Open Door Day
An awe-inspiring experience
28 May 2018
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ITER Communication
In one of the videos on a continuous loop in the ITER Visitors Centre, Director-General Bernard Bigot introduces the fundamentals of fusion energy by saying: "The principle is simple..."
Vincenzo Sarica, from European contractor Engage, was one of the 50 volunteers on hand to tell the ITER story. In this case, he is directing gazes upward as he describes the 30-metre-tall "well" that was built to house the ITER machine.
On Saturday, as ITER's doors were opened wide to staff, families and the general public, some 700 visitors were offered a unique opportunity to see the simplicity of the principle—and the massive complexity of its implementation—for themselves.
DIFFER, the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, had brought to ITER its Fusion Road Show—a stage-magic-style operation that explains plasmas and magnetic confinement using props like a microwave oven, a horseshoe magnet, a smoke box, matches and neon tubes.
Brilliant, simple and fun, the show made a perfect introduction for what was to follow: a worksite tour that included a unique opportunity to view the ongoing operations in the Assembly Hall and, even more exceptional, a descent into the Holy of Holies of the ITER installation—the basement level of the bioshield where machine assembly will soon begin.
With the "simple principles" fresh in their mind, the visitors could now take in the sheer size of what it takes to turn them into reality. They had all seen ITER from afar, driving up and down the thruway or along the country road between the villages of Saint-Paul-lez-Durance and Vinon-sur-Verdon. Now, they were inside the project's most emblematic structure. And they could barely believe how massive, tall and unique it was.
At every stage of the visit, volunteers from the ITER Organization, the European Domestic Agency and from Europe's contractors Engage, Energhia and Apave provided the necessary explanations on the whys and hows of the project, answering thousands of questions and sharing their enthusiasm for this potentially world-changing venture.
Saturday was the 12th edition of the ITER Open Doors Day. And like all editions since 2012, it was a moment of awe and wonder for the visitors.
Antechamber to the Tokamak
The first stop on the site tour was the ITER Assembly Hall, where two handling tools are already in place for giant loads—the overhead bridge crane (capacity 1,500 tonnes) and the 22-metre-tall tool (far end) that will support vacuum vessel sectors during pre-assembly activities.
Lots to see
The lowest level of the bioshield is a world of iron and concrete. Guides point out some of the technical features, including the extremely high rebar-to-concrete ratio for the concrete crown and radial walls that will be located under the machine.
Photo-worthy sights abound on the ITER construction site. Getting into the buildings helps to comprehend just how big the machine will be. And provide an opportunity for a one-of-a-kind selfie ...
From a point above the site
Nearly 50 volunteers were on hand to answer questions and, luckily, the rain held off.
In the revamped ITER Visitors Centre, digital displays help to bring the complexities of fusion—and the ITER Tokamak—down to earth.
The full kilometre-long ITER platform is visible from the Visitors Centre. From the 400 kV electrical line arriving from over the hill on one side, to the heat rejection installation on the other, there is much to see. Follow the straw hats!
At the Visitors Centre, peek into the ITER port cells to see videos in English and French. Multiple headsets allow groups to enjoy the same video experience.
Time well spent
Visitors first spent time with specialists in front of the updated displays before heading out on a one-hour tour of the construction site. The perfect occasion to find answers to everything they had always wondered about ITER.
On their way to the Tokamak Pit, visitors had a chance to experience true worksite atmosphere. They had to descend several flights of stairs, move across to the Tokamak Building and navigate its cavernous underground pathways.
Visitors were granted a rare opportunity to descend into the basement level of the bioshield where the machine will sit—a moment of awe and wonder at the sheer size and singular features of this unique construction.
No white rabbit came out of Gieljan de Vries' hat, but with the help of a few basic props such as a horseshoe magnet, a neon tube and a microwave oven he demonstrated how plasmas can be created and confined. The "Fusion Road Show" was created twenty years ago by the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) and, since then, it has shared with thousands of people a brilliant, fun and simple approach to plasma physics.
ITER's twelfth Open Doors Day was attended by approximately 700 people. After a stop at the modernized Visitors Centre, they were invited to catch a guided tour of the ITER construction site.