Teleoperated transfer apparatus and method for maintenance of parts of nuclear fusion apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention is a teleoperated transfer apparatus for the maintenance of parts of a nuclear fusion apparatus. The teleoperated transfer apparatus is mainly composed of a transfer vehicle body, a dual-seal door, a trailer, a hoisting mechanism, a vehicle body driving system, a part-to-be-maintained fixing platform, a heavy-load guide rail, and the like. The transfer scheme mainly comprises the following steps: a docking process between a first transfer vehicle and a window flange of a vacuum chamber and between a second transfer vehicle and the first transfer vehicle; a transfer process of using a transfer mechanism and the trailer to transfer parts to be maintained from the vacuum chamber to a position in front of the second transfer vehicle and below the hoisting mechanism; a hoisting process that the hoisting mechanism hoists and transfers said parts to the rear portion of the second transfer vehicle for storage; and a maintenance process that the second transfer vehicle transfers a plurality of said parts to a maintenance room. The present invention has the advantages of reducing the time of docking and separating the transfer vehicles with and from the vacuum chamber, increasing the utilization rate of the part transfer mechanism, implementing the transfer of a plurality of parts to be maintained to the maintenance room in one time, and improving the maintenance efficiency of the entire system.

Description

A remote-operated transport device and method for maintaining nuclear fusion device components Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of nuclear fusion reactor engineering, and in particular to a remote-operated transport device and method for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device. Background Art

[0002] Controlled nuclear fusion is an inexhaustible energy source with low radioactive pollution. Achieving controlled nuclear fusion could permanently solve humanity's energy problems. Therefore, its research is gaining increasing attention worldwide. Tokamak magnetic confinement fusion is considered one of the most promising avenues for commercializing fusion energy. Many systems and components of a nuclear fusion device, such as the blanket system, divertor system, window insertion system, pumping system, heating system, diagnostic system within the vacuum chamber, internal coils, and water-cooled distributor, suffer varying degrees of damage after prolonged operation in a nuclear radiation environment, while enduring plasma thermal shock and neutron irradiation. Consequently, these components must be removed from the tokamak for maintenance. However, given the extremely complex vacuum, radiation, and high-temperature environment, remote operation is essential for maintenance. At present, the general solution for the maintenance of components or systems in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is as follows: first, the transfer vehicle docks with the vacuum chamber window flange, and the component transfer mechanism inside the transfer vehicle moves the component to be maintained out of the vacuum chamber to the transfer vehicle. The transfer vehicle closes the sealed door docked with the vacuum chamber, and then moves the two together to the maintenance hall outside the device. After unloading the maintenance component, the transfer vehicle returns to the tokamak device, docks with the vacuum chamber window flange again, and then performs the next component maintenance task. The disadvantages of this method are: (1) For each component to be maintained, the transfer vehicle needs to dock and detach with the vacuum chamber flange once, and the docking and detaching processes are time-consuming; (2) The entire process of the transfer vehicle transporting the component to the maintenance hall and then returning to the vacuum chamber window is time-consuming, resulting in the component transfer mechanism being unable to transfer the component to be maintained that has been moved to the vacuum chamber maintenance window, reducing the utilization rate of the transfer mechanism and thus reducing the maintenance efficiency of the entire system.

[0003] The remote-operated transfer scheme of the present invention overcomes the above shortcomings and has the following advantages: (1) The first transfer vehicle is always docked with the vacuum chamber window flange, and the component transfer mechanism inside it can realize the continuous transfer of components to be maintained, thereby improving the utilization rate of the transfer mechanism; (2) The second transfer vehicle can realize the maintenance of multiple components at one time according to the size of the maintenance components, reducing the docking and separation time of the sealing door during the entire maintenance process, thereby improving the maintenance efficiency of the system.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a remote-controlled transfer device and method for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device, so as to realize the process of moving the components to be maintained in the nuclear fusion device from the vacuum chamber to the maintenance hall outside the device.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] A remote-operated transfer device for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device, characterized in that it includes a first transfer vehicle mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a trailer, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, guide rails and supports, and a second transfer vehicle mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, a maintenance component fixing platform, a lifting mechanism and guide rails and supports; the first transfer vehicle includes a transfer vehicle main body, one end of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with guide rails and supports, and a trailer; the second transfer vehicle includes a transfer vehicle main body, one end of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with guide rails and supports, a maintenance component fixing platform, and a lifting mechanism, wherein the guide rails and supports include heavy-load guide rails and guide rail supports. A remote-operated transfer device for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device, characterized in that: it includes a first transfer vehicle mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a vehicle body drive system The operating transfer device is characterized in that it includes a first transfer vehicle mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a trailer, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, a guide rail and a support, and a second transfer vehicle mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, a maintenance component fixing platform, a lifting mechanism and a guide rail and a support; the first transfer vehicle includes a transfer vehicle main body, one end of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with guide rails and supports, and a trailer; the second transfer vehicle includes a transfer vehicle main body, one end of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of the transfer vehicle main body is provided with guide rails and supports, a maintenance component fixing platform, and a lifting mechanism, wherein the guide rails and supports include heavy-load guide rails and guide rail supports; the first transfer vehicle and the second transfer vehicle are connected by a sealed double-layer sealed door.

