US ITER

First US Components Installed in Tokamak Complex

Published: by Lynne Degitz
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 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. Photo: ITER Organization

Three drain tanks were the first  US-supplied components installed in the ITER tokamak complex this past weekend. Two more US-provided drain tanks will be installed later in the construction sequence. The drain tanks are part of the tokamak cooling water system, which will serve as the primary cooling system for the ITER machine. During operation, the system has the capacity to remove 1 GW of heat from client systems and transfer the heat through the distribution system to an interface with India’s scope: the secondary cooling system.

A "normal" 61,000 gallon drain tank is lowered into the B2 level of the tokamak complex. The embedded plates in the basement are visible on the walls.
A “normal” 61,000 gallon drain tank is lowered into the B2 level of the tokamak complex. The embedded plates in the basement are visible on the walls.

The five drain tanks were delivered to the ITER site in 2015. This early delivery met construction sequencing requirements for captive components. The drain tanks were manufactured by Joseph Oat Corporation in Camden, New Jersey under contract to Areva Federal Services in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tanks were the first ITER components to be manufactured in the US to comply with French nuclear safety pressure regulations.