BMI, Partner in the ITER Project

We are thrilled to share with you BMI's latest achievement! We have completed the commissioning of a vacuum installation that will contribute to the production of one of the most technically advanced components at the heart of the ITER project.

ITER is about:

  • Fusion
  • Reproducing on Earth the inexhaustible energy of the sun and stars
  • Seven parties involved in the construction of the largest fusion device on Earth

The vacuum system built by BMI involves conducting leak tests under 60 bars of helium for the thermal dissipators of the tungsten-coated panels that will cover the vacuum chamber of the Tokamak. Inside the ITER device, these panels will be situated in an extremely "challenging" environment. On one side, the vacuum chamber and its hydrogen plasma, reaching temperatures of +150,000,000°C, and on the other side, just a few meters away, a cooling system at -269°C. We are talking about conditions that probably do not exist anywhere else in our universe !

Participating in a significant project with such scientific and technological impact is an honor for us at BMI. Ensuring the extreme leak-tightness of the cooling circuits, which is vital for these panels, represents a major technological challenge in the ITER project. We are proud to play a role, however modest, in this monumental project.

We would like to sincerely thank our customer Alsymex, with whom we had the pleasure of carrying out this project in full collaboration, from the design phase to commissioning. With almost 80 years of experience, we continue to learn and strengthen our expertise with these very specific and highly technical projects, particularly here in the field of high vacuum and degassing.

A word from the customer: "Alsymex firmly believes in the importance of working together to achieve common and ambitious goals. That is why we are delighted to work alongside BMI, with whom we form a strong and multidisciplinary team, ready to tackle challenges as demanding as they are exciting, with Fusion For Energy (F4E), the European Union organization managing Europe’s contribution to ITER, and ITER Organization."

Let's work together to push the boundaries of knowledge and shape a cleaner and more sustainable future for our planet.