The spare module for ITER's central solenoid superconducting magnet is transported to the ITER site in France. Credit: ITER Organization
The spare central solenoid module arrived safely at the ITER site in mid-January after a weeks-long journey by boat and truck from the United States.
“It’s very satisfying to see the transport executed so smoothly,” said Jeff Parrott, logistics and transportation coordinator for US ITER. “There will be other large components we deliver but none requiring the same specialized transportation logistics.”
The 121-ton spare module is the final component to be delivered for the 60-foot-tall central solenoid magnet, currently being stacked in the ITER Assembly Hall. As part of ITER’s strategy to build redundancy into mission-critical systems, a full spare module was manufactured to reduce technical and schedule risk. It will be deployed only if a problem emerges with one of the six modules already on site.
The module was manufactured by General Atomics in San Diego and first traveled by road to Houston, where it was loaded onto a ship for the south of France. After arriving at the port of Fos-sur-Mer, it was taken by barge to a staging area in Berre l’Étang before making the final leg of the journey by trailer truck to the ITER site.
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