The project ITER PROJECT project has completed the installation of the largest pulsed magnet system ever built. This assembly is part of the centerpiece of the Tokamak reactor, located in southern France, and is composed of multiple components manufactured by the United States, Russia, Europe and China.
Pulsed magnet system assembly
The system includes the central solenoid, a cylindrical magnet 18 meters high and weighing 1,000 tons, capable of generating a magnetic field of 13 Tesla. This element was built in the United States with niobium-tin superconductor supplied by Japan, and is vital for initiating and maintaining the plasma current that will reach 150 million degrees Celsius.
[post_relacionado]Operating next to it are six ring-shaped poloidal field magnets (manufactured by Russia, Europe and China) that stabilize and confine the plasma inside the chamber. In addition, 18 toroidal field coils, developed by Europe and Japan, generate the magnetic field that keeps the plasma in its circular trajectory. The entire system is maintained at cryogenic temperatures by liquid helium.
From superconducting components to supporting structures, the project has mobilized hundreds of companies on three continents. Europe, as host, has financed 45 % of the cost, while six other members(China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the USA) contribute 9 % each. All members share 100 % of the knowledge generated.
In summary, these have been the overall contributions: The United States has delivered the central solenoid and the exoskeleton that supports it. Russia has manufactured poloidal magnets, bus bars andlarge volumes of superconducting material.
China has developed corrector coils and magnetic feeders. Japan has participated in the production of superconductor for toroidal magnets and Korea has built the heat shields and assembly tools. India, for its part, has manufactured the cryostat that protects and covers the Tokamak.
Once operational, ITER is expected to produce 500 megawatts of fusion energy using only 50 megawatts of input power, increasing the energy yield tenfold, providing a clear example of international scientific cooperation.
What makes ITER unique is not only its technical complexity, but also the framework of international cooperation that has sustained it through changing political landscapes.
Pietro Barabaschi, ITER Director General.
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Source and photo: EurekAlert