20 Jun (NucNet): The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) project in southern France is moving towards the full construction phase with construction of the main tokamak complex under way and “more efficient cooperation” between the central Iter Organisation and its seven domestic agencies.
At its twelfth meeting recently in Tokyo, Japan, the Iter Council said there had been progress in on-site construction of the Iter scientific facilities and in the manufacturing of its components.
Thanks to major contracts placed recently, construction of the main tokamak complex has begun. There has been more efficient cooperation between the Iter Organisation and the seven domestic agencies to achieve “faster decision making and improved work performance”.
In a statement today Iter said the project is “transitioning” to full construction. The statement said many leading industries are now involved in the project. The first delivery of large components is expected on site in the third quarter of 2014.
However, Iter said it is looking for ways to increase “schedule performance” on the manufacturing of systems and components required for first plasma. Iter is making sustained efforts to stay on-schedule, but the Iter Council said there were challenges because of the first-of-a-kind nature of the project.
There has been significant progress in the manufacturing of Iter magnets. More than 420 tonnes of niobium-tin strand (Nb3Sn) for the toroidal field conductors has now been produced by the six procuring members, representing 90 percent of project needs. Also, 133 tonnes of niobium-titanium (NbTi) strand for the poloidal field conductors (51 percent of project needs) has been produced by China, Europe and Russia.
The two-day meeting on 19 and 20 June 2013 brought together senior representatives from all seven Iter members – China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US – under the chairmanship of Hideyuki Takatsu of Japan.
A special meeting with representation at ministerial level will take place on 6 September 2013 at Iter headquarters in France, allowing progress on the vast international collaboration for nuclear fusion to be seen first-hand by all members.
Iter is being built at France’s Cadarache nuclear facility in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance. It is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power and will be the world’s largest experimental fusion facility.
Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released.
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