Structural analysis of the ITER ex-vessel plasma position reflectometer components located in the gallery

Abstract The Plasma Position Reflectometry (PPR) diagnostic system is planned to provide information related to the edge electron density profile and plasma position at four defined locations distributed both poloidally and toroidally in the ITER vacuum vessel. It consists of five fully independent reflectometers grouped in three different paths, depending on the port through which are routed (Equatorial Port 10, Upper Port 01 and Upper Port 14), with different lengths and waveguide number and distribution. The sections of the ex-vessel transmission lines (TL) in the Gallery, between the two secondary confinement barriers, are considered “captive components”. They are installed as close as possible to the ceiling and are trapped by other systems installed below so they will not be accessible for repair. This paper summarizes the design, the analysis strategy and main results of global analyses for each PPR route in the Gallery in order to analyze global deformations, reactions on supports and identify the critical parts of the whole PPR system. Based on the results obtained in the global model, detailed models will be built in future studies for critical components to assess their structural integrity.