The first step in the fabrication of the full-size, superconducting prototype of a toroidal field coil double pancake has been successfully carried out in Europe. Winding was completed at the beginning of August at the ASG premises in La Spezia, Italy.

The European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy, is responsible for procuring ten toroidal field coils (and Japan, nine). These D-shaped coils will be operated with an electrical current of 68,000 amps in order to produce the magnetic field that confines and holds the plasma in place. Toroidal field coils will weigh approximately 300 tons, and measure 16.5 m in height and 9.5 m in width.

The first stage of toroidal field coil manufacturing - the winding of the double pancakes - is the most challenging. It consists of bending the conductor length along a D-shaped double spiral trajectory. As the conductor must fit precisely inside the radial plate groove, it is vital to control its trajectory in the double pancake and in the groove of the radial plate with extremely high accuracy. The trajectory of the conductor, in particular, must be controlled with accuracy as high as 0.01 percent.

For the European commitments to ITER, a consortium made up of ASG (Italy), Iberdrola (Spain) and Elytt (Spain) will manufacture the full-size, superconducting prototype as well as the production toroidal field coil double pancakes in the future.

Work on the module is scheduled to be completed early in 2014, in time to allow for the prototype to be tested at -77 K in order to assess the effect of the low temperature. The module will then be cut in sections in order to analyze the impregnation of the insulation.

ITER Progress in Russia

During the week of 26 August, ITER Director-General Osamu Motojima traveled to Russia, visiting three cities and signing two Procurement Arrangements in four days.

Accompanied by Deputy Director-General Alexander Alekseev, head of the Tokamak Directorate, the ITER Director-General began his trip at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Novosibirsk, where he signed the Procurement Arrangement for Equatorial Port 11 Engineering, for the engineering of diagnostic systems into vacuum vessel Port 11. The Budker Institute will be responsible for the scope of work.

The Budker Institute already plays a key part in the development of high-tech electron equipment, engineering of diagnostic systems into the vacuum vessel ports, and research into the investigation of high-temperature plasma impact on reactor's first wall materials as well as developing, manufacturing, and testing equipment for the ITER machine.

According to the Head of the Russian ITER Domestic Agency, Anatoly Krasilnikov, equipment development for ITER's plasma diagnostics engineering will take five to seven years and will require constant interaction with the ITER Project's other partners. In all, the Budker Institute will develop five engineering systems for ITER's vacuum vessel ports.

The delegation from ITER also visited the Institute of Applied Physics and the enterprise GYCOM in Nizhniy Novgorod, where gyrotron component manufacturing and assembly are conducted as well as the development of infrastructure equipment such as cryomagnetic systems, measurement and technological devices, and part of the energy sources required for the gyrotrons. Procurement of the ITER gyrotrons is a matter of special pride to the Institute of Applied Physics, because it was here that this device was invented. More than half of existing experimental fusion facilities in the world currently uses gyrotrons from Nizhniy Novgorod.

The final destination stop was in Moscow. At Project Center ITER (the Russian Domestic Agency for ITER), Director-General Motojima signed the Procurement Arrangement for the Thomson Scattering diagnostic system, one of 21 systems that Russia will deliver to ITER before 2024.

ITER Progress in Japan

A significant Procurement Arrangement was concluded recently between the ITER Organization and the Japanese Domestic Agency for four key diagnostic systems for ITER.

The Divertor Impurity Monitor is a window to the operation of the divertor, monitoring impurity flows and allowing the optimization of operation. Divertor Thermography gives a detailed view of the heat load profile of the divertor targets - a key diagnostic for the protection of divertor components. Edge Thomson Scattering is used to measure the temperature and density profile of the edge of the ITER plasma, providing useful information in the study of the confinement properties of the plasma edge and for the optimization of fusion performance. And finally, the Poloidal Polarimeter will measure the plasma current density across the plasma cross-section (the current profile). The details of this profile affect stability and heat transport in the core and must be carefully measured and adjusted to achieve ITER's long pulses.

The signature represents a key milestone for both the Japanese Domestic Agency and the ITER Organization, and an important milestone for the project schedule. The long-distance coordination of the Procurement Arrangement signature went smoothly - the document was first signed by ITER Director-General Motojima, before being transported half way around the world by courier to be signed by T. Oikawa, the Director of International Affairs, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).

China-Korea Fusion Collaboration

A bilateral meeting was held between China and Korea on 11-12 July in Changsha, China to promote collaboration on the development of fusion energy and the joint implementation of the ITER Project.

This first Joint Coordination Meeting (JCM-1) took place between representatives of the Chinese MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology) and Korea's MSIP (Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Future Planning), with representatives of the Chinese and Korean Domestic Agencies for ITER, national fusion institutes, and universities present. Linhao Chen, Deputy Director-General of MOST's Department of International Cooperation, chaired the meeting.

Exchanging information on their respective fusion programs, the delegations elaborated plans for joint research and workshops and the exchange of information and personnel.

