Development of an inspection robot under ITER relevant vacuum and temperature conditions

HATCHRESSIAN, Jean-Claude1; BRUNO, Vincent1; GARGIULO, Laurent1; KELLER, Delphine1; PERROT, Yann1; BAYETTI, Pascal1; CORDIER, Jean-Jacques1; FRICONNEAU, Jean-Pierre1; SAMAILLE, Frank1; PERROT, Yann1; BAYETTI, Pascal1; CORDIER, Jean-Jacques1; FRICONNEAU, Jean-Pierre1; PALMER, J D2 1France; 2Germany

Robotic operations are one of the major maintenance challenges for ITER and future fusion reactors. In vessel inspection operations without loss of conditioning could be very useful.
Within this framework, the aim of the project called AIA (Articulated Inspection Arm) is to demonstrate the feasibility of a multi-purpose in-vessel Remote Handling inspection system using a long reach, limited payload carrier (up to 10 kg). It is composed of 5 segments with 11 degrees of freedom and a total range of 8 m.
The project is currently developed by the CEA within the European workprogramme. It will validate chosen concepts for operations under ITER relevant vacuum and temperature conditions.
For this purpose, a segment prototype has been tested with success in a Tore Supra mock-up. Nowadays, in parallel of the entire robot assembly,a long storage cask is constructed. The robot will be first introduced and conditioned inside. It is a self-sufficient facility with a vacuum pumping system, heating cables with regulation up to 200°C, gas spectrometry analyser, double valves airlock for under vacuum disconnecting, and remote control equipment.
This paper deals with the choices of the materials to minimize the outgassing under vacuum and high temperature (200°C) during conditioning, the implantation of the electronics which are enclosed in boxes with special gaskets and could be cooled by nitrogen gas, the design of the first embedded process which is a viewing system.
The first in situ tests are planned this summer on the Tore Supra tokamak at CEA/Cadarache (France).

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