Maintenance inside IFMIF Test Facility—(Technical) logistics

The International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is designed to study and qualify structural and functional materials which shall be used in future fusion nuclear power plants. The Test Cell is the area of convergence of primary IFMIF sub-systems, and physically accommodates the lithium target and the test modules. The Test Cell will be opened once a year for maintenance and replacing the highly stressed test modules and other components like the lithium target. Scores of different parts and components with extremely different sizes, shapes, and weights must be dismantled and moved remotely. ime of IFMIF interrupts irradiation of specimen and is very expensive. Thus it must be as short as possible enabled e.g. by optimized technical logistics. With structured description of processes, alternatives can be identified. Considering specific properties of tools performing the tasks, e.g. operation times can be calculated by simulation. Analyzing the results of a simulation, partial processes may be identified for improvement and as basis to get an optimum solution. Shown on the example of the HFTM dismantling process, the method can as well be applied on all other sub-systems.