【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2996-2026 – Amazing! ! The CNPC First Construction Team completed the welding of the first weld on the diagnostic shielding module for the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor ITER project

Thread Content

Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available; feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** At 7 p.m. on January 24, 2026, the welding project for the Diagnostic Shield Module (DSM) of the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experiment Reactor (ITER), which is being carried out by CPECC CNPC First Construction Company in the field of fusion energy, achieved a key breakthrough – the first weld on the multi-channel water-cooling cover was successfully completed, marking the successful start of the welding work for the DSM component of the ITER project. As one of the largest and most influential international scientific research cooperation projects in the world, the ITER project aims to simulate the nuclear fusion process that powers the Sun’s light and heat, and to explore the feasibility of commercializing controlled nuclear fusion technology. It holds great strategic significance for humanity in addressing the future energy crisis. DSM is an essential component of the ITER facility, and its welding technology is at the international forefront; specifically, the color of the protection layer on the back side of the weld is required to be at level 2 or lower (with almost no signs of oxidation). To overcome this world-class welding challenge, the company formed a welding team led by Cao Suijun, the head of the \"Skill Master Studio.\" After hundreds of simulation experiments, it was successfully achieved that the oxidation color on the back side of the stainless steel during welding was at level 1, thereby laying a solid technical foundation for welding these critical components. The DSM multi-channel water-cooled cover plate welded this time must withstand strong neutron radiation, high-energy particle bombardment, and extreme electromagnetic forces, thereby providing a stable foundation for accurate plasma measurement. This component features multi-channel flow paths; high-precision sealing welding and precise control of deformation are all major challenges in the field of fusion engineering manufacturing. Moreover, the first weld, due to the complexity of the flow paths, is the most difficult part of the entire welding process. Faced with numerous challenges, Cao Suijun’s team made full use of their technical expertise in the field of welding special materials, accurately analyzed the thermal cycle characteristics of each weld, and developed customized welding solutions along with parameter sets precise to the second. During the task, the team used robotic arms for precise operations, keeping the distance between tungsten electrodes at a level of just a few hundred micrometers, thereby ensuring a stable and controllable welding process ； At the same time, hundreds of adjustments were made to parameters such as current, welding speed, and wire feeding speed, ultimately achieving the high standards of complete penetration and almost no oxidation on the back side. After rigorous verification by experts from the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the penetration inside the welded components as well as the color markings for protection meet the stringent standards set by the ITER organization.