Overview of the design and R&D of the ITER blanket system

The ITER blanket design has substantially evolved since the ITER design review of 2007. Two major incentives for the design changes have been the need to account for large plasma heat fluxes to the First Wall (FW) and the need for acceptable maintenance of FW panels. In parallel to the design effort, a focused R&D program is being carried out including manufacturing and testing of semi-prototypes for the FW panels, and of full-scale prototypes for the shield blocks. This paper summarizes the status of the ITER blanket system design including the accommodation of interfaces, and describes some of the key R&D activities in support of the design with the goal of starting procurement in the first half of 2013.