Integrated structural FE analyses of MITICA plant

In the design of complex facilities and plants, such as those involved for fusion experiments, it is often very challenging to create detailed global structural models in the design phase, able to represent the structure as a whole, and at the same time to take into account the interaction among different components. Indeed, different components are characterized by a different scale and hence require a different level of detail. This work presents an integrated global FE model of the MITICA plant (Padua, IT) for the study of the behaviour and interaction of the structural elements, with particular attention to the final configuration after the installation. The model thus takes into account all the interactions between the various parts, initially designed in a decoupled way, with the aim of verifying, both from a static and dynamic point of view, the main elements and the interface forces between the components. Different constraint configurations have been taken into account according to the possible kinematic behaviour that the plant can assume, and depending also on the use of the facility. A single integrated global model allows also to identify the most critical elements of the structure, and hence to realize detailed sub-models for the local verification, and to eventually design a proper monitoring system. In conclusion, this work demonstrates the importance of having an integrated model, and proposes a strategy specifically tailored for the MITICA plant. This work lays also the foundation to develop Digital Twin system for fusion experiment plant.