Heat Exchangers & Tanks

Large tanks ready for ITER project

Two of the biggest tanks that will form part of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)’s cryoplant have been manufactured. The massive pieces of equipment, produced by Air Liquide and its subcontractor Chart Ferox, measure 35 m x 4.5 m each and called for an exceptional convoy to be transported from the French port of Marseille, Fos-sur-Mer, to the ITER construction site, Cadarache, in the country’s south. The different pieces of the biggest cryoplant in the world are coming together at galloping pace. 

F4E (Fusion for Energy) and ITER International Organisation (IO) closely supervised the manufacturing process of the two tanks, which started in August last year and was finalised this spring. The ITER machine will use powerful superconducting magnets to entrap the hot plasma which is expected to reach 150 million degrees C. For this to happen, cold helium will have to circulate inside the magnets to bring their temperature down to -269 degrees C. However, from time to time the magnets might experience a so-called quench. Basically, they will stop being superconducting, start becoming resistant and their temperature will momentarily rise by 50 degrees C. Consequently, it will no longer be possible to confine the plasma. As the temperature rises, the helium circulating through the cryogenic system will start to expand and will need to be extracted from the machine. This is where the two massive tanks, known as quench tanks, come to play. When this phenomenon occurs the gas will be directed to these tanks, where it will be captured and be stored at -196 degrees C. 

The two pieces of equipment are key to the operation of the cryogenic system of the biggest fusion device and this achievement results from the smooth collaboration between F4E, its suppliers and ITER IO. 

ITER is a first-of-a-kind global collaboration. It will be the world’s largest experimental fusion facility and is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. It is expected to produce a significant amount of fusion power (500 MW) for about seven minutes. 

Fusion is the process which powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source. Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six parties to this joint international venture (China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA), will contribute equally to the rest. The site of the ITER project is in Cadarache, in the South of France.