Design and development of a laser system for the inspection and metrology of ITER's fusion chamber.
ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) needed to develop and build an In-Vessel Viewing and metrology System (IVVS) for the inspection of the ITER tokamak. This diagnostic system will allow 3D mapping of the elements inside the ITER tokamak to detect any damage or erosion of components that occurs during operation. This will be a key part of keeping the ITER plant running safely.
Analysis of the complementary solutions, design and development of the optical prototype and implementation
ASE Optics Europe is the responsible of the analysis of complementary solutions for the IVVS concept, including design of the optical prototype system, and implementation of the testing. ASE Optics have built an optical test bed with reduced-dimension prototype, to measure the piezo-electric performance and confirm it is adequate for the planned 3D scanning function.
For more than 4 years, ASE Optics Europe has been working on different tasks for this project, working together with Veolia Nuclear Solutions (main contractor).
ASE Optics work is an extension of the approved IVVS concept design, partly supported by a long history of R&D promoted by F4E & EFDA in collaboration with ENEA Frascati Laboratories.
The results: evolution and publications
During the duration of the project, we have had the honor of publishing two articles presenting the advances, discoveries and innovations developed within the framework of the ITER – IVVS project:
- In-vessel viewing system prototype performance measurements and simulation of measurement quality across the ITER in-vessel components (Thomas Siegel, et al., Fusion Engineering and Design, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2019.03.187)
- High-dynamic-range instrument for characterisation of the angledependent reflectivity of ITER plasma-facing components (Proc. SPIE 11485, Reflection, Scattering, and Diffraction from Surfaces VII, 114850O (20 August 2020); doi: 10.1117/12.2567372)
If you are interested, you can ask for a copy of these articles here:
