See the arrival of the first-ever European components to ITER

The delivery of the first-ever European components to ITER has qualified as one of the key moments of the project carrying tremendous symbolic importance. It has been a turning point for Europe, the party with the largest contribution to the biggest scientific collaboration in the field of energy, paving the way for many more components to come.

To capture history in the making we filmed the arrival of the six water detritiation tanks that will be part of the ITER fuel cycle system. The contract awarded to Ensa builds on the expertise of Empresarios Agrupados and GEA as subcontractors. It has taken roughly 20 months for the six tanks to be designed and manufactured, whose cost has been in the range of 2 million EUR.

We interviewed representatives of F4E and Ensa, the Spanish company responsible for the design and manufacturing of the components, in order to learn more about the manufacturing process and their function in the machine. Alain Teissier, F4E’s Head for the ITER Cryoplant and Fuel Cycle, explains the importance of this achievement giving us some details about the works that have been carried out. Giovanni Piazza, F4E’s Technical Officer for the Tritium Plant, explains the process of the fusion reaction and role of the tanks during the fuel recovery phase. Josep Benet, F4E’s Technical Officer for the Tritium Plant, shows us the tanks and enters into more details about their dimensions and tolerances. On behalf of the contractors, David de Francisco, Ensa Project Engineer, elaborates on the technical challenges they faced and the importance of contributing to a project like ITER.