Updated neutronics analyses of a water cooled ceramic breeder blanket for the CFETR

Science.gov (United States)

Xiaokang, ZHANG; Songlin, LIU; Xia, LI; Qingjun, ZHU; Jia, LI

2017-11-01

The water cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) blanket employing pressurized water as a coolant is one of the breeding blanket candidates for the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Some updating of neutronics analyses was needed, because there were changes in the neutronics performance of the blanket as several significant modifications and improvements have been adopted for the WCCB blanket, including the optimization of radial build-up and customized structure for each blanket module. A 22.5 degree toroidal symmetrical torus sector 3D neutronics model containing the updated design of the WCCB blanket modules was developed for the neutronics analyses. The tritium breeding capability, nuclear heating power, radiation damage, and decay heat were calculated by the MCNP and FISPACT code. The results show that the packing factor and 6Li enrichment of the breeder should both be no less than 0.8 to ensure tritium self-sufficiency. The nuclear heating power of the blanket under 200 MW fusion power reaches 201.23 MW. The displacement per atom per full power year (FPY) of the plasma-facing component and first wall reach 0.90 and 2.60, respectively. The peak H production rate reaches 150.79 appm/FPY and the peak He production reaches 29.09 appm/FPY in blanket module #3. The total decay heat of the blanket modules is 2.64 MW at 1 s after shutdown and the average decay heat density can reach 11.09 kW m-3 at that time. The decay heat density of the blanket modules slowly decreases to lower than 10 W m-3 in more than ten years.

Experimental programme in support of the development of the European ceramic-breeder-inside-tube test-blanket: present status and future work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proust, E.; Roux, N.; Flament, T.; Anzidei, L.; ENEA, Frascati; Casadio, S.; Dell'orco, G.

1992-01-01

Four DEMO blanket classes are under investigation within the framework of the European Test-Blanket Development Programme. One of them is featured by the use of lithium ceramic breeder pellets contained inside externally helium cooled tubes. This paper summarizes the main achievements to date of the experimental programme supporting the development of this class of blanket. It also gives an outline of the areas of the breeder material, beryllium, tritium control, and thermomechanical tests, the future work envisaged for the 92-94 period. 53 refs

Progress of R&D on water cooled ceramic breeder for ITER test blanket system and DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawamura, Yoshinori, E-mail: kawamura.yoshinori@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Tanigawa, Hisashi; Hirose, Takanori; Enoeda, Mikio [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Sato, Satoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirane Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Ochiai, Kentaro [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Omotedate Obuchi, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Konno, Chikara; Edao, Yuki; Hayashi, Takumi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirane Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Hoshino, Tsuyoshi; Nakamichi, Masaru; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Omotedate Obuchi, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Nishi, Hiroshi; Suzuki, Satoshi; Ezato, Koichiro; Seki, Yohji [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Yamanishi, Toshihiko [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166 Omotedate Obuchi, Rokkasho, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Thermo-hydraulic calculation in the TBM at the water ingress event has been done. • Shielding calculations for the ITER equatorial port #18 were conducted by using C-lite model. • Prototypic pebbles of Be{sub 17}Ti{sub 2} and Be{sub 12}V had a good oxidation property similar to Be{sub 12}Ti pebble. • Li rich Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles were successfully fabricated using the emulsion method by controlling sintering atmosphere. • New tritium production/recovery experiments at FNS have been started by using ionization chamber as on-line gas monitor. - Abstract: The development of a water cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) test blanket module (TBM) is being performed as one of the most important steps toward DEMO blanket in Japan. For the TBM testing and development of DEMO blanket, R&D has been performed on the module fabrication technology, breeder and multiplier pebble fabrication technology, tritium production rate evaluation, as well as structural and safety design activities. The fabrication of full-scale first wall, side walls, breeder pebble bed box and back wall was completed, and assembly of TBM with box structure was successfully achieved. Development of advanced breeder and multiplier pebbles for higher chemical stability was continued for future DEMO blanket application. From the view point of TBM test result evaluation and DEMO blanket performance design, the development of the blanket tritium transport simulation technology, investigation of the TBM neutron measurement technology and the evaluation of the tritium production and recovery test using D-T neutron in the fusion neutron source (FNS) facility has been performed. This paper provides an overview of the recent achievements of the development of the WCCB Blanket in Japan.

Design optimization of first wall and breeder unit module size for the Indian HCCB blanket module

Science.gov (United States)

Deepak, SHARMA; Paritosh, CHAUDHURI

2018-04-01

The Indian test blanket module (TBM) program in ITER is one of the major steps in the Indian fusion reactor program for carrying out the R&D activities in the critical areas like design of tritium breeding blankets relevant to future Indian fusion devices (ITER relevant and DEMO). The Indian Lead–Lithium Cooled Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) blanket concept is one of the Indian DEMO relevant TBM, to be tested in ITER as a part of the TBM program. Helium-Cooled Ceramic Breeder (HCCB) is an alternative blanket concept that consists of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) as ceramic breeder (CB) material in the form of packed pebble beds and beryllium as the neutron multiplier. Specifically, attentions are given to the optimization of first wall coolant channel design and size of breeder unit module considering coolant pressure and thermal loads for the proposed Indian HCCB blanket based on ITER relevant TBM and loading conditions. These analyses will help proceeding further in designing blankets for loads relevant to the future fusion device.

Progress in tritium retention and release modeling for ceramic breeders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffray, A.R.; Federici, G.; Billone, M.C.; Tanaka, S.

1994-01-01

Tritium behavior in ceramic breeder blankets is a key design issue for this class of blanket because of its impact on safety and fuel self-sufficiency. Over the past 10-15 years, substantial theoretical and experimental efforts have been dedicated world-wide to develop a better understanding of tritium transport in ceramic breeders. Models that are available today seem to cover reasonably well all the key physical transport and trapping mechanisms. They have allowed for reasonable interpretation and reproduction of experimental data and have helped in pointing out deficiencies in material property data base, in providing guidance for future experiments, and in analyzing blanket tritium behavior. This paper highlights the progress in tritium modeling over the last decade. Key tritium transport mechanisms are briefly described along with the more recent and sophisticated models developed to help understand them. Recent experimental data are highlighted and model calibration and validation discussed. Finally, example applications to blanket cases are shown as illustration of progress in the prediction of ceramic breeder blanket tritium inventory

Reducing beryllium content in mixed bed solid-type breeder blankets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimwell, J., E-mail: mail@jshimwell.com [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom); Lilley, S.; Morgan, L.; Packer, L.; Kovari, M.; Zheng, S. [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); McMillan, J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • The ratio of breeder ceramic to neutron multiplier of breeder blankets was varied linearly with depth. • Blankets with varying composition were found to perform better than uniform composition breeder blankets. • It was also possible to reduce the amount of beryllium required by the blanket. - Abstract: Beryllium (Be) is a precious resource with many high value uses, the low energy threshold (n,2n) reaction makes Be an excellent neutron multiplier for use in fusion breeder blankets. Estimates of Be requirements and available resources suggest that this could represent a major supply difficulty for solid-type blanket concepts. Reducing the quantity of Be required by breeder blankets would help to alleviate the problem to some extent. In addition, it is important that the reduction in the Be quantity does not diminish the blanket's performance in key aspects such as the tritium breeding ratio (TBR), energy multiplication and peak nuclear heating. Mixed pebble bed designs allow for the multiplier fraction to be varied throughout the blanket. This neutronics study used MCNP 6 to investigate linear variations of the multiplier fraction in relation to blanket depth, in order to better utilise the important multiplying Be(n,2n) and breeding reactions. Blankets with a uniform multiplier fraction showed little scope for reduction in Be mass. Blankets with varying multiplier fractions were able to simultaneously use 10% less Be, increase the energy amplification by 1%, reduce the peak heating by 7% and maintaining a sufficient TBR when compared to the performance achievable using a uniform composition.

A ceramic breeder in a poloidal tube blanket for a tokamak reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amici, A.; Anzidei, L.; Gallina, M.; Rado, V.; Simbolotti, G.; Violante, V.; Zampaglione, V.; Petrizzi, L.

1989-01-01

A conceptual study of a helium-cooled solid breeder blanket for a tokamak reactor is presented. Tritium breeding capability together with system reliability are taken as the main design criteria. The blanket consists of tubular poloidal modules made of a central bundle of ceramic rods (γLiAlO 2 ) with a coaxial distribution of the inlet/outlet coolant flow (He) surrounded by a multiplier material (Be) in the form of bored bricks. The Be to γLiAlO 2 volume ratio is 4/1. The He inlet and outlet branches are cooling Be and γLiAlO 2 , respectively. A purge He flow running through small central holes of the ceramic rods is derived from the main flow. Under the typical conditions of a tokamak reactor (neutron wall load=2 MW/m 2 ), a full coverage tritium breeding ratio of 1.47 is achieved for the following design and operating parameters: outlet He temperature=570 0 C; inlet He temperature=250 0 ; total extracted power=2700 MW; He pumping power percentage=2%; minimum/maximum γLiAlO 2 temperature=400/900 0 C; maximum structural temperature=475 0 C; and maximum Be temperature=525 0 C. (orig.)

Convertible shielding to ceramic breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuya, Kazuyuki; Kurasawa, Toshimasa; Sato, Satoshi; Nakahira, Masataka; Togami, Ikuhide; Hashimoto, Toshiyuki; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Kuroda, Toshimasa.

1995-05-01

Four concepts have been studied for the ITER convertible blanket: 1)Layered concept 2)BIT(Breeder-Inside-Tube)concept 3)BOT(Breeder-Out of-Tube)concept 4)BOT/mixed concept. All concepts use ceramic breeder and beryllium neutron multiplier, both in the shape of small spherical pebbles, 316SS structure, and H 2 O coolant (inlet/outlet temperatures : 100/150degC, pressure : 2 MPa). During the BPP, only beryllium pebbles (the primary pebble in case of BOT/mixed concept) are filled in the blanket for shielding purpose. Then, before the EPP operation, breeder pebbles will be additionally inserted into the blanket. Among possible conversion methods, wet method by liquid flow seems expecting for high and homogeneous pebble packing. Preliminary 1-D neutronics calculation shows that the BOT/mixed concept has the highest breeding and shielding performance. However, final selection should be done by R and D's and more detail investigation on blanket characteristics and fabricability. Required R and D's are also listed. With these efforts, the convertible blanket can be developed. However, the following should be noted. Though many of above R and D's are also necessary even for non-convertible blanket, R and D's on convertibility will be one of the most difficult parts and need significant efforts. Besides the installation of convertible blanket with required structures and lines for conversion will make the ITER basic machine more complicated. (author)

First results of the post-irradiation examination of the Ceramic Breeder materials from the Pebble Bed Assemblies Irradiation for the HCPB Blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hegeman, J.; Magielsen, A.J.; Peeters, M.; Stijkel, M.P.; Fokkens, J.H.; Laan, J.G. van der

2006-01-01

In the framework of developing the European Helium Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) blanket an irradiation test of pebble-bed assemblies is performed in the HFR Petten. The experiment is focused on the thermo-mechanical behavior of the HCPB type breeder pebble-bed at DEMO representative levels of temperature and defined thermal-mechanical loads. To achieve representative conditions a section of the HCPB is simulated by EUROFER-97 cylinders with a horizontal bed of ceramic breeder pebbles sandwiched between two beryllium beds. Floating Eurofer-97 steel plates separate the pebble-beds. The structural integrity of the ceramic breeder materials is an issue for the design of the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed concept. Therefore the objective of the post irradiation examination is to study deformation of pebbles and the pebble beds and to investigate the microstructure of the ceramic pebbles from the Pebble Bed Assemblies. This paper concentrates on the Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) of the four ceramic pebble beds that have been irradiated in the Pebble Bed Assembly experiment for the HCPB blanket concept. Two assemblies with Li 4 SiO 4 pebble-beds are operated at different maximum temperatures of approximately 600 o C and 800 o C. Post irradiation computational analysis has shown that both have different creep deformation. Two other assemblies have been loaded with a ceramic breeder bed of two types of Li 2 TiO 3 beds having different sintering temperatures and consequently different creep behavior. The irradiation maximum temperature of the Li 2 TiO 3 was 800 o C. To support the first PIE result, the post irradiation thermal analysis will be discussed because thermal gradients have influence on the pebble-bed thermo-mechanical behavior and as a result it may have impact on the structural integrity of the ceramic breeder materials. (author)

Thermodynamic considerations for the use of vanadium alloys with ceramic breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.E.; Johnson, I.; Kopasz, J.P.

1995-01-01

Fusion energy is considered to be an attractive energy form because of its minimal environmental impact. In order to maintain this favorable status, every effort needs to be made to use low activation materials wherever possible. The tritium breeder blanket is a focal point of system design engineers who must design environmentally attractive blankets through the use of low activation materials. Of the several candidate lithium-containing ceramics being considered for use in the breeder blanket, Li 2 O, Li 2 TiO 3 , are attractive choices because of their low activation. Also, low activation materials like the vanadium alloys are being considered for use as structural materials in the blanket. The suitability of vanadium alloys for containment of lithium ceramics is the subject of this study. Thermodynamic evaluations are being used to estimate the compatibility and stability of candidate ceramic breeder materials (Li 2 O, Li 2 TiO 3 , and Li 2 ZrO 3 ) with vanadium and vanadium alloys. This thermodynamic evaluation will focus first on solid-solid interactions. As a tritium breeding blanket will use a purge gas for tritium recovery, gas-solid systems will also receive attention

Analysis of Time-Dependent Tritium Breeding Capability of Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder Blanket for CFETR

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Fangfang; Zhang, Xiaokang; Pu, Yong; Zhu, Qingjun; Liu, Songlin

2016-08-01

Attaining tritium self-sufficiency is an important mission for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR) operating on a Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) fuel cycle. It is necessary to study the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and breeding tritium inventory variation with operation time so as to provide an accurate data for dynamic modeling and analysis of the tritium fuel cycle. A water cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) blanket is one candidate of blanket concepts for the CFETR. Based on the detailed 3D neutronics model of CFETR with the WCCB blanket, the time-dependent TBR and tritium surplus were evaluated by a coupling calculation of the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) and the fusion activation code FISPACT-2007. The results indicated that the TBR and tritium surplus of the WCCB blanket were a function of operation time and fusion power due to the Li consumption in breeder and material activation. In addition, by comparison with the results calculated by using the 3D neutronics model and employing the transfer factor constant from 1D to 3D, it is noted that 1D analysis leads to an over-estimation for the time-dependent tritium breeding capability when fusion power is larger than 1000 MW. supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China (Nos. 2013GB108004, 2015GB108002, and 2014GB119000), and by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207)

Updated conceptual design of helium cooling ceramic blanket for HCCB-DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Suhao [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui (China); Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Cao, Qixiang; Wu, Xinghua; Wang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Guoshu [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Feng, Kaiming, E-mail: fengkm@swip.ac.cn [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • An updated design of Helium Cooled Ceramic breeder Blanket (HCCB) for HCCB-DEMO is proposed in this paper. • The Breeder Unit is transformed to TBM-like sub-modules, with double “banana” shape tritium breeder. Each sub-module is inserted in space formed by Stiffen Grids (SGs). • The performance analysis is performed based on the R&D development of material, fabrication technology and safety assessment in CN ITER TBM program. • Hot spots will be located at the FW bend side. - Abstract: The basic definition of the HCCB-DEMO plant and preliminary blanket designed by Southwestern Institution of Physics was proposed in 2009. The DEMO fusion power is 2550 MW and electric power is 800 MW. Based on development of R&D in breeding blanket, a conceptual design of helium cooled blanket with ceramic breeder in HCCB-DEMO was presented. The main design features of the HCCB-DEMO blanket were: (1) CLF-1 structure materials, Be multiplier and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} breeder; (2) neutronic wall load is 2.3 MW/m{sup 2} and surface heat flux is 0.43 MW/m{sup 2} (2) TBR ≈ 1.15; (3) geometry of breeding units is ITER TBM-like segmentation; (4)Pressure of helium is 8 MPa and inlet/outlet temperature is 300/500 °C. On the basis of these design, some important analytical results are presented in aspects of (i) neutronic behavior of the blanket; (ii) design of 3D structure and thermal-hydraulic lay-out for breeding blanket module; (iii) structural-mechanical behavior of the blanket under pressurization. All of these assessments proved current stucture fulfill the design requirements.