[0008] The remote-operated transfer device for maintaining nuclear fusion device components is characterized in that: the double-layer sealed door system includes a double-layer door consisting of a maintenance door and a sealed door, a sealed door guide groove, and a drive telescopic guide rod. The sealed door guide groove and the drive telescopic guide rod are fixed to the inner wall of the first or second transfer vehicle. Under the action of the drive telescopic guide rod, the double-layer door can move along the sealed door guide groove to the top of the first transfer vehicle or the second transfer vehicle, thereby achieving docking and separation between the vacuum chamber and the first transfer vehicle, and between the first transfer vehicle and the second transfer vehicle. The drive telescopic rod is located at the top of the transfer vehicle. Under the action of the driving force, the double-layer sealed door slides along the inner inverted groove smoothly into the top of the transfer vehicle, thereby achieving sealing and separation.

[0009] The remote-operated transfer device for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device is characterized in that: the trailer includes a trailer body, a gear drive system and a component transfer mechanism are provided in the trailer body, a top guide rail is provided on the top of the trailer body, the gear drive system is composed of a motor, a coupling, a reducer and a gear, the gear is engaged with the rack at the bottom of the transfer vehicle, and the trailer body is fixed to the heavy-duty guide rail slider at the bottom of the first or second transfer vehicle by bolts; the component transfer mechanism is also driven by gears and is engaged with the rack on the side of the top guide rail of the trailer body through the gear.

[0010] The remote-controlled transfer device for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device is characterized in that: the lifting mechanism includes a frame located at the top of the second transfer vehicle, with four heavy-load rollers on each side of the top of the frame to support the entire lifting mechanism, and a gear drive system is arranged on both sides of the upper part of the frame, and a hydraulic lifting drive system and a ball screw drive system are arranged on both sides of the bottom of the frame; the gear drive system is located at the top of the frame and provides horizontal displacement for the entire lifting mechanism and maintenance components, and includes a motor, a coupling, a reducer and gears, and the reducer is fixed to the frame by bolts; the hydraulic lifting drive system is a water pressure system, located at the bottom of the frame, and provides vertical displacement for the lifting maintenance components; the ball screw drive system is located at the bottom of the frame and provides power for the hydraulic lifting drive system to move below the lifting surface of the maintenance component.

[0011] The remote-operated transfer device for maintaining components of a nuclear fusion device is characterized in that the heavy-load guide rail is located at the bottom of the transfer vehicle and consists of two sections; it has a 2-degree inclination angle, which is conducive to the design of the sealing structure of the front door of the second transfer vehicle.

[0012] A remote-operated transport method for maintaining nuclear fusion device components, utilizing the aforementioned remote-operated transport device for maintaining nuclear fusion device components, is characterized in that it mainly comprises the following steps:

[0013] (1) Docking: The first transfer vehicle is docked with the window flange of the vacuum chamber. The sealed door inside the vacuum chamber and the double sealed door of the first transfer vehicle are opened in sequence by a remote-controlled manipulator. The trailer moves along the internal guide rail of the first transfer vehicle until the guide rail on it is docked with the guide rail inside the neck tube of the vacuum chamber. The locking mechanism of the internal guide rail of the transfer vehicle is used to fix the two sections of the guide rail. The docking process of the second transfer vehicle and the first transfer vehicle is the same as the docking process of the first transfer vehicle and the vacuum chamber.

[0014] (2) Transfer: The transfer mechanism on the upper part of the trailer transfers the parts to be maintained in the vacuum chamber to the trailer; the trailer transports the maintenance parts along the bottom guide rail inside the transfer vehicle to the front of the second transfer vehicle, below the lifting mechanism;

[0015] (3) Hoisting: The hoisting mechanism hoists the maintenance component and transports it to the rear of the second transfer vehicle for storage, while the trailer returns to the first transfer vehicle to continue the next component maintenance task;

[0016] (4) Maintenance: After the hoisting mechanism completes the hoisting and storage of multiple maintenance components, the second transfer vehicle transports them to the maintenance hall for maintenance.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0018] The remote-operated transfer solution of the present invention can reduce the docking and separation time between the transfer vehicle and the vacuum chamber; improve the utilization rate of the component transfer mechanism; and can realize the transfer of multiple maintenance components to the maintenance hall at one time; thereby improving the maintenance efficiency of the entire system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the remote-operated transfer solution.

