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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Ikuhide Tokami, Masataka Nakahira, Satoshi Sato, Kazuyuki Furuya, Toshihisa Hatano, Toshimasa Kuroda, Hideyuki Takatsu
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 574-578
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963000
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A modular blanket has been proposed for a fusion experimental reactor, such as ITER, to enhance its maintainability as well as improve its fablicability. The blanket module is connected to a strong back plate via support legs protruded from both of the module and the back plate. A welding approach has been investigated for the joining of the support leg that is 70 mm thick to withstand electromagnetic forces and with limited welding/cutting heads working space of 100 mm × 150 mm adjacent to the support leg.
After comparison of several methods, e.g. NGTIG, NGMIG and iodine laser, NGTIG has been selected as a reference for welding and plasma cutting for cutting. Iodine laser has been chosen as an alternative for both of welding and cutting. Through preliminary design studies, the possibility of small welding/cutting heads including their driving systems available to the limited space has been shown. Maintenance route for in-situ module replacement with temporary fixture jigs has been also investigated.
