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The ITER Tokamak Complex

The ITER Tokamak Complex

The ITER site in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France

The ITER Tokamak Complex

The ITER Tokamak Complex

The 180-hectare site chosen for ITER is in southeastern France, about one hour north of Marseille. France has provided the land and carried out preparatory works including clearing and levelling, fencing, and networks for water and electricity. The buildings of the scientific facility are going up now on the level 42-hectare platform in the centre of the site.

The ITER machine will be housed in the Tokamak Complex, going up on the left. All other infrastructure is related to the many plant systems (cooling, heating, fuelling, power supply, cryogenics, etc) required for operation.

There are approximately 3,700 people working daily on the ITER site—2,400 involved in construction (including 1,700 construction workers), 800 staff members of the ITER Organization, and 500 contractors. With machine assembly activities starting next year, this number will grow.

A star will be born

This circular structure, the bioshield, has become the defining feature of Tokamak Complex construction. The first machine assembly activities will begin here in 2018.

The antechamber to the Tokamak

The ITER Assembly Hall is the space for the pre-assembly of all main machine components. The poster on the far wall shows how—once the temporary wall is removed—the overhead cranes will travel into the Tokamak Building to deposit their loads. The cranes can carry 1,500 tonnes.

October 2017 aerial photo

The ITER construction platform—with the Tokamak Complex on the left and the completed Assembly Hall in the background. The poster on the Assembly Hall shows the ITER Tokamak at 70% of its actual size.

Assembly arena

In the middle of the rising Tokamak Building a well is preserved for the ITER machine. Assembly activities will proceed in a bottom-up fashion, beginning with captive components down in the basement levels, then the base of the cryostat, vacuum vessel sectors, magnets … An estimated one million components (ten million individual parts) will be integrated into the world’s largest tokamak.

Cryostat assembly underway

The ITER cryostat—the leak-tight vacuum container that will act as a thermos to insulate the ultra-cold superconducting magnets from the outside environment—is being assembled in a dedicated facility on site by contractors to the Indian Domestic Agency. It gives a good sense of the size of the ITER machine.

Seven Members

The ITER Members are China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States. For all Members, the potential benefits of participation are significant: by contributing a portion of the project's costs, Members benefit from 100 percent of the scientific results.

Like a rocket aiming for the stars

Only two levels remain to be poured before the bioshield is complete. Each opening in the circular wall (corresponding to a similar opening in the cryostat and the vacuum vessel) will provide access for systems and equipment.

The ITER Project is currently under construction on a 180-hectare site in southern France.Europe, as part of its commitments as project Host, is building nearly all of the platform buildings and site infrastructure.

The largest we have

This transformer is one of three delivered by China for ITER's pulsed power electrical network, which will supply power to the ITER machine. In place and fully equipped at ITER, the transformer now weighs 460 tonnes.

Big milestone: first magnet component ships

China celebrates the successful completion of the first magnet component—a segment of feeder—in July. The component has since reached ITER for testing.

18 correction coils

Eighteen superconducting correction coils inserted between the toroidal and poloidal field coils will compensate for field errors caused by geometrical deviations due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances.

Manufacturing underway

Experts and representatives of the ITER Organization and the Chinese Domestic Agency inspect a qualification coil case section in March 2017. Six bottom coils, six side coils and six top coils will be installed around the Tokamak to correct magnetic error fields.

Sent from China

After successful testing in China, this giant transformer was shipped to ITER.

Testing next

Designed by the ITER feeder team, procured by the Chinese Domestic Agency, and manufactured at the Institute of Plasma Physics ASIPP in Hefei under the feeder team's supervision, the cryostat feedthrough is the first magnet component required on site because it needs to be brought into position before the completion of the cryostat base support ring.

31 feeders in all procured by China

Like all 31 magnet feeders, the L-shaped feeder in this drawing relays electrical power, cryogenic fluids and instrumentation cables in to the superconducting magnets.

Pulsed power transformers

Fourteen metres long and a close to 280 tons—three of these massive transformers will be needed to power the Tokamak, plus one as a spare.

The ITER site never sleeps

Large-size ITER components travel between the Mediterranean and the ITER site at night. Pictured are electrical transformers delivered by China.