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a double-layer sealing door system.

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a trailer.

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of the hoisting mechanism.

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the remote-operated transfer scheme using the divertor module maintenance as an example.

[0025] Explanation of symbols in the accompanying drawings: 1 first transfer vehicle, 2 double-layer sealed door system, 3 trailer, 4 vehicle body drive system, 5 transfer vehicle body, 6 maintenance component fixing platform, 7 second transfer vehicle, 8 lifting mechanism, 9 guide rail and support, 10 sealed door, 11 sealed door guide groove, 12 driving telescopic guide rod, 13 trailer body, 14 gear drive system, 15 component transfer mechanism, 16 top guide rail, 17 slider, 18 transfer vehicle internal guide rail, 19 guide rail support, 20 frame, 21 roller, 22 guide rail, 23 gear drive system, 24 hydraulic drive system and ball screw drive system, 25 vacuum chamber internal guide rail, 26 divertor, 27 vacuum chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To further clarify the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial technologies of the present invention, the following describes the present invention in further detail, using divertor module maintenance as an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described in this specification are intended solely to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a remote-operated transfer device for maintaining nuclear fusion device components includes a first transfer vehicle 1 primarily composed of a double-layer sealed door system 2, a trailer 3, a vehicle drive system 4, a main body 5, and guide rails and supports 9; and a second transfer vehicle 7 primarily composed of the double-layer sealed door system 2, the vehicle drive system 4, the main body 5, a maintenance component fixing platform 6, a lifting mechanism 8, and guide rails and supports 9, wherein the guide rails and supports 9 include heavy-duty guide rails and guide rail supports 19, and the heavy-duty guide rails are further provided with sliders 17.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the double-layer sealed door system 2 primarily consists of a double-layer door 10 (comprising a maintenance door and a sealing door), a sealing door guide 11, and a drive telescopic guide rod 12. Driven by the drive telescopic guide rod 12, the double-layer door 10 can be moved along the sealing door guide 11 to the top of the transfer cart 1 or 7, enabling docking and undocking of the vacuum chamber with the first transfer cart, and vice versa. The drive telescopic guide rod, located at the top of the transfer cart, is driven by a force that slides the double-layer sealed door along the inner inverted groove into the top of the transfer cart, achieving sealing and undocking.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the trailer 3 primarily consists of a main body 13, a gear drive system 14, a parts transfer mechanism 15, and a top guide rail 16. The gear drive system 14 comprises a motor, coupling, reducer, and gears. The gears mesh with the racks at the bottom of the trailer, and the trailer main body 13 is bolted to the heavy-duty guide rail sliders 17 at the bottom of the trailer. The parts transfer mechanism 15 is also gear-driven, meshing with the racks on the sides of the trailer's top guide rail 16. The main body is bolted to the trailer's guide rail sliders.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, the hoisting mechanism 8 mainly consists of a frame 20, rollers 21, a gear drive system 23, an internal hydraulic drive system, and a ball screw drive system 24. The rollers 21 act on the side bosses inside the transfer vehicle to support the entire hoisting mechanism 8. The gear drive system 23 is located at the top of the frame 20, and the hydraulic drive system and ball screw drive system 24 are located at the bottom of the frame 20.

[0031] The remote-operated transfer scheme for divertor maintenance is a process in which multiple systems work together, and the process mainly includes four stages: docking, transfer, hoisting and maintenance.

[0032] A remote-operated transport method for maintaining nuclear fusion device components comprises the following steps:

[0033] Docking: The docking process is divided into two stages: docking of the first transfer vehicle 1 with the window flange of the vacuum chamber 27 and docking of the second transfer vehicle 7 with the first transfer vehicle 1. The docking process of the latter is basically the same as that of the former, and the following mainly describes the docking process of the first stage. First, the first transfer vehicle 1 moves to the window flange of the vacuum chamber 27, and uses a remote-controlled manipulator to open the double-layer sealing door system 2 and the sealing door at the window flange of the vacuum chamber; the trailer 3 moves along the internal track 9 of the transfer vehicle until the top guide rail 16 thereon is docked with the guide rail 25 inside the neck tube of the vacuum chamber and then stops. The locking mechanism inside the top guide rail 16 of the trailer 3 realizes the fixation between the two sections of the guide rails 15 and 25, thus completing the entire docking process and realizing the complete working track of the transfer mechanism 15;

[0034] Transfer: Driven by the gear system, the transfer mechanism 15 on the upper portion of the trailer 3 moves along the top rails 16 and 25 to the vacuum chamber 27, transferring the divertor 26 to be maintained, located at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 27, to the trailer 3. Also driven by the gear system 14, the trailer 3 moves the divertor 26 along the bottom guide rail 18 of the transfer vehicle 1 to the interior of the second transfer vehicle 7. At this point, the divertor 26 is located directly below the hoisting mechanism 8.

