Load tests
Heavyweight champion
23 Jul 2019
-
R.A.
The Assembly Hall, with its two giant tools towering 20 metres above ground, is one of the most spectacular locations on the ITER site. When a dummy load weighing as much as a fully loaded 747 is slowly upended, displaced and eventually installed into one of the tool's wings, spectacular gives way to awesome.
When spectacular gives way to awesome: the 360-tonne dummy load, representing a toroidal field coil, is being slowly upended using both the double overhead crane at one end and a powerful telescopic crane at the other.
Moving to vertical
The "upending" operation (moving from horizontal to vertical) was performed by a telescopic crane brought in for the occasion. A bespoke tool—the upending tool designed and manufactured by Korea—will be in place in time for the upending operations on the first vacuum vessel sector and toroidal field coil.
Key operators
Two CNIM specialists played a key role in the load tests: Sébastien Lopez (left) was responsible for the handling and positioning of the massive load, while Christophe Montané operated the double overhead bridge crane. CNIM is the French company in charge of tool installation and commissioning for the Korean manufacturer Taekyung Heavy Industries (THI).
Two 110-kilo pins
Now that the load has been upended, the shackles attaching it to the telescopic crane must be removed. The operation is quite delicate as the pins that hold the shackles in place weigh 110 kilos each.
Load #2
A crane on the shop floor worked in tandem with the overhead cranes to first raise the loads to a vertical position, lift them off the floor, and transport them to the tools to be positioned on supports. The testing of the first sector sub-assembly tool will begin soon.
A little push by hand...
Even in the most technical of operations, there is always a need for final adjustment by hand. Seen vertically, the loads share the D-shape of the toroidal field coils they are meant to represent. They also reproduce the centre of gravity and mass distribution of the coils.
As heavy as a 747
The tool seems to hold the loads effortlessly, but it's worth remembering that each one is 350 tonnes ... the equivalent of a Boeing 747 with its full load of fuel and passengers.