Tecnatom has been awarded a new contract for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in the Components Engineering area. The main objective of the contract was to study, by means of mechanical tests and finite element analysis, the safety margins applied in the design calculations of the Lip Welded Seals (LWS). The LWS are sealing welds between 2 mm thick stainless steel sheets that are located in the ports that connect to the ITER vacuum vessel.
All the foreseen works: the manufacturing of the samples with laser welding, the NDE (liquids, X-rays and ultrasound) for sample acceptance, the ultrasound and eddy current applicability studies, the mechanical tests, as well as the finite element analyses with and without crack type defects, have been carried out successfully and within the established time margins in spite of the complex situation set by the COVID.
Tecnatom has been involved for many years in this international project through the performance of several contracts, among which the non-destructive testing of toroidal coil pre-compression rings, the supply of inspection equipment for reactor vessel welds and support for remote control activities are particularly noteworthy.
