US ITER

Gallery

New animation of ITER central solenoidCentral Solenoid module being deliveredA view of the test environment at the Spallation Neutron Source shows a white tank containing helium on the left, the prototype cryoviscous compressor pump in the middle, and the valve box, which monitors the flow rate to the pump, on the right.US ITER toroidal field coil conductor production requires miles of niobium-tin superconducting wire.A sample of the 4.37 centimeter in diameter toroidal field cable conductor shows how densely the niobium-tin wire will be compacted within the stainless steel exterior jacketing. The hole in the center will permit liquid helium to flow through the conductor for cooling.Superconducting strand is cabled at New England Wire Technologies on 2.5 meter wide by 2 meter tall spools before shipment to Florida for conductor jacketing.The 800 meter long jacketing bench at High Performance Magnetics runs parallel to a runway under renovation at Tallahassee Regional Airport.A vacuum vessel, produced by Alloy Fabrications in Clinton, Tenn., was delivered to High Performance Magnetics on December 19, 2012.A vacuum vessel, produced by Alloy Fabrications in Clinton, Tenn., was delivered to High Performance Magnetics on December 19, 2012.A 61,000 gallon drain tank, part of the US-provided tokamak cooling water system, is lifted into the tokamak complex for installation in the basement.A A 61,000-gallon drain tank manufactured by Joseph Oat Corporation in Camden, N.J. is part of the first shipment from the United States for the ITER tokamak cooling water system.A close-up view of toroidal field production conductor. The conductor delivered in January is approximately 800 meters in length.Each drain tank will be shrink-wrapped for shipment, as shown at right.Internal image of the three-barrel repeating pneumatic deuterium pellet injector used on DIII-D for pellet ELM pacing experiments.The Oak Ridge National Laboratory-developed pellet injector is installed on the DIII-D tokamak for fueling and plasma edge control experiments.View of the drive shaft gears and top of the twin-screw extruder mechanism of the prototype developed for ITER.A tritium-compatible pump is part of a test stand used to assess pumping speed and pump reliability.The resonant line test stand is used to determine the ultimate voltage and current limits of test articles, with voltages up to 35 kV steady state and 40 kV pulsed. The white tubing is part of the outer conductor water cooling connections.Tests of the US ITER conductor support spoke design involve placing a ball on the center hub and adding pressure. Tests show that each quartz rod is able to withstand about 500 pounds, which is more than three times the requirement.Future tests will assess the performance of hybrid power splitters, such as the above prototype, which are used to protect RF transmitters from reflected power.The electron cyclotron transmission lines feature multiple lines of aluminum waveguides (two small-scale prototypes are pictured).prototype transmission line assemblyA twin-screw extruder prototype developed at ORNLA 16 mm neon–deuterium pellet, indicated by an arrow, captured with a high speed camera as it travels from left to right at about 300 meters per second in a test stand at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Pellet Lab.A three-barrel pellet injector developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the ITER disruption mitigation system.The KSTAR superconducting tokamak in Daejeon, South Korea before installation of the two shattered pellet injectors.One of two shattered pellet injectors installed on KSTAR.R&D engineer and pellet injection scientist Trey Gebhart of the Blanket and Fuel Cycle group in ORNL’s Fusion Energy Division with a pellet injection system testbed used for fusion R&D. The group leads the world in pellet injection R&D.A diagram of an equatorial port plug shows the three vertical diagnostic shield modules with detachable first wall blocks. The modular approach has many advantages including efficient design collaboration, easier maintenance and the possibility for future upgrades to the ITER diagnostic systems. Image: US ITERA full-scale prototype plate for the upper port plug was part of a test stand to measure relative flow rates for cooling needs and to prove the feasibility of the plate construction technique.The diagnostic residual gas analyzer is now in final design at ORNL. Photo: US ITER/ORNLA test stand for the low-field-side reflectometer at UCLA mimics an ITER-like waveguide route; the copper material is part of a 30 degree miter bend. ORNL designed and fabricated the waveguide. Photo: UCLAA silicon carbide disc machined with a pyramid pattern (left) is heated to well over 800° C (right) as part of electron cyclotron emission calibration testing at the University of Texas at Austin.A corner cube reflector prototype for the toroidal interferometer and polarimeter (TIP) diagnostic. Photo: PPPLA low field side reflectometer test stand at General Atomics with antennae (left) and waveguides (right).CS Cylinder for coil jointCentral solenoid winding stationCentral solenoid conductor winding.Central solenoid structure: Tie plate forging.A worker at Major Tool & Machine, Inc. in Indianapolis, Ind. installs a Supernut® into the test fixture used to measure pre-compression load. Photo: Major Tool & Machine, Inc.General Atomics in San Diego, Calif., is overseeing the fabrication of the central solenoid, including the development of specialized tooling stations. This de-spooling tool—being developed by Tauring in Torino, Italy—will become part of the part of the conductor winding station at