F4E’s first Diagnostics Framework Partnership Agreement is signed

F4E’s first Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) for the design of Diagnostic components for the ITER machine is signed. Amounting to 3.7 million EUR for a period of up to four years, the FPA has been awarded to a consortium consisting of three laboratories from the Hungarian Fusion association: Wigner RCP (formerly KFKI RMKI) and MTA EK (formerly KFKI AEKI) as well as Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). It concerns the infrastructure (cabling, conduits, feedthroughs, connectors) for the Diagnostics systems, with a scope covering R&D, engineering, quality and testing from functional specifications. This is an important step in the drive for first plasma, as many of these components must be installed in the first stage of the ITER assembly.

So what exactly is a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA)? It establishes a long-term collaboration (for up to 4 years) with a beneficiary or consortium (i.e. group of beneficiaries). The Agreement defines a set of rules (i.e. a framework) for conduct of the work; with the work itself performed under separate specific grants agreements. The FPA is well fitted to projects requiring mostly R&D and design and where the design is at its first stages. It is ideal for Diagnostics, where designs are usually ‘first-of-a-kind’ and require a large, specialised design base; and need long continuity of the design team. A further advantage of the FPA is that it enables F4E to have stronger project management roll, to steer the work and to develop a better collaboration with the recipient of the Agreement.

This first FPA will bring together the work of some 30 people per year and F4E is expecting to award FPAs for most of the major diagnostic systems under its responsibility during 2012.

Conduits, in orange, running along the outboard surface of the Vacuum Vessel (1), Cable looms, with a complicated 3D shape, before being fitted in the conduits (2) and a conduit cross-section (3) where cable looms and filler material, in yellow, can be seen.

Diagnostic sensors are located within the interior and the exterior of the vacuum vessel. Electrical cabling to the sensors is needed to supply electrical power and transfer signals for measurement.

The cabling is packed in specially constructed cable looms. These looms are fitted within the conduits in the vacuum vessel.

The conduits mechanically and thermally protect the cable looms and help keep them cool against heating by radiation from the plasma.