A marvel

From the outside, it's just another big, shiny stainless-steel pipe bent at a 90° angle. But take off the shipping caps at one end or the other, have a peek inside, and you will see a technological marvel. Feeders carry the superconducting busbars for the electrical current, the piping for the cryogenic fluids, and the cables for the diagnostics signals—all carefully insulated by an actively-cooled thermal shield and a vacuum duct.

In production at ASIPP in Hefei

Series production started last year at an ASIPP laboratory in Hefei, China, where a multiyear qualification program has been carried out to ensure that the correction coils can be produced to specification despite unusual shapes and very demanding precision requirements.

SPIDER beam source

ITER's neutral beam injection system will require first-of-a-kind high-energy negative ion source technology. This beam source delivered by Europe will be tested as part of the SPIDER testbed at the Neutral Beam Test Facility in Padua, Italy.

A decade-long development program

15 European companies were involved in the ten-year development program for the ITER cryopumps. A consortium formed by Research Instruments (Germany) and Alsyom (France) manufactured this first pump, which will be thoroughly tested before series production begins.

First cryopump fabricated

This eight-ton cryopump is one of six that will be needed to create and maintain an ultra-high vacuum in the ITER plasma chamber.

On the way to ITER

Three of the 11 tanks that have been delivered to ITER's cryoplant.

The ITER cryoplant

The ITER cryoplant, under construction now, comprises 5,400 m² of covered buildings plus a large exterior area for the storage of helium and nitrogen.

The last tank

Europe delivered the last of 11 cryogenic tanks in October.

Operation in 2018

The beam source for the test bed SPIDER (for the development and characterization of the ITER negative ion source) has been delivered and start-up operation is planned for April, 2018.

Testing ITER-scale neutral beam injection

The key technologies of ITER's neutral beam injection system will be tested at the Neutral Beam Test Facility in Padua, Italy.

ITER's toroidal field coil system

Eighteen "D"-shaped toroidal field magnets placed around the vacuum vessel produce a magnetic field whose primary function is to confine the plasma particles.

European manufacturing line

Europe is manufacturing ten toroidal field coils for ITER. Fabrication activities are the responsibility of the ASG consortium (ASG plus Iberdrola Ingeneria and Elytt Energy). The winding packs will be cold tested and inserted into their steel cases by SIMIC (Italy). Photo: F4E

Last step before ITER

The first European winding pack left the ASG facility for delivery to the contractor in charge of testing and insertion into a steel case. These will be the final steps before delivery to ITER. Photo: F4E

110-ton inner core

At the ASG facility in La Spezia, Italy, the inner core of the first toroidal field magnet is prepared for "impregnation" (a hardening process). Photo: F4E

First cryopump delivered

The first cryopump reached ITER for testing in August 2017.

The ITER cryostat

The stainless steel cryostat (29 x 29 m, 3,800 tons) surrounds the vacuum vessel and superconducting magnets and ensures an ultra-cool, vacuum environment.

The base of the whole machine

At 1.250 tons, the cryostat base will be the largest single load of the machine assembly phase. Pictured is tier one of the base; a rim and pedestal will be added to complete the component.

Next phase of assembly for cryostat base underway

When machine assembly is completed, it won't be a worker sitting here, but the Tokamak itself. This pedestal ring (part of tier two of the cryostat base) will support over 20,000 tons of dead weight, including the cryostat, vacuum vessel and magnets.

Cryostat lower cylinder

In the Cryostat Workshop on site, two sections of the cryostat are now in assembly in tandem. Here, the team stands inside the ring of the lower cylinder, tier one (30 meters in diameter).

Standing inside the cryostat

Just like a thermos provides the insulation to keep your coffee warm—or your water cold—the ITER cryostat raises a barrier around the superconducting magnets that limits the possibility of heat exchange with the outside environment.

India's largest contribution

The cryostat is manufactured in 54 segments in India and then shipped to the ITER site for assembly. Larsen & Toubro is the contractor chosen by the Indian Domestic Agency for the manufacturing design, fabrication and assembly.

