Status of ITER blanket attachment design and related R&D

Main function of the ITER blanket system [1–3] is to shield the vacuum vessel (VV) from nuclear radiation and thermal energy coming from the plasma. Blanket system consists of discrete blanket modules (BM). Each BM is composed of a first wall panel and a shield block (SB). The shield block is attached to the VV by means of four flexible supports and three or four shear keys, through key pads. All listed supports do have parts with ceramic electro-insulating coatings necessary to exclude the largest loops of eddy currents and restrict EM loads. Electrical connection of each SB to the VV is through two elastic electrical straps. Cooling water is supplied to each BM by one coaxial water connector. This paper summarizes the recent evolution of the blanket attachment system toward design solutions compatible with design loads and numbers of load cycles, and providing sufficient reliability and durability. This evolution was done in a frame of pre-defined external interfaces. The ongoing supporting R&D is also briefly described.