Performance Analysis of Hybrid Kinematic Mechanism for Fusion Reactor Maintenance

Abstract

The hybrid kinematic mechanism (HKM) as an alternative remote handling subsystem of the Demonstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO) breeding blanket (BB) is undergoing extensive theoretical analysis and feasibility verification. In this paper, the forward and inverse kinematic models of the HKM are derived by combining the Newtonian iterative method and the analytical method. Cartesian space trajectory planning is designed based on the trajectories of the HKM lifting of inboard and outboard BBs. The continuous smooth inverse kinematic solutions in the HKM joint space are obtained based on the polynomial interpolation method. For the characteristics of the HKM piston thread driving, the end-effector position error caused by the degradation of the spherical joint into a universal joint is analyzed and calculated. During the lifting of the left inboard BB, there is a maximum absolute error ∆P = 3.1 mm, and as the error continues to expand to the bottom of the BB it causes a risk of collision. Combining the overall effects of driving control, rigid–flexible coupling, etc., on position accuracy, an open-loop variable parameter error compensation plan based on the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) nonlinear damping least-squares algorithm is proposed and validated in this paper. The simulation results show that the maximum absolute error after compensation is less than 1 mm as the mesh density increases, and the absolute position accuracy can be further improved by local mesh encryption. This study verifies the feasibility of the HKM as a BB remote handling subsystem and provides an option for high-precision control of the HKM.