METHOD OF REMOVING A MACHINE-REPLACEABLE PLASMA-FACING TILE FROM A FUSION POWER REACTOR

• US 20200135344A1
• Filed: 12/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Weaver, Thomas Lyman
• Granted Patent: US 11,450,441 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 of removing, from a fusion power reactor, a tile that comprises a tile-support tube, which is attached to a back portion of the tile and which comprises a coolant channel that is configured in a horizontal orientation, 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/remove orientation. The method further comprises grasping, with a removal tool, the tile-support tube. The method additionally 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 of removing, from a fusion power reactor, a tile that comprises a tile-support tube, which is attached to a back portion of the tile and which comprises a coolant channel that is configured in a horizontal orientation, the method comprising steps of:

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/remove orientation;

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 step of rotating the tile until the tile is in the install/remove orientation comprises rotating the tile in a clockwise direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of rotating the tile until the tile is in the install/remove orientation comprises rotating the tile 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 coolant channel is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile-support tube is configured to provide direct contact between coolant from the coolant channel and coolant from the back portion of the tile.

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

11. A method of removing, from a fusion power reactor, a machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile that comprises a tile-support tube, which is attached to a back portion of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile and which comprises a coolant channel that is configured in a horizontal direction, the method comprising the steps of:

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

accessing a tile-removal tool, which comprises an elongated handle and two tines, and wherein

one end of each of the two tines is connected to a first end of the elongated handle, and

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 machine-replaceable plasma-facing 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 two tines are in a closed state and grasp the tile-support tube, and wherein the two tines are closer together in the closed state than in the open state; and

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

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of rotating the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile until the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is in the install/remove orientation comprises rotating the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile in a clockwise direction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of rotating the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile until the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is in the install/remove orientation comprises rotating the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile in a counter-clockwise direction.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a plasma-facing portion of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is manufactured from tungsten (W).

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the back portion of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein a surface of the back portion of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is coated with an electrically insulating material.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the coolant channel of the tile-support tube is manufactured from international thermonuclear experimental reactor-grade (ITER-grade) stainless steel.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein when the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is installed in the locked orientation, the coolant channel of the tile-support tube of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile is mated with a coolant channel of the manifold channel of the first wall of the fusion power reactor.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the tile-support tube is configured to provide direct contact between coolant from the coolant channel of the tile-support tube and coolant from the back portion of the machine-replaceable plasma-facing tile.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the tile-support tube further comprises at least one guard vacuum region.