US ITER will contribute hardware in support of 12 different ITER systems.
The ITER Tokamak will be the largest ever built, with a plasma volume of 840 cubic meters and a weight of 23,000 tons. The maximum plasma volume in current tokamaks is 100 cubic meters - achieved by both Europe's JET and Japan's JT-60. ITER members will share hardware procurements for the design and construction of this record-breaking device.
US hardware contributions to the ITER project include design and fabrication for:
- Tokamak Cooling Water Systems | to manage temperatures generated during the operation of the tokamak
- Diagnostics | to provide the measurements necessary to control, evaluate and optimize plasma performance and to further the understanding of plasma physics
- Disruption Mitigation Systems | to limit the impact of plasma current disruptions to the tokamak vacuum vessel, blankets, and other components
- Electron Cyclotron Heating Transmission Lines | to bring additional heat to the plasma and to deposit heat in specific areas of the plasma to minimize instabilities
- Exhaust Processing Systems | to separate hydrogen isotopes from tokamak exhaust
- Pellet Inject (Fueling) Systems | to inject gaseous fusion fuels (deuterium-tritium ice pellets) into the vacuum chamber
- Instrumentation and Controls for the following US systems: Tokamak cooling water system, electron cyclotron transmission lines, ion cyclotron transmission lines, diagnostics, pellet injection, and vacuum auxiliary systems.
- Ion Cyclotron Heating Transmission Lines | to bring additional heat to the plasma
- Magnet System: Toroidal Field Conductor | to confine, shape and control the plasma inside the vacuum vessel
- Magnet System: Central Solenoid | to induce the majority of the magnetic flux change needed to initiate the plasma, generate the plasma current, and maintain this current during the burn time
- Steady State Electrical Network | to supply the electricity needed to operate the entire plant, including offices and the operational facilities
- Vacuum Auxiliary and Roughing Pumps Systems | to create low density in the vacuum vessel
In addition, the US is contributing to the design of both the tokamak blanket/shield and the edge localized modes which support vertical stabilization of the plasma.
Last Updated: August 28, 2018 - 3:19 pm