The Russian ITER poloidal field coil delivered to the reactor construction site

10 February 2023, the Russian poloidal coil PF1 delivered to the construction site of the world first international thermonuclear reactor ITER. This is the largest and one of the most crucial components of the future facility fully developed and manufactured in Russia.


  The poloidal field coil PF1 was shipped from the territory of the “SNSBF” LLC (Saint-Petersburg) on November 1, 2022 and delivered by sea with an escort on a special transportation platform; the ITER coil was transported via equipped highway designed to transport large overweight components of the future thermonuclear facility.


In his welcoming speech the General Director of the State Corporation “Rosatom” Alexey Lichachev noted the meaning and state-of-the art essence of the reactor component delivered: “The best Russian experts took part in creation of the coil PF-1. They managed to develop the most advanced technologies, methods and production solutions. I would like to specifically emphasize that the inside, the heart of the coil is the Russian super conductor produced by the entire team of domestic companies. The ITER project is a good example of a close international scientific and technical cooperation. The successful completion of works aimed at creation of the coil PF-1, its delivery to the reactor production site which is the best demonstration of the fact that Russia was, is and always be an integral part of the ITER project, as well as world thermonuclear research in whole”.


The General Director of the International Organization ITER Pietro Barabaschi congratulated his Russian colleagues with the goal accomplished. “We are happy to witness that Russia successfully managed to produce and deliver the poloidal field coil. Super conductive ITER magnets require extra high precision; the latter are produced in six countries – China, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, so this fact complicates the task on one side, and on the other it resulted in a united global massive of knowledge” – said Barabaschi.


The coil PF1 (diameter 9m, mass 200 tons) is one of the six poloidal field coils integrated into magnetic system designed to keep plasma within the ITER reactor. The coil is a rather complicated element based on eight super conductive two-layer double-threaded waffles. This is one of 25 systems which the Russian Federation is in charge of, as set forth by the ITER project. The coil PF1 is attributed to the category of elements required to obtain the first plasma in the facility. The key technologies and facilities to generate the coil had been developed by the JSC “NIIEFA” (part of the State corporation “Rosatom”), the actual production took place at the “Srednenevsky Ship Building Factory” JSC.


The first out of eight double-threaded waffles was winded and qualified in 2016, the last one in 2019. In March 2021 the vacuum-induced saturation of the coil winding was completed, so has one of the most labor consuming and critical production stages of the magnet. In March 2022 the Russian coil successfully passed the acceptance test campaign prior to the shipment to the International organization ITER. As it was required by the ITER regulation conditioned by the highest priority of the coil PF1 and in order to obtain the first plasma inside the reactor, the item was subject to few checks in course of the factory acceptance test.


The agreement for manufacture and delivery of the coil PF1 between the Russian ITER agency and the ITER international organization was entered into in 2011. This was one of two poloidal field coils manufactured in member countries. The other four are assembled directly at construction site of the future facility due to their large dimensions.


media links:


sample.jpgТАСС, 10.02.23

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