A four-day reverse lift iterorganization 2023-07-10 | Early July 2023, the ITER teams removed a 1,350-tonne sector module (one-ninth of the vacuum vessel torus) from the assembly pit. This "reverse" operation was necessary so that two of the components making up the module - the vacuum vessel sector itself and thermal shield panels - can be repaired. See additional information in the ITER Newsline: iter.org/newsline/-/3839 anditer.org/newsline/-/3904
ITER by drone - latest update iterorganization 2023-05-30 | Follow the drone as it flies in and around the main buildings of the ITER scientific installation to show you what has been happening on the worksite since the last time we published a drone video (April 2022 youtube.com/watch?v=NYe4bQ6p6QQ).
Robot Games iterorganization 2023-05-30 | The annual ITER Robots competition, now supported by the French Ministry of Education, offers students organized in teams at the junior high and high school level the opportunity to design and program Lego-based robots to perform ITER-like remote handling tasks. The finale this year took place on 23 May 2023 in Vitrolles, France ...
ITER Talks (11): The Tritium Plant iterorganization 2023-03-13 | Join Ian Bonnett, ITER's Tritium Plant Section Leader, for a deep dive into the hydrogen isotope tritium—its particular characteristics, and how it will be used and recycled at ITER as part of a closed fuelling loop. A dedicated Tritium Plant at ITER contains all of the systems and sub-systems needed for safe tritium management.
ITER ring magnet: into the cold chamber iterorganization 2023-03-09 | Before they can be considered fit for service, the ring-shaped poloidal field coils that circle the ITER vacuum vessel must be submitted to a series of tests designed to confirm their performance under thermal stress (cooldown and warmup). In this video, watch the European team lift a 350-tonne coil (PF4) and transport it into the bottom half of its cold chamber. See more at iter.org/newsline/-/3849.
Russia delivers ITERs top coil iterorganization 2023-02-13 | Of all the components and systems that Russia contributes to ITER, poloidal field coil #1 (PF1) is the most massive and one of the most complex. Measuring nine metres in diameter and weighing approximately 160 tonnes, it is the smallest of the six ring-shaped magnets that circle the ITER Tokamak and the only one that is not procured by Europe. PF1 was delivered to the ITER construction site on Friday 10 February.
Manipulator arms: super strong and ultra precise iterorganization 2023-01-23 | Inside of a test facility that reproduces the volume and geometry of the ITER vacuum vessel environment, a team from ITER contractor CNIM Systèmes Industriels has demonstrated that the tools it has designed for the installation of in-vessel components can carry out their tasks to better-than-required accuracy. See more information at iter.org/newsline/-/3835
ITER Talks (10): The ITER Test Blanket Module Program iterorganization 2022-11-21 | ITER will procure the tritium fuel necessary for its research program from the global inventory. But the fusion power reactors of the future will have to produce all of the tritium fuel they require for operation from within their own vessels.ITER's Tritium Breeding Module (TBM) Program, involving the ITER Organization and all seven ITER Members, is a research activity that will run in parallel to the main ITER research program. In this latest ITER Talk, Luciano Giancarli, head of the Tritium Breeding Blanket System Section, explains how ITER will provide a unique opportunity to test the feasibility of tritium breeding. First, he walks us through the principles behind tritium breeding—what a breeding blanket looks like, how to achieve it in principle, and in practice, and what are the potential candidates for breeding blanket materials. Next, he delves into the ITER TBM Program, which aims to test complete tritium breeding blanket mockups in reactor-relevant conditions. Space allocations in the machine and four initial TBM concepts have already been decided.Finally, he describes the objectives of the test program and how they fit into the ITER Research Plan.
Internship Life at ITER (2) iterorganization 2022-11-09 | Are you currently a student, and are you interested in the ITER project? See what some of our most recent interns have to say about the internship experience at ITER. And see all information about applying at: iter.org/jobs/internships. We'd love for you to join us!
