Amec Foster Wheeler to work on simulator to validate ITER reactor and train operators

Amec Foster Wheeler announces that it has been appointed to carry out design development work on an integrated plant simulator for the ITER nuclear fusion reactor.

The company will draw up technical specifications and implementation plans for the simulator along with three subcontractors: the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Fortum, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

The simulator will bring an integrated approach to the training of operators and will support the commissioning and operation phases at ITER, which is building the world’s largest nuclear fusion machine at Saint-Paul-lez-Durance in the South of France.

To validate the design and design modifications, plant simulators are being developed for the heating, plasma and cryogenic systems. The integrated plant simulator is vital in understanding the behaviour of the full ITER machine because it provides the capability to simulate how these interconnected systems interact.

This contract adds to Amec Foster Wheeler’s existing work at ITER, which includes a 10-year construction management contract, remote handling and robotics for the neutral beam, conceptual design and engineering for a remotely operated cutting and packaging system to reduce the volume of waste, design of a remotely operated rail and trolley system for maintenance and inspection of the cryostat, and studies into decommissioning and decontamination.

Photo: courtesy of ITER