ITER

HV and UHV (High Vacuum and Ultra High Vacuum): ITER - Diverter Remote Handling for the remote maintenance of ITER's Vacuum Vessel.

One of the most significant indications of the Telstar HV and UHV (High Vacuum and Ultra High Vacuum) Group's participation in HV and UHV (High Vacuum and Ultra High Vacuum) spheres and fields is its involvement and commitment to the ITER project. The ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project is an international consortium set up to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion power. ITER also means ‘the way' in Latin, a double meaning reflecting this project's role in perfecting fusion power as a sustainable energy source, such as the sun. The ITER project will represent an investment of 10,000 million euros over the next 10 years. It is the second most expensive scientific project in history, after the International Space Station. The supply of a complete, extensive and efficient remote handling system for the ITER is a key factor to the project's success. Due to the activation of the neutrons inside the reactor, it cannot be accessed by maintenance personnel. To replace the 54 parts in the ‘Diverter', ‘Diverter Remote Handling' is necessary; an autonomous arm with 5 degrees of freedom that simulates the movements of the forearm and wrist, to insert and take out the ‘Diverter Cassettes' (with dimensions of 3.090 x 2.460 x 0.677 m and a mass of 9 ton) from the ITER's ‘Vacuum Vessel' chamber. The arm is made up of the CMM (Cassette Multifunctional Mover) for the radial movement of the servomotor, and the SCEE (Second Cassette End Effector) for the vertical, axial and angular movements, with 7 servo-controlled hydraulic cylinders, activated by demineralised water.