ITER Talks (9): Integrated Control System iterorganization 2022-10-24 | “The ITER control system performs the functional integration of the ITER plant and enables integrated and automated operation.”With the ninth talk in the series, we have the opportunity to take a deep dive into a less familiar part of the ITER Project—integrated control. Without it, the vast plant and the machine itself couldn’t operate. System by system, what are the requirements? How has the overall architecture been designed? What protocols are respected by the software? What special role for the safety control system? And finally, what is the status on site?Anders Wallander—Head of the ITER Controls Division—is our guide to "the brain of ITER."
ITER Podcast: Introduction to the First Season iterorganization 2022-09-02 | Do you like podcasts? Are you looking for something interesting to listen to? We have a great suggestion for you - the ITER Podcast!Launched in 2021, the ITER Podcast presents different sides of the ITER project - the machine, fusion energy, the diversity of people at ITER... All you need to know!You can listen to the ITER podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and many other platforms, or directly on the ITER website: bit.ly/3p72dMc#ITER #ITERpodcast #podcast #sciencepodcast #techpodcast #scienceandtechnology #engineering #fusionenergy #fusionscience #cleanenergy #sustainabledevelopment #climatechange
Going deeper and deeper into virtual reality iterorganization 2022-07-11 | The ITER Organization, in collaboration with colleagues from CEA Cadarache, is deploying advanced virtual reality tools that allow users to interact with objects inside of a real-scale simulation. Immersed in a virtual 3D environment, designers can detect clashes, carry out integration studies, and assess accessibility. Join Benoit Manfreo (Tokamak Integration Technical Officer) and Chiara di Paolo (ITER Project Associate) for a tour of the many possibilities.
Tokamak assembly: The module has landed iterorganization 2022-05-23 | On 11-12 May 2022, the first of the nine "sector modules" required for the Tokamak's torus-shaped vacuum vessel was lifted and installed in the assembly pit—an 18-metre-tall, 1,350-tonne component positioned with sub-millimetric precision.See more information here: iter.org/newsline/-/3758.
Preparing for the Big Lift iterorganization 2022-05-09 | On Thursday 5 May, the first sector module of the ITER plasma chamber was lifted a mere 50 centimetres above its supports. What made this first-of-a-kind operation particularly delicate was the nature of the load (a 1,380-tonne, 18-metre tall assembly) and the extreme precision its handling required. In both height and distance it represented only a fraction of what the actual operation, scheduled in the coming days, will require.
Sneak preview: ITERs next big lift iterorganization 2022-05-02 | No uplifting music this time. Just a preview of ITER's next big lift operation: the transfer of the first vacuum vessel sub-assembly to the Tokamak pit. Stay tuned... (More information at iter.org/newsline/-/3751.) Courtesy of Brigantium Engineering.
ITER: Où en est-on? iterorganization 2022-05-02 | Cette toute nouvelle vidéo réalisée par ITER Organization vous invite à découvrir l'installation ITER, à Saint-Paul-les-Durance (Bouches-du-Rhône). Depuis la vaste plateforme qui accueille la cinquantaine de bâtiments scientifiques du programme jusqu'au "Saint des saints" où s'allumera la première étoile artificielle, un voyage spectaculaire au cœur du plus grand programme de recherche du monde.Version anglaise à youtube.com/watch?v=NYe4bQ6p6QQ.
ITER: Flying over... and through iterorganization 2022-05-02 | The latest drone video from the ITER Organization takes you deep inside the work underway in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, to build the world’s largest tokamak.French version at: youtube.com/watch?v=0ho7fLtEwrI
ITER, the worlds largest Erector set iterorganization 2022-04-26 | New! English voiceover version.The third design motion video explains ITER's system of in-kind procurement, or how program members are contributing components and industrial systems, or (for Europe) buildings. This unique procurement sharing program has an important purpose, allowing all Members to gain direct industrial experience in key fusion technologies. By participating in ITER, the Members are also preparing their scientific, technological and industrial infrastructure at home for the step after ITER—a demonstration fusion reactor.
The ITER story iterorganization 2022-04-26 | New! English voiceover version.In the second video of the series, discover how the ITER project came into existence. Which countries are participating? What have been the many steps in the project's creation? What is the status today?
ITER, an energy for our future iterorganization 2022-04-26 | New! English voiceover version.In this motion design video, the first in a series of three, we answer the first questions that come to mind about ITER. What is a plasma and how does it relate to fusion energy? Why try to reproduce the fusion energy of the Sun and stars as a source of energy on Earth?
