°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ NEWSLINE
179
Lip Seal Project delivers first hardware
Lip Seal Project delivers first hardware
The Lip Seal Project team: Timmo Määta, Kalervo Leino, Esa Leskelä, Robin Le Barbier, Bruno Levesy and Jean-Pierre Martins.
The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ vacuum vessel will have 18 upper, 17 equatorial and 9 lower ports to allow access to the plasma for diagnostic, heating, pumping systems and maintenance. Welded "lips" made out of 2 mm thick stainless steel will seal the port plugs and confine the ultra-high vacuum inside the vessel.
An illustration showing the tig-welding of the lip seal...
In order to develop the appropriate cutting and welding techniques for the lip, the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Organization launched an R&D project together with the Finnish company VTT called the "Lip Seal Project." This week, the first two mockups arrived at the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ site. They were manufactured at the VTT facility using a robotic arm especially adapted to the port's high-vacuum and nuclear environment.
...and the laser-welding technique.
The laser welded mockup successfully passed the tests for qualification and leak tightness, which was a big milestone for Bruno Levesy, the responsible engineer, and the team from VTT.
Click to watch the movie on the Lip Seal welding technology produced by VTT.
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