Technical code issues of ITER vacuum vessel and their resolutions

Nakahira, Masataka

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 40(9), p.687 - 694, 2003/09

https://doi.org/10.3327/jnst.40.687

The ITER vacuum vessel is a double-walled torus with large-sized quadrilateral ports and is required to provide a quite high degree of vacuum for deutrium - tritium fusion reaction. The vacuum vessel is required to install after assembled with toroidal field coils. From a radiological safety aspect, the vacuum vessel is functioned as a physical barrier to enclose radioactive materials. Therefore, construction of the vacuum vessel needs application of newly developed technologies on design, fabrication and examination. The technologies include design approach by finite element analysis, and partial penetration T welded joints to join ribs to outer shell. Several issues have to be resolved for applying those technologies to the vacuum vessel. This paper describes several newly developed technologies and key issues for applying to the vacuum vessel and then their resolutions.