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More preparation for magnet cold testing

23 Jun 2025

The cryostat is not yet in place, but operators have practiced the sequence of operations that will be needed to deliver a toroidal field coil to the new magnet cold test facility at ITER.

During a test operation earlier this month, a wrapped toroidal field coil was lifted by the gantry crane and its bespoke attachment. The different elements of the ITER magnet cold test facility are arriving on site and the test bench should be ready for use at the end of the year.

A cold test facility for ITER magnets is being set up in the former Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility, where the gantry crane that transported late-stage poloidal field coil assemblies can be repurposed to transport toroidal field coils into the test bench cold chamber ("cryostat").

In the photo above, a toroidal field coil has been lifted and transported to the exact position of the future cryostat as part of a test operation; it hovers just 30 cm above what will be the height of the future equipment.

The yellow attachment under the red beams of the gantry crane is a bespoke lifting adapter that corresponds to the D-shape of the toroidal field coils (the poloidal field coils are ring shaped, so the original adapter could not be used). In addition, a transverse positioning system has been procured and attached to the gantry crane to allow fine positioning in the direction perpendicular to the gantry axis. This is needed for the operation ahead, as the gantry crane can only move in a single direction.

The first-of-a-kind testing concluded successfully. The objective—which was to confirm the ability of the equipment to position a toroidal field coil within an accuracy of +/-1mm inside of the test facility's cryostat—was attained, and the team benefitted from a hands-on training opportunity. The first "real" lift operation is expected in December.

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