Engineering news
Nuclear engineering company Nuvia Limited and the UK’s national research centre Culham Centre for Fusion Energy are among the beneficiaries of a multi-million deal to develop advanced robotics equipment for ITER, the world's largest experimental fusion facility.
Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU body managing Europe's contribution to ITER, signed the €100m deal to develop remote handling systems that will run for seven years.
The remote handling systems will support the maintenance and repair of the ITER fusion experiment, where space is extremely limited and the exposure of some of the components to radioactivity prohibits any manual intervention inside the machine.
The transfer of components from ITER’s vacuum vessel to the hot cell building where they will be deposited for maintenance will use approximately 15 double-door containers known as casks, some of which will weigh 100 tonnes when transporting the heaviest components.
Resembling a conventional shipping container, these casks will be remotely operated as they move within the different levels and buildings of the facility.
The overall system is known as the ITER Cask and Plug Remote Handling System and is underpinned by a variety of leading technologies which must comply with stringent nuclear safety requirements.
See how the ITER Cask and Plugs Remote Handling System will operate:
The equipment will form part of ITER fusion facility located in Cadarache, France – the first in history to produce 500MW.
Fusion for Energy (F4E), the EU organisation managing Europe’s contribution to ITER, signed the deal with a group of companies including Airbus Safran Launchers (France-Germany), Nuvia (UK) and Cegelec CEM (France), as well as members of the French construction company VINCI Group.
CCFE (UK), Instituto Superior Tecnico (Portugal), AVT Europe NV (Belgium) and Millennium (France) will also deliver remotely operated systems for the transportation and confinement of components located in the ITER machine.
Europe will contribute almost half of the costs of its construction, while the other six parties to this 35-year joint international venture – which involves China, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the USA – will contribute equally to the rest.
This is the latest success for British industry on the ITER project. Last year F4E awarded a €70m contract to the British multinational consultancy and engineering company Amec Foster Wheeler to develop the neutral beam cell remote handling system on the fusion reactor.
Keith Collett, chief executive of Nuvia Limited, said that the company was “delighted” to have been awarded the single biggest-ever fusion energy robotics deal alongside Airbus Safran Launchers and Cegelec CEM.
Collett added: “The ITER project is at the forefront of research to develop solutions to the world’s future energy needs. We are pleased, as a UK company, with Millennium as part of the Nuvia Group, to be playing such a key role in this important global objective.”