The TOKAMAK

In English: Black and white illustration of the inside of the ITER tokamak. The ITER reactor is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today. En Français: Illustration en noir et blanc de la machine ITER. Le réacteur ITER est l'un des projets du monde de l'énergie le plus ambitieux au monde.

The TOKAMAK

A tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. ITER will be the world's largest tokamak, with a plasma radius (R) of 6.2 m and a plasma volume of 840 m³.

A GIANT
23,000 t
Machine weight
10X THE CORE OF THE SUN
150 million °C
Plasma temperature
FUSION ENERGY
500 MW
Output power
In English: Black and white illustration of the inside of the ITER tokamak. The ITER reactor is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today. En Français: Illustration en noir et blanc de la machine ITER. Le réacteur ITER est l'un des projets du monde de l'énergie le plus ambitieux au monde.

Magnets

Cross-sectional illustration of the core of the ITER tokamak, with the ITER superconducting magnets highlighted in light blue.

Magnets

Ten thousand tonnes of superconducting magnets will produce the magnetic fields to initiate, confine, shape and control the ITER plasma.

PACKING A PUNCH
51 GJ
Stored magnetic energy
COLDER THAN PLUTO
4 K
Magnet temperature (-269 °C)
2X AROUND THE GLOBE
100,000 km
Nb3Sn superconducting strand
Cross-sectional illustration of the core of the ITER tokamak, with the ITER superconducting magnets highlighted in light blue.

Vacuum Vessel

vaccum-vessel

Vacuum Vessel

The stainless steel vacuum vessel houses the fusion reactions and acts as a first safety containment barrier.

HEAVIER THAN THE EIFFEL TOWER
8,000 t
Steel plasma chamber
LARGEST AMONG TOKAMAKS
840 m3
Plasma volume
RECORD RADIUS
6 m
Plasma major radius (6.2m)
vaccum-vessel

Blanket

blanket

Blanket

The blanket shields the steel vacuum vessel and external machine components from high-energy neutrons produced during the fusion reaction.

PROTECTIVE BOUNDRY
440
Blanket Modules
1ST ACTIVELY COOLED BLANKET
736 MW
Maximal thermal load
COVERING 600 M2
180
Design variants
blanket

Divertor

divertor

Divertor

Positioned at the bottom of the vacuum vessel, the divertor controls the exhaust of waste gas and impurities from the reactor and withstands the highest surface heat loads of the ITER machine.

MODULAR PRECISION
54
Cassettes
HIGHEST SURFACE HEAT LOADS
20 MW/M2
As it exhausts helium ash
TUNGSTEN ARMOURED TARGETS
300,000
Monoblocks
divertor

Cryostat

Cross-sectional illustration of the core of the ITER tokamak, with the ITER cryostat highlighted in green.

Cryostat

The stainless steel cryostat (29 x 29 m) surrounds the vacuum vessel and superconducting magnets and ensures an ultra-cool, vacuum environment.

CRYOSTAT VACUUM
1 million
Times less dense than air
MASSIVE
3,800 t
Of steel
LARGEST STAINLESS STEEL VACCUM CHAMBER IN THE WORLD
16,000 m3
Total volume
Cross-sectional illustration of the core of the ITER tokamak, with the ITER cryostat highlighted in green.