Thermodynamic considerations for the use of vanadium alloys with ceramic breeder materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, C.E.; Johnson, I.; Kopasz, J.P.

1995-12-31

Fusion energy is considered to be an attractive energy form because of its minimal environmental impact. In order to maintain this favorable status, every effort needs to be made to use low activation materials wherever possible. The tritium breeder blanket is a focal point of system design engineers who must design environmentally attractive blankets through the use of low activation materials. Of the several candidate lithium-containing ceramics being considered for use in the breeder blanket, Li{sub 2}O, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, are attractive choices because of their low activation. Also, low activation materials like the vanadium alloys are being considered for use as structural materials in the blanket. The suitability of vanadium alloys for containment of lithium ceramics is the subject of this study. Thermodynamic evaluations are being used to estimate the compatibility and stability of candidate ceramic breeder materials (Li{sub 2}O, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, and Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}) with vanadium and vanadium alloys. This thermodynamic evaluation will focus first on solid-solid interactions. As a tritium breeding blanket will use a purge gas for tritium recovery, gas-solid systems will also receive attention.

ITER solid breeder blanket materials database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billone, M.C.; Dienst, W.; Noda, K.; Roux, N.

1993-11-01

The databases for solid breeder ceramics (Li 2 ,O, Li 4 SiO 4 , Li 2 ZrO 3 and LiAlO 2 ) and beryllium multiplier material are critically reviewed and evaluated. Emphasis is placed on physical, thermal, mechanical, chemical stability/compatibility, tritium, and radiation stability properties which are needed to assess the performance of these materials in a fusion reactor environment. Correlations are selected for design analysis and compared to the database. Areas for future research and development in blanket materials technology are highlighted and prioritized

Thermal Hydraulic Design and Analysis of a Water-Cooled Ceramic Breeder Blanket with Superheated Steam for CFETR

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xiaoman; Ma, Xuebin; Jiang, Kecheng; Chen, Lei; Huang, Kai; Liu, Songlin

2015-09-01

The water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) is one of the blanket candidates for China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR). In order to improve power generation efficiency and tritium breeding ratio, WCCB with superheated steam is under development. The thermal-hydraulic design is the key to achieve the purpose of safe heat removal and efficient power generation under normal and partial loading operation conditions. In this paper, the coolant flow scheme was designed and one self-developed analytical program was developed, based on a theoretical heat transfer model and empirical correlations. Employing this program, the design and analysis of related thermal-hydraulic parameters were performed under different fusion power conditions. The results indicated that the superheated steam water-cooled blanket is feasible. supported by the National Special Project for Magnetic Confined Nuclear Fusion Energy of China (Nos. 2013GB108004, 2014GB122000 and 2014GB119000), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207)

Status of EC solid breeder blanket designs and R and D for demo fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proust, E.; Anzidei, L.; Moons, F.

1994-01-01

Within the European Community Fusion Technology Program two solid breeder blankets for a DEMO reactor are being developed. The two blankets have various features in common: helium as coolant and as tritium purge gas, the martensitic steel MANET as structural material and beryllium as neutron multiplier. The configurations of the two blankets are however different: in the B.I.T. (Breeder Inside Tube) concept the breeder materials are LiAlO 2 or Li 2 ZrO 3 in the form of annular pellets contained in tubes surrounded by beryllium blocks, the coolant helium being outside the tubes, whereas in the B.O.T. (Breeder out of Tube) the breeder and multiplier material are Li 4 SiO 4 and beryllium pebbles forming a mixed bed placed outside the tubes containing the coolant helium. The main critical issues for both blankets are the behavior of the breeder ceramics and of beryllium under irradiation and the tritium control. Other issues are the low temperature irradiation induced embrittlement of MANET, the mechanical effects caused by major plasma disruptions, and safety and reliability. The R and D work concentrate on these issues. The development of martensitic steels including MANET is part of a separate program. Breeder ceramics and beryllium irradiations have been so far performed for conditions which do not cover the peak values injected in the DEMO blankets. Further irradiations in thermal reactors and in fast reactors, especially for beryllium, are required. An effective tritium control requires the development of permeation barriers and/or of methods of oxidation of the tritium in the main helium cooling systems. First promising results have been obtained also in field of mechanical effects from plasma disruptions and safety and reliability, however further work is required in the reliability field and to validate the codes for the calculations of the plasma disruption effects. (authors). 8 figs., 2 tabs., 53 refs

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 2: BOT helium cooled solid breeder blanket. Vol. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Bojarsky, E.; Deckers, H.; Dienst, W.; Doerr, L.; Fischer, U.; Giese, H.; Guenther, E.; Haefner, H.E.; Hofmann, P.; Kappler, F.; Knitter, R.; Kuechle, M.; Moellendorf, U. von; Norajitra, P.; Penzhorn, R.D.; Reimann, G.; Reiser, H.; Schulz, B.; Schumacher, G.; Schwenk-Ferrero, A.; Sordon, G.; Tsukiyama, T.; Wedemeyer, H.; Weimar, P.; Werle, H.; Wiegner, E.; Zimmermann, H.

1991-10-01

The BOT (Breeder Outside Tube) Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket for a fusion Demo reactor and the status of the R and D program is presented. This is the KfK contribution to the European Program for the Demo relevant test blankets to be irradiated in NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4928) contains the summary, volume 2 (KfK 4929) a more detailed version of the report. In both volumes are described the reasons for the selected design, the reference blanket design for the Demo reactor, the design of the test blanket including the ancillary systems together with the present status of the relative R and D program in the fields of neutronic and thermohydraulic calculations, of the electromagnetic forces caused by disruptions, of the development and irradiation of the ceramic breeder material, of the tritium release and recovery, and of the technological investigations. An outlook is given on the required R and D program for the BOT Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the proposed test program in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Materials data base and design equations for the UCLA solid breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharafat, S.; Amodeo, R.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1986-02-01

The materials and properties investigated for this blanket study are listed. The phenomenological equations and mathematical fits for all materials and properties considered are given. Efforts to develop a swelling equation based on the few experimental data points available for breeder materials are described. The sintering phenomena for ceramics is investigated

A review of fusion breeder blanket technology, part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, D.P.; Selander, W.N.; Townes, B.M.

1985-01-01

This report presents the results of a study of fusion breeder blanket technology. It reviews the role of the breeder blanket, the current understanding of the scientific and engineering bases of liquid metal and solid breeder blankets and the programs now underway internationally to resolve the uncertainities in current knowledge. In view of existing national expertise and experience, a solid breeder R and D program for Canada is recommended

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 2: BOT helium cooled solid breeder blanket. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Bojarsky, E.; Deckers, H.; Dienst, W.; Doerr, L.; Fischer, U.; Giese, H.; Guenther, E.; Haefner, H.E.; Hofmann, P.; Kappler, F.; Knitter, R.; Kuechle, M.; Moellendorf, U. von; Norajitra, P.; Penzhorn, R.D.; Reimann, G.; Reiser, H.; Schulz, B.; Schumacher, G.; Schwenk-Ferrero, A.; Sordon, G.; Tsukiyama, T.; Wedemeyer, H.; Weimar, P.; Werle, H.; Wiegner, E.; Zimmermann, H.

1991-10-01

The BOT (Breeder Outside Tube) Helium Cooled Breeder Blanket for a fusion Demo reactor and the status of the R and D program is presented. This is the KfK contribution to the European Program for the Demo relevant test plankets to be irradiated in NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4928) contains the summary, volume 2 (KfK 4929) a more detailed version of the report. In both volumes are described the reasons for the selected design, the reference blanket design for the Demo reactor, the design of test blanket including the ancillary systems together with the present status of the relative R and D program in the fields of neutronic and thermohydraulic calculations, of the electromagnetic forces caused by disruptions, of the development and irradiation of the ceramic breeder material, of the tritium release and recovery, and of the technological investigations. An outlook is given on the required R and D program for the BOT Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the proposed test program in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Neutronic optimization of solid breeder blankets for STARFIRE design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.; Abdou, M.A.

1980-01-01

Extensive neutronic tradeoff studies were carried out to define and optimize the neutronic performance of the different solid breeder options for the STARFIRE blanket design. A set of criteria were employed to select the potential blanket materials. The basic criteria include the neutronic performance, tritium-release characteristics, material compatibility, and chemical stability. Three blanket options were analyzed. The first option is based on separate zones for each basic blanket function where the neutron multiplier is kept in a separate zone. The second option is a heterogeneous blanket type with two tritium breeder zones. In the first zone the tritium breeder is assembled in a neutron multiplier matrix behind the first wall while the second zone has a neutron moderator matrix instead of the neutron multiplier. The third blanket option is similar to the second concept except the tritium breeder and the neutron multiplier form a homogeneous mixture

Tritium transport and release from lithium ceramic breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, C.E.; Kopasz, J.P.; Tam, S.W.

1994-01-01

In an operating fusion reactor,, the tritium breeding blanket will reach a condition in which the tritium release rate equals the production rate. The tritium release rate must be fast enough that the tritium inventory in the blanket does not become excessive. Slow tritium release will result in a large tritium inventory, which is unacceptable from both economic and safety viewpoints As a consequence, considerable effort has been devoted to understanding the tritium release mechanism from ceramic breeders and beryllium neutron multipliers through theoretical, laboratory, and in-reactor studies. This information is being applied to the development of models for predicting tritium release for various blanket operating conditions

Ceramic BOT type blanket with poloidal helium cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardella, A.; Daenenr, W.; Iseli, M.; Ferrari, M.; Gallina, M.; Rado, V.; Simbolotti, G.; Violante, V.

1989-01-01

This paper briefly describes the work done and results achieved over the past two years on the ceramic breeder BOT blanket with poloidal helium cooling. A conclusive remark on the brick/plate option described previously is followed by short descriptions of the low and high performance pebble bed options elaborated as alternatives for both NET and DEMO. The results show, togethre with those about the poloidal cooling of the First Wall, good prospects for this blanket type provided that the questions connected wiht an extensive use of beryllium find a satisfactor answer. (author). 5 refs.; 7 figs.; 1 tab

Processing and waste disposal representative for fusion breeder blanket systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finn, P.A.; Vogler, S.

1987-01-01

This study is an evaluation of the waste handling concepts applicable to fusion breeder systems. Its goal is to determine if breeder blanket waste can be disposed of in shallow land burial, the least restrictive method under US Nuclear Regulatory regulations. The radionuclides expected in the materials used in fusion reactor blankets are described, as are plans for reprocessing and disposal of the components of different breeder blankets. An estimate of the operating costs involved in waste disposal is made

Conceptual design of solid breeder blanket system cooled by supercritical water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enoeda, Mikio; Akiba, Masato; Ohara, Yoshihiro

2001-12-01

This report is a summary of the design works, which was discussed in the design workshop held in 2000 for the demonstration (DEMO) blanket aimed to strengthen the commercial competitiveness and technical feasibility simultaneously. The discussion of the Fusion Council in 1999 updated the assessment of the mission of DEMO blanket. Updated mission of the DEMO blanket is to be the prototype of the commercially competitive power plant. The DEMO blanket must supply the feasibility and experience of the total design of the power plant and the materials. From such standing point, the conceptual design study was performed to determine the updated strategy and goal of the R and D of the DEMO blanket which applies the supercritical water cooling proposed in A-SSTR, taking into account the recent progress of the plasma research and reactor engineering technology. The DEMO blanket applies the solid breeder materials and supercritical water cooling. The product tritium is purged out by helium gas stream in the breeder region. In the breeder region, the pebble bed concept was applied to withstand instable cracking of the breeder and multiplier materials in high neutron irradiation and high temperature operation. Inlet temperature of the coolant is planned to be 280degC and final outlet temperature is 510degC to obtain high energy conversion efficiency up to 43%. Reduced activation ferritic steel, F82H and ODS ferritic steel were selected as the structural material. Lithium ceramics, Li 2 TiO 3 or Li 2 O were selected as the breeder materials. Beryllium or its inter-metallic compound Be12Ti was selected as the neutron multiplier materials. Basic module structure was selected as the box type structure which enables the remote handling replacement of the module from in-vessel access. Dimension of the box is limited to 2 m x 2 m, or smaller, due to the dimension of the replacement port. In the supercritical water cooling, the high coolant temperature is the merit for the energy

Neutronic performance of two European breeder-inside-tube (BIT) blankets for DEMO: the helium-cooled ceramic LiAlO2 with Be multiplier and the water-cooled liquid Li17Pb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrizzi, L.; Rado, V.

1995-01-01

In support of ENEA activity in the European Community Test Programme, neutron analysis has been performed on the two latest blanket designs: helium-cooled ceramic breeder-inside-tube (BIT) (with LiAlO 2 and Be multiplier) and water-cooled liquid Li 17 Pb in cylindrical modules (CM). The powerful MCNP Monte Carlo code was used (version 4.2). A detailed and accurate description of the geometrical model has been performed by inserting the main reactor details and avoiding breeder material dilution inside the modules. The tritium breeding ratio (TBR) performance is low for the solid breeder BIT blanket (with 10 ports 1.011) due mainly to low blanket coverage near the exhaust duct, and this solution should be revised. The CM Li 17 Pb blanket reaches a sufficient TBR (1.059, with ports) to rely on tritium self-sufficiency. Shielding properties, with respect to the toroidal field coils, have been estimated in a simplified model by means of the ANISN code, supplied with a nuclear data library consistent with that used by MCNP. The analysis suggests that a careful shield thickness/composition design should be used to ensure the shielding capability of the whole blanket plus shield system. (orig.)

Processing and waste disposal needs for fusion breeder blankets system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finn, P.A.; Vogler, S.

1988-01-01

We evaluated the waste disposal and recycling requirements for two types of fusion breeder blanket (solid and liquid). The goal was to determine if breeder blanket waste can be disposed of in shallow land burial, the least restrictive method under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. Described in this paper are the radionuclides expected in fusion blanket materials, plans for reprocessing and disposal of blanket components, and estimates for the operating costs involved in waste disposal. (orig.)

Conceptual design of solid breeder blanket system cooled by supercritical water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enoeda, Mikio; Akiba, Masato [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment; Ohara, Yoshihiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment] [and others

2001-12-01

This report is a summary of the design works, which was discussed in the design workshop held in 2000 for the demonstration (DEMO) blanket aimed to strengthen the commercial competitiveness and technical feasibility simultaneously. The discussion of the Fusion Council in 1999 updated the assessment of the mission of DEMO blanket. Updated mission of the DEMO blanket is to be the prototype of the commercially competitive power plant. The DEMO blanket must supply the feasibility and experience of the total design of the power plant and the materials. From such standing point, the conceptual design study was performed to determine the updated strategy and goal of the R and D of the DEMO blanket which applies the supercritical water cooling proposed in A-SSTR, taking into account the recent progress of the plasma research and reactor engineering technology. The DEMO blanket applies the solid breeder materials and supercritical water cooling. The product tritium is purged out by helium gas stream in the breeder region. In the breeder region, the pebble bed concept was applied to withstand instable cracking of the breeder and multiplier materials in high neutron irradiation and high temperature operation. Inlet temperature of the coolant is planned to be 280degC and final outlet temperature is 510degC to obtain high energy conversion efficiency up to 43%. Reduced activation ferritic steel, F82H and ODS ferritic steel were selected as the structural material. Lithium ceramics, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} or Li{sub 2}O were selected as the breeder materials. Beryllium or its inter-metallic compound Be12Ti was selected as the neutron multiplier materials. Basic module structure was selected as the box type structure which enables the remote handling replacement of the module from in-vessel access. Dimension of the box is limited to 2 m x 2 m, or smaller, due to the dimension of the replacement port. In the supercritical water cooling, the high coolant temperature is the merit for

Lithium mass transport in ceramic breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackburn, P.E.; Johnson, C.E.

