The Cleaning House

Before they are pre-assembled and readied for integration into the machine, the ITER components will need to be cleaned to meet the stringent cleanliness requirements for vacuum. The operation will take place in a dedicated building, the Cleaning Facility, located south of the Assembly Hall.

 

The Cleaning Facility will also operate as an airlock between the Assembly Hall and the outside environment. In order to minimize the amount of dust entering the clean environment of the Assembly Hall, the building's two large doors will not  be opened at the same time.

 

Depending on their size and weight, components will be moved out of storage and into the Cleaning Facility by different types of vehicles — one of the most significant being the versatile "self-propelled mobile trailers" that will transport the 1,250-tonne cryostat base section from the neighbouring Cryostat Workshop.

 

Once the component is "unpacked" in the closed building, it will be cleaned using a number of different techniques such as compressed clean air, pressurized demineralized water, and special detergents. As the atmosphere inside the Cleaning Facility will become contaminated by dust and particles from the cleaning operations, it will need to be ventilated for approximately eight  hours before the door to the Assembly Hall is opened and the component transferred.

 

Preparatory work for the Cleaning Facility began in September 2015. The foundation slab, strong enough to withstand the wheel loads of heavy transporters, is nearing completion and building construction is due to start in a few weeks.