1st European vacuum vessel sector has arrived
Of the nine vacuum vessel sectors that will form the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ tokamak’s toroidal plasma chamber, four are procured by Korea and five by Europe. Over the past four years, three Korean sectors have been delivered, and the fourth one is expected in a little more than one week. On Friday 25 October, the first European sector—vacuum vessel sector #5, manufactured in Italy—passed the gates of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ site.
In Korea, a single contractor, Hyundai Heavy Industries, is responsible for the manufacturing process for Korean sectors in the world’s largest shipyard located in Ulsan, on the east coast of the peninsula. In Europe, the choice was made to distribute the fabrication of the component between different companies mainly located in Italy, but also in Spain and Germany—all operating within the AMW consortium (Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse/Mangiarotti, Walter Tosto and subcontractors).
Whatever the organizational choices, the manufacturing process and the end product are similar. An ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ vacuum vessel sector is among the most imposing of all machine components. At close to 20 metres tall and weighing approximately 440 tonnes (600 tonnes when you count its cabin-like housing and frame), it is an exceptionally delicate load to transport.
There are now four vacuum vessel sectors on site, and there will be five by early November 2024. One (sector #7) has re-entered the module assembly process in one of the tall standing tools in the Assembly Hall. Two others are in various stages of repair—sector #6 in the second tool and sector #8 in the former Cryostat Workshop (read article in this issue).