Speaker
Bernard Bigot
(ITER Organization)
Description
Established by the signature of the ITER Agreement in November 2006, the ITER project is a critical step in the development of fusion energy: its role is to confirm the feasibility of exploiting magnetic confinement fusion for the production of energy for peaceful purposes by providing an integrated demonstration of the physics and technology required for a fusion power plant.
Supported by impressive achievements in fusion technology R&D, manufacturing of ITER components is in full swing across the world and the facility is taking shape at St-Paul-lez-Durance. The international collaboration formed around the production of superconducting magnets for the ITER tokamak has produced over 600 t of Nb3Sn and almost 250 t of NbTi superconducting strand, with 80% of the superconductors required for the ITER magnets now complete, and coil fabrication activities underway in 6 of the 7 partners’ factories. Fabrication of the vacuum vessel and thermal shield is moving forward, while the first elements of the cryostat (~29 m diameter x ~29 m height) have been delivered to the ITER site. R&D prototyping and testing of major elements of systems such as plasma facing components, heating and current drive systems, remote handling and power supplies are also at an advanced stage.
With on-site construction of the Assembly Hall and Tokamak nuclear complex advancing rapidly, the organizational framework for the initial installation and assembly activities has been defined. To meet the challenges associated with the management of the manufacturing and construction activities, the overall project organization has been strengthened, with a tighter integration between the ITER Organization Central Team and Domestic Agencies. The presentation will review the progress made in developing the advanced technologies required for ITER, the measures taken to establish a more effective project organization and the status of construction of the ITER facility.
Keywords: Fusion, Tokamak, Burning Plasma, Superconductivity, Vacuum Vessel, Cryostat, Nuclear Safety
Co-author
Bernard Bigot
(ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS90 046, 13067 St Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, France)
