Methods for removing a machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile from a fusion power reactor

• US 10,593,432 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• 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:
  US15/294,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20170069400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 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

A method for removing a tile for a fusion power reactor comprises rotating the tile, which is installed in a locked orientation in a manifold channel of a first wall of the fusion power reactor, until the tile is in an install/removal orientation. The tile has a tile-support tube, attached to a back portion of the tile. The tile-support tube comprises at least one coolant channel that is perpendicular to the back portion of the tile. The method further comprises grasping the tile-support tube with a removal tool. Additionally, the method comprises lifting the tile away from the first wall of the fusion power reactor with the removal tool such that the tile is completely removed from the manifold channel of the first wall of the fusion power reactor.

Claims

1. A method for removing a tile for fusion power reactor environments, the method comprising:

rotating the tile, which is installed in a locked orientation in a manifold channel of a first wall of a fusion power reactor, until the tile is in an install/remove orientation,

wherein the tile has a tile-support tube attached to a back portion of the tile, and the tile-support tube comprises at least one coolant channel that is perpendicular to the back portion of the tile;

grasping, with a removal tool, the tile-support tube; and

lifting the tile away from the first wall of the fusion power reactor with the removal tool such that the tile is completely removed from the manifold channel of the first wall of the fusion power reactor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile is rotated in a clockwise direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction.

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

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the back portion of the tile is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a surface of the back portion of the tile is coated with an electrically insulating material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one coolant channel is in a vertical orientation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile is fish-scale shaped.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one guard vacuum region.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one vacuum seal.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

10. A method for removing a machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile for fusion power reactor environments, the method comprising:

providing a tile that is installed in a locked orientation in a manifold channel of a first wall of a fusion power reactor, wherein the tile has a tile-support tube attached to a back portion of the tile;

rotating the tile until the tile is in an install/remove orientation;

providing a tile-removal tool, wherein the tile-removal tool comprises an elongated handle and two tines, and wherein one end of each tine is connected to a first end of the elongated handle, and wherein a second end of the elongated handle is located opposite the first end of the elongated handle;

rotating the second end of the elongated handle of the tile-removal tool such that the two tines are in an open state;

inserting the two tines of the tile-removal tool between outer edges of the tile and the first wall of the fusion power reactor;

rotating the second end of the elongated handle of the tile-removal tool such that the tines are in a closed state and grasp the tile-support tube; and

lifting the tile away from the first wall of the fusion power reactor with the tile-removal tool such that the tile is completely removed from the manifold channel of the first wall of the fusion power reactor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the tile is rotated in a clockwise direction.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the tile is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein a plasma-facing portion of the tile is manufactured from tungsten (W).

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the back portion of the tile is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein a surface of the back portion of the tile is coated with an electrically insulating material.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the tile-support tube comprises at least one coolant channel.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one coolant channel is perpendicular to the back portion of the tile.