AN IN-VESSEL AND EX-VESSEL SMALL VOLUME REMOTE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR THE COMPACT IGNITION TOKAMAK

REMOTE MAINTENANCE OF THE COMPACT IGNITION TOKAMAK (CIT) POSES FORMIDABLE CHALLENGES BECAUSE OF ITS INTERNAL DIMENSIONAL CONSTRAINTS, DIVERSITY OF MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS, AND GEOMETRICALLY INTRICATE ARRANGEMENT OF EXTERNAL SERVICE EQUIPMENT. THESE CHALLENGES MUST BE ADDRESSED TO SUPPORT FUTURE "HOT" OPERATION OF THE PRINCETON PLASMA PHYSICS LABORATORY (PPPL) CIT. PHASE I INTRODUCES A SINGLE SOLUTION FOR BOTH IN- AND EX-VESSEL SMALL VOLUME MANIPULATION NEEDS. THIS SOLUTION IS A MODULARMANIPULATION SYSTEM THAT DISTRIBUTES THE MECHANISMS AND ELECTRONICS INTO THE INDIVIDUAL MANIPULATOR ELEMENTS; THIS AFFORDS PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE FLEXIBILITY IN RECONFIGURING THE MANIPULATOR FOR VARIOUS TASKS. THIS SYSTEM ALSO ALLOWS MULTIPLE MANIPULATOR ELEMENTS TO BE COMBINED TO PROVIDE REDUNDANT KINEMATIC STRUCTURES THAT CAN AVOID OBSTACLES IN CONFINED ENVIRONMENTS. THIS EFFORT DERIVES FROM PREVIOUS MANIPULATOR DEVELOPMENT TARGETED AT REMOTE HANDLING SYSTEMS FOR FUEL REPROCESSING FACILITIES AND MODIFIES THESE SYSTEMS SPECIFICALLY TO MEET CIT CHALLENGES. THE RESULT OF PHASE IIWILL BE A DELIVERED DUAL-ARM, FORCE- REFLECTING, TELEROBOTICSYSTEM INCLUDING A MANIPULATOR AND CONTROL STATION FOR USE AT PPPL.