Assembling the ITER vacuum chamber marks an important milestone in the construction of the tokamak and represents a technological achievement that will test the limits of precision and coordination in international engineering cooperation.
Under the terms of the contract, Westinghouse Electric Company is responsible for one of the most demanding and important stages of assembling the ITER fusion reactor: the final assembly of the vacuum chamber. This component is referred to as the ‘heart’ of the tokamak and is the central element of the entire installation, where high-energy fusion plasma will be maintained.
The ITER vacuum chamber is a hermetically sealed, double-walled steel torus, representing extraordinary engineering complexity and uncompromising quality standards. Consisting of nine giant sectors, it was manufactured and delivered by various project partners. Having been involved in the construction of this structure for over a decade, Westinghouse will now be responsible for assembling the sectors into a single, sealed, monolithic system with precision.
This includes the simultaneous welding of nine sector modules of the vacuum vessel to form a single circular torus.
As Pietro Barabaschi, ITER’s General Director, pointed out: “We are confident in entrusting Westinghouse Electric Company with such an important role in our pioneering ITER project.”
This decision is based on the company’s extensive experience of implementing advanced nuclear projects, as well as its proven contribution to constructing the vacuum chamber. In collaboration with Ansaldo Nucleare and Walter Tosto, Westinghouse manufactured five of the nine sectors using advanced manufacturing techniques and strict quality control, in line with the ITER programme’s rigorous standards.
However, the assembly of the vacuum chamber does not end with the delivery and installation of the sectors. The most critical and intensive stage is the simultaneous welding of all nine segments. This process requires precision in terms of both dimensions and tightness due to the vacuum conditions and extreme loads that will prevail inside the torus during reactor operation.
The value of the assembly contract is $180 million.
Westinghouse has a wealth of experience in designing and building nuclear power plants, and we are confident that they will make excellent use of their expertise in the assembly of the ITER Tokamak. Westinghouse has always been at the forefront of innovative solutions in the energy sector, which is why we are proud to be working with ITER on this groundbreaking project, which can ensure energy security for future generations,” said Dan Sumner, acting CEO of Westinghouse.
Sumner also confirms that the company’s experts are ready to take on this task: ‘Our experts are ready to leverage Westinghouse’s world-class capabilities and experience in delivering such an important project.’
Photo: ITER
