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: Interview | Michel Huguet on the long chain of "fusion builders"https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3662https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/36622021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3662"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3662/m_huguet_ok_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Some thirty years ago, the ITER Project entered what is called the Engineering Design Activities, a phase which aimed at providing the engineering drawings and models for the construction of the planned tokamak. Work was distributed between three 'Joint Work Sites'&#58; San Diego in the United States, Garching in Germany and Naka in Japan. In October 1992, Michel Huguet moved to Naka to head the Joint Work Site there. Having joined the French fusion program as early as 1969, later to spend over 12 years at JET during construction and early operation, he was one of the most respected authorities in the field. When he retired from the Naka Joint Work Site in 2003, he was hailed as someone 'who played a crucial role in establishing the convincing scientific and technical basis for ITER implementation.' On a visit to the ITER site last week, he sat with&#160;Newsline&#160;and reflected on ITER, and the past and future of fusion energy. Does the ITER you saw on your visit correspond to the images of ITER you formed, close to 30 years ago, at the start of the Engineering Design Activities when you headed the ITER Joint Work Site in Naka? In what way is it similar or different technically, and also visually and emotionally? Since the start of ITER Engineering Design Activities (EDA) in 1992, the design of the ITER Tokamak has evolved significantly. There was an evolution from the initial design concepts as envisioned by&#160;Paul-Henri Rebut, the first ITER Director, to the engineering design under the leadership of&#160;Robert Aymar, the second ITER Director. In 1998, as a consequence of the decision of the USA to withdraw from the ITER EDA, the machine size was reduced and the scientific objectives were revised in order to achieve a significant cost reduction. The final EDA design established between 1998 and 2001 is very close to the current ITER design. The design of the machine components is therefore very familiar to me and I have kept in touch as I have been involved in&#160;ITER technical reviews&#160;from the start of the construction phase. Nevertheless, I find the sheer size of these components extremely impressive. To me, being able to see the vacuum vessel sectors, the magnet coils, and the sector sub-assembly tool in operation has been a wonderful and rewarding experience. As an engineer, I wish to express my appreciation for the work accomplished so far by the ITER Organization and the Domestic Agencies. Your career in fusion began in the late 1960s. How did you picture the future of fusion at that time? Did you expect that it would take more than sixty years to have a machine that would aim for net energy production and demonstrate the feasibility of fusion? I was lucky to start working in the field of fusion in 1969 at a very exciting time. This was when the Russian&#160;T3&#160;tokamak results were confirmed by a United Kingdom&#160;team headed by Derek Robinson. All fusion laboratories worldwide started building tokamaks. In Fontenay-aux-Roses, I was given the responsibility for the magnet system of TFR—the first French tokamak. At that time, fusion research was in its infancy and nobody had a clear understanding of the challenges ahead toward fusion power generation. It is only in 1982 that H-mode operation was&#160;discovered in ASDEX by Fritz Wagner&#160;and his team. Personally, the experience gained during design, construction and operation of JET¹ made me well aware that fusion was a new paradigm in research because of the unprecedented timescale necessary for development. Just like the medieval cathedral builders, physicists and engineers form a multi-generation chain of fusion builders.&#160; &#160; In your opinion, what are the major challenges that stand in the way of industrial and commercial fusion? There are still physics and technology challenges. Power exhaust in the divertor is a typical example of a challenge to be addressed in ITER which requires a coordinated physics and technology approach. Beyond ITER, DEMO must address the blanket design, material issues including radiation damage, and reliability and availability under the constraints of remote maintenance. Ultimately, the price of fusion electricity must be affordable. Fusion development also faces other, non-technical challenges. Fusion requires long-term political vision and resolve and a rational approach to energy and environmental issues. Importantly, it also must gain and maintain public acceptance. These challenges are an essential part of the development program that have to be addressed actively. All these technical and non-technical challenges are formidable but the promises of fusion energy as a safe, steady state and virtually unlimited source of energy give