Subscribe options

Select your newsletters:

Please enter your email address:

@

Your email address will only be used for the purpose of sending you the ITER Organization publication(s) that you have requested. ITER Organization will not transfer your email address or other personal data to any other party or use it for commercial purposes.

If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe option at the bottom of an email you've received from ITER Organization.

For more information, see our Privacy policy.

News & Media

Latest ITER Newsline

  • On site | 28 who "truly shined"

    The new ITER Star Awards recognize exemplary performance and commitment. Every year, during the annual assessment campaign, ITER staff may be recognized for exe [...]

    Read more

  • MT-28 Conference | Superconducting magnets as a catalyst

    Many passers-by paused for a moment and picked up their cell phones to capture the scene. It was indeed rare to see dancers on the square outside of the Pavillo [...]

    Read more

  • Fusion world | TCV tokamak turns 30

    The Swiss TCV tokamak (for Tokamak à Configuration Variable, or 'variable configuration' tokamak) has been exploring the physics of nuclear fusion for 30 years [...]

    Read more

  • Image of the week | Port cell with a view

    A visit to ITER would not be complete without a peek into the Tokamak pit where the machine is being progressively assembled. For several years, one of the equa [...]

    Read more

  • Visit | Chinese Minister reaffirms "full support"

    ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi and the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology (MOST) Wang Zhigang share a common academic background. They both tra [...]

    Read more

Of Interest

See archived entries

Tooling

Radial beam fits just right

When describing operations inside the ITER in the assembly theatre, one is invariably tempted to call up images from the realm of science fiction. How else to convey the awe and puzzlement that every component and every operation trigger?

Radial beams will arrive in the pit supporting each vertical vacuum vessel sub-assembly as it travels by overhead crane. Their precise positioning is paramount for the alignment of the machine torus. (Note the figure on the small screen between the crane beams: the component and its rigging weigh exactly 80.9 tonnes.) (Click to view larger version...)
Radial beams will arrive in the pit supporting each vertical vacuum vessel sub-assembly as it travels by overhead crane. Their precise positioning is paramount for the alignment of the machine torus. (Note the figure on the small screen between the crane beams: the component and its rigging weigh exactly 80.9 tonnes.)
The installation of a test radial beam, on Wednesday 8 September, was one of those moments when it felt like being witness to something utterly alien. A radial beam is not, in itself, a spectacular component: 14 metres long and weighing approximately 70 tonnes, it is part of the massive in-pit assembly tool that will rise at the centre of the Tokamak pit for the duration of vacuum vessel assembly.

However once hanging in the air and slowly moving along the entire length of the assembly theatre, its shape and pace were strongly evocative of slim spaceship—the bow turned toward its destination, an upper deck gangway, and openings in its hull like rocket exhausts.

And when the spaceship docked on top of the recently installed central column, it was as if a long journey through space had come to an end. One almost expected alien creatures to come out of the ship ...

The test radial beam is ready to dock at the top of the central column. (Click to view larger version...)
The test radial beam is ready to dock at the top of the central column.
The team managed to have everything prepared in order to complete the trial lift before the installation, scheduled this week, of poloidal field coil #5 (PF5). "There was quite a lot to do in a short period of time," explains Colin Smith, the engineer responsible for the installation of the in-pit sector assembly tooling.

Having verified with metrology that the central column and radial beam support were properly aligned, operators were reassured. "Considering the length of the beam, an offset of just a few millimetres on the central column would have resulted in centimetres of misalignment on the support."

The docking and fitting of the beam, and the final bolting to the top of the column, all fell within the required millimetre tolerances.

Final measurements did reveal an unexpected "slope" in the radial beam itself. "Because we did this test early, we have ample time to investigate whether this slope is acceptable or if we need to perform shimming to compensate for it prior to the installation of the first sub-assembly."



return to the latest published articles