[0035] Hoisting: The hoisting mechanism 8 uses its internal hydraulic drive system and ball screw drive system 24 to lift the divertor 26 to a certain height, separating it from the transfer mechanism 15 on the upper part of the trailer 3. The gear drive system 14 engages with the rack drive on the side of the top guide rail 22 inside the second transfer vehicle 7, and the divertor 26 is transported along the guide rail 22 to the rear of the transfer vehicle 7 for storage via rollers. At the same time, the trailer 3 returns to the first transfer vehicle 1 to continue the next divertor maintenance task.

[0036] Maintenance: After the lifting mechanism 8 completes the lifting and storage of multiple divertors, the second transfer vehicle 7 delivers them to the maintenance hall.

Claims

1. A remotely operated transport device for maintenance of nuclear fusion device components, characterized in that: The invention comprises a first transfer vehicle which is mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a trailer, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, guide rails and supports, and a second transfer vehicle which is mainly composed of a double-layer sealed door system, a vehicle body drive system, a main body, a maintenance component fixing platform, a lifting mechanism, guide rails and supports; the first transfer vehicle comprises a transfer vehicle main body, one end of which is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of which is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of which is provided with guide rails and supports, and a trailer; the second transfer vehicle comprises a transfer vehicle main body, one end of which is provided with a double-layer sealed door system, the bottom of which is provided with a vehicle body drive system, the interior of which is provided with guide rails and supports, a maintenance component fixing platform, and a lifting mechanism, wherein the guide rails and supports comprise heavy-load guide rails and guide rail supports; the first transfer vehicle is connected to the second transfer vehicle via a sealed double-layer sealed door.

2. A remote-operated transport device for maintenance of nuclear fusion device components according to claim 1, characterized in that: The double-layer sealed door system includes a double-layer door consisting of a maintenance door and a sealed door, a sealed door guide groove and a driving telescopic guide rod. The sealed door guide groove and the driving telescopic guide rod are fixed on the inner wall of the first or second transfer vehicle. Under the action of the driving telescopic guide rod, the double-layer door moves along the sealed door guide groove to the top of the first transfer vehicle or the second transfer vehicle, thereby realizing the docking and separation of the vacuum chamber and the first transfer vehicle and the first transfer vehicle and the second transfer vehicle.

3. A remote-operated transport device for maintenance of nuclear fusion device components according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trailer includes a trailer body, which is provided with a gear drive system and a component transfer mechanism. A top guide rail is provided on the top of the trailer body. The gear drive system is composed of a motor, a coupling, a reducer and a gear. The gear is meshed with the rack at the bottom of the transfer vehicle. The trailer body is fixed to the heavy-load guide rail slider at the bottom of the first or second transfer vehicle by bolts. The component transfer mechanism is also driven by gears and is meshed with the rack on the side of the top guide rail of the trailer body through gears.

4. A remote-operated transport device for maintenance of nuclear fusion device components according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a frame located at the top of the second transfer vehicle, with four heavy-load rollers on each side of the top of the frame to support the entire lifting mechanism, a gear drive system is arranged on both sides of the upper part of the frame, and a hydraulic lifting drive system and a ball screw drive system are arranged on both sides of the bottom of the frame.

5. A remote-operated transport device for maintenance of nuclear fusion device components according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The heavy-load guide rail is located at the bottom of the transfer vehicle and consists of two sections with an inclination of 2 degrees.

6. A method for remotely operating a transport device for maintaining nuclear fusion device components based on any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The main steps include: (1) Docking: The first transfer vehicle is docked with the window flange of the vacuum chamber. The sealed door inside the vacuum chamber and the double sealed door of the first transfer vehicle are opened in sequence by a remote-controlled manipulator. The trailer moves along the internal guide rail of the first transfer vehicle until the guide rail on it is docked with the guide rail inside the neck tube of the vacuum chamber. The locking mechanism of the internal guide rail of the transfer vehicle is used to fix the two sections of the guide rail. The docking process of the second transfer vehicle and the first transfer vehicle is the same as the docking process of the first transfer vehicle and the vacuum chamber. (2) Transfer: The transfer mechanism on the top of the trailer transfers the parts to be maintained in the vacuum chamber to the trailer; the trailer transports the maintenance parts along the bottom guide rail inside the transfer vehicle to the front of the second transfer vehicle, below the lifting mechanism; (3) Hoisting: The hoisting mechanism hoists the maintenance parts and transports them to the rear of the second transfer vehicle for storage, while the trailer returns to the first transfer vehicle to continue the next maintenance task of the parts; (4) Maintenance: After the lifting mechanism completes the lifting and storage of multiple maintenance parts, the second transfer vehicle transports them to the maintenance hall for maintenance.

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