Travelling light
10 Apr 2017
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R.A.
Transporting a Highly Exceptional Load (HEL) from its seaside unloading point to the ITER site is a massive and costly logistics operation. Pictured: on 21 April 2016, the convoy transporting two 47-tonne girders for the Assembly Hall overhead crane prepares to leave for the last leg of the journey.
Components for the ITER machine and plant systems come in all shapes, sizes and weights. For transportation purposes, the largest and heaviest fall into two categories: the Highly Exceptional Loads (HEL) and the Conventional Exceptional Loads (CEL). Any load heavier than 60 tonnes, or with dimensions in excess of 5 metres in height and/or 5 metres in width, is considered an HEL.
Conventional Exceptional Loads (CEL), by contrast, travel light. Here, the hydraulic bridge trailer carrying a segment of the cryostat passes the gorge of Mirabeau, 10 kilometres to the south of the ITER site.
Of a total of approximately 300 scheduled HEL, 35 have already reached the ITER site. As for the CEL, their number is estimated at 3,000.
Transporting an HEL from its unloading point at Fos-sur-Mer harbour to the ITER site is a massive and costly logistics operation.
Once loaded onto a trailer, the HEL must be transferred to a specially-designed barge and ferried across the inland sea Etang-de-Berre. From then on, the land journey along the 104-kilometre ITER Itinerary must be performed at night—roads must be closed to traffic and reopened after the convoy's passage, up to 260 kilometres of detours must be organized, and two different thruways (which the convoy crosses in four different locations) must be closed for the better part of the night.
In addition, several dozen "escort and assistance" technicians—along with gendarmerie forces—need to be mobilized.
CEL, on the other hand, travel by day on regular roads directly from Fos harbour and completely avoid crossing the Etang-de-Berre. They also do not require roadway closings and demand only limited technical assistance, plus two gendarmerie motorcyclists to regulate traffic.
The difference in cost is considerable.
"One of the specifications of our logistics service provider framework contract is to always seek best value for money," explains François Genevey, the ITER project director at DAHER. "Reducing transportation costs is also a strong preoccupation for Europe, which pays for the last leg of the operation—once a load has reached French territory."
Transporting an HEL from its unloading point at Fos-sur-Mer harbour to the ITER site is a massive and costly logistics operation.
Once loaded onto a trailer, the HEL must be transferred to a specially-designed barge and ferried across the inland sea Etang-de-Berre. From then on, the land journey along the 104-kilometre ITER Itinerary must be performed at night—roads must be closed to traffic and reopened after the convoy's passage, up to 260 kilometres of detours must be organized, and two different thruways (which the convoy crosses in four different locations) must be closed for the better part of the night.
In addition, several dozen "escort and assistance" technicians—along with gendarmerie forces—need to be mobilized.
CEL, on the other hand, travel by day on regular roads directly from Fos harbour and completely avoid crossing the Etang-de-Berre. They also do not require roadway closings and demand only limited technical assistance, plus two gendarmerie motorcyclists to regulate traffic.
The difference in cost is considerable.
"One of the specifications of our logistics service provider framework contract is to always seek best value for money," explains François Genevey, the ITER project director at DAHER. "Reducing transportation costs is also a strong preoccupation for Europe, which pays for the last leg of the operation—once a load has reached French territory."
It so happens that the size and weight of several loads are situated at the lower limit of the HEL category. "If we can 'downgrade' them into CEL," adds Genevey, "we can achieve a double benefit: one is obviously cost; the other is a strong reduction of the inconvenience that HEL convoys represent to the local population. The objective, defined with Europe, is to bring down the number of anticipated HEL loads from 300 to less than 250."
The six lower cylinder sectors of the cryostat, part of India's procurement responsibilities for ITER, were initially classified as HEL. But as their height only exceeded the CEL definition by 65 centimetres it was worth trying to downgrade them.
The six lower cylinder sectors of the cryostat, part of India's procurement responsibilities for ITER, were initially classified as HEL. But as their height only exceeded the CEL definition by 65 centimetres it was worth trying to downgrade them.