What's new @ ITERThis is our all brand new RSS stream to keep in touch with ITERFri, 18 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0100http://www.iter.orgen-usFEATURED: Construction webcam |The world is watchinghttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3236https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/32362019-03-04 01:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 01:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3236"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3236/webcam_view_ed.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Thousands of people from all over the world are monitoring the progress of ITER construction via live stream camera. Fixed to the highest point of the Assembly Building, the camera provides a perfect vantage point for following activities in the Tokamak Building below—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Since August 2017, anyone can join in for a real-time update of construction work by following the 'ON AIR' tab on the homepage of the ITER website. ITER has worked with the British company Site-Eye Time-Lapse for its specialized HD video stream technology—a combination of real-time and time-lapse—for the installation of a live stream camera above the Tokamak Complex. The interest in following ITER construction activities in real time is high and global. Since the camera's installation, more than 20,000 web visitors from 140 countries have opened the live stream for a total of 160,000 virtual visits to the ITER worksite. The attraction of the real-time webcam coverage is naturally strong in the ITER Members, and China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States account for the vast majority of traffic. But about one-tenth of viewers come from non-Member countries, with visits recorded from Venezuela, Nepal, Mauritius and Zambia to name a few. In addition to the live stream viewing, Site-Eye also provides time-lapse films of construction activities at the Tokamak Building. One of the construction highlights captured last year was the lifting of the bioshield's temporary roof in March 2018 (see video here). In the coming months, the company will install cameras to capture major assembly-phase milestones such as the start of work on the cryostat upper cylinder in the Cryostat Workshop, or the arrival of the first vacuum vessel sector in the Assembly Building. </p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3236/webcam_view_ed.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3236/webcam_view_ed.jpgFEATURED: Cryostat lower cylinder | Our own Stonehengehttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3230https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/32302019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3230"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3230/lower_cylinder_celebration-1_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>It's done. In the Cryostat Workshop on site, Indian contractors have completed the first of four cryostat sections—the 375-tonne lower cylinder. In a few days, when all the scaffolding and protective material have been removed, work will start to place the massive component in an airtight 'cocoon' with a regulated atmosphere for storage on site. &#160; On 27 February, guests from the Indian Domestic Agency (responsible for procuring the cryostat) and from Indian contractor Larsen &amp; Toubro (L&amp;T) joined the ITER Director-General, ITER Organization staff, and on-site welding specialists from MAN Energy Solutions (subcontractor to L&amp;T) to celebrate the completion of the component. &#160; In a daring parallel, Director-General Bigot described the finalized component as 'our own Stonehenge or Grand Stupa of Sanchi'—two circular structures of similar dimensions, one in the south of the United Kingdom the other in central India, built with &quot;the hope of forging unity and inspiring their societies to a better future.' &#160; The&#160;ring shape&#160;of the lower cryostat is also a potent symbol of the 'One ITER' approach, remarked the ITER Director-General, as its elements &quot;had been&#160;shipped halfway around the world from an Indian fabrication facility ... to an Indian facility on international soil here in the French region of Provence ... in which a German team has welded the pieces together under Indian supervision&#160;to ITER's specifications ...' &#160; With a height in excess of 10 metres and a diameter of 30 metres, the lower cylinder gives a clear sense of the scale of the ITER machine. Keeping in mind, of course,&#160;that the complete component—into which the tokamak will be securely lodged—will be three times as high.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3230/lower_cylinder_celebration-1_small.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3230/lower_cylinder_celebration-1_small.jpgFEATURED: Central solenoid | Elements of support cage arriving https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3233https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/32332019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3233"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3233/cs_and_structures.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>ITER's six-storey-tall central magnet will require a robust support structure to make sure that it remains secure and aligned in the face of the huge forces at play in the ITER machine. The very first element of the 'caging' structure has been delivered by US ITER. The ITER central solenoid is an 18-metre-tall column at the centre of the machine, formed from six independent magnet windings stacked within a pre-compression support structure. The different support elements provide a secure base and cage that enables the assembly to withstand thousands of tonnes of force—both pre-load, when forces are applied to the structure to keep vertical gaps and stresses from developing between the modules, and during operation in the face of the machine's internal magnetic forces. The compression structure also ensures that the tall magnet remains aligned and secure during intensive cycling with peak fields of over 13 Tesla. The support structures must endure high mechanical stresses in the ITER environment, and resist fatigue and crack growth from cycles at cryogenic temperatures. The supportive 'cage' is formed from components made from high-strength, superaustenitic stainless steel (Nitronic 50)—tie plates that run the full height of the central solenoid assembly (9 interior and 18 exterior), which connect at top and bottom to upper and lower 'key blocks' weighing up to 6 tonnes each (see image). Procurement is proceeding well in the United States, coordinated by US ITER. The first lower key block was delivered in February to the ITER site and eight more have been shipped; all 18 upper and lower key blocks will have reached ITER before the end of the year. The fabrication of the tie plates and other support structure components—such as load distribution plates and flex brackets—is underway. Please see the original article on the US ITER website here.