confidence in the determination to face them. &#160; How do you view the recent emergence of fusion start-ups claiming that they can build smaller reactors, faster and cheaper than ITER? Recently, the triumphant claims from these start-ups have been related to high field magnet development using new high temperature superconductors (HTS). High field magnets require thick and heavy structures and it remains to be seen how much they can improve fusion performance once manufacturing and structural issues, including fatigue issues due to cyclic loads, have been fully analyzed. Apart from magnet and structural aspects, the issues posed by power exhaust in the divertor and by the blanket design do not seem to have been addressed, although they are expected to be more severe in high field compact tokamaks than in ITER.&#160;&#160; In my opinion, small-or medium-size high field tokamaks may achieve plasma experiments with high Q values but, unlike ITER, they are not a viable path toward power reactors. You were involved in the construction of JET. Based on that experience, what advice or recommendation would you give to those who are building ITER today? From what I have seen during my visit and from the numerous design reviews that I have headed, I believe that ITER activities are carried out with a high level of professionalism. The advice I could propose is to never cut corners on quality requirements, keeping in mind that whatever has not been fully inspected is likely to be inadequate in some respect. Access for repair becomes increasingly awkward, and may possibly become impossible, as assembly progresses. One day spent in repairing a component when still fully accessible may save weeks or months of delay compared to when that component has been integrated into the machine. &#160; Likewise, assembly activities should be carried out as much as possible during the preparation of components or sub-assemblies before their transfer to their final location where access will be difficult and risks interfering with other activities.&#160;&#160; ¹&#160;In September 1973, Michel Huguet joined the JET design team at Culham (UK) as group leader, Toroidal Field Magnet and Mechanical Structure. In June 1978, at the start of the JET construction phase, he was appointed head of the Magnet Division. Having also headed the Torus Division and the Machine and Development Department, he was appointed JET Associate Director in 1988. During this period he was involved in all machine upgrades and aspects of operation including the tritium experiment in November 1991.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3662/m_huguet_ok_small.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3662/m_huguet_ok_small.jpgFEATURED: Assembly | Long-term coil parkhttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3663https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/36632021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3663"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-900-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3663/pf5_lift_from_ground_1.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Manufactured in China under a European contract, poloidal field coil #6 (PF6) was the first magnet to be installed in the assembly pit in late April 2021. Sailing the south China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, it travelled more than 10,000 kilometres to reach the ITER construction site. For its successor in the assembly sequence, poloidal field coil #5 (PF5), the trip was much shorter&#58; just a few hundred metres from the European poloidal field coil winding facility on site to the Assembly Hall and into the assembly pit.&#160;With the installation of this second ring-shaped coil on 16 September, ITER has achieved yet another major assembly milestone. PF5 was the first coil to leave the European production line in April of this year. From the start of coil winding activities in&#160;September 2017, to&#160;resin impregnation, final assembly, and&#160;cold testing, its realization was a meticulous, stage-by-stage process that required the expertise of a dozen companies and more than 150 people. On Monday 26 July, the coil was moved out of temporary storage and into the Assembly Hall. A few weeks of preparation and rigging followed, and by 15 September it was ready for installation. At 17 metres in diameter and weighing close to 350 tonnes, PF5 is neither the largest, or the heaviest, of the machine's six ring-shaped coils. It is nonetheless an impressive component, whose planarity had to be maintained and guaranteed throughout the lifting and installation sequence. Once lowered into the pit, the coil had to fit precisely on its supports, just above magnet feeder components and a few centimetres from the surface of the lower cryostat thermal shield. Early in the afternoon of 16 September, PF5 was its final 'parking position,' with all position requirements within tolerance. Like its neighbour PF6, PF5 will remain in a temporary position for a few years. When all vacuum vessel sectors are in place, both coils will be raised to their permanent position (a move of approximately 2 metres for PF6 and 1.5 metres for PF5). Click here to view a video of PF5 installation.