Force cooled quench tanks for the ITER cryogenic system

The toroidal field magnets of ITER contain over 7 tons of helium. Most of the inventory is expelled from the magnets in case of a quench and it needs to be captured in external storage vessels (Quench Tanks). Force cooled technology with external gas circulation was chosen for these vessels in order to optimize their footprint, risks, and costs. This paper outlines the input data, assumptions, and studies performed in order to choose the most appropriate technology for the Quench Tanks. Further studies to demonstrate feasibility and ensure the required performance, as well as some peculiarities of the design and manufacturing of Quench Tanks are also described. (paper)