Components

How is Europe manufacturing the ITER Toroidal Field coils?

Technician lifting a Double Pancake to position it on another station, ASG Superconductors, La Spezia (Italy) © Andrea Botto

The ITER burning plasma is expected to reach 150 million °C. How are we going to confine it?

18 powerful superconducting magnets, known as Toroidal Field coils, will be powered with 68 000 A to generate a magnetic field of 11.8 Tesla (approximately 1 million times stronger the magnetic fields of the Earth!). In this “cage” we will entrap the energy of a small sun.

Europe will manufacture ten of the TF coils and Japan will produce eight plus one spare. They will be the biggest Niobium-tin (Nb3Sn) magnets ever produced. More than 600 people from 26 companies have collaborated with F4E, managing the European contribution to ITER, to produce the ten TF coils.

F4E has visited the premises of ASG Superconductors, where the core components of the TF coils are manufactured. For the first time-ever, we get to see the main fabrication steps and to meet the people behind the key operations.

Alessandro Bonito-Oliva, F4E Magnets Project Manager; Robert Harrison, F4E Technical Officer; Marc Cornelis, F4E Technical Officer, offer us a guided tour and explain how we have succeeded in manufacturing the most high-tech magnets in history!

View the clip click here

Click here to download the 3D ITER TF coils poster

martial

Recent Posts

F4E welcomes European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen

Fusion will contribute to Europe’s energy security and competitiveness.

3 days ago

F4E launches the 2026 Technology Transfer Demonstrator Call

Two selected projects will get up to 50.000 EUR to apply fusion know-how in the…

3 days ago

Europe’s fourth Vacuum Vessel sector is ready for ITER

F4E accelerates delivery in collaboration with Ansaldo Nucleare, Westinghouse and Walter Tosto.

1 week ago

Vice-President of the European Commission Teresa Ribera visits F4E in Barcelona

F4E Director and staff members present progress in fusion projects and industrial benefits.

2 weeks ago

An award for Europe’s heavy transport and logistics for ITER

F4E, Daher and CFT barge operations receive ‘Green Shipper’ prize at an international forum.

3 weeks ago

Europe’s economy benefits from F4E activities according to new study

Close to 6 billion EUR of added value and 5,600 jobs per year generated in…

4 weeks ago