A new Infrared diagnostic has been developed by CEA-IRFM and installed in the WEST tokamak to measure surface temperature of the actively cooled W-monoblocks components as foreseen for the ITER Divertor, with a very high spatial resolution of 100µm. The goals are to investigate the effects of the shaping of these components on the heat load deposition pattern, the evolution of pre-damaged components specifically introduced in WEST, the behavior of the leading edges regarding the assembling tolerances between adjacent monoblocks, and finally to contribute to the specification assessment of the ITER divertor units. In WEST, each Plasma Facing Unit is composed of 35 W-monoblocks of individual surface of 28x12mm. To analyze heat load pattern and phenomena on such tiny surfaces, the leading edges and in the narrow gaps between monoblocks (400-500µm), a 100µm spatial resolution is required. Then, a Very High spatial Resolution (VHR) infrared diagnostic has been specially developed at CEA-IRFM. The VHR operates at 1.7µm wavelength to take advantage of the dynamic of the signal for the temperature range (400 to 3600°C). The VHR infrared diagnostic is now operational above the divertor sector made of actively cooled W-monoblocks and graphite inertial components with W coating. This paper gives a description of the diagnostic.
As augmented and virtual reality technology is revolutionising the way products are designed and tested, many companies are expanding the range of use cases across their organisations. After 10 years using Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR) technology during the life cycle of fusion components, the CEA IRFM has improved its skills developing immersive visualisation scenes for the WEST tokamak [6][5] project and several ITER Site Support Agreement such as Magnet Infrastructure Facilities for ITER (MIFI) [7] and Test Blanket Module System (TBM) [8]. Data preparation process has been optimized, reducing time cost to convert CAD data to an interactive and immersive model. For the WEST Project, VR engineers developed immersive scenes to simulate assembly sequences, to check component introduction using physics and to show 2D temperature data from diagnostics in a 3D environment. For the TBM case, health and safety oriented model environment is developed. Features for team simulated human access and hands on operations for As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) optimisation process with motion-tracking system and virtual avatars with ventilated protective pressurised suit simulating worker protection in nuclear environment. For MIFI application, a specific assembly tool has been developed for TF coils interface located on the top and at the bottom junction. During a first phase, the development was driven by iterative design loop (CAD modelling analysis and cinematic by using VR simulations). By means of interactive simulations and immersive conditions, the interface connection task was validated against feasibility including accessibility. AR has also been introduced in the process since a physical mock-up has been augmented to consider the constraint environment of TF Coils. For TBM application, on site AR simulation of the port Cell equipment will provide enhanced environment description. Collaborative immersive context, digital twins and combination between AR/VR & physical mock-ups for validation of maintenance since component design phase will constitute challenge for the near future.
In ITER, the 'Pipe Forest (PF)' is a network of pipes that connects the Ancillary Equipment Unit to the Test Blanket Module (TBM) at the level of the equatorial port-plug of the reactor prototype. The goal of ITER's TBM program is to validate concepts to be adopted for the DEMO tritium Breeding Blankets. Different types of pipes are mounted on the port-plug among which those used for cooling or tritium processing. During plasma operation, the PF has to accommodate severe thermomechanical loads. It shall also provide protection from abnormal contamination and be designed to ease connection/disconnection operations. With numerical simulation, this work assesses the use of bolted flanges as an alternative to the welded solution to connect the PF on the TBMs inside the port cell environment. The proposed designs integrate metallic seals as well as an embedded cooling system in the flanges when necessary, to limit the temperature of the seals and the bolts and prevent irreversible damage. It is shown that bolted-flange junctions for the PF are a credible solution. Still, important stresses in the socket of the flanges are present but do not represent a problematic issue for dimensioning purposes, as they shall be accommodated with a small amount of plastic strain.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.