Multi-purpose deployer for ITER in-vessel maintenance

Abstract

The multi-purpose deployer (MPD) is a general purpose in-vessel remote handling (RH) system in the ITER RH system. The MPD provides the means for deployment and handling of in-vessel tools or components inside the vacuum vessel (VV) for dust and tritium inventory control, in-service inspection, leak localization, and in-vessel diagnostics. It also supports the operation of blanket first wall maintenance and neutral beam duct liner module maintenance operations. This paper describes the concept design of the MPD. The MPD is a cask based system, i.e. it stays in the hot cell building during the machine operation, and is deployed to the VV using the cask system for the in-vessel operations. The main part of the MPD is the articulated transporter which provides transportation and positioning of the in-vessel tools or components. The articulated transporter has nine degrees of freedom with a payload capacity up to 2 tons. The articulated transporter can cover the whole internal surface of the VV by switching between the four equatorial RH ports. Additionally it can use two non-RH equatorial ports to transfer large tools or components. A concept for in-cask tool exchange is developed which minimizes the cask transportation by allowing the MPD to stay in the VV during the tool exchange.