Image of the week
Two coils in a boat
27 Sep 2021
Sailing ten thousand miles alone in a ship's hold can be a very lonely experience. Fortunately for them, toroidal fields #2 and 10 will be able to keep each other company all the way from Japan to the ITER site. Both D-shaped magnets were finalized at about the same time (although in different facilities) and were loaded at a few days apart on the same ship.
Two D-shaped coils from Japan are sailing to ITER aboard the same ship. Two reasons: cost, and the (reduced) availability of ships in the current tense context of maritime transport.
The coils are travelling together for two main reasons: one is cost, and the other has to do with the availability of a suitable ship in the tense context of COVID-impacted maritime transport.
The general cargo that transports the coils can be fitted with a removable twin-deck that can accommodate two large and massive loads.
TF10, manufactured by Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, was loaded onto the ship and positioned in the hold on 20 August in Yokohama harbour. The removable twin deck was then installed and the ship sailed to Kobe to load TF2, manufactured at the Futami facility of Mistubishi Heavy Industries.
Both coils are now en route and are expected at Fos-sur-Mer harbour in late October. Once delivered to ITER and equipped, each coil will go its own way, TF10 to be assembled with TF11 on vacuum vessel sector #8, and TF2 with TF3 on vacuum vessel sector #4.