1990-01-01

The objective of this activity is to measure the lithium vaporization from lithium oxide breeder material under differing temperature and moisture partial pressure conditions. Lithium ceramics are being investigated for use as tritium breeding materials. The lithium is readily converted to tritium after reacting with a neutron. With the addition of 1000 ppM H 2 to the He purge gas, the bred tritium is readily recovered from the blanket as HT and HTO above 400 degree C. Within the solid, tritium may also be found as LiOT which may transport lithium to cooler parts of the blanket. The pressure of LiOT(g), HTO(g), or T 2 O(g) above Li 2 O(s) is the same as that for reactions involving hydrogen. In our experiments we were limited to the use of hydrogen. The purpose of this work is to investigate the transport of LiOH(g) from the blanket material. 8 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

Surface condition effects on tritium permeation through the first wall of a water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, H.-S. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Xu, Y.-P.; Liu, H.-D. [Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Liu, F.; Li, X.-C.; Zhao, M.-Z.; Qi, Q.; Ding, F. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Luo, G.-N., E-mail: gnluo@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Science Island Branch of Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Hefei Center for Physical Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China); Hefei Science Center of Chinese Academy of Science, P.O. Box 1126, Hefei (China)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • We investigate surface effects on T transport through the first wall. • We solve transport equations with various surface conditions. • The RAFMs walls w/and w/o W exhibit different T permeation behavior. • Diffusion in W has been found to be the rate-limiting step. - Abstract: Plasma-driven permeation of tritium (T) through the first wall of a water-cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) blanket may raise safety and other issues. In the present work, surface effects on T transport through the first wall of a WCCB blanket have been investigated by theoretical calculation. Two types of wall structures, i.e., reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels (RAFMs) walls with and without tungsten (W) armor, have been analyzed. Surface recombination is assumed to be the boundary condition for both the plasma-facing side and the coolant side. It has been found that surface conditions at both sides can affect T permeation flux and inventory. For the first wall using W as armor material, T permeation is not sensitive to the plasma-facing surface conditions. Contamination of the surfaces will lead to higher T inventory inside the first wall.

Comparison of lithium and the eutectic lead lithium alloy, two candidate liquid metal breeder materials for self-cooled blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Mattas, R.

1994-06-01

Liquid metals are attractive candidates for both near-term and long-term fusion applications. The subjects of this comparison are the differences between the two candidate liquid metal breeder materials Li and LiPb for use in breeding blankets in the areas of neutronics, magnetohydrodynamics, tritium control, compatibility with structural materials, heat extraction system, safety, and required R ampersand D program. Both candidates appear to be promising for use in self-cooled breeding blankets which have inherent simplicity with the liquid metal serving as both breeders and coolant. The remaining feasibility question for both breeder materials is the electrical insulation between liquid metal and duct walls. Different ceramic coatings are required for the two breeders, and their crucial issues, namely self-healing of insulator cracks and radiation induced electrical degradation are not yet demonstrated. Each liquid metal breeder has advantages and concerns associated with it, and further development is needed to resolve these concerns

RF DEMO ceramic helium cooled blanket, coolant and energy transformation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalenko, V.; Leshukov, A.; Poliksha, V.; Popov, A.; Strebkov, Yu.; Borisov, A.; Shatalov, G.; Demidov, V.; Kapyshev, V.

2004-01-01

RF DEMO-S reactor is a prototype of commercial fusion reactors for further generation. A blanket is the main element unit of the reactor design. The segment structure is the basis of the ceramic blanket. The segments mounting/dismounting operations are carried out through the vacuum vessel vertical port. The inboard/outboard blanket segment is the modules welded design, which are welded by back plate. The module contains the back plate, the first wall, lateral walls and breeding zone. The 9CrMoVNb steel is used as structural material. The module internal space formed by the first wall, lateral walls and back plate is used for breeding zone arrangement. The breeding zone design based upon the poloidal BIT (Breeder Inside Tube) concept. The beryllium is used as multiplier material and the lithium orthosilicate is used as breeder material. The helium at 0.1 MPa is used as purge gas. The cooling is provided by helium at 10 MPa. The coolant supply/return to the blanket modules are carrying out on the two independent circuits. The performed investigations of possible transformation schemes of DEMO-S blanket heat power into the electricity allowed to make a conclusion about the preferable using of traditional steam-turbine facility in the secondary circuit. (author)

Solid breeder test blanket module design and analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ying, A. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States)]. E-mail: ying@fusion.ucla.edu; Abdou, M. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Calderoni, P. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Sharafat, S. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Youssef, M. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); An, Z. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Abou-Sena, A. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Kim, E. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States); Reyes, S. [LANL, Livermore, CA (United States); Willms, S. [LANL, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Kurtz, R. [PNNL, Richland, WA (United States)

2006-02-15

This paper presents the design and analysis for the US ITER solid breeder blanket test articles. Objectives of solid breeder blanket testing during the first phase of the ITER operation focus on exploration of fusion break-in phenomena and configuration scoping. Specific emphasis is placed on first wall structural response, evaluation of neutronic parameters, assessment of thermomechanical behavior and characterization of tritium release. The tests will be conducted with three unit cell arrays/sub-modules. The development approach includes: (1) design the unit cell/sub-module for low temperature operations and (2) refer to a reactor blanket design and use engineering scaling to reproduce key parameters under ITER wall loading conditions, so that phenomena under investigation can be measured at a reactor-like level.

Influence of start up and pulsed operation on tritium release and inventory of NET ceramic blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iseli, M.; Esser, B.

1989-01-01

A first estimate for the tritium release behaviour of a ceramic breeder blanket in pulsed operation is obtained by assuming a linear steady state temperature distribution and taking into account the time constant of the thermal behaviour. The release behaviour of the breeder exposed to consecutive periods of tritium generation is described with an analytical solution of the diffusion equation. The results are compared with a simple exponential approach valid for surfacte desorption controlled release. The exponential model is used to simulate a blanket with aluminate as breeder material, which takes longest to reach steady state. The simulation demonstrates that a significant fraction (>67%) of steady state can be achieved after a testing time of about one day. (author). 7 refs.; 8 figs.; 3 tabs

Tritium inventory and permeation in liquid breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiter, F.

1990-01-01

This report reviews studies of the transport of hydrogen isotopes in the DEMO relevant water-cooled Pb-17Li blanket to be tested in NET and in a self-cooled blanket which uses Pb-17Li or Flibe as a liquid breeder material and V or Fe as a first wall material. The time dependences of tritium inventory and permeation in these blankets and of deuterium and tritium recycling in the self-cooled blanket are presented and discussed

Safety and environmental impact of the BOT helium cooled solid breeder blanket for DEMO. SEAL subtask 6.2, final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.; Dammel, F.; Gabel, K.

1996-03-01

The European Union has been engaged since 1989 in a programme to develop tritium breeding blankets for application in a fusion power reactor. There are four concepts under development, namely two of the solid breeder type and two of the liquid breeder type. At the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe one blanket concept of each line has been pursued so far with the so-called breeder outside tube (BOT) type representing the solid breeder line. In the BOT concept, Li 4 SiO 4 is used as ceramic breeding material in the form of pebble beds in combination with beryllium pebbles serving as neutron multiplier. Breeder and multiplier materials are arranged in radial-toroidal layers, separated by cooling plates. The coolant is high pressure helium which is circulated in series, at first through the first wall structure and subsequently through the cooling plates. The safety and environmental impact of the BOT blanket concept has been assessed as part of the blanket concept selection exercise, a European concerted action aiming at selecting the two most promising concepts for further development. The topics investigated are: (a) Blanket materials and toxic materials inventory, (b) energy sources for mobilisation, (c) fault tolerance, (d) tritium and activation product release, and (e) waste generation. No insurmountable safety problems have been identified for the BOT concept. The results of the assessment are described in this report. The information collected is also intended to serve as input to the EU 'Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion long-term Programme' (SEAL). The unresolved issues pertaining to the BOT blanket which need further investigations in future programmes are outlined herein. (orig.) [de

Application of discrete element method to study mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2007-01-01

In this paper, the discrete element method (DEM) approach has been applied to study mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds. Directly simulating the contact state of each individual particle by the physically based interaction laws, the DEM numerical program is capable of predicting the mechanical behaviors of non-standard packing structures. The program can also provide the data to trace the evolution of contact characteristics and forces as deformation proceeds, as well as the particle movement when the pebble bed is subjected to external loadings. Our numerical simulations focus on predicting the mechanical behaviors of ceramic breeder pebble beds, which include typical fusion breeder materials in solid breeder blankets. Current numerical results clearly show that the packing density and the bed geometry can have an impact on the mechanical stiffness of the pebble beds. Statistical data show that the contact forces are highly related to the contact status of the pebbles

Irradiaiton facilities for testing solid and liquid blanket breeder materials with in-situ tritium release measurements in the HFR Petten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrad, R.; Debarberis, L.

1991-01-01

Lithium-based tritium breeder materials for solid and liquid fusion reactor blanket concepts are being tested in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) Petten with in-situ tritium release measurements since 1985, within the European Fusion Technology Programme and the BEATRIX-I programme. Ceramic breeder materials are being tested in the EXOTIC and COMPLIMENT experimental programmes and the liquid breeder material, Pb-17Li, is being tested in the LIBRETTO experimental programme. The in-pile experiments are performed with irradiation facilities developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Petten. The irradiation vehicles are multi-channel rigs. The sample holders consist of independent, fully instrumented and triple contained capsules. The out-of-pile experimental equipment consist of twelve independent circuits for on-line tritium release and tritium permeation measurements and eight independent circuits for temperature control. The experimental achievements obtained so far contribute to the selection of candidate tritium breeder materials for blanket concepts of near future machines like NET, ITER and DEMO. (orig.)

Particle flow of ceramic breeder pebble beds in bi-axial compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.

2002-01-01

Pebble beds of Tritium breeding ceramic material are investigated within the framework of developing solid breeder blankets for future nuclear fusion power plants. For the thermo-mechanical characterisation of such pebble beds, bed compression experiments are the standard tools. New bi-axial compression experiments on 20 and 30 mm high pebble beds show pebble flow effects much more pronounced than in previous 10 mm beds. Owing to the greater bed height, conditions are reached where the bed fails in cross direction and unhindered flow of the pebbles occurs. The paper presents measurements for the orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder materials that are envisaged to be used in a solid breeder blanket. The data are compared with calculations made with a Drucker-Prager soil model within the finite-element code ABAQUS, calibrated with data from other experiments. It is investigated empirically whether internal bed friction angles can be determined from pebble beds of the considered heights, which would simplify, and broaden the data base for, the calibration of the Drucker-Prager pebble bed models

Particle flow of ceramic breeder pebble beds in bi-axial compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.

2002-01-01

Pebble beds of ceramic material are investigated within the framework of developing solid breeder blankets for future fusion power plants. A thermo-mechanical characterisation of such pebble beds is mandatory for understanding the behaviour of pebble beds, and thus the overall blanket, under fusion environment conditions. The mechanical behaviour of pebble beds is typically explored with uni-axial, bi-axial and tri-axial compression experiments. The latter two types of experiment are particularly revealing since they contain explicitly, beyond a compression behaviour of the bed, information on the conditions for pebble flow, i.e. macroscopic relocation, in the pebble bed. (orig.)

Thermally induced outdiffusion studies of deuterium in ceramic breeder blanket materials after irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

González, Maria, E-mail: maria.gonzalez@ciemat.es [LNF-CIEMAT, Materials for Fusion Group, Madrid (Spain); Carella, Elisabetta; Moroño, Alejandro [LNF-CIEMAT, Materials for Fusion Group, Madrid (Spain); Kolb, Matthias H.H.; Knitter, Regina [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Surface defects in Lithium-based ceramics are acting as trapping centres for deuterium. • Ionizing radiation affects the deuterium sorption and desorption processes. • By extension, the release of the tritium produced in a fusion breeder will be effective. - Abstract: Based on a KIT–CIEMAT collaboration on the radiation damage effects of light ions sorption/desorption in ceramic breeder materials, candidate materials for the ITER EU TBM were tested for their outgassing behavior as a function of temperature and radiation. Lithium orthosilicate based pebbles with different metatitanate contents and pellets of the individual oxide components were exposed to a deuterium atmosphere at room temperature. Then the thermally induced release of deuterium gas was registered up to 800 °C. This as-received behavior was studied in comparison with that after exposing the deuterium-treated samples to 4 MGy total dose of gamma radiation. The thermal desorption spectra reveal differences in deuterium sorption/desorption behavior depending on the composition and the induced ionizing damage. In these breeder candidates, strong desorption rate at approx. 300 °C takes place, which slightly increases with increasing amount of the titanate second phase. For all studied materials, ionizing radiation induces electronic changes disabling a number of trapping centers for D{sub 2} adsorption.

Thermal conductivity of fusion solid breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y.Y.; Tam, S.W.

1986-06-01

Several simple and useful formulae for estimating the thermal conductivity of lithium-containing ceramic tritium breeder materials for fusion reactor blankets are given. These formulae account for the effects of irradiation, as well as solid breeder configuration, i.e., monolith or a packed bed. In the latter case, a coated-sphere concept is found more attractive in incorporating beryllia (a neutron multiplier) into the blanket than a random mixture of solid breeder and beryllia spheres

Thermal-hydraulic analysis on the whole module of water cooled ceramic breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Kecheng; Ma, Xuebin [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Cheng, Xiaoman [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Lin, Shuang [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Huang, Kai [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The 3D thermal hydraulic analysis on the whole module of WCCB is performed by CFD method. • Temperature field and mass flow distribution have been obtained. • The design of WCCB is reasonable from the perspective of thermal-hydraulics. • The scheme for further optimization has been proposed. - Abstract: The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder blanket (WCCB) is being researched for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The thermal-hydraulic analysis is essential because the blanket should remove the high heat flux from the plasma and the volumetric heat generated by neutrons. In this paper, the detailed three dimensional (3D) thermal hydraulic analysis on the whole module of WCCB blanket has been performed by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method, which is capable of solving conjugate heat transfer between solid structure and fluid. The main results, including temperature field, distribution of mass flow rate and coolant pressure drop, have been calculated simultaneously. These provides beneficial guidance data for the further structural optimization and for the design arrangement of primary and secondary circuit. Under the total heat source of 1.23 MW, the coolant mass flow rate of 5.457 kg/s is required to make coolant water corresponding to the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) condition (15.5 MPa, 285 °C–325 °C), generating the total coolant pressure drop (△P) of 0.467 MPa. The results show that the present structural design can make all the materials effectively cooled to the allowable temperature range, except for a few small modifications on the both sides of FW. The main components, including the first wall (FW), cooling plates (CPs), side wall (SWs)&stiffening plates (SPs) and the manifold(1–4), dominate 4.7%/41.7%/13%/40.6% of the total pressure drop, respectively. Additionally, the mass flow rate of each channel has been obtained, showing the peak relative deviation of 3.4% and 2% from the average for the paratactic

Status of the European R and D on beryllium as multiplier material for breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeslang, A.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Rabaglino, E.; Piazza, G.; Cardella, A.; Sannen, L.; Scibetta, M.; Laan, J. van der; Hegeman, J.B.J.W.

2004-01-01

Within the international fusion community a variety of breeding blanket concepts are being considered, ranging from more conservative concepts to higher-risk concepts for fusion power reactors. In Europe, the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket is one of the two reference concepts which will also be tested as Test Blanket Module (TBM) in ITER. In addition to the R and D for structural parts of the HCPB blanket, a considerable effort is devoted to the production and qualification of ceramic breeder and neutron multiplier (beryllium or beryllide) pebble beds. Since in the HCPB blanket pebbles made of lithium ceramics are foreseen, a high volume fraction of beryllium as a neutron multiplier to Li-based ceramic of about 4: l is needed. The typical loading conditions for beryllium are, with a neutron wall load of ∼12.5 MWa/m 2 and in ∼5 years lifetime: T min ∼300degC, T max ∼600-900degC, displacement damage ∼80 dpa, peak 4 He production ∼26000 appm and peak 3 H production ∼700 appm at the End-Of-Life. The behaviour of beryllium under irradiation is considered to be a key issue of the HCPB blanket, because of swelling due to helium bubbles and tritium retention. A large R and D programme on beryllium has been implemented in Europe, aimed at characterising and predicting the material behaviour before and under irradiation. An overview on experimental and modelling activities performed during the past 2 years is given with typical results on non-irradiated and irradiated Beryllium materials and pebble beds and the relevance of major results on future beryllium R and D is addressed. (author)

Progress in fusion reactors blanket analysis and evaluation at CEA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proust, E.; Gervaise, F.; Carre, F.; Chevereau, G.; Doutriaux, D.