ITER Talks (8): The Tokamak Cooling Water System iterorganization 2022-04-11 | Donato Lioce, head of ITER's Tokamak Cooling Water System Section, describes the plant system that will remove heat from the ITER machine and in-vessel components as "absolutely unique."One of its peculiarities is the sheer volume of equipment—which is absolutely huge compared to the cooling system in a nuclear fission plant. More than 6,000 tonnes of equipment, 43 kilometres of piping, 3,000 valves, heat exchangers, pumps ... all housed over the seven levels in the Tokamak Building. Another is the fact that the system is designed not only to cool, but also to heat: the same equipment that circulates cooling water can also circulate hot water to "bake" tokamak components before plasma operation, or hot gas to "dry" components before maintenance. The cyclical nature of the ITER machine, designed for 30,000 plasma pulses, also has repercussions for the design of the tokamak cooling water system and its hundreds of clients.Follow along as Donato describes in detail the different functionalities of the ITER tokamak cooling water system, system equipment, and the procurement effort that is underway now.
A third vacuum vessel sector arrives from Korea (making of) iterorganization 2022-04-11 | On Friday 1 April 2022, a 440-tonne vacuum vessel sector arrived on site at ITER after two months of travel. Provided by the Korean Domestic Agency and manufactured at Hyundai Heavy Industries, sector #8 is the third sector to be delivered by Korea to the ITER Project. In this two-minute video, follow some of the manufacturing and delivery steps.
Celebrating cryostat completion iterorganization 2022-03-25 | This video celebrates the international collaboration behind the creation of the largest stainless steel vacuum chamber in the world, the ITER cryostat. The last section, the top lid, was completed in March 2022 on the ITER site. It took a family: ITER Organization (design), ITER India (procurement), Larsen & Toubro Heavy Engineering Division, India (manufacturing design, fabrication and assembly); MAN Energy Solutions, Germany (Larsen & Toubro sub-contractor for welding on the ITER site); SPIE Batignolles TPCI, France (Larsen & Toubro sub-contractor for the realization of the Cryostat Workshop on site at ITER); APAVE France (occupational safety).
International Womens Day 2022 iterorganization 2022-03-14 | For all the women and girls working toward a sustainable future ...
ITER Talks (7): The ITER Research Plan, How to Reach Q=10 iterorganization 2022-03-07 | In this ITER Talk, the seventh in the series, ITER scientific expert Joseph Snipes walks us through plans for ITER operation. What does the "Q" in ITER's goal of Q=10 stand for? How will the machine and its systems be prepped for operation? What are the different steps between First Plasma and full fusion power operation?The ITER Research Plan will proceed in four stages—a careful step-by-step strategy designed to achieve high plasma performance operation up to a plasma current of 15 MA, with key milestones along the way. Learn about the staggered assembly of key systems, the specific goals of each operation phase, the means to achieve the goals, and the importance of robust plasma control. By the end of the talk, you’ll know (a lot) more about the unique capabilities of the ITER experimental device.A note to viewers: This ITER Talk goes hand in hand with ITER Talk (6)—"Tokamak Physics for Nuclear Fusion" by the head of the ITER Science Division Alberto Loarte (viewable on this channel in the ITER Talks playlist).
ITER Talks (6): Tokamak Physics for Nuclear Fusion iterorganization 2022-02-28 | Alberto Loarte, head of the Science Division at the ITER Organization, introduces us to the physics of ITER plasmas and explains how the physics justifies the design of the machine. He reviews the deuterium-tritium nuclear fusion process, the role of magnetic fields in fusion, the specificities of the tokamak configuration, energy and particle confinement, heating and fuelling, and finally fusion power, particle exhaust and plasma-wall interactions. And he does it all in a clear and understandable way!A note to viewers: This ITER Talk goes hand in hand with ITER Talk (7)—"The ITER Research Plan: How to Reach Q=10” by ITER scientific expert Joseph Snipes (viewable on this channel in the ITER Talks playlist).
