KIT induced activities to support fabrication, assembly and qualification of technology for the HCPB-TBM

Fabrication concepts for the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed Test Blanket Module have been developed for more than one decade in the KIT (the former Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe). In accordance to the progressing design verification, key technology of fabrication and assembly need to be transferred from experimental scale to industrial application in relevant dimensions taking into account the requirements for qualification of processes. This paper describes fabrication development activities of the KIT recently started or planned to be performed in the near future. Several developments described in this paper are a continuation of activities done in the framework of EFDA/F4E contracts. Others will continue KIT (FZK) self financed developments. The general scope is to identify development needs and to minimize the risk in transfer and scale up of process parameters, already developed for small- and lab-scale fabrication Mock Ups, to bigger dimensions. This will provide the link between the present status (the experimental stage of welding) and the planned mid-term future activities, to define preliminary Welding Procedure Specifications (pWPS) for Mock Ups in TBM relevant size in collaboration with industry by prototypical Mock Ups.