GA. Photo: General AtomicsDrawing showing the ITER central solenoid design and one of the six modules Photo: US ITERSample conductor, which is not superconducting, has been delivered to General Atomics in preparation for fabrication of the mock-up module Photo: US ITERA “toy”-sized, but accurately scaled, version of the ITER central solenoid (left) with one of the 18 toroidal field coils, printed on a desktop 3D printer. The pink oval represents the plasma. Notice the action figure at right showing the model’s scale. Photo: US ITER/ORNLA 3D printed version of a fast gas valve for the disruption mitigation system. The 3D design is shown on the computer screen in the background. Photo: US ITERAfter the de-spooler, the conductor passes to the winding station shown above. Photo: US ITERThe first part of the central solenoid winding station is a de-spooler, shown here unwinding material for the mock-up coil. Photo: US ITERThe reaction heat treatment furnace is shown opened up; the upper portion will descend when a module is inside. Photo: US ITERTurn insulation heads fabricated by Ridgeway have been delivered and are awaiting installation at General Atomics. Photo: US ITERThe vacuum pressure impregnation station includes a resin reservoir (foreground) and a vacuum chamber that can hold a seven foot tall module. Photo:GAA partial view of the General Atomics module fabrication line, with two winding station tables visible behind a yellow rail. Photo: GAThe completely insulated qualification coil, with helium inlet pipes attached on its inner surface. The qualification coil serves to validate each step in the manufacturing process. Photo: GALower key block in test assembly at Petersen, Inc. Photo: US ITERFlex brackets after machining at Precision Custom Components in York, Pennsylvania. Each bracket is about 5 feet tall and weighs over 4 tons Photo: US ITERA lower key block assembly is prepared by a technician for shipping from Petersen, Inc. in Odgen, Utah to the ITER site. Photo: US ITERThe central solenoid is at the heart of the ITER tokamak. It both initiates plasma current and drives and shapes the plasma during operation. Image: US ITERThe installation of the cryostat base marked the start of ITER tokamak assembly.400 kV switchyardThe cryoviscous compressor prototype underwent testing at the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source cryogenic facility before shipment to the ITER site.Internal view of a pellet guide tube selector test unit.Quartz rods for 50 ohm transmission line.Scroll pumpEvacuated wave guide with fine corrugationsTypical glovebox configurationShattered pellet injection component installed in a test stand at ORNL.Toroidal field integrated conductor.Rotary joint four-port switch prototypeA close-up view of conductor shows the density of compacted strand around a helium cooling channel.Toroidal field cable-in-conduitLow field side reflectometer test stand at General Atomics.Electron cyclotron transmission lines prototype.A central solenoid module in the final test station.Each central solenoid module is tested at 4 K and 40 kA.Piping fabrication at Schulz in Krefeld, Germany.Tie plate machining at KIND under contract to Precision Custom Components.A central solenoid in fabrication after completion of helium piping.3D printed DN65 fixed to fixed ITER flange assembly prototypeTokamak cooling water system pipingCryogenic Viscous Compressor (CVC) valve boxElectron cyclotron componentCentral solenoid tie plate forgingThe resonant ring test stand at ORNL is used to test prototype componentsCentral solenoid structure lower key block test assemblyInstallation of bushings for HV transformersElectron cyclotron expansion unit prototypes manufactured by ARMEC and TELEDYNE.Miter bend assembly prototypeGuide tube selector test unit prototype guides pellets to specific locations in the plasma.Tie plate final machining at IngersollIon cyclotron bellows prototypeA close-up view of valves for the cryoviscous compressor pump prototype.Superconducting cable in conduitWave guide DC break prototypeHigh-voltage throughfeed prototypesCentral solenoid turnover toolElectron cyclotron transmission line test stand.Pellet injection guide tube selector test unit.90° Mitre bend reflector plate.Hybrid power splitters used to protect high radio frequency (RF) power transmitters from reflected power.4K test station power supply for the 110-tonne central solenoid modules.Roughing pump prototype test standCamera for inspection of electron cyclotron waveguide.The first three drain tanks were installed in the tokamak complex in 2018.Multi-jack bolt tensionerLarge high-voltage 15 kV supply line transformer.Central Solenoid Test Chamber.An early twin-screw extruder prototype for fueling.Models of low field side reflectometer antenna components.Low frequency range antenna.Service vacuum system kwik-flange prototype.Waveguide short gap expansion unit prototype.SVS pressure sensor electronics prototype.High voltage switchgear during factory acceptance testing.Central solenoid lower key block.A three-barrel prototype was developed for delivery of pellets to the plasmaWaveguide miter bend prototype.The resonant ring test stand at ORNL is used to test prototype components.Drain tank during leak testing at Joseph Oat Corporation.A view of the different barrels of the shattered pellet injection prototype.Cabled conductor at New England Wire Technologies3 barrel shattered pellet injector prototype installed in an open vacuum box in the pellet lab at ORNL.Toroidal field conductorUS drain tanks in storageUS-produced waveguide in a test stand at The National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology in Japan.