When ITER starts running plasma shots, operators in the control room on site won't be the only ones processing the huge amount of data collected by the tokamak's diagnostics systems. Ten thousand kilometres from ITER, in Japan's Remote Experimentation Centre (REC), other operators will be crunching the same numbers. Problem: how to transfer data as fast as possible to a site half a world away? The Remote Experimentation Centre¹, a duplicate of ITER's control room on site, will enable scientists in Japan to remotely participate in ITER experiments. By storing the experimental data that will accumulate over time, it will make a massive database instantly accessible to researchers.   Each of ITER's early, non-nuclear plasmas will generate an estimated 1 terabyte of experimental data—the equivalent of a full commercial hard disk. When ITER goes nuclear, some ten years after entering operation, this volume might be multiplied by fifty.   The capacity to transfer this data to Japan at a pace compatible with that of the tokamak's experiments—approximately one pulse every 30 to 60 minutes—was demonstrated in early September by information technology specialists from ITER and their counterparts at three Japanese institutes: the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST), the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) and the National Institute of Informatics (NII), in cooperation with the European agency for ITER. The detailed results will be presented at the 26th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC) in Kyoto this week.   From 30 August to 5 September, 50 terabytes/day were transferred from ITER to Rokkasho, Japan at an average speed of 7.9 gigabits per second—some 1,600 times faster than the average global broadband connexion. The operation, the largest ever inter-continental high speed data transfer, marked a major advance in state-of-the-art information science and technology.   Over 50 million researchers, academics and students across Europe and Japan are set to benefit from the direct connexion recently established between the pan-European GÉANT network and the upgraded Science Information Network (SINET5) in Japan. The capacity boost comes in response to the increasing data transfer requirements of collaborative research between Europe and Japan on projects such as ITER, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and the worldwide e-VLBI radio-astronomy network. The achievement was made possible by the implementation of a super-fast protocol, the Massively Multi-Connection File Transfer Protocol (MMCFTP) developed by Japan's National Institute of Informatics. In parallel, in collaboration with the pan-European network for the research and education community (GÉANT) and its French equivalent RENATER, the National Institute of Informatics established a dedicated virtual network—private, stable and highly secure—using the newly established direct high-speed link between Europe and Japan. (Thanks to this new link, the physical distance that data needs to travel is reduced by one-third.)   In order to replicate the actual conditions of future ITER experiments as closely as possible, the transferred data belongs to actual fusion devices: Japan's Large Helical Device (LHD) and the former JT-60U tokamak.   Click here to view the press release from the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (in Japanese).   ¹ Located in Rokkasho, Japan, the Remote Experimentation Centre is one of three facilities housed at the International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC). IFERC is part of the Broader Approach agreement signed in 2007 between the European Union and Japan to accelerate the realization of fusion energy through advanced research activities.  

Fourteen metres long and a close to 280 tonnes—one would need an exceptionally powerful crane to lift and install such a heavy and cumbersome load. But because heavy cranes are expensive, a much cheaper solution was implemented last Thursday to move the giant transformer supplied by China to its permanent home.   Delivered to ITER in June, the electrical transformer is the first of three similar components for the electrical network that will provide power to the installation's "pulsed" systems, such as magnet power supplies and plasma heating systems.   On Thursday morning the load, sitting on crossbeams, was delivered by hydraulic trailer from temporary storage to the installation site. The weight of the transformer was transferred to concrete blocks while the trailer was backed away and technicians fixed railway-type wheels to its underside.   As hydraulic jacks slowly lowered the transformer to rest on its wheels, the beams were removed. Finally, cables were used to draw the transformer along pre-built tracks into its final position. By Friday evening, the operation was complete.   The transformer however is not yet operational. Before being able to deliver its full power, it will need to be filled with insulating oil and fitted with "bushings" (the horn-like devices that connect it to the switchyard) and other equipment, bringing its total weight to 460 tonnes.   Two other transformers will arrive from China in early 2017 to be connected to the switchyard by mid-year.

