US ITER

Hardware

Vacuum Auxiliary and Roughing Pumps Systems

The United States is responsible for the development, design, and fabrication of the vacuum auxiliary and roughing pumps systems.

ITER has unique vacuum pumping requirements due to high throughput tritium
operation. The ITER tokamak, cryostat, and auxiliary vacuum chambers must be evacuated prior to start of high vacuum operations with active vacuum pumping provided to certain clients during operations. The roughing pump system provides vacuum to the torus, neutral beam, and cryostat volumes, and supports active monitoring and vacuum distribution via the service vacuum system. The system also supports the regeneration of the torus, cryostat, and neutral beam injector cryopumps.

The vacuum auxiliary system consists of valves, pipe manifolds, high vacuum
pumping stations, sensors, and controls. Many elements are required to be compatible to high radiation and magnetic fields as well as suitable for tritium service.

View Fact Sheet

For more information, contact:

Charles Smith - Manager, Vacuum Auxiliary and Roughing Pumps Systems - US ITER Project Office

[email protected] | 865-241-8576

A 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.A twin-screw extruder prototype developed at ORNLThe vacuum pressure impregnation station includes a resin reservoir (foreground) and a vacuum chamber that can hold a seven foot tall module. Photo:GAThe cryoviscous compressor prototype underwent testing at the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source cryogenic facility before shipment to the ITER site.3D printed DN65 fixed to fixed ITER flange assembly prototype
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