Analysis and experimental justification of electrical connector for ITER blanket module

In ITER blanket system, electrical connectors ("E-straps", ES) are used to form a low impedance electrical path from shield blocks (SB) to the vacuum vessel (VV). Main functions of ES is providing current from SB to VV. ES shall withstand electromagnetic (EM) loads and Joule heating resulted from electrical current with magnitude up to 137 kA during 300 ms, accommodate cyclic relative displacements SB-to-VV and operate in harsh environment: neutron radiation, thermal cycling and high vacuum. Manufacturing of the ES from one solid blank by electrical discharge machining (EDM) has been developed and proposed by NIKIET instead of the assembling from separate parts. This paper presents design and analyses efforts applied on development of ES made of solid blank. Patterns of temperature, EM loads and stress-strain state, accumulated fatigue damages have been found with numerical simulations for all specified loading conditions. Strength assessment shows that current design of ES meets the applicable design code: structural design criteria for in-vessel components (SDC-IC). Results of cyclic mechanical tests at temperature are presented in this paper. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.