Vacuum and gas handling systems integration in the RFX nuclear fusion experiment

The RFX fusion experiment is working since the end of 1991. After their assembly, the vacuum and gas handling systems were put into operation, following a procedure that is described in the paper. It began with the leak tightness tests of the vacuum connections in each pump stage, in the collectors, in the gas handling system and in the vacuum vessel. At the end, each pump stage was put into operation and its performance verified. Further tests concerned the compatibility of the components with the electromagnetic fields produced during the experimental pulses of RFX. The vacuum and gas handling systems, after their integration in the RFX central control system, have been tested in all the required working conditions. Finally the paper describes the system performances during the first year of operation.