1986-09-01

In the frame of the recent CEA studies aiming at the development, evaluation and comparison of solid breeder blanket concepts in view of their adaptation to NET, the evaluation of specific questions related to the first wall design, the present paper examines first the performances of a helium cooled toroidal blanket design for NET, based on innovative Beryllium/Ceramics breeder rod elements. Neutronic and thermo-mechanical optimisation converges on a concept featured by a breeding capability in excess of 1.2, a reasonnable pumping power of 1% and a narrow breeder temperature range (470+-30 deg C of the breeder), the latter being largely independent of the power level. This design proves naturally adapted to ceramic breeder assigned to very strict working conditions, and provides for any change in the thermal and heat transfer characteristics over the blanket lifetime. The final section of the paper is devoted to the evaluation of the heat load poloidal distribution and to the irradiation effects on first wall structural materials

Japanese contributions to ITER testing program of solid breeder blankets for DEMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroda, Toshimasa; Yoshida, Hiroshi; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Maki, Koichi; Mori, Seiji; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Suzuki, Tatsushi; Hirata, Shingo; Miura, Hidenori.

1991-04-01

ITER Conceptual Design Activity (CDA), which has been conducted by four parties (Japan, EC, USA and USSR) since May 1988, has been finished on December 1990 with a great achievement of international design work of the integrated fusion experimental reactor. Numerous issues of physics and technology have been clarified for providing a framework of the next phase of ITER (Engineering Design Activity; EDA). Establishment of an ITER testing program, which includes technical test issues of neutronics, solid breeder blankets, liquid breeder blankets, plasma facing components, and materials, has been one of the goals of the CDA. This report describes Japanese proposal for the testing program of DEMO/power reactor blanket development. For two concepts of solid breeder blanket (helium-cooled and water-cooled), identification of technical issues, scheduling of test program, and conceptual design of test modules including required test facility such as cooling and tritium recovery systems have been carried out as the Japanese contribution to the CDA. (author)

Manufacturing Technology of Ceramic Pebbles for Breeding Blanket

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Lo Frano

2018-05-01

Full Text Available An open issue for the fusion power reactor is the choice of breeding blanket material. The possible use of Helium-Cooled Pebble Breeder ceramic material in the form of pebble beds is of great interest worldwide as demonstrated by the numerous studies and research on this subject. Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4 is a promising breeding material investigated in this present study because the neutron capture of Li-6 allows the production of tritium, 6Li (n, t 4He. Furthermore, lithium orthosilicate has the advantages of low activation characteristics, low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity, high density and stability. Even if they are far from the industrial standard, a variety of industrial processes have been proposed for making orthosilicate pebbles with diameters of 0.1–1 mm. However, some manufacturing problems have been observed, such as in the chemical stability (agglomeration phenomena. The aim of this study is to provide a new methodology for the production of pebbles based on the drip casting method, which was jointly developed by the DICI-University of Pisa and Industrie Bitossi. Using this new (and alternative manufacturing technology, in the field of fusion reactors, appropriately sized ceramic pebbles could be produced for use as tritium breeders.

US-DOE Fusion-Breeder Program: blanket design and system performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.

1983-01-01

Conceptual design studies are being used to assess the technical and economic feasibility of fusion's potential to produce fissile fuel. A reference design of a fission-suppressed blanket using conventional materials is under development. Theoretically, a fusion breeder that incorporates this fusion-suppressed blanket surrounding a 3000-MW tandem mirror fusion core produces its own tritium plus 5600 kg of 233 U per year. The 233 U could then provide fissile makeup for 21 GWe of light-water reactor (LWR) power using a denatured thorium fuel cycle with full recycle. This is 16 times the net electric power produced by the fusion breeder (1.3 GWe). The cost of electricity from this fusion-fission system is estimated to be only 23% higher than the cost from LWRs that have makeup from U 3 O 8 at present costs (55 $/kg). Nuclear performance, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), radiation effects, and other issues concerning the fission-suppressed blanket are summarized, as are some of the present and future objectives of the fusion breeder program

Electrical behaviour of ceramic breeder blankets in pebble form after γ-radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Carella

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4 ceramics in from of pebble bed is the European candidate for ITER testing HCPB (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed breeding modules. The breeder function and the shielding role of this material, represent the areas upon which attention is focused. Electrical measurements are proposed for monitoring the modification created by ionizing radiation and at the same time provide information on lithium movement in this ceramic structure. The electrical tests are performed on pebbles fabricated by Spray-dryer method before and after gamma-irradiation through a 60Co source to a fluence of 4.8 Gy/s till a total dose of 5 ∗ 105 Gy. The introduction of thermal annealing treatments during the electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS measurements points out the recombination effect of the temperature on the γ-induced defects.

Design and technology development of solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Enoeda, M.; Kosaku, Y.; Hatano, T.; Kuroda, T.; Miki, N.; Honma, T.; Akiba, M.; Konishi, S.; Nakamura, H.; Kawamura, Y.; Sato, S.; Furuya, K.; Asaoka, Y.; Okano, K.

2003-12-01

This paper presents results of conceptual design activities and associated R&D of a solid breeder blanket system for demonstration of power generation fusion reactors (DEMO blanket) cooled by supercritical water. The Fusion Council of Japan developed the long-term research and development programme of the blanket in 1999. To make the fusion DEMO reactor more attractive, a higher thermal efficiency of more than 40% was strongly recommended. To meet this requirement, the design of the DEMO fusion reactor was carried out. In conjunction with the reactor design, a new concept of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was proposed and design and technology development of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was performed. By thermo-mechanical analyses of the first wall, the tresca stress was evaluated to be 428 MPa, which clears the 3Sm value of F82H. By thermal and nuclear analyses of the breeder layers, it was shown that a net TBR of more than 1.05 can be achieved. By thermal analysis of the supercritical water power plant, it was shown that a thermal efficiency of more than 41% is achievable. The design work included design of the coolant flow pattern for blanket modules, module structure design, thermo-mechanical analysis and neutronics analysis of the blanket module, and analyses of the tritium inventory and permeation. Preliminary integration of the design of a solid breeder blanket cooled by supercritical water was achieved in this study. In parallel with the design activities, engineering R&D was conducted covering all necessary issues, such as development of structural materials, tritium breeding materials, and neutron multiplier materials; neutronics experiments and analyses; and development of the blanket module fabrication technology. Upon developing the fabrication technology for the first wall and box structure, a hot isostatic pressing bonded F82H first wall mock-up with embedded rectangular cooling channels was

Evaluation of organic moderator/coolants for fusion breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, J.B.

1980-03-01

Organic coolants have several attractive features for fusion breeder blanket design. Their apparent compatibility with lithium and their ideal physical and nuclear properties allows straight-forward, high performance designs. Radiolytic damage can be reduced to about the same order as comparable fission systems by using multiplier/stripper blanket designs. Tritium recovery from the organic should be straightforward, but additional data is needed to make a better assessment of the economics of the process

Present status of irradiation tests on tritium breeding blanket for fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Futamura, Yoshiaki; Sagawa, Hisashi; Shimakawa, Satoshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kuroda, Toshimasa; Kawamura, Hiroshi.

1994-01-01

To develop a tritium breeding blanket for a fusion reactor, irradiation tests in fission reactors are indispensable for obtaining data on irradiation effects on materials, and neutronics/thermal characteristics and tritium production/recovery performance of the blanket. Various irradiation tests have been conducted in the world, especially to investigate tritium release characteristics from tritium breeding and neutron multiplier materials, and materials integrity under irradiation. In Japan, VOM experiments at JRR-2 for ceramic breeders and experiments at JMTR for ceramic breeders and beryllium as a neutron multiplier have been performed. Several universities have also investigated ceramic breeders. In the EC, the EXOTIC experiments at HFR in the Netherlands and the SIBELIUS, the LILA, the LISA and the MOZART experiments for ceramic breeders have carried out. In Canada, NRU has been used for the CRITIC experiments. The TRIO experiments at ORR(ORNL), experiments at RTNS-II, FUBR and ATR have been conducted in the USA. The last two are experiments with high neutron fluence aiming at investigating materials integrity under irradiation. The BEATRIX-I and -II experiments have proceeded under international collaboration of Japan, Canada, the EC and the USA. This report shows the present status of these irradiation tests following a review of the blanket design in the ITER CDA(Conceptual Design Activity). (author)

Neutronics Experiment on A HCPB Breeder Blanket Mock-Up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paola Batistoni, P.; Angelone, M.; Bettinali, L.

2006-01-01

A neutronics experiment has been performed in the frame of European Fusion Technology Program on a mock-up of the EU Test Blanket Module (TBM), Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) concept, with the objective to validate the capability of nuclear data to predict nuclear responses, such as the tritium production rate (TPR), with qualified uncertainties. The experiment has been carried out at the FNG 14-MeV neutron source in collaboration between ENEA, Technische Universitaet Dresden, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, J. Stefan Institute Ljubljana and with the participation of JAEA. The mock-up, designed in such a way to replicate all relevant nuclear features of the TBM-HCPB, consisted of a steel box containing beryllium block and two intermediate steel cassettes, filled with of Li 2 CO 3 powder, replicating the breeder insert main characteristics: radial thickness, distance between ceramic layers, thickness of ceramic layers and of steel walls. In the experiment, the TPR has been measured using Li 2 CO 3 pellets at various depths at two symmetrical positions at each depth, one in the upper and one in the lower cassette. Twelve pellets were used at each position to determine the TPR profile through the cassette. Three independent measurements were performed by ENEA, TUD/VKTA and JAEA. The neutron flux in the beryllium layer was measured as well using activation foils. The measured tritium production in the TBM (E) was compared with the same quantity (C) calculated by the MCNP.4c using a very detailed model of the experimental set up, and using neutron cross sections from the European Fusion File (EFF ver.3.1) and from the Fusion Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (FENDL ver. 2.1, ITER reference neutron library). C/E ratios were obtained with a total uncertainty on the C/E comparison less than 9% (2 s). A sensitivity and uncertainty analysis has also been performed to evaluate the calculation uncertainty due to the uncertainty on neutron cross sections. The results of such

Effective thermal conductivity of advanced ceramic breeder pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pupeschi, S., E-mail: simone.pupeschi@kit.edu; Knitter, R.; Kamlah, M.

2017-03-15

As the knowledge of the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds under fusion relevant conditions is essential for the development of solid breeder blanket concepts, the EU advanced and reference lithium orthosilicate material were investigated with a newly developed experimental setup based on the transient hot wire method. The effective thermal conductivity was investigated in the temperature range RT–700 °C. Experiments were performed in helium and air atmospheres in the pressure range 0.12–0.4 MPa (abs.) under a compressive load up to 6 MPa. Results show a negligible influence of the chemical composition of the solid material on the bed’s effective thermal conductivity. A severe reduction of the effective thermal conductivity was observed in air. In both atmospheres an increase of the effective thermal conductivity with the temperature was detected, while the influence of the compressive load was found to be small. A clear dependence of the effective thermal conductivity on the pressure of the filling gas was observed in helium in contrast to air, where the pressure dependence was drastically reduced.

Isotope exchange reactions on ceramic breeder materials and their effect on tritium inventory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishikawa, M; Baba, A [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Kawamura, Y; Nishi, M

1998-03-01

Though lithium ceramic materials such as Li{sub 2}O, LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} are considered as breeding materials in the blanket of a D-T fusion reactor, the release behavior of the bred tritium in these solid breeder materials has not been fully understood. The isotope exchange reaction rate between hydrogen isotopes in the purge gas and tritium on the surface of breeding materials have not been quantified yet, although helium gas with hydrogen or deuterium is planned to be used as the blanket purge gas in the recent blanket designs. The mass transfer coefficient representing the isotope exchange reaction between H{sub 2} and D{sub 2}O or that between D{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O in the ceramic breeding materials bed is experimentally obtained in this study. Effects of isotope exchange reactions on the tritium inventory in the bleeding blanket is discussed based on data obtained in this study where effects of diffusion of tritium in the grain, absorption of water in the bulk of grain, and adsorption of water on the surface of grain, together with two types of isotope exchange reactions are considered. The way to estimate the tritium inventory in a Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} blanket used in this study shows a good agreement with data obtained in such in-situ experiments as MOZART, EXOTIC-5, 6 and TRINE experiments. (author)

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 1: Self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Reimann, J.; Sebening, H.; Barleon, L.; Bogusch, E.; Bojarsky, E.; Borgstedt, H.U.; Buehler, L.; Casal, V.; Deckers, H.; Feuerstein, H.; Fischer, U.; Frees, G.; Graebner, H.; John, H.; Jordan, T.; Kramer, W.; Krieg, R.; Lenhart, L.; Malang, S.; Meyder, R.; Norajitra, P.; Reimann, J.; Schwenk-Ferrero, A.; Schnauder, H.; Stieglitz, R.; Oschinski, J.; Wiegner, E.

1991-12-01

A self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket for a fusion DEMO-reactor and the status of the development programme is described as a part of the European development programme of DEMO relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4907) contains a summary, Volume 2 (KfK 4908) a more detailed version of the report. Both volumes contain sections on previous studies on self-cooled liquid metal breeder blankets, the reference blanket design for a DEMO-reactor, a typical test blanket design including the ancillary loop system and the building requirements for NET/ITER together with the present status of the associated R and D-programme in the fields of neutronics, magnetohydrodynamics, tritium removal and recovery, liquid metal compatibility and purification, ancillary loop system, safety and reliability. An outlook is given regarding the required R and D-programme for the self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the relevant test programme to be performed in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Overview of EU activities on DEMO liquid metal breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giancarli, L.; Proust, E.; Malang, S.; Reimann, J.; Perujo, A.

1994-01-01

The present paper gives an overview of both design and experimental activities within the European Union (EU) concerning the development of liquid metal breeder blankets for DEMO. After several years of studies on breeding blankets, two blanket concepts are presently considered, both using the eutectic Pb-17Li: the dual-coolant concept and the water-cooled concept. The analysis of such concepts has permitted to identify the experimental areas where further data are required. Tritium control and MHD-issues are, at present, the activities on which is devoted the greatest effort within the EU. (authors). 4 figs., 4 tabs., 39 refs

Chemical compatibility study between ceramic breeder and EUROFER97 steel for HCPB-DEMO blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukai, Keisuke, E-mail: keisuke.mukai@kit.edu [Institute for Applied Materials (IAM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Sanchez, Fernando [National Fusion Laboratory, Division of Fusion Technology, CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Knitter, Regina [Institute for Applied Materials (IAM), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2017-05-15

Chemical compatibility between ceramic breeder (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} + 20 mol% addition of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) and EUROFER97 steel was examined in this study. These materials were contacted and heated at 623, 823 and 1073 K under He + 0.1 vol.% H{sub 2} atmosphere for up to 12 weeks. Limited influence was found in the breeder specimens, although losses of the constituent elements appeared near the surface of the breeder pellets heated at 1073 K. For the EUROFER specimens with formation of a corrosion layer, element diffusivity was estimated based on diffusion kinetics. In the temperature range, effective diffusion coefficients of oxygen into EUROFER steel were in the range from 3.5 × 10{sup −134} to 2.5 × 10{sup −112} cm/s{sup 2} and found to be faster than that of Li. The coefficients yielded an activation energy of 0.93 eV for oxygen diffusion into EUROFER steel and predicted the possible thickness of the corrosion layer after operational periods.

