Limit Analysis for the Mechanical Structure of the ITER Neutron Shielding Block

The ITER neutron shielding blocks are located between the inner shell and the outer shell of the vacuum vessel (VV) with the main function of providing neutron shielding. Considering the combined loads of the shielding blocks during the plasma operation of the ITER, limit analysis for one typical ferromagnetic (FM) shielding block has been performed and the structural design has been evaluated based on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) criterion and European standards. Results show that the collapse load of this shielding block is three times the specified load, which is much higher than the design requirement of 1.25. The structure of this neutron shielding block has a sufficient safety margin.