Fusion Engineering and Design 84 (2009) 752–756
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Fusion Engineering and Design
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fusengdes
The use of digital mock-ups on the development of the
Divertor Test Platform 2
Salvador Esque
a,*
, Jouni Mattila
a
, Mikko Siuko
b
, Matti Vilenius
a
, Jorma Järvenpää
b
,
Luigi Semeraro
c
, Mike Irving
c
, Carlo Damiani
c
a
Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere, Finland
b
VTT Systems Engineering, Tekniikankatu 1, 33720 Tampere, Finland
c
Fusion for Energy, Josep Pla 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
article info
Article history:
Available online 30 December 2008
Keywords:
Remote handling
ITER divertor
Digital mock-ups
DTP2
Maintenance
abstract
The divertor test platform 2 (DTP2) is a full scale physical test facility intended for testing, demonstrating
and refining the remote handling (RH) equipment designs with prototypes which will define the final
specifications for call for tenders of ITER RH devices. The facility will also be used for training future
ITER RH operators. Digital mock-ups have been extensively used for providing the reference design and
manufacturing support of the cassette multi-functional mover, its assisting manipulator and other tooling.
Despite DTP2 not being yet fully operational, digital mock-ups of DTP2 and its equipment, together with
real-time dynamic simulation models, have been employed to perform studies and designs which will
reduce the time needed for the integration and commissioning of new RH equipment delivered to the site.
The use of digital mock-ups is currently being used for planning and verifying (in a 3D environment) task
procedures of future RH test trials; developing and testing control software and hardware, and graphical
user interfaces; estimating the duration of the different RH tasks and to obtain a realistic range of capable
motions and speeds of the devices. During DTP2 operations, digital mock-ups will still be employed for
improving, optimizing and validating test procedures; assess the difficulty and fatigue experienced by
the operators; gather technical specifications for designs and procurements of new RH equipment. The
final goal is to produce a complete digital mock-up of the divertor region and its RH equipment, including
operations and tasks procedures. Due to the large amount of devices and operations to be tested at DTP2,
a product lifecycle management (PLM) system and a Manufacturing Hub are being put into operation.
© 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
A key ITER maintenance activity is the complete exchange of
the divertor system at scheduled intervals (after every 3–4 years
of plasma operations). During this maintenance, 54 divertor cas-
settes (8 tones of weight each) are removed from the vacuum vessel
through three equidistant access ports, where a remote mainte-
nance duct connects each port to a transport cask [1] (see Fig. 1).
After cassettes have been refurbished in a hot cell, they are installed
into the divertor area again. A cassette multi-functional mover
(CMM), equipped with different end-effectors, is employed to carry
the cassettes in and out the vacuum vessel. CMM main frame travels
radially through the maintenance duct by means of a set of rack-
and-pinion wheels powered by two electric servomotors. The CMM
also comprises a two-link planar arm conferring lifting and tilt-
ing motion to its end-effector interface. This arm is powered with
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +358 3 31152213; fax: +358 3 31152240.
E-mail address: salvador.esque@tut.fi (S. Esque).
water-hydraulic cylinders. Of special interest is the installation and
removal of second cassettes, this operation not only requires accu-
rate lifting and tilting positioning of the CMM arms but it also needs
two additional axes of motion to move the cassette toroidally within
the vacuum vessel towards the left side of the RH port. For this oper-
ation, a second cassette end-effector (SCEE) is mechanically coupled
to the CMM, providing an extra two-degree of freedom along verti-
cal axes to the CMM/SCEE mover. Installation sequence (or removal)
of SC also contemplates the locking (or unlocking) of cassettes into
the vacuum vessel. The cassette locking system concept consists in
compressing the cassette against the vacuum vessel walls by means
of a hydraulic jack fitted in the cassette body [2]. The jack is remotely
deployed into the cassette body by a multi-axis manipulator (MAM)
[3], mounted on top of CMM main body.
ITER divertor replacement is classified as remote handling class
1 activity and as such, detailed design of the associated equipment
and verification of its operation before ITER construction by way
of prototypes and mock-ups, is considered an essential activity. For
that reason, a full-scale physical test facility named divertor test
platform 2 (DTP2) is being built. In autumn of 2004, EFDA-CSU, VTT
0920-3796/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2008.11.010