Machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile for fusion power reactor environments

• US 10,580,536 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Weaver, Thomas Lyman
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Marshall P
• Application Number:
  US15/294,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 376100, 376121, 376131, 376133, 376136, 376150
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/11 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/13 First wall; Blanket; Divertor
• CPC Class Codes: G21B 1/25 Maintenance, e.g. repair or remote inspection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/10 Nuclear fusion reactors

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for machine-replaceable plasma-facing tiles for fusion power reactor environments. The apparatus and method involve a tile that is fish scale shaped, and a tile support tube that is attached to the back portion of the tile. The tile support tube includes at least one coolant channel and at least one guard vacuum channel. In one or more embodiments, the method for removing the tile comprises providing a tile that is installed in a manifold channel of a first wall of a fusion power reactor, rotating the tile such that it is in an install/removal orientation, inserting two tines of a removal tool between the outer edges of the tile and the first wall of the fusion power reactor, rotating the removal tool such that the two tines grasp the tile support tube, and lifting the tile away from the wall with the removal tool.

Claims

1. A machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus for fusion power reactor environments, comprising:

a tile;

a tile-support tube, attached to a back portion of the tile, and wherein the tile-support tube comprises at least one coolant channel and at least two sets of shoulders; and

a spring, attached to an end of the tile-support tube, and

wherein the spring is configured to push the at least two sets of shoulders up against each other.

2. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is in a vertical orientation.

3. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is in a horizontal orientation.

4. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plasma-facing portion of the tile is manufactured from tungsten (W).

5. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile is fish-scale shaped.

6. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the back portion of the tile is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

7. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface of the back portion of the tile is coated with an electrically insulating material.

8. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 7, wherein the electrically insulating material is silicon carbide (SiC).

9. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 7, wherein the electrically insulating material is tungsten carbide (WC).

10. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

11. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is perpendicular to the back portion of the tile.

12. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube is configured to provide direct contact between coolant from the at least one coolant channel and the back portion of the tile.

13. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one guard vacuum region.

14. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

15. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile is hollow.

16. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spring is a captive spring.

17. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one vacuum seal.

18. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube is manufactured from copper (Cu).

19. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one first vacuum seal and at least one second vacuum seal.

20. The machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of the at least two sets of shoulders comprises at least one coolant passage.