Design finalization and material qualification towards procurement of the ITER vacuum vessel

Procurement arrangements for ITER key components including the vacuum vessel (VV) have been signed and the ITER activities are now fully devoted towards construction. Final design reviews have been carried out for the main vessel and ports. One of the design review topics is the selection of materials, material procurement, and assessment of material performance during operation. The width of the inner shell splice plates was increased from 120 mm to 160 mm to minimize risk during the assembly of the Thermal shields and the VV. Instead of facet shaping, 3D shaping was introduced for the outboard inner shell. The material qualification procedures have been started for VV structural materials such as 316L(N) IG for licensing as a nuclear pressure equipment component. In accordance with the regulatory requirements and quality requirements for operation, common material specifications have been prepared in collaboration with the domestic agencies. (C) 2011 ITER Organization. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.