Nuclear and thermal analyses of supercritical-water-cooled solid breeder blanket for fusion DEMO reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagi, Yoshihiko; Sato, Satoshi; Enoeda, Mikio; Hatano, Toshihisa; Kikuchi, Shigeto; Kuroda, Toshimasa; Kosaku, Yasuo; Ohara, Yoshihiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment

2001-11-01

Within a design study of a fusion DEMO reactor aiming at demonstrating technologies of fusion power plant, supercritical water is applied as a coolant of solid breeder blanket to attain high thermal efficiency. The blanket has multi-layer composed of solid breeder pebbles (Li{sub 2}O) and neutron multiplier pebbles (Be) which are radially separated by cooling panels. The first wall and the breeding region are cooled by supercritical water below and above the pseudo-critical temperature, respectively. Temperature distribution and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) have been estimated by one-dimensional nuclear and thermal calculations. The local TBR as high as 1.47 has been obtained after optimization of temperature distribution in the breeder region under the following conditions: neutron wall loading of 5 MW/m{sup 2}, {sup 6}Li enrichment of 30% and coolant temperature at inlet of breeder region of 380degC. In the case of the higher coolant temperature 430degC of the breeder region the local TBR was reduced to be 1.40. This means that the net TBR higher than 1.0 could be expected with the supercritical-water-cooled blanket, whose temperature distribution in the breeder region would be optimized by following the coolant temperature, and where a coverage of the breeder region is assumed to be 70%. (author)

Assessment of First Wall and Blanket Options with the Use of Liquid Breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; Malang, S.; Sawan, M.

2005-01-01

As candidate blanket concepts for a U.S. advanced reactor power plant design, with consideration of the time frame for ITER development, we assessed first wall and blanket design concepts based on the use of reduced activation ferritic steel as structural material and liquid breeder as the coolant and tritium breeder. The liquid breeder choice includes the conventional molten salt Li 2 BeF 4 and the low melting point molten salts such as LiBeF 3 and LiNaBeF 4 (FLiNaBe). Both self-cooled and dual coolant molten salt options were evaluated. We have also included the dual coolant leadeutectic Pb-17Li design in our assessment. We take advantage of the molten salt low electrical and thermal conductivity to minimize impacts from the MHD effect and the heat losses from the breeder to the actively cooled steel structure. For the Pb-17Li breeder we employ flow channel inserts of SiC f /SiC composite with low electrical and thermal conductivity to perform respective insulation functions. We performed preliminary assessments of these design options in the areas of neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, safety, and power conversion system. Status of the R and D items of selected high performance blanket concepts is reported. Results from this study will form the technical basis for the formulation of the U.S. ITER test module program and corresponding test plan

Status report. KfK contribution to the development of DEMO-relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Pt. 1: Self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket. Vol. 2. Detailed version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

John, H.; Malang, S.; Sebening, H.

1991-12-01

A self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket for a fusion DEMO-reactor and the status of the development programme is described as a part of the European development programme of DEMO relevant test blankets for NET/ITER. Volume 1 (KfK 4907) contains a summary. Volume 2 (KfK 4908) a more detailed version of the report. Both volumes contain sections on previous studies on self-cooled liquid metal breeder blankets, the reference blanket design for a DEMO-reactor, a typical test blanket design including the ancillary loop system and the building requirements for NET/ITER together with the present status of the associated RandD-programme in the fields of neutronics, magnetohydrodynamics, tritium removal and recovery, liquid metal compatibility and purification, ancillary loop system, safety and reliability. An outlook is given regarding the required RandD-programme for the self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket prior to tests in NET/ITER and the relevant test programme to be performed in NET/ITER. (orig.) [de

Integration of test modules in the main blanket and vacuum vessel design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakahira, Masataka; Kurasawa, Toshimasa; Sato, Satoshi; Furuya, Kazuyuki; Togami, Ikuhide; Hashimoto, Toshiyuki; Takatsu, Hideyuki; Kuroda, Toshimasa.

1995-07-01

Typical test modules for water-cooled and helium-cooled ceramic breeder blankets have been designed, and their major design parameters are summarized. Among various candidates studied in Japan at present, BOT (Breeder Out of Tube) type of blanket is exemplified here. The integration scheme of the test module into ITER basic machine is also shown. Even with other type of blanket, the integration scheme won't be affected. The composition and space requirement of cooling and tritium recovery systems for the test module have also been studied. (author)

A Feasible DEMO Blanket Concept Based on Water Cooled Solid Breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Someya, Y.; Tobita, K.; Utoh, H.; Hoshino, K.; Asakura, N.; Nakamura, M.; Tanigawa, H.; Mikio, E.; Tanigawa, H.; Nakamichi, M.; Hoshino, T., E-mail: someya.yoji@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Rokkasho (Japan)

2012-09-15

Full text: JAEA has conducted the conceptual design study of blanket for a fusion DEMO reactor SlimCS. Considering DEMO specific requirements, we place emphasis on a blanket concept with durability to severe irradiation, ease of fabrication for mass production, operation temperature of blanket materials, and maintainability using remote handling equipment. This paper present a promising concept satisfying these requirements, which is characterized by minimized welding lines near the front, a simplified blanket interior consisting of cooling tubes and a mixed pebble bed of breeder and neutron multiplier, and approximately the same outlet temperature for all blanket modules. Neutronics calculation indicated that the blanket satisfies a self-sufficient production of tritium. An important finding is that little decrease is seen in tritium breeding ratio even when the gap between neighboring blanket modules is as wide as 0.03 m. This means that blanket modules can be arranged with such a significant clearance gap without sacrifice of tritium production, which will facilitate the access of remote handling equipment for replacement of the blanket modules and improve the access of diagnostics. (author)

Progress in blanket designs using SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giancarli, L.; Golfier, H.; Nishio, S.; Raffray, R.; Wong, C.; Yamada, R.

2002-01-01

This paper summarizes the most recent design activities concerning the use of SiC f /SiC composite as structural material for fusion power reactor breeding blanket. Several studies have been performed in the past. The most recent proposals are the TAURO blanket concept in the European Union, the ARIES-AT concept in the US, and DREAM concept in Japan. The first two concepts are self-cooled lithium-lead blankets, while DREAM is an helium-cooled beryllium/ceramic blanket. Both TAURO and ARIES-AT blankets are essentially formed by a SiC f /SiC box acting as a container for the lithium-lead which has the simultaneous functions of coolant, tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and, finally, tritium carrier. The DREAM blanket is characterized by small modules using pebble beds of Be as neutron multiplier material, of Li 2 O (or other lithium ceramics) as breeder material and of SiC as shielding material. The He coolant path includes a flow through the pebble beds and a porous partition wall. For each blanket, this paper describes the main design features and performances, the most recent design improvements, and the proposed manufacturing routes in order to identify specific issues and requirements for the future R and D on SiC f /SiC

Design and safety analysis of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Shuai; Zhou, Guangming; Lv, Zhongliang; Jin, Cheng; Chen, Hongli [University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui (China). School of Nuclear Science and Technology

2016-05-15

This paper reports the design and safety analysis results of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket of the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Materials selection and basic structure of the blanket have been presented. Performance analysis including neutronics analysis and thermo-mechanical analysis has shown good results. And the safety analysis of the blanket under Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) conditions has been described. Results showed the current design can deal well with the selected accident scenarios.

Neutronic optimization of a LiAlO2 solid breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, P.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1986-02-01

In this report, a pressurized lobular blanket configuration is neutronically optimized. Among the features of this blanket configuration are the use of beryllium and LiAlO 2 solid breeder pins in a cross-flow configuration in a helium coolant. One-dimensional neutronic optimization calculations are performed to maximize the tritium breeding ratio (TER). The procedure involves spatial allocations of Be, LiAlO 2 , 9-C (ferritic steel), and He; in such a way as to maximize the TBR subject to several material, engineering and geometrical constraints. A TBR of 1.17 is achieved for a relatively thin blanket (approx. = 43 cm depth), and consistency with all imposed constraints

Development of advanced blanket materials for solid breeder blanket of fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishitsuka, E.

2002-01-01

Advanced solid breeding blanket design in the DEMO reactor requires the tritium breeder and neutron multiplier that can withstand the high temperature and high dose of neutron irradiation. Therefore, the development of such advanced blanket materials is indispensable. In this paper, the cooperation activities among JAERI, universities and industries in Japan on the development of these advanced materials are reported. Advanced tritium breeding material to prevent the grain growth in high temperature had to be developed because the tritium release behavior degraded by the grain growth. As one of such materials, TiO 2 -doped Li 2 TiO 3 has been studied, and TiO 2 -doped Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles was successfully fabricated. For the advanced neutron multiplier, the beryllium intermetallic compounds that have high melting point and good chemical stability have been studied. Some characterization of Be 12 Ti was studied. The pebble fabrication study for Be 12 Ti was also performed and Be 12 Ti pebbles were successfully fabricated. From these activities, the bright prospect to realize the DEMO blanket by the application of TiO 2 -doped Li 2 TiO 3 and beryllium intermetallic compounds was obtained. (author)

Tritium breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.; Billone, M.; Gohar, Y.; Baker, C.; Mori, S.; Kuroda, T.; Maki, K.; Takatsu, H.; Yoshida, H.; Raffray, A.; Sviatoslavsky, I.; Simbolotti, G.; Shatalov, G.

1991-01-01

The terms of reference for ITER provide for incorporation of a tritium breeding blanket with a breeding ratio as close to unity as practical. A breeding blanket is required to assure an adequate supply of tritium to meet the program objectives. Based on specified design criteria, a ceramic breeder concept with water coolant and an austenitic steel structure has been selected as the first option and lithium-lead blanket concept has been chosen as an alternate option. The first wall, blanket, and shield are integrated into a single unit with separate cooling systems. The design makes extensive use of beryllium to enhance the tritium breeding ratio. The design goals with a tritium breeding ratio of 0.8--0.9 have been achieved and the R ampersand D requirements to qualify the design have been identified. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Thermohydraulics design and thermomechanics analysis of two European breeder blanket concepts for DEMO. Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. Pt. 1: BOT helium cooled solid breeding blanket. Pt. 2: Dual coolant self-cooled liquid metal blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norajitra, P.

1995-06-01

Two different breeding blanket concepts are being elaborated at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe within the framework of the DEMO breeding blanket development, the concept of a helium cooled solid breeding blanket and the concept of a self-cooled liquid metal blanket. The breeder material used in the first concept is Li 4 SiO 4 as a pebble bed arranged separate from the beryllium pebble bed, which serves as multiplier. The breeder material zone is cooled by several toroidally-radially configurated helium cooling plates which, at the same time, act as reinforcements of the blanket structures. In the liquid metal blanket concept lead-lithium is used both as the breeder material and the coolant. It flows at low velocity in poloidal direction downwards and back in the blanket front zone. In both concepts the First Wall is cooled by helium gas. This report deals with the thermohydraulics design and thermomechanics analysis of the two blanket concepts. The performance data derived from the Monte-Carlo computations serve as a basis for the design calculations. The coolant inlet and outlet temperatures are chosen with the design criteria and the economics aspects taken into account. Uniform temperature distribution in the blanket structures can be achieved by suitable branching and routing of the coolant flows which contributes to reducing decisively the thermal stress. The computations were made using the ABAQUS computer code. The results obtained of the stresses have been evaluated using the ASME code. It can be demonstrated that all maximum values of temperature and stress are below the admissible limit. (orig.) [de

Conceptual design and analysis of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn; Li, Min; Lv, Zhongliang; Zhou, Guangming; Liu, Qianwen; Wang, Shuai; Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Ye, Minyou

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A helium cooled solid blanket was proposed as a candidate blanket concept for CFETR. • Material selection, basic structure and gas flow scheme of the blanket were introduced. • A series of performance analyses for the blanket were summarized. - Abstract: To bridge the gap between ITER and DEMO and to realize the fusion energy in China, a fusion device Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) was proposed and is being designed mainly to demonstrate 50–200 MW fusion power, 30–50% duty time factor, tritium self-sustained. Because of the high demand of tritium production and the realistic engineering consideration, the design of tritium breeding blanket for CFETR is a challenging work and getting special attention. As a blanket candidate, a helium cooled solid breeder blanket has been designed with the emphasis on conservative design and realistic blanket technology. This paper introduces the basic blanket scheme, including the material selection, structural design, cooling scheme and purge gas flow path. In addition, some results of neutronics, thermal-hydraulic and stress analysis are presented.

Ferritic steels for the first generation of breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diegele, E.

2009-01-01

Materials development in nuclear fusion for in-vessel components, i.e. for breeder blankets and divertors, has a history of more than two decades. It is the specific in-service and loading conditions and the consequentially required properties in combination with safety standards and social-economic demands that create a unique set of specifications. Objectives of Fusion for Energy (F4E) include: 1) To provide Europe's contribution to the ITER international fusion energy project; 2) To implement the Broader Approach agreement between Euratom and Japan; 3) To prepare for the construction and demonstration of fusion reactors (DEMO). Consequently, activities in F4E focus on structural materials for the first generations of breeder blankets, i.e. ITER Test Blanket Modules (TBM) and DEMO, whereas a Fusion Materials Topical Group implemented under EFDA coordinates R and D on physically based modelling of irradiation effects and R and D in the longer term (new and /or higher risk materials). The paper focuses on martensitic-ferritic steels and (i) reviews briefly the challenges and the rationales for the decisions taken in the past, (ii) analyses the status of the main activities of development and qualification, (iii) indicates unresolved issues, and (iv) outlines future strategies and needs and their implications. Due to the exposure to intense high energy neutron flux, the main issue for breeder materials is high radiation resistance. The First Wall of a breeder blanket should survive 3-5 full power years or, respectively in terms of irradiation damage, typically 50-70 dpa for DEMO and double figures for a power plant. Even though the objective is to have the materials and key fabrication technologies needed for DEMO fully developed and qualified within the next two decades, a major part of the task has to be completed much earlier. Tritium breeding test blanket modules will be installed in ITER with the objective to test DEMO relevant technologies in fusion

Feasibility study of fusion breeding blanket concept employing graphite reflector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Seungyon; Ahn, Mu-Young; Lee, Cheol Woo; Kim, Eung Seon; Park, Yi-Hyun; Lee, Youngmin; Lee, Dong Won

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) breeding blanket concept adopts graphite as a reflector material by reducing the amount of beryllium multiplier. • Its feasibility was investigated in view point of the nuclear performance as well as material-related issues. • A nuclear analysis is performed under the fusion reactor condition to address the feasibility of graphite reflector in breeding blanket. • Also, the chemical stability of the graphite is investigated considering the chemical stability under accident conditions. • In conclusion, the adaptation of graphite reflector in breeding blanket is intrinsically safe and plausible under fusion reactor condition. - Abstract: To obtain high tritium breeding performance with limited blanket thickness, most of solid breeder blanket concepts employ a combination of lithium ceramic as a breeder and beryllium as a multiplier. In this case, considering that huge amount of beryllium are needed in fusion power plants, its handling difficulty and cost can be a major factor to be accounted for commercial use. Korea has proposed a Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) breeding blanket concept relevant to fusion power plants. Here, graphite is used as a reflector material by reducing the amount of beryllium multiplier. Its feasibility has been investigated in view point of the nuclear performance as well as material-related issues. In this paper, a nuclear analysis is performed under the fusion reactor condition to address the feasibility of graphite reflector in breeding blanket, considering tritium breeding capability and neutron shielding and activation aspects. Also, the chemical stability of the graphite is investigated considering the chemical stability under accident conditions, resulting in that the adaptation of graphite reflector in breeding blanket is intrinsically safe and plausible under fusion reactor condition.

Feasibility study of fusion breeding blanket concept employing graphite reflector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Seungyon, E-mail: sycho@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Mu-Young [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Cheol Woo; Kim, Eung Seon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Yi-Hyun; Lee, Youngmin [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) breeding blanket concept adopts graphite as a reflector material by reducing the amount of beryllium multiplier. • Its feasibility was investigated in view point of the nuclear performance as well as material-related issues. • A nuclear analysis is performed under the fusion reactor condition to address the feasibility of graphite reflector in breeding blanket. • Also, the chemical stability of the graphite is investigated considering the chemical stability under accident conditions. • In conclusion, the adaptation of graphite reflector in breeding blanket is intrinsically safe and plausible under fusion reactor condition. - Abstract: To obtain high tritium breeding performance with limited blanket thickness, most of solid breeder blanket concepts employ a combination of lithium ceramic as a breeder and beryllium as a multiplier. In this case, considering that huge amount of beryllium are needed in fusion power plants, its handling difficulty and cost can be a major factor to be accounted for commercial use. Korea has proposed a Helium-Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) breeding blanket concept relevant to fusion power plants. Here, graphite is used as a reflector material by reducing the amount of beryllium multiplier. Its feasibility has been investigated in view point of the nuclear performance as well as material-related issues. In this paper, a nuclear analysis is performed under the fusion reactor condition to address the feasibility of graphite reflector in breeding blanket, considering tritium breeding capability and neutron shielding and activation aspects. Also, the chemical stability of the graphite is investigated considering the chemical stability under accident conditions, resulting in that the adaptation of graphite reflector in breeding blanket is intrinsically safe and plausible under fusion reactor condition.

