First production unit completed in Europe
Three years after the launch of series manufacturing, the first inner vertical target for the ITER divertor has been completed by German supplier Research Instruments. The milestone marks an important step in the procurement of one of the most technically demanding components of the ITER machine.
Positioned at the bottom of the vacuum vessel, the divertor is designed to exhaust heat, helium ash and other impurities from the plasma. Its plasma-facing components—the inner vertical target (Europe), outer vertical target (Japan) and dome (Russia)—must withstand exceptionally intense heat loads of up to 20 MW/m², approximately ten times those experienced by a spacecraft re-entering Earth's atmosphere.Each inner vertical target is armoured with 2,208 precisely machined tungsten blocks, which are joined to water-cooled tubes through a process called brazing, and mounted on a curved steel support structure. Manufacturing requires exacting dimensional tolerances, sophisticated joining techniques and rigorous quality controls. The first series unit, completed by Research Instruments in Germany, is the culmination of more than a decade of development, prototyping and qualification activities coordinated by the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy (F4E). Its fabrication involved an international supply chain of more than 60 companies.Europe is responsible for supplying 58 inner vertical targets, including four spares. Research Instruments has contracts for 28 units, while French supplier ALSYMEX is manufacturing another 13.With the first series component completed, the challenge now shifts to accelerating production while maintaining the stringent quality standards required for ITER.Read the full story on the Fusion for Energy website.
