tech
Photos: Building the World’s Largest Fusion Reactor
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is one of the largest and most expensive science projects in history. Thirty-five nations are working together to build a massive magnetic fusion device in France to prove the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.
TL;DR
- Four massive, 1,200-ton vacuum-vessel modules are being installed in the ITER tokamak.
- The tokamak complex, weighing 300,000 tons, is built on 493 anti-seismic bearings.
- Construction is ongoing at the 100-acre site in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, France, with a goal of first plasma generation by 2033.
- Thirty-five nations are collaborating on the project, contributing components and sharing costs.
- The central solenoid, fabricated by the US, acts as a powerful superconducting magnet.
- The cryostat will be the world's largest stainless-steel high-vacuum pressure chamber.
- Robotic tools are being developed and tested for component installation inside the vacuum vessel.