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-900-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3663/pf5_lift_from_ground_1.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3663/pf5_lift_from_ground_1.jpgFEATURED: On site | Safety comes firsthttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3664https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/36642021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3664"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3664/safety_day_3.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Whether they spend their day in an office at ITER or on one of the upper floors of the Tokamak Complex, driving a vehicle or manoeuvring&#160;a crane, every person present on the ITER site is requested to share the same preoccupation&#58; SAFETY. Safety is a central priority in all ITER activities. As part of a push to require every person across the organization to be actively committed to safety standards, a Safety Day was organized by ITER's Security, Health &amp; Safety Division on 16 September. Through hands-on workshops, dialogue, and demonstrations, the organizers aimed to ensure that everyone who works at ITER, from staff to collaborators, is focused on putting safety first and is well informed about ITER's safety procedures. 'It is never an option to compromise safety,' Director-General Bernard Bigot said that morning in an opening speech. 'It is always and shall always be the prerequisite for all of our activities on the ITER site.' The Director-General mentioned three main safety risks that would be the object of particular attention at the Safety Day workshops&#58; falling from height, falling objects, and system and process risks.&#160; Chief Scientist Tim Luce also pointed out the invisible dangers of high voltage areas and non-breathable atmospheres. It is essential to read all the signs, follow personal protection equipment rules and always have the means to call emergency services, he stressed. 'There are simple things we can all do to stay safe.&quot; Participants from the ITER Organization and all construction entities on site were welcomed at booths organized by companies on the front line of worksite construction activities, including the VFR consortium, Demathieu Bard Construction, Lafont, Diestmann, PMSM, Omega Consortium, GDES, APAVE, Engage, Momentum, Daher, Entrepose, ONET, Vernazza and the machine assembly contractors. Many of the booths provided visuals and interactive elements to educate on safety issues—quizzing participants on how to safely perform a lift, for example, or using electrical boards to teach about the risks of electricity (shocks and/or electrical fires). And one corner of the exhibition space was dedicated to an escape room game which simulated the safety procedures for leaving the ITER worksite. But safety is not confined to the worksite—it is part of every department at ITER. Gilles Perrier, Head of the Safety and Quality Department, emphasized that safety also means quality of the work environment, on-time delivery, and taking care with legal and financial issues. And of course, safety at ITER also involves taking precautions around the evolving COVID-19 situation. ITER continues to maintain high safety standards to protect staff and collaborators during the pandemic, and continues to update COVID-19 resources as needed. Safety continues to grow in importance as key pieces of the ITER Tokamak are coming together, says Youngeek Jung, Head of the Construction Domain. 'We are standing on a major threshold for tokamak construction activities.&quot; Safety procedures will reduce the risk of damaging any of these crucial pieces that represent years of hard work. And, most importantly, these procedures keep everyone safe as these massive components are installed.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3664/safety_day_3.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3664/safety_day_3.jpgFEATURED: Visitors | EU Commissioner for Energy: "ITER is a unique project in frontier science" https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3665https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/36652021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3665"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3665/com_kadri_simson_3.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Kadri Simson, European Union Commissioner for Energy, spent Friday 17 September at ITER. In the course of her visit to key site installations and during the press conference that followed, she described ITER as a prime example of Europe's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. One year ago, during ITER's start-of-assembly ceremony, Commissioner Simson addressed the ITER community by video conference, prevented from attending in person by pandemic travel restrictions. This month, she was able to visit the ITER site in person in the company of a small group of staff and advisors. Europe is responsible for the largest portion of ITER construction costs (45.6 percent)—a commitment that represents EUR 5.6 billion in the current long-term European Union budget (2021-2027). &#160; 'We are so pleased to have Commissioner Simson on site today,' said ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot. 