Verification of dimensional stability on ITER blanket shield block after stress relieving

Abstract

The tight tolerance requirement is one of key issue to manufacture the ITER blanket shield blocks (SBs) which have many interfaces with the First Wall (FW) and Vacuum Vessel (VV). Manufactured SB shall be satisfied with general tolerances (Class “C” of ISO 2768-1 and “L” of ISO 2768-2) and specific tolerance in 2D general assembly drawings. In order to fulfill the tight tolerance requirements in the final stage of SB, stress relieving after welding operations in the manufacturing process shall be performed. Hot helium leak test, Post Welding Heat Treatment (PWHT) and three-dimensional inspection before and after heat treatment were implemented by using the Full Scale Prototype (FSP) of SB in the framework of domestic R&D activities. The hot He leak test was performed at 250°C for 30min, and the result was satisfied the requirements. PWHT was carried out at 400°C for 24h by brazing furnace with test chamber. The deformation value before and after was measured by contact type coordinate measuring machine. The objective of this study is to verify dimensional stability of SB after stress relieving. The results will support to determine the machining allowance prior to welding process.