Hazira (Gujarat), June 30 (IANS) The heavy engineering arm of Larsen and Toubro, has completed the final assembly of cryostat, the largest stainless steel, high-vacuum pressure chamber in the world.
It’s an important milestone in the global nuclear fusion sector as well as a moment of pride for the ‘Make in India’ initiative, said L&T, India’s leading engineering, construction, technology, manufacturing and financial services conglomerate, in a statement, here on Tuesday.
The ceremony was attended through video link by International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Global’s Director-General Bernard Bigot, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman K.N. Vyas, ITER-India Project Director U.K. Baruah, NITI Aayog Member V.K. Saraswat, L&T Group Chairman A.M. Naik, CEO & MD of L&T S.N. Subrahmanyan and others.
“Today, in Hazira, we celebrate the completion of fabrication of all segments, including the Top Lid, of the cryostat. We achieved it under these challenging conditions,” said Bigot.
Speaking on the occasion, Subrahmanyan said it was a proud moment for L&T as it had achieved another milestone in the development of world’s largest stainless steel, high-vacuum pressure chamber.
The company used innovative and digital manufacturing techniques to ensure uninterrupted supply of high quality, high-precision assemblies to the ITER, he said and added, it would pave the way for installation of cryostat at the project site in France and “lead to the demonstration of large-scale feasibility of fusion power.”
“It has empowered India to move towards Atmanirbhar Bharat plan by acquiring knowledge in this highly specialised field of science and technology,” the L&T CEO said.
The cryostat assembly referred as the Top Lid, weighing 650 tonnes, is to be installed with other cryostat segments for ITER at a reactor pit in southern France.
L&T has already delivered the base section, the lower cylinder and the upper cylinder for the cryostat, which provides cooling to the fusion reactor and keeps very high temperatures at its core under control.
The project scope for L&T Heavy Engineering was divided into three aspects. First, the company was to manufacture assemblies at its Hazira complex. The second aspect involved building a temporary workshop at the project site in Cadarache, France, for the assembly of various sectors. And finally, to integrate the cryostat with the Tokamak Reactor building.
With the flagging off, L&T Heavy Engineering has completed the manufacturing work planned in India.
–IANS
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