Recent developments towards ITER 2001 divertor maintenance

Abstract One of the key maintenance operations for the ITER tokamak is the remote replacement of its divertor system. The components making up this system are expected to be activated to a level of several hundred gyrations per hour and contaminated with hazardous and/or activated dust (beryllium, carbon, tungsten) and tritium. A suite of specialized remote handling (RH) equipment is, therefore, necessary to facilitate divertor exchange. This paper describes the ITER divertor maintenance approach together with recent European efforts towards the design and development of the associated remote handling equipment and procedures.