Liquid helium and liquid nitrogen produced one site

The LN2 plant (blue, under the responsibility of Europe) will produce liquid nitrogen at a temperature of minus 196 °C to be used as a ''pre-cooler'' in the LHe plant (yellow, procured by the ITER Organization). Nearly 25 tonnes of liquid helium at minus 269 °C will circulate through a five-kilometre network of pipes, pumps and valves procured by India (the first part of the network is shown in green).

Complex cryolines

Five kilometres of these complex multi-process vacuum-insulated lines will deliver cooling power from the cryoplant to systems that need it such as the ITER magnets and cryopumps.

First batch arrives

After a one-month sea voyage from India and a brief trip along the roads of Provence, the first cryolines have been unloaded on site.

Japan completes central solenoid conductor

In September 2017, the Japanese Domestic Agency and suppliers celebrated the completion of conductor fabrication; in all, 43 km (745 tonnes) of conductor were produced.

Magnet superstructure

The steel cases of ITER's toroidal field magnets are interconnected to provide structural stability. At lower left the sample cutaway shows the winding pack in green plus the different elements of the case.

The inner core

This is the "inner core" (the winding pack) of an ITER toroidal field coil. Approximately 110 tons at this stage, it will be inserted into a heavy steel case, bringing its weight to 310 tons.

Manufacturing milestone in Japan

Following the successful verification of its dimensions and tolerances, the first-completed coil case segment left Japan for Korea, where it will be fitted with its ''second half.''

Mighty steel components

At Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Kobe, Japan, coil case segments are now in series production. Pictured, the inner leg of one toroidal field coil case.

Japan completes neutral beam contributions

A ceremony is held on 20 November to mark the conclusion of deliveries from Japan. The official photo is taken in the high voltage hall of the Neutral Beam Test Facility, with the high voltage bushing procured by Japan behind the group on the left, and the high voltage deck procured by Europe at right.

Part of the power supply package

The Neutral Beam Test Facility is a major step toward the successful implementation and development of the neutral beam system—one of ITER's key heating and current drive systems.

Under construction now

Japan is supplying all the high voltage power supplies for MITICA, the full-scale ITER heating neutral beam injector under construction now in Padua, Italy at RFX Consorzio.

High-tech components for the neutral beam

Outside of ITER's Neutral Beam Test Facility in Padua, Italy, no other facility in the world can achieve the challenging requirements for the ITER neutral beam system simultaneously—power up to 16.5 MW at 1MeV of energy, and with a pulse length up to 3600 seconds. Japan has completed its contributions, including the power transmission line for the full-scale injector prototype.

Shipped for winding in the US

Japan is manufacturing the niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) superconductor required for the central solenoid and shipping the material to the US, where winding and manufacturing are underway.

In segments

Forty-four openings, or ports, in the vacuum vessel provide access for remote handling operations, diagnostics, heating, and vacuum systems. Some of the port stub openings can be seen here, welded to the segment during fabrication.

Vacuum vessel manufacturing in Korea

The ITER vacuum vessel is being built in nine sectors, like sections of an orange; of these Korea is building four. Pictured is one-fourth of one sector.

The ITER vacuum vessel

The stainless steel vacuum vessel houses the fusion reactions and acts as a first safety containment barrier. Within its walls, the plasma will occupy 830 m³; no other machine comes close.

Coming soon at ITER

Under the circular lid in the background is the Tokamak "well" where the machine will be assembled from bottom up. Components—once pre-assembled and equipped with handling gear—will be transported by overhead bridge crane to the machine area.

ITER will need two of these

The vacuum vessel sub-assembly tool (or SSAT) itself weighs 800 tons, and it will support an assembly weighing 1,200 tons. Note the size of the worker in blue.

This tool is a giant

Imagine a vacuum vessel sector supported vertically, while D-shaped toroidal field coils are rotated in from each side. This is the role of the sector sub-assembly tool (SSAT) that was manufactured and fully assembled in Korea (pictured) for testing, before reaching ITER in batches.

Bolting large tools to the floor

These rails are being bolted to the Assembly Hall floor for the wings of the giant SSAT tool.

