Welding and cutting methods for blanket support legs of fusion experimental reactor

Journal Article · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Fusion Technology

OSTI ID:447409

Tokami, Ikuhide; Nakahira, Masataka; Sato, Satoshi; Furuya, Kazuyuki; Hatano, Toshihisa; Kuroda, Toshimasa; Takatsu, Hideyuki ^[1]

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1. Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Ibaraki (Japan)

A modular blanket has been proposed for a fusion experimental reactor, such as ITER, to enhance its maintainability as well as improve its fabricability. The blanket module is connected to a strong back plate via support legs protruded from both of the module and the back plate. A welding approach has been investigated for the joining of the support leg that is 70 mm thick to withstand electromagnetic forces and with limited welding/cutting heads working space of 100 mm x 150 mm adjacent to the support leg. After comparison of several methods, e.g. NGTIG, NGMIG and iodine laser, NGTIG has been selected as a reference for welding and plasma cutting for cutting. Iodine laser has been chosen as an alternative for both welding and cutting. Through preliminary design studies, the possibility of small welding/cutting heads including their driving systems available to the limited space has been shown. Maintenance route for in-situ module replacement with temporary fixture jigs has been also investigated. 2 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 447409
• Report Number(s): CONF-9606116--
• Journal Information: Fusion Technology, Journal Name: Fusion Technology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 30; ISSN 0748-1896; ISSN FUSTE8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BREEDING BLANKETS
CUTTING TOOLS
GAS LASERS
IODINE
ITER TOKAMAK
JIGS
LASER WELDING
MAINTENANCE
NUMERICAL DATA
SUPPORTS