Material flow planning in fusion test facilities

Abstract

Fusion test facilities are expansive, intricate structures designed to test materials for fusion power plants. For a seamless testing process, it's crucial that the machinery and equipment within these facilities are consistently maintained and promptly replaced if they fail. This necessitates the transportation of large, heavy machinery and equipment through the facility's narrow corridors, doors, hatches, and shipping bays. Taking the DEMO oriented neutron source (DONES) as a case study, we illustrate the complexities of material flow planning in such environments, detailing strategies to navigate these challenges and organize material flow planning efficiently and safely. We introduce a methodology for executing various stages of material flow planning in these contexts and discuss how uncertainties impact the planning process. The primary hurdles include gathering data on machinery and equipment and the facility's layout, converting this data into actionable transport plans and routes, providing precise transport instructions, and verifying the viability of the material flow. We propose and implement a comprehensive solution to these challenges at DONES, encompassing data collection techniques, the creation of a modular transport system, a universal model for transport processes in intralogistics, and a simulation tool for swift and effective collision checks between transport devices, machinery, equipment, and the building structure. A significant insight from this approach is the high value of automating the process, as uncertainties frequently alter data, necessitating regular updates to the material flow plan.