ITER thermal shielding

Two layers of thermal shielding are interposed between the vacuum vessel and the cryostat to minimize heat loads transferred by thermal radiation and conduction from warm components to the components and structures that operate at 4.5K (such as the magnets).

Precious coating

A real-size mockup for a large section of vacuum vessel thermal shield is undergoing the step-by-step process of silver coating at SFA Engineering Corp in Changwon, Korea. Silver helps the component radiate as little heat as possible.

Tailor-made components

Although small compared to the vacuum vessel itself, these custom-made components are impressive when you consider that they will be welded to all of the upper and lower port stubs of the ITER vacuum vessel. The stub extension for port #12 weighs more than 17 tons and measure 4 meters x 2.5 meters, for 3.4 meters in length.

A window into the vacuum vessel

This steel "appendage" will protrude from vacuum vessel port #12. It is part of Russia's global procurement responsibilities for the upper row of vacuum vessel ports.

Key power supply elements pass tests

In 2017, type tests were successfully performed in Russia on a large batch of equipment prototypes.

An important package from Russia

The fabrication and supply of switching equipment, busbars and energy absorbing resistors for power supply and protection of the superconducting magnetic system is the most expensive—and one of the most complicated—of the 25 systems falling within the scope of Russia's procurement responsibility.

Over the next couple of years

The Russian Efremov Institute will manufacture and ship about 5.4 km of busbars with a total weight exceeding 500 tonnes.

Essential busbars

A DC busbar is to ITER what a power cable is to an ordinary appliance: a device that connects the electrical components to the power source. But in ITER, even the simplest functions require highly sophisticated equipment. Power in ITER will be fed to the different magnetic coils in the machine through a water-cooled, eight kilometre-long winding and bending aluminium snake that will weigh close to 1,000 tonnes.

Poloidal field magnet #1

Eight double pancakes in all will be necessary to complete this 300-tonne magnet which will be installed at the top of the machine, crowning the 18 toroidal field magnets and steel vacuum vessel. Pictured: the impregnation chamber, where the pancake assemblies are "hardened."

Eight "pancakes" will make a coil

At the Srednenevsky Shipbuilding Plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia, specialists from JSC "SNSP" and the Efremov Institute (NIIEFA) are working on the winding and impregnation of "double pancakes"—the building blocks of poloidal field coil #1.

ITER poloidal field coils

Six ring-shaped poloidal field coils help to shape the plasma and contribute to its stability by "pinching" it away from the walls.

Last electrical deliveries

In October, the US Domestic Agency completed a $34 million, five-year project to provide three-quarters of the components for the steady-state electrical network at ITER.

The 1,000-ton "beating heart" of ITER

Current variations inside the central solenoid's six independent modules (stacked) induce magnetic flux variations, and are key to producing the large plasma current in ITER.

A US contribution

General Atomics has a dedicated production line for the ITER central solenoid at its Poway, California, plant. As part of its in-kind contributions to ITER, the US is responsible for 100 percent of the central solenoid magnet, including design, R&D, module fabrication from conductor supplied by Japan, associated structure, assembly tooling, bus extensions, and cooling connections.

First module

A photo of the first production module for the ITER central solenoid. Each module requires approximately 6,000 meters of niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) conductor.

Vertical assembly will take place at ITER

This specially designed platform will support the central solenoid during assembly at ITER. The first platform elements arrived at ITER in October.

Cooling ITER

ITER will be equipped with a cooling water system to manage the heat generated during operation of the tokamak. The internal surfaces of the vacuum vessel (first wall blanket and divertor) must be cooled to approximately 240 °C only a few metres from the 150-million-degree plasma.

US-fabricated drain tanks

Five large drain tanks for the Tokamak cooling water system have been delivered by the US. Until their installation in the Tokamak Complex, they are in temporary storage on the ITER site.

36 km of cooling water piping

Fabrication of Tokamak cooling water system piping is now underway at Schulz Xtruded Products in Robinsville and Hernando, Mississippi (US), with management oversight by the US Domestic Agency and the ITER Organization. Thirty-six kilometres of nuclear grade stainless steel piping is required.

Four SSEN transformers

Four transformers procured by the US are now installed on the ITER platform.