The meeting took place on the heels of an encounter in June 2013 between Chinese President Xi and Korean President Park. Geun Jae Lee, head of the Korean delegation and Director-General of the R&D Policy Bureau of MSIP, underlined the meaningfulness of JCM-1 meeting in this context, expressing his confidence in the contribution of the two countries to ITER Project and fusion energy commercialization.

"This was a milestone meeting," said Luo Delong, acting head of the Chinese Domestic Agency, "one which I am sure will encourage stronger cooperation and further the relationship between our two countries." Kijung Jung, head of the Korean Domestic Agency, emphasized the longtime friendship between the two countries in working toward fusion energy development and shared his belief that they would play an important role in the success of ITER Project.

The next bilateral meeting should take place in July 2014 in Korea.

Progress on ITER Fueling Systems in USA

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a continuous extruder for fusion fuel and are advancing state-of-the-art fuelling and plasma control for ITER. Reliable, high-speed continuous fuelling is essential for ITER to meet its goal of operating at 500 MW for several minutes at a time.

The latest pellet injection experiments using US ITER prototype designs were performed during the week of 22 July at the DIII-D Tokamak operated by General Atomics in San Diego, California. The conceptual design review for the ITER pellet injection system was completed earlier this year, and preparations are now underway for full-scale prototype testing.

The task of the pellet injection system is to provide plasma fuelling, while also lessening the impact of plasma instabilities due to large transient heat loads. The ITER pellet injectors must operate continuously, which is very different from most existing tokamak pellet injectors. The ITER machine also requires a higher rate of pellet fuelling throughput. According to Dave Rasmussen, team leader for the US ITER pellet injection and disruption mitigation systems, "The ITER pellet injectors will require an increase in the deuterium-tritium mass flow and duration by a factor of 1,000 compared to present systems."

ITER Progress in Spain

Spain's relationship with ITER is especially close as the city of Barcelona hosts the European agency Fusion for Energy, which manages the European contribution to the Project. Spanish research centres - led by CIEMAT and in cooperation with other European partners - play a crucial role in ITER by contributing to the development of diagnostic systems, plasma heating components, test blanket modules, and control and data acquisition systems.

The Centre for the Industrial and Technological Development (CDTI) promotes the participation of Spanish industry and acts as a focal point between companies and ITER. For Spanish industry, ITER is a unique opportunity to develop cutting-edge technologies, but also an occasion to foster commercial products in industrial areas outside fusion energy. This cross-fertilization will contribute to the scientific and technological progress in the coming decades. Since 2008, Spanish companies have earned an increasing number of contracts for ITER, with a peak in 2012. According to the latest estimates, Spanish industry has won over EUR 400 million in contracts in a highly competitive market, with many opportunities for participation ongoing. Spanish industrial capabilities cover a wide range of technological areas, making it possible to participate in the fabrication of many ITER components such as the vacuum vessel, magnets, buildings, test blankets modules, plant systems, in-vessel components, remote handling, safety, instrumentation and control and CODAC, to name but a few.

Educating the Next Generation

Twenty promising students with a high level of specialization in fusion were the recipients on 27 September of the first Fusion Master and Fusion Doctorate certificates awarded by FuseNet, the European Fusion Education Network that was established in response to the emerging need to educate the "ITER generation."

With fusion research transitioning from the laboratory to industrial scale, a broad range of highly skilled engineers, in addition to physicists, will be needed to operate ITER and to develop the science and technology required to build a fusion power plant. It is this need that FuseNet seeks to address. The 40+ members of the FuseNet Association (universities, fusion research centres including ITER, and industry) have joined forces and resources to attract the brightest students to fusion and offer them the best possible education program.

The first round of certificates were presented to nominated students in recognition of excellence in fusion science and technology in a ceremony at JET by the EFDA leader Francesco Romanelli, FuseNet's Academic Council chair Ambrogio Fasoli, and FuseNet chairman Niek Lopes Cardozo. Applications for European Fusion Master or Doctorate certificates are evaluated twice per year. Full information can be found on the FuseNet website: www/fusenet.eu/.

ITER Manufacturing Readiness Review

Colleagues from US ITER, ITER Korea, and the ITER Organization gathered in Ulsan, South Korea on September 25-27 at the premises of Hyundai Heavy Industries to participate in the Manufacturing Readiness Review for the ITER Steady State Electrical Network (SSEN) High Voltage Substation Transformers. This review is a crucial step towards powering the ITER facility.

The four transformer units, each rated 400/23.1kV, 75MVA, serve to connect the ITER site's 400kV Prionnet substation, operated by the French operator RTE, to the ITER SSEN AC distribution system. The SSEN, together with the PPEN (Pulsed Power Electrical Network), provides all electrical power to the ITER facility.

The SSEN provides power to all of the conventional "steady" loads of ITER, including the cooling water systems, the cryoplant, and all other loads demanded by the site infrastructure up to and including the HVAC and lighting of the buildings. The PPEN provides power to the "pulsed" systems of ITER, including the magnet power supplies and plasma heating systems.

Following the review resolution process, Hyundai Heavy Industries will submit a revised documentation package that will reviewed and approved by US ITER and the ITER Organization; then, a Manufacturing Release will be issued and fabrication will begin.

