A MINIATURIZED OMNIDIRECTIONAL VIEWING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM FOR FUSION REACTORS

OBSERVATION, MAINTENANCE, DIAGNOSTICS, AND REPAIR OF EXPERIMENTAL FUSION REACTORS POSE A FORMIDABLE CHALLENGE FORREMOTE VIEWING AND INSPECTION SYSTEMS. THIS PROJECT APPLIES AN OMNIDIRECTIONAL VIEWING SYSTEM TO THE CHALLENGE OF IN-VESSEL INSPECTION. THE PROPRIETARY, PATENT-PENDING APPROACH USES A FISH-EYE LENS TO OBTAIN THE IMAGE OF AN ENTIRE HEMISPHERICAL (180-DEGREE) FIELD OF VIEW. THE IMAGE PROCESSING ELECTRONICS AND ALGORITHMS THEN PROVIDE PAN, TILT, ROTATE, AND ZOOM FUNCTIONS WITH NO MECHANICAL MECHANISMS. AS A RESULT, THIS OMNIDIRECTIONAL VIEWING SYSTEM CAN BE INSERTED INTO VERY CONFINED AREAS AND CAN PERFORM INSPECTIONS NOT POSSIBLE WITH ANY OTHER DEVICE. BECAUSE NO PRISMS OR MIRRORS ARE USED, THE BLIND SPOTS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE ALTERNATIVE MINIATURIZED VIEWING APPROACHES ARE ELIMINATED. SUCH A SYSTEM COULD BE INSERTED,FOR EXAMPLE, INTO THE LOWER VERTICAL PORT OF A FUSION REACTOR AND COULD SEE BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER DIVERTERS, ASWELL AS ADJACENT PORT-MOUNTED EQUIPMENT. THIS CAPABILITY HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN ACTUAL LABORATORY OPERATION, AND THIS PROJECT APPLIES THIS REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY TO THE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES POSED BY FUSION DEVICES. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES, THROUGH DESIGN TRADEOFF STUDIES, THE SPECIFIC ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUSION ENERGY EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, RADIATION, AND VACUUM ENVIRONMENT DURABILITY. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT INVOLVES (1) INVESTIGATING THE USEOF INFRARED (IR) IMAGING SYSTEM TO ALLOW IR DIAGNOSTIC STUDIES OF THE VESSEL AND (2) PERFORMING FEASIBILITY STUDIESOF USING FIBER OPTICS TO EXTEND THE VIEWING SYSTEM ACROSS THE VACUUM BARRIER. IN PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT, A MINIATURIZED OMNIDIRECTIONAL VIEWING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM, WITH NO MOVING PARTS, IS BEING CUSTOM-DESIGNED FOR USE IN NEXT-GENERATION FUSION DEVICES.