ITER Project – Cryostat Manufacturing From India Is Over

In September 2012, the Indian Domestic Agency concluded a contract with Larsen & Toubro for the fabrication of the 3,800-tonne ITER cryostat — the world’s largest steel vacuum chamber (16,000 m³) and a critical part of the ITER machine.

Eight years later, the final segments are ready for shipment to ITER.

They are the final 12 modules of 54 that are being shipped from India to the site of the €20bn ITER project in Cadarache, southern France.

Completely surrounding the vacuum vessel and superconducting magnets, the 29 x 29 meter cryostat acts as a thermos, insulating the superconducting magnets at ultra-cold temperature from the outside environment and contributing to structural reinforcement by supporting the mass of the machine and transferring the mechanical loads of the ITER machine to the concrete structure of the tokamak pit.

Europe is contributing almost half of the cost of Iter’s construction. The other six members of the venture – China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the US – are contributing equally to the rest.

Read ITER’s Press Release.