Fast Flux Test Facility interim examination and maintenance cell - past, present, and future

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) interim examination and maintenance (IEM) cell was designed to perform interim examination and/or disassembly of experimental core components for final analysis elsewhere, as well as maintenance of sodium-wetted or neutron-activated internal reactor parts and plant support hardware. The first 10 yr of operation were mainly devoted to the disassembly and examination of core component test assemblies. While some maintenance was performed on reactor support equipment, such as the closed-loop ex-vessel machine (CLEM) sodium-wetted grapple, 90% of IEM cell availability has been devoted to core component tests. Some test assemblies originally considered for processing in the IEM cell have not been irradiated; others, not originally planned, have been designed, irradiated, and processed. While no major reactor equipment has required remote repair or maintenance, the IEM cell has served as the remote repair facility for its own in-cell equipment, and several innovative remote repairs have been accomplished and are described