The ITER Organization has announced the start of operations at its Magnet Cold Test Facility following the successful cooldown of the first magnet coil to 4 Kelvin, or minus 269°C.

_98008.jpg) The first toroidal field coil to be tested, seen in the cryostat before the lid was closed (Image: ITER Organization)

_98008.jpg) The first toroidal field coil to be tested, seen in the cryostat before the lid was closed (Image: ITER Organization)

The ITER magnet cold testing programme was launched in 2023 as part of ITER's revised approach to assembly and commissioning. The facility is located in a building at Cadarache, France, previously used by the European Domestic Agency to manufacture ITER's four largest poloidal field coils, and it takes advantage of the building's scale, lift equipment, and proximity to the cryoplant. The facility will allow ITER to test selected superconducting magnets at their operating temperature of 4 Kelvin and up to full current before installation in the fusion machine.