Engineering news
Improvements to the remote handling control room at the Joint European Torus (Jet) facility in Oxfordshire include a complete overhaul of Mascot, a highly dextrous remote manipulator, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) said today (26 February). Haptic feedback will allow operators to “feel every action, from carrying a new component to tightening a bolt,” the announcement said.
Based at UKAEA’s Culham Campus, Jet set a world record for energy output while demonstrating reliable generation of fusion energy, shortly before it closed in December last year.
Testing of the inside of the tokamak, a device that uses powerful magnetic fields to confine a plasma in the shape of a doughnut, is now underway as part of its decommissioning and repurposing. 60 samples will be retrieved for scientific analysis.
Steve Gilligan, UKAEA head of decommissioning and handling, said: “The Remote Handling System is absolutely fundamental to the repurposing and decommissioning of Jet.
“Due to safety precautions, personnel have not been able to enter the tokamak for over 30 years. Further, Jet’s plasma operations over the last few years have made it a particularly challenging environment to work with.
“We have refurbished the system so that it’s fit for the future. This has taken huge effort, more than 400,000 hours have been invested in its upgrade, which includes research and development, installation, testing, commissioning and training.”
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