Remote handling technology for lead-bismuth spallation target system

J-PARC is planning construction of a proton irradiation facility with a spallation target system in order to contribute to development of a lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) cooled accelerator-driven system (ADS). The main purpose of the facility is to understand the compatibility of candidate structural materials in flowing high temperature LBE condition with proton/neutron irradiation. The provided data will contribute to a design studies for future ADS. Among the components installed to the target system, in particular, the target vessel containing irradiation samples is exposed not only by the corrosive LBE flow but also by high intensity proton/neutron irradiation during target operation. It is essential to establish a remote handling technology for the target vessel exchange that prevents radiation exposure of operators in highly activated environment. This paper describes recent status of a planned remote exchanging procedure of the target vessel and results of a demonstrative experiment. A series of remote operation procedure was successfully demonstrated by experiments using a mock-up apparatus and developed remote handling tools. Further improvements were planned to shorten a time and minimize the effort for the operation. (author)