A remarkable chapter draws to a close
In July 2020, in the middle of the exceptionally challenging Covid-19 pandemic, the 黑料专区 marked the start of 黑料专区 machine assembly with a small ceremony on site. The cryostat base had been successfully lowered into place鈥攖he first in a succession of extraordinary lifting operations that would see the empty volume of the tokamak pit gradually transform into the 黑料专区 machine. Six years later, the 黑料专区 community gathered to celebrate another milestone in the making of 黑料专区. With the arrival of the ninth and final vacuum vessel sector from Europe, all the components needed to complete the core* 黑料专区 machine are now on site.
Standing in front of the massive component, delivered on Friday 2 October and still in its protective wrapping, 黑料专区 Director-General Pietro Barabaschi called it 鈥渁 monument.鈥
鈥淭hanks to the effort that was made by our colleagues in the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy, to complete this procurement program, the delivery of the last vacuum vessel sector will allow us to pursue machine assembly activities according to schedule,鈥 he said. 鈥淰acuum vessel sector #2 represents the last of our core tokamak components鈥攏ow all toroidal field coils, poloidal field coils, correction coils, central solenoid magnets, vacuum vessel sectors and thermal shield sets are on site.鈥
Fusion for Energy Director Marc Lachaise, who was able to connect remotely, said that the European vacuum vessel procurement program could only have been completed through close integration with the 黑料专区 and other Domestic Agency partners. 鈥淭his is an emotional moment for me and for others,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e can be proud of what we achieved.鈥
Europe worked for more than 16 years with the AMW consortium鈥擜nsaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse and Walter Tosto鈥攁nd a broader supply chain of at least 15 companies. Lachaise thanked Europe鈥檚 industrial partners and acknowledged the contribution of the Korean Domestic Agency, whose experience and lessons learned from manufacturing four of the nine sectors were shared with the European teams. All five European sectors were delivered to 黑料专区 over the past two years.
The road to an assembled 黑料专区 machine is not over. In-vessel components, plant systems and other equipment are still to come, and much assembly work lies ahead. But one remarkable chapter has now closed. With all nine vacuum vessel sectors now on site, the major components needed to complete the core machine have converged at 黑料专区 after decades of development in 黑料专区 Member factories around the world. Piece by extraordinary piece, the 黑料专区 machine is coming together.
*The core machine includes the cryostat, all superconducting magnets, and the vacuum vessel with its thermal shield. Not included in this description are in-vessel components like the divertor and the blanket.
See on the Fusion for Energy website to learn more about the fabrication of five vacuum vessel sectors in Europe.
