ITER

Description

Argolabe has participated in the design and industrialization of the tools to manufacture, through resin infusion, the poloidal coils of up to 25 meters in diameter and weighing 400 tons of the TOKAMAK nuclear fusion reactor of the international project.

The ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project is a large-scale international scientific experiment that attempts to produce a fusion plasma from hydrogen isotopes and obtain net energy. Its objective is to test all the elements necessary for the construction and operation of a nuclear fusion reactor that would serve as a commercial demonstration, in addition to bringing together the technological and scientific resources of the research programs developed in this area by the United States, the Soviet Union , Europe and Japan. ITER is being built in France and will cost approximately €24 billion, making it the fifth most expensive project in history.
Argolabe has participated in the design and industrialization of the tools to manufacture, through resin infusion, the poloidal coils of up to 25 meters in diameter and weighing 400 tons of the TOKAMAK nuclear fusion reactor of the international ITER project.

The key to success

Starting from the geometric design of the coils defined in the project, several precise, modular and multilayer tools have been developed, in collaboration with the company Ellyt Energy, that can be used to build coils of different sizes. These tools are assembled as if it were a puzzle, with small pieces that do not require special manipulators except a lift or crane.

How we achieve this

The poloidal coils of the TOKAMAK reactor have been successfully manufactured using these tools and are already installed in the reactor itself, which is scheduled to generate plasma in 2025. The plasma is generated by heating hydrogen gas to 150 million ºC using electrical currents very high levels that circulate through the coils. Hydrogen in the form of plasma is essential for the nuclear fusion reaction to be triggered.

Multi-layer modular design.

Very tight design and manufacturing tolerance.

Reuse of tools to manufacture coils of different diameters.

External tightening system with full control of the mechanical pressure on the coil during the infusion process.

Monitoring system with full temperature control throughout the tooling during the resin infusion and curing process.

Helium gas injection system to check the tightness of the tooling. This system allows for early detection of possible leaks that could compromise the vacuum pressure during the resin infusion and curing process.

Electrode system that is applied to the terminals of the copper spiral winding that allows the coil to be heated by the Joule effect, to guarantee the optimal temperature in the resin curing cycle.

Gallery