ITER, the worlds largest Erector set (English subtitles) iterorganization 2022-02-24 | The third design motion video explains ITER's system of in-kind procurement, or how program members are contributing components and industrial systems, or (for Europe) buildings. This unique procurement sharing program has an important purpose, allowing all Members to gain direct industrial experience in key fusion technologies. By participating in ITER, the Members are also preparing their scientific, technological and industrial infrastructure at home for the step after ITER—a demonstration fusion reactor.
The ITER story (English subtitles) iterorganization 2022-02-24 | In the second video of the series, discover how the ITER project came into existence. Which countries are participating? What have been the many steps in the project's creation? What is the status today?
ITER, an energy for our future (English subtitles) iterorganization 2022-02-24 | In this motion design video, the first in a series of three, we answer the first questions that come to mind about ITER. What is a plasma and how does it relate to fusion energy? Why try to reproduce the fusion energy of the Sun and stars as a source of energy on Earth? (French video with English subtitles.)
ITER @ Yggdrasil Lyon iterorganization 2022-02-14 | ITER was present at the Yggdrasil Festival in Lyon, France, on 12-13 February 2022. A festival for dreamers and optimists that blends cosplay, science fiction, and science!
ITER Talks (5): Machine assembly iterorganization 2022-01-17 | The size and weight of major ITER components, the careful handling, tiny assembly tolerances, the breadth of manufacturers, the tight schedule, complex interfaces ... all of these elements combine to make the assembly of the ITER machine an engineering and logistics challenge of enormous proportions.In this new ITER Talks video, two members of the Construction Domain—Jens Reich (Ex-Vessel Delivery & Assembly Division Head) and Brian Macklin (Group Leader for Ex-Vessel Assembly)—describe how teams have planned for the assembly of the 23,000-tonne ITER machine, how the sequences are unfolding, what the main challenges are, and what lessons have been learned since the first machine assembly activity was launched in 2018.
Upending and installing a vacuum vessel sector iterorganization 2022-01-10 | In this short time-lapse, watch how an ITER vacuum vessel sector is installed in assembly tooling.
New podcast: ITER Stories iterorganization 2021-12-13 | What is the best way to understand a complex, revolutionary and futuristic technology that has challenged, confounded, and inspired the human mind and spirit for generations? By listening to the people that are at the forefront of trying to master the energy source of the Sun, in order to meet the increasing demand for energy here on earth.Listen to the first six episodes of the ITER podcast "ITER Stories" here: iter.org/podcast.
ITER Talks (4): Vacuum iterorganization 2021-12-13 | In the latest episode of the ITER Talks series, join ITER specialist Robert Pearce for a voyage into the universe of vacuum. Is vacuum absolutely nothing … or is it something more than you could imagine? Does a “perfect vacuum” exist? How can vacuum be defined and measured, and how did scientists come to understand it? What is the importance of vacuum for ITER?As head of the Vacuum Delivery & Installation Section at ITER, Pearce is responsible for the systems that will create the necessary vacuum conditions not only in the plasma chamber and the cryostat, but also in heating, diagnostic and auxiliary systems.
ITER - Getting closer everyday iterorganization 2021-11-15 | A round-up of ITER activities (October 2021).
ITER : Le plus grand Meccano du monde iterorganization 2021-11-09 | La troisième vidéo animée vous raconte le système de « contributions en nature » du programme ITER, ou comment chaque membre fournit à ITER Organization les pièces et systèmes de l'installation (et, pour l’Europe, les bâtiments du site de St-Paul-lez-Durance). Cette organisation permet au tissu scientifique et industriel de chacun des membres de se préparer à aborder l'étape suivante—la conception et la réalisation, d'ici le milieu de ce siècle, de prototypes de réacteur conçus pour produire de l'électricité à échelle industrielle.
La naissance du project ITER iterorganization 2021-11-09 | Dans cette deuxième vidéo de la série, retracez la naissance du programme ITER. Qui participe ? Quelles étapes dans le développement du projet ? Ou en est-on aujourd’hui ?
