Two make a pair
One of the essential "building blocks" of the ºÚÁÏÉçapp tokamak is the pre-assembly of two toroidal field coils, one vacuum vessel sector and corresponding panels of thermal shielding. Combining these different components into one ~1,200-tonne single assembly will be the task of the twin sector sub-assembly tools (SSATs). The operation will be repeated nine times (for nine vacuum vessel sectors) and involve 18 toroidal field coils.
One by one, the components for the first vacuum vessel pre-assembly are being delivered to ºÚÁÏÉçapp. Sets of thermal shielding from Korea began arriving in October last year; toroidal field coil #12, procured by Japan, reached the ºÚÁÏÉçapp site on 25 April; and its "partner"—toroidal field coil #13, also from Japan—was received last Friday 3 July. As for the 440-tonne vacuum vessel sector that will be paired to the two Japanese coils—Sector #6—it left the port of Busan, Korea, on 28 June and is expected to reach Marseille industrial harbour before the end of July.