Development of an engineering-scale nuclear test of a solid-breeder fusion-blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deis, G.A.; Bohn, T.S.; Hsu, P.Y.; Miller, L.G.; Scott, A.J.; Watts, K.D.; Welch, E.C.

1983-08-01

As part of the Phase I effort on Program Element-II (PE-II) of the Office of Fusion Energy/Argonne National Laboratory First Wall/Blanket/Shield Engineering Technology Program, a study has been performed to develop preconceptual hardware designs and preliminary test program descriptions for two fission-reactor-based tests of a water-cooled, solid-breeder fusion reactor blanket concept. First, a list of potentially acceptable reactor facilities is developed, based on a list of required reactor characteristics. From this set of facilities, two facilities are selected for study: the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) and the Power Burst Facility (PBF). A test which employs a cylindrical unit cell of a solid-breeder fusion reactor blanket, with pressurized-water cooling is designed for each facility. The test design is adjusted to the particular characteristics of each reactor. These two test designs are then compared on the basis of technical issues and cost. Both tests can satisfy the PE-II mission: blanket thermal hydraulic and thermomechanical issues. In addition, both reactors will produce prototypical tritium production rates and profiles and release characteristics with little or no additional modifications

Materials data base and design equations for the UCLA solid breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharafat, S.; Amodeo, R.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1986-01-01

The need for a complete and coherent material data base for fusion reactor systems has been an important issue for some time now. Since the choices for materials used in fusion reactors are becoming more apparent, it is important to be able to quickly access this data to facilitate reactor design. The philosophy of a data base is one of expansion and modification. This will lead to a constantly growing collection of most recently acquired information. Based on this philosophy special care has been given to the structure, the accessibility and ease of modification. The data base is developed primarily for use on Personal Computers (PC's). In Section 10.2. materials and properties investigated for this blanket study are listed. Section 10.3. is a list of phenomenological equations and mathematical fits for all materials and properties considered. Section 10.4. describes the authors efforts to develop a swelling equations based on the few experimental data points available for breeder materials. In Section 10.5. the sintering phenomena for ceramics is investigated

Design and analysis of breeding blanket with helium cooled solid breeder for ITER-TBM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Tao; Feng Kaiming; Chen Zhi; Wang Xiaoyu

2007-01-01

Test blanket module (TBM) is one of important components in ITER. Some of related blanket technologies of future fusion, such as tritium self-sufficiency, the exaction of high-grade heat, design criteria and safety requirements and environmental impacts, will be demonstrated in ITER-TBM. In ITER device, the three equatorial ports have allocated for TBM testing. China had proposed to develop independently the ITER-TBM with helium cooled solid breeder in 12th meeting of test blanket workgroup (TBWG-12). In this work, the preliminary design and analysis for Chinese HCSB TBM will be carried out. The TBM must be contains the function of the first wall, breeding blanket, shield and structure. Finally, in the period of preliminary investigation, HCSB TBM design adopt modularization concept which is helium as coolant and tritium purge gas, ferritic/martensitic steel as structural material, Lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) as tritium breeder, beryllium pebble as neutron multiplier. TBM is allocated in standard vertical frame port. HCSB TBM consist of first wall, backplate, breeding sub-modules, caps, grid and support plate, and breeding sub-modules is arranged by layout of 2 x 6 in blanket box. In this paper, main components of HCSB TBM will be described in detail, also performance analysis of main components have been completed. (authors)

Breeding blanket development. Tritium release from breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Nagao, Yoshiharu

2006-01-01

Engineering data on neutron irradiation performance of tritium breeders are needed to design the breeding blanket of fusion reactor. In this study, tritium release experiments of the breeders were carried out to examine the effects of various parameters (such as sweep gas flow rate, hydrogen content in sweep gas, irradiation temperature and thermal neutron flux) on tritium generation and release behavior. Lithium titanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) is considered as a candidate tritium breeder in the blanket design of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). As for the shape of the breeder material, a small spherical form is preferred to reduce the thermal stress induced in the breeder. Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles of about 170g in total weight and with 0.3 and 2 mm in diameter were manufactured by a wet process, and an assembly packed with the binary Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles was irradiated in Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR). The tritium was generated in the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed and released from the pebble bed, and was swept downstream using the sweep gas for on-line analysis of tritium content. Concentration of total tritium and gaseous tritium (HT or T 2 gas) released from the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed were measured by ionization chambers, and the ratio of (gaseous tritium)/(total tritium) was evaluated. The sweep gas flow rate was changed from 100 to 900cm 3 /min, and hydrogen content in the sweep gas was changed from 100 to 10000 ppm. Furthermore, thermal neutron flux was changed using a window made of hafnium (Hf) neutron absorber. The irradiation temperature at an outer region of the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed was held between 200 and 400degC. The main results of this experiment are summarized as follows. 1) When the temperature at the outside edge of the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed exceeded 100degC, the tritium release from the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed started. The ratio of the tritium release rate and the tritium generation rate (normalized tritium release rate: R/G) reached

Key achievements in elementary R&D on water-cooled solid breeder blanket for ITER test blanket module in JAERI

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, S.; Enoeda, M.; Hatano, T.; Hirose, T.; Hayashi, K.; Tanigawa, H.; Ochiai, K.; Nishitani, T.; Tobita, K.; Akiba, M.

2006-02-01

This paper presents the significant progress made in the research and development (R&D) of key technologies on the water-cooled solid breeder blanket for the ITER test blanket modules in JAERI. Development of module fabrication technology, bonding technology of armours, measurement of thermo-mechanical properties of pebble beds, neutronics studies on a blanket module mockup and tritium release behaviour from a Li2TiO3 pebble bed under neutron-pulsed operation conditions are summarized. With the improvement of the heat treatment process for blanket module fabrication, a fine-grained microstructure of F82H can be obtained by homogenizing it at 1150 °C followed by normalizing it at 930 °C after the hot isostatic pressing process. Moreover, a promising bonding process for a tungsten armour and an F82H structural material was developed using a solid-state bonding method based on uniaxial hot compression without any artificial compliant layer. As a result of high heat flux tests of F82H first wall mockups, it has been confirmed that a fatigue lifetime correlation, which was developed for the ITER divertor, can be made applicable for the F82H first wall mockup. As for R&D on the breeder material, Li2TiO3, the effect of compression loads on effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds has been clarified for the Li2TiO3 pebble bed. The tritium breeding ratio of a simulated multi-layer blanket structure has successfully been measured using 14 MeV neutrons with an accuracy of 10%. The tritium release rate from the Li2TiO3 pebble has also been successfully measured with pulsed neutron irradiation, which simulates ITER operation.

Neutronics Evaluation of Lithium-Based Ternary Alloys in IFE Blankets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jolodosky, A. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Fratoni, M. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-09-22

Lithium is often the preferred choice as breeder and coolant in fusion blankets as it offers excellent heat transfer and corrosion properties, and most importantly, it has a very high tritium solubility and results in very low levels of tritium permeation throughout the facility infrastructure. However, lithium metal vigorously reacts with air and water and exacerbates plant safety concerns. For this reason, over the years numerous blanket concepts have been proposed with the scope of reducing concerns associated with lithium. The European helium cooled pebble bed breeding blanket (HCPB) physically confines lithium within ceramic pebbles. The pebbles reside within a low activation martensitic ferritic steel structure and are cooled by helium. The blanket is composed of the tritium breeding lithium ceramic pebbles and neutron multiplying beryllium pebbles. Other blanket designs utilize lead to lower chemical reactivity; LiPb alone can serve as a breeder, coolant, neutron multiplier, and tritium carrier. Blankets employing LiPb coolants alongside silicon carbide structural components can achieve high plant efficiency, low afterheat, and low operation pressures. This alloy can also be used alongside of helium such as in the dual-coolant lead-lithium concept (DCLL); helium is utilized to cool the first wall and structural components made up of low-activation ferritic steel, whereas lithium-lead (LiPb) acts as a self-cooled breeder in the inner channels of the blanket. The helium-cooled steel and lead-lithium alloy are separated by flow channel inserts (usually made out of silicon carbide) which thermally insulate the self-cooled breeder region from the helium cooled steel walls. This creates a LiPb breeder with a much higher exit temperature than the steel which increases the power cycle efficiency and also lowers the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop [6]. Molten salt blankets with a mixture of lithium, beryllium, and fluorides (FLiBe) offer good tritium breeding

Lithium ceramics as the solid breeder material in fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollenberg, G.W.; Reuther, T.C.; Johnson, C.E.

1982-03-01

Fusion blanket designs have for almost a decade considered the use of a solid breeder relying on available data and assumed performance. The conclusion from these studies is that acceptable neutronic and thermal hydraulic performance can be achieved. In the future, it will be necessary to establish that a particular material can tolerate the thermal and irradiation environment of the fusion blanket while still providing the required functions of tritium recovery, power production and neutron shielding

Analysis of mechanical effects caused by plasma disruptions in the European breeder out of tube solid breeder blanket design with MANET as structural material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Ruatto, P.

1995-01-01

In this paper we deal with some aspects related to the mechanical behaviour of the European breeder out of tube solid breeder blanket for the DEMO reactor during plasma disruptions. The first aspect regards the properties of the martensitic steel MANET which has been chosen as structural material. MANET is a magnetic material and its fracture toughness properties degrade considerably under irradiation. These two features have been taken into account in the calculation of magentic forces and in the assessment of conditions of unstable crack propagation respectively. As second aspect, a comparison between an electrically segmented and a continuous blanket design has been performed. The analysis reveals lower mechanical stresses for the second design during the DEMO reference disruption and in case of faster disruptions. (orig.)

Advanced methods comparisons of reaction rates in the Purdue Fast Breeder Blanket Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, R.N.; Ott, K.O.

1988-01-01

A review of worldwide results revealed that reaction rates in the blanket region are generally underpredicted with the discrepancy increasing with penetration; however, these results vary widely. Experiments in the large uniform Purdue Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBF) blanket yield an accurate quantification of this discrepancy. Using standard production code methods (diffusion theory with 50 group cross sections), a consistent Calculated/Experimental (C/E) drop-off was observed for various reaction rates. A 50% increase in the calculated results at the outer edge of the blanket is necessary for agreement with experiments. The usefulness of refined group constant generation utilizing specialized weighting spectra and transport theory methods in correcting this discrepancy was analyzed. Refined group constants reduce the discrepancy to half that observed using the standard method. The surprising result was that transport methods had no effect on the blanket deviations; thus, transport theory considerations do not constitute or even contribute to an explanation of the blanket discrepancies. The residual blanket C/E drop-off (about half the standard drop-off) using advanced methods must be caused by some approximations which are applied in all current methods. 27 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Numerical studies on the heat transfer and friction characteristics of the first wall inserted with the screw blade for water cooled ceramic breeder blanket of CFETR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Kecheng; Ma, Xuebin; Cheng, Xiaoman; Liu, Songlin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Enhanced heat transfer and friction characteristics of the FW inserted with screw blade is investigated. • The screw blade structure optimization was done on the screw pitch and diameter. • Decreasing screw pitch and increasing screw diameter could further enhance heat transfer accompanied with increasing flow resistance. • Evaluate the overall enhanced heat performance by using the PEC value. - Abstract: The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) blanket based on Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) condition is one of the blanket candidates for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The first wall (FW) which plays an important part in the blanket design must remove the high heat flux radiated from plasma and nuclear heat deposition on the structure in any operating conditions. In this paper, the characteristics of enhanced heat transfer and friction for the FW with the inserted screw blade are studied by the numerical method. After the comparison between the numerical and experimental results, the standard k–ε turbulent model is selected to do the numerical calculation. The numerical results show that the peak temperature of RAFM steel could be reduced by decreasing screw pitch or increasing screw diameter, while accompanied with ascending flow resistance. Besides, among all of the chosen calculation cases compared with the smooth channel, the maximum value of temperature reduction is 10 °C under the conditions of heat flux of 0.5 MW/m"2 as well as screw pitch of 18 mm and screw diameter of 6 mm. The maximum increment ratio of the friction factor is 257% under the conditions of screw pitch of 10 mm and screw diameter of 4 mm. Furthermore, screw blade of 74 mm pitch and 4 mm diameter presents the highest overall performance evaluation criterion (PEC) value of 0.93 under Reynolds number of 270 000 conditions, and shows the best overall heat transfer enhancement performance.

Numerical studies on the heat transfer and friction characteristics of the first wall inserted with the screw blade for water cooled ceramic breeder blanket of CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Kecheng [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230037 (China); Ma, Xuebin; Cheng, Xiaoman [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China)

2016-03-15

Highlights: • Enhanced heat transfer and friction characteristics of the FW inserted with screw blade is investigated. • The screw blade structure optimization was done on the screw pitch and diameter. • Decreasing screw pitch and increasing screw diameter could further enhance heat transfer accompanied with increasing flow resistance. • Evaluate the overall enhanced heat performance by using the PEC value. - Abstract: The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) blanket based on Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) condition is one of the blanket candidates for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The first wall (FW) which plays an important part in the blanket design must remove the high heat flux radiated from plasma and nuclear heat deposition on the structure in any operating conditions. In this paper, the characteristics of enhanced heat transfer and friction for the FW with the inserted screw blade are studied by the numerical method. After the comparison between the numerical and experimental results, the standard k–ε turbulent model is selected to do the numerical calculation. The numerical results show that the peak temperature of RAFM steel could be reduced by decreasing screw pitch or increasing screw diameter, while accompanied with ascending flow resistance. Besides, among all of the chosen calculation cases compared with the smooth channel, the maximum value of temperature reduction is 10 °C under the conditions of heat flux of 0.5 MW/m{sup 2} as well as screw pitch of 18 mm and screw diameter of 6 mm. The maximum increment ratio of the friction factor is 257% under the conditions of screw pitch of 10 mm and screw diameter of 4 mm. Furthermore, screw blade of 74 mm pitch and 4 mm diameter presents the highest overall performance evaluation criterion (PEC) value of 0.93 under Reynolds number of 270 000 conditions, and shows the best overall heat transfer enhancement performance.

Key achievements in elementary R and Ds on water-cooled solid breeder blanket for ITER Test Blanket Module in JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, S.; Enoeda, M.; Hatano, T.; Hirose, T.; Tanigawa, H.; Tobita, K.; Akiba, M.; Hayashi, K.; Ochiai, K.; Nishitani, T.

2005-01-01

This paper presents significant progress in research and development (R and D) of key elementary technologies on the water-cooled solid breeder blanket for the ITER test blanket modules (TBMs) in JAERI. Development of module fabrication technology, bonding technology of armors, measurement of thermo-mechanical properties of pebble beds, neutronics studies on a blanket module mockup, and tritium release behavior from Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed under neutron pulsed operation condition are summarized. By the improvement of heat treatment process for blanket module fabrication, a fine-grained microstructure of F82H, can be obtained by homogenizing it at 1150 deg C followed by normalizing at 930 deg C after the Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) process. Moreover, a promising bonding process for a tungsten armor and an F82H structural material was developed by using a solid state bonding method based on uniaxial hot compression without any artificial compliant layer. As a result of high heat flux tests of F82H first wall mockups, it was found that the thermal fatigue lifetime of F82H can be predicted by using Manson-Coffin's law. As for R and Ds on a breeder material, Li 2 TiO 3 , effective thermal conductivity of Li 2 TiO 3 pebble was measured under compressive force simulating the ITER TBM environment. The increase in the effective thermal conductivity of the pebble bed was about 2.5 % at the compressive strain of 0.9 % at 400 deg C. Neutronic performance of the blanket module mockup has been carried out by the 14 MeV neutron irradiation. It was confirmed that the measured tritium production rate agreed with the calculated values within about 10% difference. Also, tritium release from a Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed was measured under pulsed neutron irradiation conditions simulating the ITER operation. (author)

Key achievements in elementary R and D on water-cooled solid breeder blanket for ITER test blanket module in JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, S.; Enoeda, M.; Hatano, T.; Hirose, T.; Hayashi, K.; Tanigawa, H.; Ochiai, K.; Nishitani, T.; Tobita, K.; Akiba, M.