'The European Union is a main contributor; without it we could not move forward.' Commissioner Simson spoke of the enormous industrial venture that is ITER as a unique project in frontier science that should break the borders' of fusion research. 'I came here today to witness the construction of the biggest tokamak in the world and to speak with leading experts on how fast we can have this fusion breakthrough.' As part of her portfolio, Kadri Simson has responsibility for speeding up the deployment of clean energy across the economy and supporting member states' national energy and climate plans. She is also one of the seven members of the Commissioners' Group on the European Green Deal. 'The European Union is determined to address the issue of climate change, not only by setting ambitious targets in the short and medium terms, but also by investing in technologies for sustainability in the long term,' Commissioner Simson stressed during the press conference that followed her site visit. 'Research and innovation are key to confronting climate change—they have the potential to offer us sustainable solutions for an ever-growing electricity demand. The ITER Project is a prime example of the European Union's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050.' She also highlighted the positive impact that advances in fusion science and technology are already having on the economy. 'Discoveries that have been made through European fusion research in the last decades are already finding applications in a wide variety of fields such as the health and aviation sectors,' she said. 'Businesses and research institutions are expanding their capacities and helping to cultivate a community of scientists and engineers that will be ready for the era of global fusion when it comes.' Watch a short video of the Commissioner's visit here.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3665/com_kadri_simson_3.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3665/com_kadri_simson_3.jpgFEATURED: Image of the week | 2nd vacuum vessel sector passes site testshttps://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3666https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/36662021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/newsline/-/3666"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3666/vvs1_unpacked_1_small.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>On 27 August, the ITER community celebrated the safe arrival of vacuum vessel sector #1(7)—the second of four sectors expected from the Korean Domestic Agency. Since then, the&#160;440-tonne sector has undergone the same early set of activities as its predecessor, sector #6. All site acceptance tests have been passed successfully and metrology is underway to verify the as-built dimensions of the component.&#160; Sector #1(7) must also be equipped with diagnostics and instrumentation&#160;before it can be raised to vertical and installed on the second of two tall assembly tools to be paired with a toroidal field coil pair and thermal shielding. That operation is on full display now for sector #6, with 13 of 27 milestones achieved (48 percent) on the road to lowering the first vacuum vessel sub-assembly into the Tokamak pit. An operation that will be repeated nine times in the coming years.&#160; &#160; &#160;</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3666/vvs1_unpacked_1_small.jpghttps://www.iter.org/doc/www/content/com/Lists/Stories/Attachments/3666/vvs1_unpacked_1_small.jpgOF-INTEREST: FuseNet Master Eventhttps://www.iter.org/of-interest/1014https://www.iter.org/of-interest/10142021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/of-interest/1014"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/1014/download.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>From 5-6 October, FuseNet is hosting a virtual event for students pursuing their master's degree at a European university in fusion-related fields. The program will mix educational and social events so students can meet and network while learning about the industry and science of fusion. Speakers will present on different aspects of fusion to the whole group or in smaller side sessions. On the second day of the event, there will be a Fusion Power Pitch competition that invites attendees to present for 180 seconds on a fusion topic of interest. However, due to the limited time of the event, only 15-20 presentations will be selected and FuseNet asks applicants to add a short pitch to their registration form if they would like to participate in the Fusion Power Pitch. The event starts on 5 October at 9&#58;00 CEST and ends the following day at 18&#58;00. To learn more, please see the original announcement on FuseNet's site here. (Registration is still possible, but participation in all events cannot be guaranteed.)