• SPECIAL TOPIC: POWER GENERATION •
the sun
The ITER tokamak contains over one million parts. Image © ITER
STAINLESS STEEL & FUSION
Fusion is important to the stainless steel industry because it requires vast amounts of high-quality materials. Examples from the ITER project include:
• The ITER cryostat— the largest stainless steel high-vacuum pressure chamber ever built( 16,000 m ³)— provides the high vacuum, ultra-cool environment for the ITER vacuum vessel and the superconducting magnets. Nearly 30 meters wide and high, the cryostat weighs 3,850 tonnes.
Multiple companies are building“ proof of concept” machines that will prove fusion as a viable energy source. A fusion industry will be important whenever it comes, but the sooner it happens, the sooner it can address the world’ s energy challenges. FIA reports that the fusion industry has now attracted over USD 9.76 billion in investment, with USD 2.64 billion raised in the 12 months leading up to the report’ s release.
• ITERs vacuum vessels required over 1,000 steel forgings weighing up to 10 metric tons. These were made from 316 LN, an ITER-grade of stainless steel with low carbon and high nitrogen content.
• 40 blanket modules covering the inner walls of the vacuum vessel are made from beryllium, high-strength copper, and stainless steel. The 40 mm-thick shielding plates made out of borated stainless steel 304B7 with about 2 % boron content are used for neutron shielding.
• A 10 km network of seamless stainless pipes connects powerful vacuum pumps to the vacuum vessel, cryostat, and neutral beam injector.
• The Hot Cell Complex provides a secure environment for the processing, repair, or refurbishment, testing, and disposal of ITER components that have become activated by neutron exposure. Around 30,000 m ³ of the“ red zone” area within the Hot Cell Facility will be lined with stainless steel.
Have a look inside the massive ITER reactor, described as a“ EUR 22 billion science experiment” at www. iter. org / news / videos / 631.
Increased government involvement
Perhaps even more critical than the volume of money going into fusion is that the last years have seen policies, procedures, and public interest that will allow fusion to grow and mature rapidly, the FIA report states. Significant new public-private partnership programs were launched in several key nations in 2023, with 18 companies reporting they were involved( or would soon be) in a public-private partnership with the government.
Stainless Steel World Americas | June 2026 | ssw-americas. com 39