2006-01-01

This paper presents the significant progress made in the research and development (R and D) of key technologies on the water-cooled solid breeder blanket for the ITER test blanket modules in JAERI. Development of module fabrication technology, bonding technology of armours, measurement of thermo-mechanical properties of pebble beds, neutronics studies on a blanket module mockup and tritium release behaviour from a Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed under neutron-pulsed operation conditions are summarized. With the improvement of the heat treatment process for blanket module fabrication, a fine-grained microstructure of F82H can be obtained by homogenizing it at 1150 0 C followed by normalizing it at 930 0 C after the hot isostatic pressing process. Moreover, a promising bonding process for a tungsten armour and an F82H structural material was developed using a solid-state bonding method based on uniaxial hot compression without any artificial compliant layer. As a result of high heat flux tests of F82H first wall mockups, it has been confirmed that a fatigue lifetime correlation, which was developed for the ITER divertor, can be made applicable for the F82H first wall mockup. As for R and D on the breeder material, Li 2 TiO 3 , the effect of compression loads on effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds has been clarified for the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble bed. The tritium breeding ratio of a simulated multi-layer blanket structure has successfully been measured using 14 MeV neutrons with an accuracy of 10%. The tritium release rate from the Li 2 TiO 3 pebble has also been successfully measured with pulsed neutron irradiation, which simulates ITER operation

Fast Breeder Blanket Facility FBBF. Annual report, January 1, 1981-December 31, 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clikeman, F.M.

1982-07-01

This annual report contains a summmary of fission rate, spectra, and gamma-ray heating rate measurements made in the first blanket of the Purdue Fast Breeder Blanket Facility. The first blanket consisted of aluminum clad, natural UO 2 fuel rods with a secondary cladding of stainless steel or aluminum. The blanket was arranged in two concentric regions around the neutron source and converter regions. A neutron diffusion code, 2DB, and a Monte Carlo code, VIM, both using homogeneous cross section groups have been used to calculate the reaction rates. Calculated to experimental values for a number of important reactions are presented. A modified method of applying Bondarenko self-shielding factors to correct for the self shielding of resonance energy neutrons in aluminum, stainless steel and UO 2 has improved the agreement between the calculations and experiment, but does not account for all of the differences

Self-cooled blanket concepts using Pb-17Li as liquid breeder and coolant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Deckers, H.; Fischer, U.; John, H.; Meyder, R.; Norajitra, P.; Reimann, J.; Reiser, H.; Rust, K.

1991-01-01

A blanket design concept using Pb-17Li eutectic alloy as both breeder material and coolant is described. Such a self-cooled blanket for the boundary conditions of a DEMO-reactor is under development at the Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KfK) in the frame of the European blanket development program. Results of investigations in the areas of design, neutronics, magneto-hydrodynamics, thermo-mechanics, ancillary loop systems, and safety are reported. Based on recent progress, it can be concluded that the boundary conditions of a DEMO-reactor can be met, tritium self-sufficiency can be obtained without using beryllium as an additional neutron multiplier, and tritium inventory and permeation are acceptably low. However, to complete judge the feasibility of the proposed concept, further studies are necessary to obtain a better understanding of the magneto-hydrodynamic phenomena and their effects on the thermal-hydraulic performance of a fusion reactor blanket. (orig.)

Numerical research on the neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling characteristics of the optimized helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cui, Shijie; Zhang, Dalin; Cheng, Jie; Tian, Wenxi; Su, G.H.

2017-01-01

As one of the candidate tritium breeding blankets for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket has recently been proposed. The neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical characteristics of the blanket directly affect its tritium breeding and safety performance. Therefore, neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling analyses are of vital importance for a reliable blanket design. In this work, first, three-dimensional neutronics analysis and optimization of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No. 12) were performed for the comprehensive optimal scheme. Then, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses of the scheme under both normal and critical conditions were performed and coupled with the previous neutronic calculation results. With thermal-hydraulic boundaries, thermo-mechanical analyses of the structure materials under normal, critical and blanket over-pressurization conditions were carried out. In addition, several parametric sensitivity studies were also conducted to investigate the influences of the main parameters on the blanket temperature distributions. In this paper, the coupled analyses verify the reasonability of the optimized conceptual design preliminarily and can provide an important reference for the further analysis and optimization design of the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket.

Numerical research on the neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling characteristics of the optimized helium cooled solid breeder blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Shijie; Zhang, Dalin, E-mail: dlzhang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Cheng, Jie; Tian, Wenxi; Su, G.H.

2017-01-15

As one of the candidate tritium breeding blankets for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket has recently been proposed. The neutronic, thermal-hydraulic and mechanical characteristics of the blanket directly affect its tritium breeding and safety performance. Therefore, neutronic/thermal-hydraulic/mechanical coupling analyses are of vital importance for a reliable blanket design. In this work, first, three-dimensional neutronics analysis and optimization of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No. 12) were performed for the comprehensive optimal scheme. Then, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses of the scheme under both normal and critical conditions were performed and coupled with the previous neutronic calculation results. With thermal-hydraulic boundaries, thermo-mechanical analyses of the structure materials under normal, critical and blanket over-pressurization conditions were carried out. In addition, several parametric sensitivity studies were also conducted to investigate the influences of the main parameters on the blanket temperature distributions. In this paper, the coupled analyses verify the reasonability of the optimized conceptual design preliminarily and can provide an important reference for the further analysis and optimization design of the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket.

Optimization of the breeder zone cooling tubes of the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Maio, P.A.; Arena, P.; Bongiovì, G. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo (Italy); Chiovaro, P., E-mail: pierluigi.chiovaro@unipa.it [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo (Italy); Del Nevo, A. [ENEA Brasimone, Camugnano, BO (Italy); Forte, R. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo (Italy)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Determination of an optimal configuration for the breeder zone cooling tubes. • Attention has been focused on the toroidal–radial breeder zone cooling tubes lay out. • A theoretical-computational approach based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) has been followed, adopting a qualified commercial FEM code. • Five different configurations have been investigated to optimize the breeder zone cooling tubes arrangement fulfilling all the rules prescribed by safety codes. - Abstract: The determination of an optimal configuration for the breeder zone (BZ) cooling tubes is one of the most important issues in the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) breeding blanket R&D activities, since BZ cooling tubes spatial distribution should ensure an efficient heat power removal from the breeder, avoiding hotspots occurrence in the thermal field. Within the framework of R&D activities supported by the HORIZON 2020 EUROfusion Consortium action on the DEMO WCLL breeding blanket design, a campaign of parametric analyses has been launched at the Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical Models of the University of Palermo (DEIM), in close cooperation with ENEA-Brasimone, in order to assess the potential influence of BZ cooling tubes number on the thermal performances of the DEMO WCLL outboard breeding blanket equatorial module under the nominal steady state operative conditions envisaged for it, optimizing their geometric configuration and taking also into account that a large number of cooling pipes can deteriorate the tritium breeding performances of the module. In particular, attention has been focused on the toroidal-radial option for the BZ tube bundles lay-out and a parametric study has been carried out taking into account different tube bundles arrangement within the module. The study has been carried out following a numerical approach, based on the finite element method (FEM), and adopting a qualified commercial FEM code. Results

The impact of tritium solubility and diffusivity on inventory and permeation in liquid breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caorlin, M.; Gervasini, G.; Reiter, F.

1988-01-01

The authors reviewed hydrogen solubility and diffusivity data for liquid lithium-based compounds which are potential breeding blanket materials in NET-type fusion devices. These data have been used to assess tritium permeation and inventory in separately cooled NET blankets and in self cooled blankets with a vanadium first wall. The results for the separately cooled NET-liquid breeder show that tritium permeation is negligible for lithium, a serious problem for Pb-17Li and a critical one for Flibe. The total tritium inventory is lowest in lithium, high in Pb-17Li and very high in Flibe. The high tritium partial pressure for Flibe or Pb-17Li can be reduced in a self cooled blanket with a vanadium first wall. Permeation into the plasma reduces the blanket tritium inventory and permeation. Tritium recovery can be combined with the plasma exhaust

Characterization of the effects of continuous salt processing on the performance of molten salt fusion breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson-Hine, F.A.

1984-05-01

Several continuous salt processing options are available for use in molten salt fusion breeder blanket designs. The effects of processing on blanket performance have been assessed for three levels of processing and various equilibrium uranium concentrations in the salt. A one-dimensional model of the blanket was used in the neutronics analysis which incorporated transport calculations with time-dependent isotope generation and depletion calculations. The level of salt processing was found to have little effect on the behavior of the blanket during reactor operation; however, significant effects were observed during the decay period after reactor shutdown

Neutronic performance optimization study of Indian fusion demo reactor first wall and breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swami, H.L.; Danani, C.

2015-01-01

In frame of design studies of Indian Nuclear Fusion DEMO Reactor, neutronic performance optimization of first wall and breeding blanket are carried out. The study mainly focuses on tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and power density responses estimation of breeding blanket. Apart from neutronic efficiency of existing breeding blanket concepts for Indian DEMO i.e. lead lithium ceramic breeder and helium cooled solid breeder concept other concepts like helium cooled lead lithium and helium-cooled Li_8PbO_6 with reflector are also explored. The aim of study is to establish a neutronically efficient breeding blanket concept for DEMO. Effect of first wall materials and thickness on breeding blanket neutronic performance is also evaluated. For this study 1 D cylindrical neutronic model of DEMO has been constructed according to the preliminary radial build up of Indian DEMO. The assessment is being done using Monte Carlo based radiation transport code and nuclear cross section data file ENDF/B- VII. (author)

U.S. technical report for the ITER blanket/shield: A. blanket: Topical report, July 1990--November 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

Three solid-breeder water-cooled blanket concepts have been developed for ITER based on a multilayer configuration. The primary difference among the concepts is in the fabricated form of breeder and multiplier. All the concepts have beryllium for neutron multiplication and solid-breeder temperature control. The blanket design does not use helium gaps or insulator material to control the solid breeder temperature. Lithium oxide (Li 2 O) and lithium zirconate (Li 2 ZrO 3 ) are the primary and the backup breeder materials, respectively. The lithium-6 enrichment is 95%. The use of high lithium-6 enrichment reduces the solid breeder volume required in the blanket and consequently the total tritium inventory in the solid breeder material. Also, it increases the blanket capability to accommodate power variation. The multilayer blanket configuration can accommodate up to a factor of two change in the neutron wall loading without violating the different design guidelines. The blanket material forms are sintered products and packed bed of small pebbles. The first concept has a sintered product material (blocks) for both the beryllium multiplier and the solid breeder. The second concept, the common ITER blanket, uses a packed bed breeder and beryllium blocks. The last concept is similar to the first except for the first and the last beryllium zones. Two small layers of beryllium pebbles are located behind the first wall and the back of the last beryllium zone to reduce the total inventory of the beryllium material and to improve the blanket performance. The design philosophy adopted for the blanket is to produce the necessary tritium required for the ITER operation and to operate at power reactor conditions as much as possible. Also, the reliability and the safety aspects of the blanket are enhanced by using low-pressure water coolant and the separation of the tritium purge flow from the coolant system by several barriers

Design study of blanket structure based on a water-cooled solid breeder for DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Someya, Youji; Tobita, Kenji; Utoh, Hiroyasu; Tokunaga, Shinji; Hoshino, Kazuo; Asakura, Nobuyuki; Nakamura, Makoto; Sakamoto, Yoshiteru

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Neutronics design of a water-cooled solid mixed breeder blanket was presented. • The blanket concept achieves a self-sufficient supply of tritium by neutronics analysis. • The overall outlet coolant temperature was 321 °C, which is in the acceptable range. - Abstract: Blanket concept with a simplified interior for mass production has been developed using a mixed bed of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and Be{sub 12}Ti pebbles, coolant conditions of 15.5 MPa and 290–325 °C and cooling pipes without any partitions. Considering the continuity with the ITER test blanket module option of Japan and the engineering feasibility in its fabrication, our design study focused on a water-cooled solid breeding blanket using the mixed pebbles bed. Herein, we propose blanket segmentation corresponding to the shape and dimension of the blanket and routing of the coolant flow. Moreover, we estimate the overall tritium breeding ratio (TBR) with a torus configuration, based on the segmentation using three-dimensional (3D) Monte Carlo N-particle calculations. As a result, the overall TBR is 1.15. Our 3D neutronics analysis for TBR ensures that the blanket concept can achieve a self-sufficient supply of tritium.

A solid-breeder blanket and power conversion system for the Mirror Advanced Reactor Study (MARS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullis, R.; Clarkson, I.

1983-01-01

A solid-breeder blanket has been designed for a commercial fusion power reactor based on the tandem mirror concept (MARS). The design utilizes lithium oxide, cooled by helium which powers a conventional steam electric generating cycle. Maintenance and fabricability considerations led to a modular configuration 6 meters long which incorporates two magnets, shield, blanket and first wall. The modules are arranged to form the 150 meter long reactor central cell. Ferritic steel is used for the module primary structure. The lithium oxide is contained in thin-walled vanadium alloy tubes. A tritium breeding ratio of 1.25 and energy multiplication of 1.1 is predicted. The blanket design appears feasible with only a modest advance in current technology

Compatibility of 316L stainless steel with tritium breeders for fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broc, M.; Fauvet, P.; Flament, T.; Sannier, J.

1986-06-01

Compatibility problems with structural materials are a concern for the choice of the tritium breeder for fusion reactors. In the frame of the European Programme on Fusion Technology, two types of blankets are considered: liquid (eutectic lithium-lead alloy at 0.68 wt % Li: 17Li83Pb) and solid (lithium aluminate or silicate) breeders. This paper is devoted to compatibility studies of 316L stainless steel with 17Li83Pb alloy and γ-LiA10 2 ceramic

Design of the breeder units in the new HCPB modular blanket concept and material requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Fischer, U.; Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.; Xu, Z.; Koehly, C.

2004-01-01

A major revision of the DEMO HCPB blanket concept took place in 2002-2003 as consequence of the results of the EU Power Plant Conceptual Study. In particular, it was decided to give up the previous maintenance schema based on segments in favour of a large module concept extrapolated from ITER. The adaptation of the HCPB concept to these modules (typical dimension at the FW of 2.0 x 2.0 m) required a complete revision of the box. The coolant flow scheme is based on a radial He flow (at 8 MPa) in order to have the entire manifold system in the rear part of the box. Furthermore, the requirement of a box capable of withstanding the coolant pressure of 8 MPa in case of an in-box LOCA led to a design of modules with an internal stiffening grid in toroidal and poloidal direction This grid results in cells open in the rear radial direction with toroidal-poloidal dimensions of about 20 cm x 20 cm that accommodate the breeder units. These units contain the ceramic breeder (CB) and the Beryllium in form of pebble beds and have to assure the main functions of the blanket, namely, a tritium breeding ratio significantly above one, heat removal with a temperature control in the beds and in the structure, mechanical stability of the beds and extraction of the produced tritium. Due to the relatively high quantity of steel necessary to assure the mechanical stability of the box, a strong requirement for the design of these units is to minimise the amount of steel to improve the neutronic performance. A satisfactory design has been achieved with a radial-toroidal bed configuration similar to the old DEMO design reaching the Tritium self-sufficiency with a radial depth of 47 cm, using monosized Beryllium and CB beds and, using Li 4 SiO 4 , a 6 Li enrichment of about 40%. This design allows a satisfactory control of the maximum acceptable temperatures in the CB and Be beds and the steel structure. The design of the breeder units has not been yet analysed thermo-mechanically in detail

U.S. technical report for the ITER blanket/shield: A. blanket: Topical report, July 1990--November 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1995-01-01

Three solid-breeder water-cooled blanket concepts have been developed for ITER based on a multilayer configuration. The primary difference among the concepts is in the fabricated form of breeder and multiplier. All the concepts have beryllium for neutron multiplication and solid-breeder temperature control. The blanket design does not use helium gaps or insulator material to control the solid breeder temperature. Lithium oxide (Li{sub 2}O) and lithium zirconate (Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}) are the primary and the backup breeder materials, respectively. The lithium-6 enrichment is 95%. The use of high lithium-6 enrichment reduces the solid breeder volume required in the blanket and consequently the total tritium inventory in the solid breeder material. Also, it increases the blanket capability to accommodate power variation. The multilayer blanket configuration can accommodate up to a factor of two change in the neutron wall loading without violating the different design guidelines. The blanket material forms are sintered products and packed bed of small pebbles. The first concept has a sintered product material (blocks) for both the beryllium multiplier and the solid breeder. The second concept, the common ITER blanket, uses a packed bed breeder and beryllium blocks. The last concept is similar to the first except for the first and the last beryllium zones. Two small layers of beryllium pebbles are located behind the first wall and the back of the last beryllium zone to reduce the total inventory of the beryllium material and to improve the blanket performance. The design philosophy adopted for the blanket is to produce the necessary tritium required for the ITER operation and to operate at power reactor conditions as much as possible. Also, the reliability and the safety aspects of the blanket are enhanced by using low-pressure water coolant and the separation of the tritium purge flow from the coolant system by several barriers.

