attention.
Alex is one of eighteen crane operators on the ITER worksite. One glance to the control screen, another toward the crane hook visible through the glass floor of his cabin, the right hand on a joystick ... he spends eight hours a day lifting construction material and equipment and positioning the loads with utmost precision wherever they are needed.
Last week, Alex opened his cabin to Newsline, providing a unique opportunity to see the ITER worksite through the eyes of a crane operator.
From a height of 80 metres
Sitting in the cabin of the C3 crane, with its transparent floor and walls, Alex Dumonteil enjoys a privileged view of the ITER worksite. The cabin sits 80 metres above the ITER platform.
Disappearing act
Looking down into the Tokamak Complex, the circular bioshield has nearly been "swallowed" by the advancement of civil work at L4 level. It is hard to imagine that, under its lid, there is a machine assembly well that descends 30 metres.
ITER plant buildings
Work to install the various plant systems required by the ITER machine for its First Plasma is progressing well. The electrical switchyard, in the background, has operated independently since January. In the cryoplant (the wide, low building at left), mechanical equipment installation is well advanced. The twin Magnet Power Conversion buildings were handed over to the ITER Organization by the European Domestic Agency in March for the installation of equipment.
Extending storage capacity
Sitting on compacted backfill from the early worksite excavation works, the low black-clad building is ITER's largest warehouse. It provides a total of 15,000 m² of storage (9,000 m² internal, 6,000 m² external) and accommodates medium-size components waiting to be integrated into the ITER machine and plant systems. A recently erected structure in the background will provide racking for the storage of pipe lengths.
On 15 April, the lower cylinder of the ITER cryostat was moved from the nearby workshop where it had been assembled and welded. Encased in a cocoon that protects it from weather, moisture and dust, the 500-tonne sub-component now sits in in a dedicated storage area whose paving material can withstand pressures of up to 20 tonnes per square metre. The lower cylinder represents only one-third of the height of the cryostat, which will completely surround the machine—giving us a sense the machine's scale ...
Looking out toward the cooling tower cells (centre left, black) and the Site Services Building (foreground, right). Excavation is underway for a new building (top right)—the Tokamak Assembly Preparatory Building—that is going up for the storage and handling of berylliated components.
The cool zone
The cooling water of ITER's heat removal system will be transported through underground galleries to this area, the cooling tower zone. The infrastructure in this area—hot and cold basins, the water cooling pump station, the heat exchange zone and the water treatment facility—has been conceived to cool the water through an evaporative process before returning it to the cooling loops.