Remote Handling of Shield/Blanket Segments

Replacement of Shield/Blanket Segments in NET is one of the most complex Remote Handling operations to be carried out. Investigations have been focussed in two directions: on the one hand, the handling equipment for the replacement of one failed segment and for the complete shield/blanket change-over has been defined; on the other hand, a machine layout which integrates the RH requirements has been developed. A 1/3 scale mock-up, representative of the equipment concept selected, has been commissioned to validate experimentally a number of design choices.