Watch the delivery of the ITER Quench Tanks

Here is your chance to see the delivery of the impressive tanks that will be part of ITER’s Cryogenic system.

The two massive components are part of F4E’s contribution to ITER and have been manufactured by Air Liquide and their subcontractor Chart Ferox. After four nights en route, an exceptional convoy of 140 m brought the two tanks on-site. The operation was overviewed by DAHER, responsible for the global logistics of the ITER project. The tanks have a length of 35 m, a diameter of 4.5 m and their weight is the range of approximately 160 T each, which compares with that of a blue whale, our planet’s heaviest mammal.

We travelled to Cadarache and interviewed representatives of F4E, ITER IO and Air Liquide, to find out more about these two exceptional components. David Grillo, Head of ITER IO Cryogenics Team, explains why the biggest fusion device, designed to host a super-hot plasma of 150 million °C, will require a sophisticated refrigerator to generate very low temperatures. Marc Simon, F4E Deputy Head of Cryogenics, elaborates on how Europe contributes to one of the biggest cryoplants in the world. Grigory Kouzmenko, F4E Technical Officer, describes the role of the quench tanks when ITER will be in operational mode and Roger Martín Fernandez, F4E Technical Officer, gives a detailed account of their technical specifications. Finally, Didier Magnet, Head of ITER Operations for Air Liquide, highlights the merits of their involvement to this one-of-a-kind international collaboration.

Here is your chance to see the delivery of the impressive tanks that will be part of ITER’s Cryogenic system.

The two massive components are part of F4E’s contribution to ITER and have been manufactured by Air Liquide and their subcontractor Chart Ferox. After four nights en route, an exceptional convoy of 140 m brought the two tanks on-site. The operation was overviewed by DAHER, responsible for the global logistics of the ITER project. The tanks have a length of 35 m, a diameter of 4.5 m and their weight is the range of approximately 160 T each, which compares with that of a blue whale, our planet’s heaviest mammal.

We travelled to Cadarache and interviewed representatives of F4E, ITER IO and Air Liquide, to find out more about these two exceptional components. David Grillo, Head of ITER IO Cryogenics Team, explains why the biggest fusion device, designed to host a super-hot plasma of 150 million °C, will require a sophisticated refrigerator to generate very low temperatures. Marc Simon, F4E Deputy Head of Cryogenics, elaborates on how Europe contributes to one of the biggest cryoplants in the world. Grigory Kouzmenko, F4E Technical Officer, describes the role of the quench tanks when ITER will be in operational mode and Roger Martín Fernandez, F4E Technical Officer, gives a detailed account of their technical specifications. Finally, Didier Magnet, Head of ITER Operations for Air Liquide, highlights the merits of their involvement to this one-of-a-kind international collaboration.

Click on the clip to see the spectacular arrival of the ITER quench tanks.

If you cannot view the clip click here