Electromagnetic analyses and one-dimensional modelling of piping structure applied to optimization of ITER blanket manifold design

•Developed a dedicated 1d EM “wire element” for ITER Blanket Manifold (BM) design.•Isolating BM supports from Vacuum Vessel (VV) is crucial to reduce EM Loads on BM.•BM in the upper port deserve special attention to assure structural integrity. A significant analysis effort was undertaken to address the challenging ITER Blanket Manifold [1] (BM) design requirements resulting from electromagnetic (EM) major disruptions and vertical displacements events in a very demanding neutronic environment. The complexity of the component, consisting of 360 cooling circuits (and their supports) attached to the rear side of 440 Blanket Modules and hydraulically connected to the Blanket Modules through a Coaxial Connector, required a detailed study of the current paths involving the pipes, the supports and the Vacuum Vessel (VV), to determine the layout of electrical connections and enable the minimization of electromagnetic loads. To this aim, a dedicated EM “wire element” was developed and validated for piping modelling. The development and use of dedicated 1d-wire element was necessary in view of the complexity of the toroidal and poloidal paths of the pipes, which would have made a full 3D modelling unmanageable. The EM analysis campaign performed led to an optimized layout of the electrical connections within the BM and between BM and VV, which provided a simpler and much faster means to analyze different scenarios in order to minimize the loads transferred to the VV and maintain the structural integrity of the Manifold.