(Finance) – ITERthe maxi international project that aims to build an experimental reactor for nuclear fusion, has reached an important milestoneas the first subsection of the ITER plasma chamber has been successfully moved from equipment and dropped into its final destination. In reality, the component is currently suspended above its supports on the floor of the assembly pit, while the ITER metrologists make the final measurements before lowering it onto its supports and completing its long and complex journey.
The operation is one of a kind and spectacular, because they were took several months of preparation to finalize the operation and the total weight of the component plus the equipment was of 1,380 tons, very close to the maximum rated lifting capacity of the double bridge crane in the ITER Assembly Hall (1,500 tons). A margin of only 20 cm from the concrete wall that delimits the machine assembly pit and therefore were reached millimeter level tolerances nel placement of a component that is as tall as a six-story building and weighs the equivalent of four fully loaded Boeing 747s.
“This first milestone in Tokamak assembly marks a new stage in Ansaldo Nucleare’s commitment to support the ITER project and, more generally, in the creation of 360-degree industrial skills, from engineering to construction, to make the exploitation of nuclear fusion a concrete option for the future of energy, “he said Roberto AdinolfiChairman and interim CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare.
The “piece” of the positioned ITER machine represents a ninth of the toroidal plasma chamber. It is a set made up of a sector of a vacuum chamber at 40 ° equipped with thermal shields coated in silver and two superconducting electromagnets vertical D-shaped called toroidal field coils. Eight other similar assemblies will form the complete chamber and superstructure of the surrounding toroidal field coil. The creation of the ensemble was made with specialized equipment in the ITER Assembly Hall between March and December 2021.
The lifting operation required several months of preparation for the entire team of ITER And DYNAMIC SNCthe Franco-Italian joint venture responsible for the TAC2 contract and composed of Ansaldo Nucleare, Endel Engie, Orys Group ORTEC, SIMIC, Ansaldo Energia and Leading Metal Mechanic Solutions SL. On site, the operation was carried out by DYNAMIC SNC with the crane operator Foselev and metrologists coordinated by the ITER Organization.
“Dynamic and all its partners thank the ITER Organization for having had the opportunity to contribute to this important milestone in the future development of more sustainable energy,” he said. Luigi PapiniDynamic Project Director.