Installation of line replaceable units into the National Ignition Facility

In the National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under design and construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), 192 high-power laser beamlines incorporating over 8,000 large optics, are focused onto a target smaller than a dime. The actual laser path will be contained within the Laser Target Area Building (LTAB), but the smaller adjacent building, the Optics Assembly Building, is where the optic modules are assembled and aligned. After the optics are finished in the OAB they must be transported and installed into the LTAB. While this is done strict cleanliness and handling conditions must be maintained. To maximize the efficiency of this process the optics are assembled into Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), which typically consist of a mechanical housing, laser optics, utilities, actuators and kinematic mounts. In this paper the Optical Transport and Material Handling designs that will be used to deliver the LRUs into the NIF laser bays are presented. Five types of delivery systems have been developed to deliver the LRUs to their locations in the LTAB. They are top loading, bottom loading, side loading, switchyard loading and target area loading. The first three operate in the laser bay of the LTAB and are transported between the OAB and the LTAB by the Laser Bay Transport System (LBTS). All delivery systems must maintain each optical LRU assemblies' specified shock, vibration, cleanliness, and environmental requirements. The design for each delivery system must take into consideration the cleanliness, functionality and alignment of the LRUs while maximizing commonality in order to meet the beamline installation schedule. This paper focuses on the design challenges of the bottom, side and top loading delivery systems and especially on how commonality among these varied systems is achieved.