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3233/cs_and_structures.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3233/cs_and_structures.jpgFEATURED: Image of the week | Don't get mixed up!https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3234https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/32342019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3234"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3234/cryoplant_valves-1a_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>In case of a sudden loss of superconductivity in the ITER magnets (a 'quench') the helium that circulates in the coils will be almost instantly discharged into dedicated double-wall quench tanks. If the tanks were at ambient temperature, the thermal shock caused by cryogenic helium discharged from the magnets at just above 4 K (minus 269 °C) would result in considerable stress and shrinkage to the tank structures. In order to prevent such a potentially damaging event, the inner vessels of the tanks must be cooled to cryogenic temperature whenever the machine is in operation. This is achieved through a cooling loop that maintains the temperature inside the tanks at 100 K (minus 173 °C)—a temperature at which shrinking has already occurred. This valve and instrumentation panel outside of the cryoplant is part of that loop. Although measurement signals and activators from all cryogenic systems interface with the CODAC human-machine interface in the local cryo-control room, the outdoor instrumentation panel with its dozens of hand valves and local readings of pressure, temperature and flow provides field operators with a convenient tool for maintenance operations. </p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3234/cryoplant_valves-1a_small.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3234/cryoplant_valves-1a_small.jpgFEATURED: HTS current leads | China launches series productionhttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3235https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/32352019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3235"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-900-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3235/hts_leads_pf4cl_inctb_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Because they reduce the input power requirement for plant operation, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) current leads are one of the enabling technologies (together with superconducting magnets) for large-scale fusion power plants. First driven by the high-energy physics accelerator community, the development of high-current HTS leads is now being pushed by magnetic confinement fusion towards larger currents. At 68 kA, the ITER toroidal-field type HTS current leads will be the largest ever operated. HTS current leads are key components of the ITER magnet system, transferring the large currents from room-temperature power supplies to very low-temperature superconducting coils at a minimal heat load to the cryogenic system. Although HTS current leads represent an additional cost over conventional current leads, this additional cost is quickly amortized due to savings in cryoplant operation. ITER's largest magnets—18 toroidal field coils, 6 central solenoid modules, 6 poloidal field coils, and 18 correction coils—will be supplied with 60 current leads, ranging from very large (68 kA for the toroidal-field type) to medium (10 kA for the correction-coil type), transferring up to 2.6 MA into and out of the cryogenic environment of the machine. Located at the far end of the magnet feeder relative to the machine (see diagram below) the current leads operate in much lower magnetic field than the magnet coils themselves. The largest toroidal-field type of current lead is over 3 metres long and weighs 600 kgs. The HTS current leads for the ITER Tokamak are procured by the Chinese Domestic Agency through the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) in Hefei. The Procurement Arrangement signed between the ITER Organization and the Chinese Domestic Agency for magnet feeders laid out a multi-year plan to develop the designs and to qualify the HTS lead manufacturing technology in ASIPP and its sub-suppliers Juneng and Keye. Following the development of critical manufacturing technologies through targeted trials in mockups, Chinese contractors recorded a string of qualification milestones¹: The successful testing of a pair of correction coil 10 kA current lead prototypes in March 2015; The successful testing of a pair of toroidal-field type 68 kA current lead prototypes in July 2015; The successful testing of a pair of poloidal-field/central-solenoid type current leads in 2016; The completion of a Manufacturing Readiness Review in August 2016 (marking the end of the qualification phase). Series manufacturing is now underway, and the first-of-series for all three types of HTS lead have been completed (see gallery). The fact that manufacturing is proceeding strongly, with only a small number of non-conformities, is a tribute to the thorough qualification efforts as well as the Chinese manufacturers' high level of expertise. It should also be noted that the Chinese Domestic Agency and the ITER Organization put a supervision framework into place allowing local inspectors to witness critical manufacturing steps. Erwu Niu of the ITER China office now manages at least two inspectors who are permanently stationed at the suppliers' sites in Hefei. Thousands of documents have already been uploaded to the ITER Organization Manufacturing Database—from material certificates, to personnel certificates and test reports. Documents attesting to the components' performance during testing—for example the final factory acceptance cold test in near-to operational conditions under full current—can be fully verified through the database before the final ITER Organization hold point is released. At ASIPP, lead engineers Quan Han and Qingxiang Ran are now turning their attention to ramping up the pace of production to meet the ITER schedule. A number of additional pieces of large-scale manufacturing equipment—such as another electron-beam welding machine, insulation curing autoclaves and a third cold test station—are being commissioned to handle the extra load. This year and next, up to 20 current lead pairs will be manufactured in parallel in by Juneng and Keye for shipment to ITER. ¹The qualification of the HTS current leads in China is summarized in an ITER Technical Report (Reference: ITR-18-001). You can download it on this page.