Overview of the main challenges for the engineering design of the test facilities system of IFMIF

Molla, J.*; Nakamura, Kazuyuki 

IFMIF is considered as a key element in the achievement of fusion reactors. Experiments performed in IFMIF will produce valuable information on the behavior of materials under reactor conditions. The project entered in July 2007 into EVEDA phase. The engineering design will be completed by June 2013. The Test Facilities is one of the three main systems that compose IFMIF. Irradiation of samples, remote handling between different rooms, post-irradiation studies and all the required technologies to operate the Test Facilities will be part of this system. The intense neutron flux in the Test Cell, the heat load in the modules, the use of tritium for in-situ experiments and the presence of high radioactivity levels in the access Cell makes the design of the Test Cell system somewhat complicated. The main challenges for the design of the Test Cell and the required Validation of new technologies will be studied in this paper.