On December 12, 2017, the last JT-60SA toroidal field coil came out of the General Electric workshops (formerly Alstom) in Belfort. This important milestone brilliantly concludes the French contribution for the supply of 10 of the 20 main magnets of the superconducting tokamak being assembled in Japan.
December 12, 2017, the 10th and last [1] toroidal field coil for the superconducting tokamak JT-60SA being assembled in Japan has left the General Electric workshop (formerly Alstom) in Belfort. Like its nine sisters before her, this coil is on the way to CEA Saclay. She will pass through a serie of tests in nominal conditions (operating temperature (4.5 K, -268.5°C) and current (27.5 kA)) in the dedicated cryogenic test facility (CTF).
It is expected by all the CEA team led with meastria by Patrick Decool, that this coil, like those which have preceded, will fully satisfy without failure the final acceptance criteria. These exams also include a resistive transition test (called quench test), which measures the operating temperature margin of these coils. The proper operation of these coils is the basis for the future success of JT-60SA.
It is also a technical and human commitment of more than ten years which is about to be completed in the days to come. This commitment has encompassed many stages since the definition of the specifications (in therm of design, contracting, definition, qualification and validation of manufacturing processes) setting up a very demanding quality control system before the start of the manufacturing in December 2013.
Very close ties of mutual trust and friendship have been built over the years between QST (ex JAEA), F4E, CEA and Alstom-General Electric teams. And it is with some nostalgia that the members of these teams see turning a page of their activity. However, each of the actors of this great technical and organizational success can legitimately be proud in having accomplished a great work for the development of research on controlled fusion, with the strong feeling of having opened a new gate towards the stars.
[1] The others coils have been built by ENEA-ASG in Italia.