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-900-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3235/hts_leads_pf4cl_inctb_small.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3235/mag_hts_leads_239.jpgOF-INTEREST: "Planet ITER" stars in travelling exhibithttps://www.iter.org/of-interest/865https://www.iter.org/of-interest/8652019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/of-interest/865"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/865/planet_iter_night_cropped_2_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Established in December 1893, the monthly L'Usine nouvelle ('The New Factory') is one of the oldest French trade magazines. To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the magazine organized a major travelling photography exhibit that will be presented at several engineering schools in France and eventually, in 2020, at the Palais du Luxembourg—home of the French Senate in Paris. 'Industry seen from above' brings together spectacular aerial photographs of industrial installations and infrastructure in France and abroad. And ITER is one of them. The organizers chose a composite photo created by ITER contractor Emmanuel Riche from several drone views of the ITER site taken at dusk in December 2017. The resulting 'planet'—centred on the Tokamak Building and its circular bioshield, with cranes jutting out at the 'equator'—is one of the most spectacular renditions of the ITER site, in both its artistic and its documentary approach.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/865/planet_iter_night_cropped_2_small.jpgPUBLICATION: ITER, the way to new energy https://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/list_items/Attachments/837/IBF_01_2019.pdfhttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/list_items/Attachments/837/IBF_01_2019.pdf2019-03-04 19:36:06Mon, 04 Mar 2019 19:36:06 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/list_items/Attachments/837/IBF_01_2019.pdf"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/list_items/Attachments/837/IBF_01_2019_thmb.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/list_items/Attachments/837/IBF_01_2019_thmb.jpgPRESS: ITER : l'avenir de la fusion nucléaire se joue en France avec le tokamakhttps://www.clubic.com/energie-renouvelable/article-851159-1-iter-avenir-fusion-nucleaire-joue-france-tokamak.htmlhttps://www.clubic.com/energie-renouvelable/article-851159-1-iter-avenir-fusion-nucleaire-joue-france-tokamak.html2019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: De grote droom van kernfusiehttps://tweakers.net/reviews/6930/de-grote-droom-van-kernfusie-op-bezoek-bij-de-iter-reactor.htmlhttps://tweakers.net/reviews/6930/de-grote-droom-van-kernfusie-op-bezoek-bij-de-iter-reactor.html2019-03-04 00:00:00Mon, 04 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Alpes - Industrie : Spie remporte le marché de la maintenance d'Iter https://www.laprovence.com/actu/en-direct/5389678/alpes-industrie-spie-remporte-le-marche-de-la-maintenance-diter.htmlhttps://www.laprovence.com/actu/en-direct/5389678/alpes-industrie-spie-remporte-le-marche-de-la-maintenance-diter.html2019-03-01 00:00:00Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Biggest nuclear fusion experiment on schedule in southern Francehttps://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/biggest-nuclear-fusion-experiment-on-schedule-in-southern-france/10862448 https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/biggest-nuclear-fusion-experiment-on-schedule-in-southern-france/10862448 2019-03-01 00:00:00Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Fusion could be the key to powering our future, if scientists can solve one last question (video)https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/video/fusion-could-be-the-key-to-powering-our-future-if-scientists-can-solve-one-last-question-1449835075735https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/video/fusion-could-be-the-key-to-powering-our-future-if-scientists-can-solve-one-last-question-14498350757352019-03-01 00:00:00Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: The Joint European Torus is going out with a banghttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/joint-european-torus-going-out-banghttps://sciencebusiness.net/news/joint-european-torus-going-out-bang2019-03-01 00:00:00Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: The new, safer nuclear reactors that might help stop climate changehttps://www.technologyreview.com/s/612940/the-new-safer-nuclear-reactors-that-might-help-stop-climate-change/https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612940/the-new-safer-nuclear-reactors-that-might-help-stop-climate-change/2019-02-28 00:00:00Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2019 (#2: New-wave nuclear power)https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2019/?linkId=64136332#new-wave-nuclear-powerhttps://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2019/?linkId=64136332#new-wave-nuclear-power2019-02-28 00:00:00Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: U Francuskoj se gradi stroj budućnosti - sudjeluju i Hrvatihttps://magazin.hrt.hr/491386/znanost-i-tehnologija/u-francuskoj-se-gradi-stroj-buducnosti-sudjeluju-i-hrvatihttps://magazin.hrt.hr/491386/znanost-i-tehnologija/u-francuskoj-se-gradi-stroj-buducnosti-sudjeluju-i-hrvati2019-02-28 00:00:00Thu, 28 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0100