ITER: design, construction and operation of te first experimental nuclear fusion reactor

The ITER project's mission is to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power for peaceful purposes and its now under construction at Saint Paul-Lez-Durance (France). The ITER reactor is based on the 'tokamak' concept of plasma magnetic confinement, in which the fusion (deuterium-tritium) fuel is contained in a doughnut-shaped vessel. The plasma is kept away from the vessel walls by strong magnetic fields produced by superconducting coils surrounding the vessel and by an electrical current driven in the plasma. The ITER reactor is designed to generate 500 MW of fusion power for periods of 300 to 500 seconds with a fusion power multiplication factor, Q, of at least 10 (Q ≥ 10). ITER will also aim at demonstrating long fusion power production pulses, of at least 1000 seconds, with a fusion power multiplication factor of 5 and, ultimately, of 1 hour duration (only limited by hardware design limits) when full non-inductive operation is demonstrated. The presentation will cover the following aspects of the ITER reactor design, construction and foreseen operation: a) The basis for power production by magnetic confinement tokamak fusion reactors. b) The main features of the ITER tokamak reactor design. c) The key design principles of the ITER tokamak and of the key ancillary systems required for the operational scenarios considered to achieve the project's mission. d) The design and progress in qualification and manufacturing of the key ITER tokamak infrastructure, tokamak components and ancillary systems. e) The operational plan from the initial commissioning phase, through operation with non-nuclear hydrogen-helium plasmas to nuclear operation with deuterium-tritium plasmas and the demonstration of high Q fusion power. (author)