Unlocking Maintenance – Architecting the STEP Prototype Powerplant for Maintenance and Realising Re-mountable Magnet Joints
The architecture of STEP has been developed to enable a hybrid maintenance approach, using ports in the vacuum vesselor a limited list of tasks that must be performed shortly after shutdown, and larger openings to simplify and speed-up major refits. Robotic handling systems in zero-human entry facilities will prevent workers from being exposed to the most hazardous environments. Whilst the approach is largely grounded in existing technologies, the scale and environment of STEP will require significant technology development. Notably, programmes have been established to develop, service connections, and in-vessel robotic technologies, and this paper pays particular attention to realising re-mountable magnet joints. The engineering integration of the maintenance strategy into the tokamak remains a priority, as does ongoing work to simplify and reduce the cost of the buildings required to facilitate maintenance.
Re-mountable Magnet Joints are critical to ensuring life-limited magnet components can be replaced during STEP’s lifetime, and in realising STEP’s maintenance strategy. It is a high-risk endeavour due to the low technology maturity of the potential solutions, and due to the tough and intertwined technical challenges and constraints imposed by both the fundamental physics and STEP’s requirements and architecture. An integrated design approach has been taken to balance many competing factors and integrate with interfacing systems, and a multi-faceted technology development programme has been established to address technical risk and to inform, verify and validate the STEP re-mountable magnet design.