The visit of the gigantic ITER Assembly Building, elegantly reflecting the bright blue sky from its prominent position on the construction platform, was the highlight of the most recent ITER Open Doors Day held on Saturday 8 October. For the first time since the double overhead bridge crane was installed, visitors were able to step inside this 60-metre-tall structure for a closer look at the antechamber of the Tokamak Building, where some of the largest machine components will be pre-assembled before being transferred to the assembly arena.    This year's Open Doors Day was part of the Fête de la Science, a yearly national festival in France organized to promote science to the general public. The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) hosted this event at the nearby Château de Cadarache where a large exhibition area had been created.   Under the banner of "Village of Science," the event brought together over 40 companies and organizations from all over the region to showcase scientific and technological progress on the theme: "The planet, the climate, man and energy."   Many of the stands offered small-scale experimentation and do-it-yourself gadgets to get the visitors to participate, touch, and walk away with an increased understanding of some basic scientific principles.  The ITER stand, with its mockup of the Tokamak and multiple videos telling the ITER story, attracted an endless stream of visitors who could ask questions to the many guides who had volunteered for the event.   The Château was also the starting point for the ITER site tours, with buses taking visitors (some 600 in all) onto the platform every half hour to see the status of construction works. A first stop near the future home of the Tokamak was followed by the visit of the Assembly Building—while in between the two visitors were guided by bus around the many different construction projects underway on the site. Among the most advanced is the site of the ITER cryoplant, where 50 columns are now in place.   The Cryoplant Building will be nearly finalized in the spring of 2017, when the ITER Organization is planning its next Open Doors Day ...

A central paradox for the ITER communicator is knowing that the ITER "product" is the largest, most complex multinational science and engineering project on Earth—arguably the largest in human history—and yet knowing also that a relatively tiny percentage of the global public has heard of ITER or tokamak fusion.   Raising the ITER public profile, especially with the project in full-swing construction, is therefore a priority. Last week communication specialists from ITER's Domestic Agencies came to ITER Headquarters for a two-day session to share their views, compare strategies, and explore new opportunities for collaboration.   For both Domestic Agencies and the ITER central team, engagement in the effort to raise public awareness is enthusiastic and richly varied. In Russia, Alex Petrov carefully maintains a running dialogue with key journalists, ensuring they are consistently well-informed on ITER progress. The Indian Domestic Agency and its parent organization in Ahmedabad, the Institute for Plasma Research, sponsor a broad variety of outreach programs for students, ranging from year-long internships and summer education programs for secondary school children to a week-long program centred around National Science Day. The parent organization for the Korean Domestic Agency, the National Fusion Research Institute, has constructed a beautiful new Visitors Centre with polished displays on fusion, the KSTAR tokamak, and ITER.   Other initiatives focus on using technology, in simple or spectacular ways, to highlight features of the ITER Project. China has invested in an interactive tokamak model that draws large crowds at exhibits—including a visit from no less than President Xi Jinping earlier this year. Japan revealed an innovative new papercraft tokamak model, useful as a display or an educational tool. Europe proposed a standardized approach to communicating the percentage of completion for manufacturing contracts and other project aspects, using ITER-wide criteria and harmonized graphics. Lynne Degitz of the US ITER Project Office led a discussion on re-thinking the "value" of the ITER Project, articulating more consistently and broadly the acquired skills and ground-breaking technologies developed by ITER suppliers, as well as spin-offs that have non-fusion-related applications.   The COM group at the central ITER Organization demonstrated a new virtual tour under development, featuring 360-degree videos of the worksite shot with drones, and complete with an Oculus Rift for an immersive remote experience.   Broad discussions were also held comparing publications, photography and filming strategies, and communication budgets. A clear expectation was set for increased collaboration among the groups. The shared goal is clear: a continuous and significant expansion of public awareness of fusion and the ITER Project, with special attention directed toward key stakeholders and young audiences.

The word is out. For journalists of all types—whether a national daily, an online high-tech magazine, an international wire service, or a physics trade press publication; whether armed with a laptop and pocket recorder, full video crew, or good old pen and notepad—the ITER worksite these days makes for a fine story. On 6 and 7 October, a prestigious group of journalists participated in ITER's Media Days. The group was diverse: Süddeutsche Zeitung, El Pais, The New York Times, Xinhua, Le Figaro, Gazeta Wyborcza, World Nuclear News, Diario de Noticias, China Science and Technology Daily, Reuters News, TASS, EFE, Kyodo News Agency, and CCTV are but a sampling.   ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot kicked off the event with an overview of the project, from its historical roots through current global manufacturing operations and complex construction and assembly parameters. In the sessions that ensued, the journalists heard from Richard Kamendje of the IAEA on the coming fusion energy era, from Mark Henderson of the Heating & Current Drive Division on what it's like to be an ITER scientist, and from each of the Domestic Agencies on aspects of their procurement, high-tech manufacturing, and transport operations. Many chose to have follow-on interviews with the Director-General as well as with engineers and scientists from their countries of origin. And on the second day, the bulk of the group headed to the Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM) in Toulon, where they were able to see the state of manufacturing of the massive ITER radial plates.   But the star of the show was clearly the worksite itself. TV crews spent as much time as possible in the Tokamak Pit, where they encountered the dense forest of rebar and concrete of the upper basement level and stepped through the subterranean levels of the diagnostics area. Some toured the contrasting indoor clean-room environment of the Poloidal Field Coils Winding Facility. A few complemented these impressions with a trip to the Virtual Room, ITER's 3D engineering design tool, or a mind-bending simulated aerial tour using ITER's newly captured drone videos on an Oculus Rift.   Each witnessed the slowly growing machine from a different angle. Each will likely tell a different story. But the group was unanimous in their view that the two days had given them superb insights into a fascinating project. And they were happy to give constructive feedback, ensuring that the next ITER Media Days will be even better.

In the Poloidal Field Coil Winding Facility, on site at ITER, fabrication of a qualification mockup of poloidal field coil #5 (17 metres in diameter) began in September. Click here to view a timelapse video produced by the European Domestic Agency for ITER. More information on the manufacturing process here.

A new acronym is making its way into the fusion landscape: DONES, for DEMO Oriented Neutron Source. In Europe, a roadmap* for the realization of fusion energy was published in 2012 that breaks down the quest to supply fusion electricity to the grid into eight missions. One of these is to investigate and select neutron-resistant materials for DEMO, the demonstration fusion reactor that—according to the European strategy—is the step between ITER and a commercial fusion power plant. More powerful than ITER and connected to the grid, DEMO will require materials capable of withstanding a stronger flux of neutrons for longer periods. Currently three R&D projects carried out with the framework of a scientific collaboration between Europe and Japan (the Broader Approach) are contributing to the design of DEMO. The engineering design and validation activities for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF/EVEDA) are evolving successfully. But when its operation will come to an end, DONES, a future version of IFMIF, will take over and help the scientific community to perform tests and start collecting data. Designed to mimic the conditions of neutron irradiation in DEMO, DONES would allow scientists to test materials and characterize candidate fusion materials. Three European countries—Croatia, Poland and Spain—have expressed interest in hosting the facility. In September, the European Domestic Agency for ITER, which acts as a coordinator for the European activities of the Broader Approach, invited representatives from all three to a technical information session in Barcelona to explain the scope of DONES, outline preliminary technical specifications, and discuss the different steps leading to the submission of applications. Read the full article on the European Domestic Agency website. *The "Roadmap to the realisation of fusion energy" was published by EFDA (the European Fusion Development Agreement, superseded in 2014 by EUROfusion).