Design progress of ITER blanket remote handling system towards manufacturing

This paper presents an overview of the design of the ITER blanket remote handling system (BRHS), an indispensable component for ITER operation because the high irradiation environment will not allow humans to perform in-vessel maintenance activities. Instead, a large power manipulator will be deployed in the equatorial plane of the vacuum vessel and travel in the toroidal direction along an articulated rail, which will enable the heavy components to be handled with high positioning accuracy. The BRHS also includes a rail deployment system and various tooling and control systems in addition to its main components. This paper summarizes the design status of the in-vessel manipulator and its support system in the run-up to manufacture.