At ITER, in France, scientists and engineers from around the world are working together to develop nuclear fusion at power plant scale. The project could one day lead to a world of truly abundant green energy. 

In this episode, Caroline Dixon explains some of the logistical challenges of working on a project that is perhaps humanity’s largest ever experiment. In this decades-long project, the engineers building the reactor are in a constant race to keep up with scientists working on the cutting edge of physics.

The reactor building is being constructed using thousands of steel plates, embedded in concrete. As the scientists develop their ideas, near constant changes are needed to the structure’s components. Caroline describes how a hotline was developed early in the project to allow experts to collaborate on resolving clashes.

This was followed by a holistic integration team, or HIT, which brought a fusion of minds between all the project’s delivery teams, to manage this constantly evolving design and construction process—an approach that could speed construction across all major projects.

Guest

Caroline Dixon, Project Director, Nuclear Power, Egis

Partner

Egis is a leading global architectural, consulting, engineering, operations and mobility services firm with 22,000 employees across more than 100 countries. The company designs and operates intelligent infrastructure and buildings that both respond to climate emergencies and contribute to balanced, sustainable and resilient development.

The post #359c A Fusion of Minds at ITER first appeared on Engineering Matters.