Designing conveyance systems to perform remote maintenance on the demo fusion reactor

Abstract

Fusion reactors and clean energy are milestones that society is striving to reach in the near future. Remote maintenance within the reactors is integral to its successful and safe operation, thus requiring systems to transport components to-and-from the reactor. The equatorial port has a multitude of heavy components requiring specialized equipment to handle the load and accommodate the heat and radiation within the reactor core. This paper intends to explore the best applicable systems and readily available commercial parts that would be viable for maintenance of equatorial port components.

The use of computer-aided design and finite element analysis ensures these selected parts and designed components can handle the structural stress applied from lifting these components. The models are based around the dimensions of the equatorial port, the port components, and commercially available parts chosen for this application, in accordance with DFMA. This analysis proves that designed concepts and material selection are well within the yield limits and safety standards. The safety factors achieved are substantially above the 1.5 safety factor that is the typical standard within the industry. The conveyance system designs adequately prove that readily available parts and established transportation systems can be adapted to the remote maintenance of the DEMO fusion reactor equatorial port components.