</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/1014/download.jpgOF-INTEREST: Open call for non-fusion applications of fusion technologieshttps://www.iter.org/of-interest/1013https://www.iter.org/of-interest/10132021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100 <div class="field-image"> <a href="https://www.iter.org/of-interest/1013"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/1013/f4e_ttm.jpg" alt="" /></a> </div> <div class="field-body"><p>Until 15 October, the European agency Fusion for Energy is holding an open call for European companies and organizations to send in applications for proposals of non-fusion applications of fusion technologies and processes. Fusion has brought new advances in science and technology, and some of these innovations may be useful in other contexts outside of fusion. This open call encourages applicants to think creatively and practically; Fusion for Energy will evaluate applications based on their feasibility, their innovation potential and their socio-economic impact on the company and ecosystem. Once the open call ends, Fusion for Energy will select one application to receive EUR 35,000 in funding. The results will be announced around January 2022. On 21 September, there will be an information and Q&amp;A session so interested parties may learn more. The event will start at 11&#58;00 CEST and will run until noon, allowing for presentations from Fusion for Energy and for audience questions. Registration for the information session may be found here. For more details about the open call and how to submit an application, visit the original announcement by Fusion for Energy here.</p></div> https://www.iter.org/img/crop-600-85/www/content/com/lists/of interest/attachments/1013/f4e_ttm.jpgPRESS: Simson, su rincaro energetico pesano anche le tassehttps://www.ansa.it/europa/notizie/rubriche/altrenews/2021/09/17/simson-su-rincaro-energetico-pesano-anche-le-tasse_80a202a4-5db1-42d9-bf50-0d4adfd7a471.htmlhttps://www.ansa.it/europa/notizie/rubriche/altrenews/2021/09/17/simson-su-rincaro-energetico-pesano-anche-le-tasse_80a202a4-5db1-42d9-bf50-0d4adfd7a471.html2021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: 地球の磁場の28万倍、世界最強の磁石が核融合実験施設に搬入される(ITER)https://ent.smt.docomo.ne.jp/article/12177286https://ent.smt.docomo.ne.jp/article/121772862021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Kadri Simson visits ITERhttps://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/kadri-simson-visits-iter/https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/kadri-simson-visits-iter/2021-09-20 00:00:00Mon, 20 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Fusion for Energy Open Call for Fusion Technology Transfer Demonstrator Proposalshttps://www.euro-fusion.org/news/detail/f4e-open-call-for-fusion-technology-transfer-demonstrator-proposals/https://www.euro-fusion.org/news/detail/f4e-open-call-for-fusion-technology-transfer-demonstrator-proposals/2021-09-17 00:00:00Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Nuclear Fusion Strives for Place at COP26 Green Energy Tablehttps://www.world-energy.org/article/20298.htmlhttps://www.world-energy.org/article/20298.html2021-09-17 00:00:00Fri, 17 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Artificial Intelligence helps nuclear fusionhttps://www.euro-fusion.org/news/detail/artificial-intelligence-helps-nuclear-fusion/https://www.euro-fusion.org/news/detail/artificial-intelligence-helps-nuclear-fusion/2021-09-16 00:00:00Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Successful operation in LIPAc acceleratorhttps://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/successful-operation-in-lipac-accelerator/https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/successful-operation-in-lipac-accelerator/2021-09-16 00:00:00Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Energy for the Common Good and the Conservation Law Foundation Applaud Advancement of Historic $1.24 Billion Investment in Fusion Energy by the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technologyhttps://energycommongood.org/fb/https://energycommongood.org/fb/2021-09-15 00:00:00Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: New Magnet Is Powerful Enough to Lift an Aircraft Carrierhttps://interestingengineering.com/new-magnet-is-powerful-enough-to-lift-an-aircraft-carrier?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=article&utm_content=14092021https://interestingengineering.com/new-magnet-is-powerful-enough-to-lift-an-aircraft-carrier?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=article&utm_content=140920212021-09-15 00:00:00Wed, 15 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: L'intelligenza artificiale al lavoro su RFX-MOD2https://www.igi.cnr.it/news/l-intelligenza-artificiale-al-lavoro-su-rfx-mod2/https://www.igi.cnr.it/news/l-intelligenza-artificiale-al-lavoro-su-rfx-mod2/2021-09-14 00:00:00Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100PRESS: Kulcsdarabja érkezett meg a világ első fúziós erőművénekhttps://24.hu/tech/2021/09/13/iter-fuzios-eromu-kozponti-magnes-solenoid/https://24.hu/tech/2021/09/13/iter-fuzios-eromu-kozponti-magnes-solenoid/2021-09-14 00:00:00Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0100