Lip seal project delivers first hardware
31 May 2011
The Lip Seal Project team: Timmo Määta, Kalervo Leino, Esa Leskelä, Robin Le Barbier, Bruno Levesy and Jean-Pierre Martins.
The ±¬×ߺÚÁÏ 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 ±¬×ߺÚÁÏ 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 ±¬×ߺÚÁÏ 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.