Hyundai Heavy Industries is among the leading power transformer manufacturers in the world, with an annual production capacity of 120,000 MVA, and unit ratings up to 765kV and 1500MVA. The transformer manufacturing facility is part of the massive Hyundai industrial complex located adjacent to Ulsan harbor.

ITER STAC Meeting

During its recent meeting, the ITER Council Science and Technology Advisory Committee (STAC) paved the way for two important technical decisions that will have positive impact on the performance of the ITER machine and on its scientific schedule.

Pending the adoption of the STAC proposal by the ITER Council on 20-21 November, the ITER divertor will be equipped with tungsten (W) targets right from the start of operations, and two in-vessel coil systems (the ELM control and the vertical stability coils), will be in the ITER Baseline.

The decision to go ahead with the full tungsten divertor is based on the successful testing of tungsten prototype modules at the high heat flux ITER Divertor Test Facility in St. Petersburg, Russia, and on the encouraging experimental results of a controlled shallow melting of the W divertor recently experienced on JET.

On the subject of in-vessel coils, the STAC was pleased with the "considerable progress" made on the design and prototype development. The conductors for both ELM and vertical stability (VS) coils have been manufactured and the bending, forming and winding trials are being performed successfully at the Institute of Plasma Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP). Anna Encheva, the responsible engineer for ITER's in-vessel coils, reported that the completion of the prototypes is expected by the end of this year, with the testing assessment scheduled for March 2014. Some technical challenges remain to be solved, such as the brazing of the joints to the coils and to the feeders and brazing of multiple supports to the conductor.

Progress on Poloidal Field Coils

The first of a number of work packages for the manufacturing of ITER's poloidal field coils has been signed by the European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy (F4E).

The Engineering Integrator contract was awarded to ASG Superconductors (Italy) in August 2013. As Engineering Integrator, ASG will be responsible for issuing a manufacturing plan for ITER's poloidal field coils. ASG will also support F4E in the procurement of the tooling and equipment for component manufacture and supervise the manufacturing and cold test activities. A team of approximately 20 engineers will work under the contract, worth approximately EUR 27.5 million.

Europe is responsible for the fabrication and testing of ITER poloidal field coils 2-6 (poloidal field coil 1 will be supplied by Russia). Coils 2-5 will be manufactured and tested in Europe, while poloidal field coil 6 will be manufactured in China and cold tested in Europe. Cold testing will involve cooling the coils to low temperature (80 K) in order to reproduce the thermal stresses that will be experienced during ITER operation.

Tokamak Complex Building Progress

The European Domestic Agency for ITER, Fusion for Energy, has concluded a EUR 530 million contract for Tokamak Complex building services with a Franco-German consortium comprising Cofely Axima, Cofely Ineo and Cofely Endel (part of the GDF Suez Group) and the M+W Group GmbH. This is the largest contract ever awarded for the ITER Project by Europe, which is responsible for the construction of 39 scientific buildings and dedicated areas on the ITER platform.

The building services contract covers the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the mechanical and electrical equipment for the Tokamak Complex plus the surrounding buildings - a total volume of 97,200 m3. Scope will include an HVAC system (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) powerful enough to treat 1,000,000 m³ of airflow/hour, Instrumentation & Control (I&C) systems, power supplies, interior and exterior lighting, gas and liquid networks, state-of-the-art fire detection and extinguishing systems (2,000 fire detectors), pipe fittings, and handling equipment with various interfaces to buildings and systems.

Progress on Tokamak Cooling Water System

The ITER Organization and the US Domestic Agency have signed two agreements that will permit a more cost- and time-efficient procurement and integration process of the Tokamak Cooling Water System (TCWS) piping as well as the completion of the final design of the largest TCWS components such as the pressure vessel, pumps and heat exchangers. The agreements, signed on 31 October, describe the transfer of responsibility from the US Domestic Agency to the ITER Organization for the execution of the design, procurement and pre-assembly of TCWS piping and the completion of the final design of the system.

In 2009 the ITER Organization and US ITER signed the Procurement Arrangement for the TCWS. While the global responsibility for this procurement remains unchanged, the agreements signed last week allow TCWS piping to become part of one centralized procurement for all ITER piping equipment - some 60 km of pipes (1,700 tons), approximately 4,000 valves and 400 tons of pipe supports.

"This centralized approach permits the ITER Organization to occupy the role of unique design authority and Nuclear Operator in its interfaces with the French Nuclear Regulator (ASN), thereby mitigating the risk for potential impact on cost and schedule for procurement and assembly," explains Giovanni Dell'Orco, Cooling Water System Section leader. Another important advantage he sees is the option now to have the pre-assembly and pre-testing of the system performed in a local workshop, which will simplify the final assembly on site.

As for the largest TCWS components, they will still be manufactured under US Domestic Agency responsibility and delivered to the ITER site. However, their design will be finalized and their integration overseen by the ITER Organization. "We hope that by doing it this way the integration of these systems will be facilitated, given the stringent safety requirements and the complexity of the interfaces with many clients."

For more information on ITER progress visit: http://www.iter.org