ITER : une énergie pour notre avenir iterorganization 2021-11-09 | Dans cette vidéo animée, la première d'une série de trois, on répond aux premières questions que l'on peut se poser sur le programme ITER. Qu'est-ce qu'un plasma et qu’est-ce que l’énergie de fusion ? Pourquoi tenter de reproduire cette source d’énergie sur Terre, si abondante dans l’univers, mais difficile à reproduire en laboratoire?
India is building the ITER cryostat iterorganization 2021-10-14 | In this nine-minute video from ITER India, follow the story of the ITER cryostat--the 3,850-tonne vacuum chamber that will surround the ITER Tokamak and provide a vacuum environment for the superconducting magnets. Built in 54 segments by Larsen & Toubro in India, the cryostat is assembled and welded into four large sections in a dedicated workshop on the ITER site and inserted in order into the Tokamak pit. Precision manufacturing, challenging welding, international collaboration ... the story has something for everyone!
ITER Talks (3): The ITER Magnets iterorganization 2021-10-04 | Based on an in-house series of lectures that ran in 2018, ITER Talks is part of a broader knowledge management program at the ITER Organization. The program aims to identify and preserve the knowledge and expertise that exists within the project, and to share and disseminate this knowledge both within the organization and globally, as a way to promote fusion. The series is fully supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which considers this initiative as a stepping-stone for other educational initiatives in the future. In this third instalment—The ITER Magnets—former Magnet Division Head and current Senior Advisor at ITER, Neil Mitchell, takes a closer look at how magnets contain and control plasma inside the tokamak. He explains the key features that allow them to perform as expected, relates the incredible story behind the design and fabrication of ITER’s ground-breaking coils, and explains how the installation and assembly of the magnet system is going on site at ITER.
ITER : FIRST RING-SHAPED COIL PRODUCED ON SITE IS POSITIONED IN THE ASSEMBLY PIT iterorganization 2021-09-20 | On 15-16 September 2021, the first poloidal field coil to be produced by the European Domestic Agency on site at ITER (PF5) was positioned at the bottom of the Tokamak pit.
ITER welcomes European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson iterorganization 2021-09-20 | Kadri Simson, European Union Commissioner for Energy, spent most of the day at ITER on Friday 17 September. 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.
ITER: THE MOST POWERFUL MAGNET IN THE WORLD iterorganization 2021-09-13 | Procured by the US, the first of the six modules of the Tokamak’s central solenoid was delivered to ITER on Thursday 9 September 2021. The force of the magnetic field generated by the 1,000-tonne column-like central solenoid could lift an aircraft carrier out of the water.
ITER Talks (2): The ITER Blanket System iterorganization 2021-09-13 | In this second ITER Talks episode meet Rene Raffray, responsible for one of the most critical components of the ITER machine: the blanket. The 440 blanket modules that completely cover the inner walls of the ITER vacuum vessel protect the steel structure and the superconducting toroidal field magnets from the heat and high-energy neutrons produced by the fusion reactions. As the neutrons are slowed in the blanket, their kinetic energy is transformed into heat energy and collected by the water coolant. In a fusion power plant, this energy will be used for electrical power production. Designing, fabricating and operating the ITER blanket will provide important information for the next-step fusion reactor, DEMO.Background information: The ITER Talks is a series of lectures on the Science and Technology of ITER and fusion, recorded by experts that are working on the ITER project. The lectures will span the science, technology, engineering, and project management challenges and other aspects of this complex endeavour. New ITER Talks will be posted periodically.
Celebration for the completion of the first ITER central solenoid module iterorganization 2021-08-30 | This ceremony recorded by General Atomics on 10 August 2021 at the firm’s Magnet Technologies Center in Poway, California, marks the successful completion and shipment of the first module of the ITER central solenoid, the world’s most powerful pulsed superconducting magnet. Source: General Atomics
How ITER will install the first piece of the plasma chamber iterorganization 2021-08-27 | In the ITER Assembly Hall the first “sector sub-assembly” (the basic “building block" of the tokamak) is progressively taking shape. Of the 27 work packages required for final installation in the assembly pit, 8 had been achieved by late August. This 4D animation shows how the 1,200-tonne sub-assembly will be transferred from the sub-assembly tool to its final destination inside the assembly pit.© Brigantium Engineering France for the ITER Organization