Evaluation on the heat removal capacity of the first wall for water cooled breeder blanket of CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Kecheng, E-mail: jiangkecheng@ipp.ac.cn; Cheng, Xiaoman; Chen, Lei; Huang, Kai; Ma, Xuebin; Liu, Songlin

2016-02-15

Highlights: • Heat removal capacity of the FW is evaluated under BWR, PWR and He coolant inlet conditions. • Heat transfer property of the gas–liquid two phase and the two boiling crises are analyzed. • Heat removal capacity of water is larger than helium coolant. - Abstract: The water cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) is being researched for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). As an important component of the blanket, the FW should satisfy with the thermal requirements in any case. In this paper, three parameters including the heat removal capacity, coolant pressure drop as well as the temperature rise of the FW were investigated under different coolant velocity and heat flux from the plasma. Using the same first wall structure, two main water cooled schemes including Boiling Water Reactor (BWR, 7 MPa pressure and 265 °C temperature inlet) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR, 15 MPa pressure and 285 °C temperature inlet) conditions are discussed in the thermal hydraulic calculation. For further research, the thermal hydraulic characteristics of using helium as coolant (8 MPa pressure, 300 °C temperature inlet) are also explored to provide CFETR blanket design with more useful data supports. Without regard to the outlet coolant condition requirements of the blanket, the results indicate that the ultimate heat flux that the FW can resist is 2.2 MW/m{sup 2} at velocity of 5 m/s for BWR, 2.0 MW/m{sup 2} at velocity of 5 m/s for PWR and 0.87 MW/m{sup 2} for helium at velocity 100 m/s under the chosen operation condition. The detrimental departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) crisis would occur at the velocity of 1 m/s under the heat flux of 3 MW/m{sup 2} and dry out crisis appears at the velocity of less than 0.2 m/s with the heat flux of more than 1 MW/m{sup 2} for BWR. The further blanket/FW optimization design is provided with more useful data references according to the abundant calculation results.

An overview of dual coolant Pb-17Li breeder first wall and blanket concept development for the US ITER-TBM design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, Clement; Malang, S.; Sawan, M.; Dagher, Mohamad; Smolentsev, S.; Merrill, Brad; Youssef, M.; Reyes, Susanna; Sze, Dai Kai; Morley, Neil B.; Sharafat, Shahran; Calderoni, P.; Sviatoslavsky, G.; Kurtz, Richard J.; Fogarty, Paul J.; Zinkle, Steven J.; Abdou, Mohamed A.

2006-07-05

An attractive blanket concept for the fusion reactor is the dual coolant Pb-17Li liquid (DCLL) breeder design. Reduced activation ferritic steel (RAFS) is used as the structural material. Helium is used to cool the first wall and blanket structure, and the self-cooled breeder Pb-17Li is circulated for power conversion and for tritium breeding. A SiCf/SiC composite insert is used as the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) insulation to reduce the impact from the MHD pressure drop of the circulating Pb-17Li and as the thermal insulator to separate the high temperature Pb-17Li from the helium cooled RAFS structure. For the reference tokamak power reactor design, this blanket concept has the potential of satisfying the design limits of RAFS while allowing the feasibility of having a high Pb-17Li outlet temperture of 700C. We have identified critical issues for the concept, some of which inlude the first wall design, the assessment of MHD effectrs with the SiC-composite flow coolant insert, and the extraction and control of the bred tritium from the Pb-17Li breeder. R&D programs have been proposed to address these issues. At the same time, we have proposed a test plan for the DCLL ITER-Test Blanket Module program.

Blanket materials for DT fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.L.

1981-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the critical materials issues that must be considered in the development of a tritium breeding blanket for a tokamak fusion reactor that operates on the D-T-Li fuel cycle. The primary requirements of the blanket system are identified and the important criteria that must be considered in the development of blanket technology are summarized. The candidate materials are listed for the different blanket components, e.g., breeder, coolant, structure and neutron multiplier. Three blanket concepts that appear to offer the most potential are: (1) liquid-metal breeder/coolant, (2) liquid-metal breeder/separate coolant, and (3) solid breeder/separate coolant. The major uncertainties associated with each of the design concepts are discussed and the key materials R and D requirements for each concept are identified

Evolution of actinides in ThO2 blanket of prototype fast breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bachchan, Abhitab; Riyas, A.; Devan, K.; Puthiyavinayagam, P.

2015-01-01

The third stage of India's nuclear program focuses on fissile fuel production through Th- 233 U cycle in view of the better abundance and relative merits of thorium. For early introduction of Thorium into the nuclear energy system, several R and D program has started to find the best possible route of thorium utilization. Towards this, efforts were made to assess the feasibility of Th-U cycle in a fast spectrum reactor like Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR). The effect on core neutronic parameters and actinide evolution with the replacement of depleted UO 2 in the PFBR blanket SA with thorium oxide has been studied using 3-D diffusion code FARCOB. Study shows that by the introduction of thorium blanket, core excess reactivity is coming down by ∼ 535 pcm and core breeding ratio is slightly lower than conventional oxide blanket. The distribution of region wise power production is slightly changed. Power from radial blanket is reduced from 3% to 2% while the core-1 power is increased from 49 % to 50 %. The estimated 233 U production is 7.6, 11.5 and 14.1 kg/t with 180, 360 and 540 days of irradiation respectively. (author)

Development of welding technologies for the manufacturing of European Tritium Breeder blanket modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poitevin, Y., E-mail: yves.poitevin@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Barcelona (Spain); Aubert, Ph. [CEA Saclay, DEN/DM2S and DEN/DMN, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Diegele, E. [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Barcelona (Spain); Dinechin, G. de [CEA Saclay, DEN/DM2S and DEN/DMN, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Rey, J. [Institut fuer Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik, FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Rieth, M. [Institut fuer Materialforschung I, FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Rigal, E. [CEA Grenoble, DRT/DTH, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Weth, A. von der [Institut fuer Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik, FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Boutard, J.-L. [European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA), Garching (Germany); Tavassoli, F. [CEA Saclay, DEN/DM2S and DEN/DMN, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2011-10-01

Europe has developed two reference Tritium Breeder Blankets concepts for a DEMO fusion reactor: the Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed. Both are using the reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic EUROFER-97 steel as structural material and will be tested in ITER under the form of test blanket modules. The fabrication of their EUROFER structures requires developing welding processes like laser, TIG, EB and diffusion welding often beyond the state-of-the-art. The status of European achievements in this area is reviewed, illustrating the variety of processes and key issues behind retained options, in particular with respect to metallurgical aspects and mechanical properties. Fabrication of mock-ups is highlighted and their characterization and performances with respect to design requirements are reviewed.

Thermal-hydraulic investigations on the CEA-ENEA DEMO relevant helium cooled poloidal blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dell'Orco, G.; Polazzi, G.; Vallette, F.; Proust, E.; Eid, M.

1994-01-01

The CEA-ENEA design of an Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket (HCSBB) for the DEMO reactor, with a breeder in tube (BIT) poloidal arrangement, is based on the use of lithium ceramic pellets, the ENEA γ-LiAlO 2 or the CEA Li 2 ZrO 3 . Due to the geometry of the DEMO reactor plasma chamber, these breeder bundles are adapted to the Vacuum Vessel with a strong poloidal curvature. This curvature influences the thermal-hydraulic behaviour of the coolant flowing inside the bundle. The paper presents the CEA-ENEA first results of the experimental and theoretical programme, aiming at optimizing the breeder module thermal hydraulic design. (author) 6 refs.; 7 figs.; 1 tab

Beryllium data base for in-pile mockup test on blanket of fusion reactor, (1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawamura, Hiroshi; Ishitsuka, Etsuo (Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Oarai, Ibaraki (Japan). Oarai Research Establishment); Sakamoto, Naoki; Kato, Masakazu; Takatsu, Hideyuki.

1992-11-01

Beryllium has been used in the fusion blanket designs with ceramic breeder as a neutron multiplier to increase the net tritium breeding ratio (TBR). The properties of beryllium, that is physical properties, chemical properties, thermal properties, mechanical properties, nuclear properties, radiation effects, etc. are necessary for the fusion blanket design. However, the properties of beryllium have not been arranged for the fusion blanket design. Therefore, it is indispensable to check and examine the material data of beryllium reported previously. This paper is the first one of the series of papers on beryllium data base, which summarizes the reported material data of beryllium. (author).

An overview of dual coolant Pb-17Li breeder first wall and blanket concept development for the US ITER-TBM design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, C.P.C. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States)]. E-mail: wongc@fusion.gat.com; Malang, S. [Fusion Nuclear Technology Consulting, Linkenheim (Germany); Sawan, M. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Dagher, M. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Smolentsev, S. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Merrill, B. [INEEL, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Youssef, M. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Reyes, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Sze, D.K. [University of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Morley, N.B. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sharafat, S. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Calderoni, P. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sviatoslavsky, G. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); Kurtz, R. [Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States); Fogarty, P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Zinkle, S. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Abdou, M. [University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2006-02-15

An attractive blanket concept for the fusion reactor is the dual coolant Pb-17Li liquid (DCLL) breeder design. Reduced activation ferritic steel (RAFS) is used as the structural material. Helium is used to cool the first wall and blanket structure, and the self-cooled breeder Pb-17Li is circulated for power conversion and for tritium breeding. A SiC{sub f}/SiC composite insert is used as the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) insulation to reduce the impact from the MHD pressure drop of the circulating Pb-17Li and as the thermal insulator to separate the high temperature Pb-17Li from the helium cooled RAFS structure. For the reference tokamak power reactor design, this blanket concept has the potential of satisfying the design limits of RAFS while allowing the feasibility of having a high Pb-17Li outlet temperature of 700 deg. C. We have identified critical issues for the concept, some of which include the first wall design, the assessment of MHD effects with the SiC-composite flow coolant insert, and the extraction and control of the bred tritium from the Pb-17Li breeder. R and D programs have been proposed to address these issues. At the same time we have proposed a test plan for the DCLL ITER-Test Blanket Module program.

Progress in design and analysis of the net water cooled liquid breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danner, W.; Rieger, M.; Verschuur, K.A.; Vieider, G.; Casini, G.; Chazalon, M.; Libin, B.; Farfaletti-Casali, F.; Piana, R.

1987-01-01

The NET liquid breeder blanket was subjected to a major design revision and integrated in the new NET-DN machine configuration. In this paper briefly the most essential design features are summarized and some results from thermohydraulics and 1D as well as 3D neutronics analyses are presented. It is concluded that the performance meets well the requirements of NET but that the concept needs substantial improvement if applied to a reactor

Modeling of tritium behavior in ceramic breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopasz, J.P.; Tam, S.W.; Johnson, C.E.

1988-11-01

Computer models are being developed to predict tritium release from candidate ceramic breeder materials for fusion reactors. Early models regarded the complex process of tritium release as being rate limited by a single slow step, usually taken to be tritium diffusion. These models were unable to explain much of the experimental data. We have developed a more comprehensive model which considers diffusion and desorption from the grain surface. In developing this model we found that it was necessary to include the details of the surface phenomena in order to explain the results from recent tritium release experiments. A diffusion-desorption model with a desorption activation energy which is dependent on the surface coverage was developed. This model provided excellent agreement with the results from the CRITIC tritium release experiment. Since evidence suggests that other ceramic breeder materials have desorption activation energies which are dependent on surface coverage, it is important that these variations in activation energy be included in a model for tritium release. 17 refs., 12 figs

Tritium-assisted fusion breeders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, E.; Miley, G.H.

1983-08-01

This report undertakes a preliminary assessment of the prospects of tritium-assisted D-D fuel cycle fusion breeders. Two well documented fusion power reactor designs - the STARFIRE (D-T fuel cycle) and the WILDCAT (Cat-D fuel cycle) tokamaks - are converted into fusion breeders by replacing the fusion electric blankets with 233 U producing fission suppressed blankets; changing the Cat-D fuel cycle mode of operation by one of the several tritium-assisted D-D-based modes of operation considered; adjusting the reactor power level; and modifying the resulting plant cost to account for the design changes. Three sources of tritium are considered for assisting the D-D fuel cycle: tritium produced in the blankets from lithium or from 3 He and tritium produced in the client fission reactors. The D-D-based fusion breeders using tritium assistance are found to be the most promising economically, especially the Tritium Catalyzed Deuterium mode of operation in which the 3 He exhausted from the plasma is converted, by neutron capture in the blanket, into tritium which is in turn fed back to the plasma. The number of fission reactors of equal thermal power supported by Tritium Catalyzed Deuterium fusion breeders is about 50% higher than that of D-T fusion breeders, and the profitability is found to be slightly lower than that of the D-T fusion breeders

An overview of dual coolant Pb-17Li breeder first wall and blanket concept development for the US ITER-TBM design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wong, Clement; Malang, S.; Sawan, M.; Dagher, Mohamad; Smolentsev, S.; Merrill, Brad; Youssef, M.; Reyes, Susanna; Sze, Dai Kai; Morley, Neil B.; Sharafat, Shahran; Calderoni, P.; Sviatoslavsky, G.; Kurtz, Richard J.; Fogarty, Paul J.; Zinkle, Steven J.; Abdou, Mohamed A.

2006-02-01

An attractive blanket concept for the fusion reactor is the dual coolant Pb-17Li liquid (DCLL) breeder design. Reduced activation ferritic steel (RAFS) is used as the structural material. Helium is used to cool the first wall and blanket structure, and the self-cooled breeder Pb-17LI is circulated for power conversion and for tritium breeding. A SiCf/SiC composite insert is used as the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) insulation to reduce the impact from the MHD pressure drop of the circulating Ph-17Li and as the thermal insulator to separate the high temperature Pb-17Li from the helium cooled RAFS structure.

Adaptation of the HCPB DEMO TBM as breeding blanket for ITER : Neutronic and thermal analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aquaro, D.; Morellini, D.; Cerullo, N.

2006-01-01

Two breeding blanket are presently developed in Europe for the DEMO reactor: the first one, the Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) uses a liquid breeder while the other , the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB), uses a solid breeder in form of pebble bed. The modules of these blankets, called Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be located in correspondence of the equatorial ports of ITER in order to be tested. ITER FEAT was designed with shielding blankets, therefore in the final stage of the experiment, in the foreseen tritium -deuterium operation phase, the tritium will be supplied to the reactor and not produced inside it. Since the production of tritium is of main importance for the feasibility of a nuclear fusion reactor, perhaps in the ITER final stage, the shielding blanket could be substituted by means of a breeding blanket. The geometry and composition of this breeding blanket would be, of course, similar to that of TBM which demonstrated to have the best performances. This paper illustrates a neutronic and thermal analysis of an hypothetical triziogen blanket for ITER FEAT made similar to a HCPB test module. The main aims of the performed analyses are to determine the Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR) considering different solid breeders (Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 TiO 3 ) with different enrichment in 6 Li and different structural materials (a 9%CRWVTa reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel (EUROFER) or ceramic matrix composites like SiCf/SiC). The breeding blanket design is compared considering the highest value of TBR and the verification of the temperature constraints ( 550 o C for the steel, 950 o C for the breeder and 650 o C for the Beryllium). The neutronic analyses have been performed by means of MCNP-4C code and the thermal analyses using the MSC-MARC code. A TBR about equal 1 was obtained with a SiCf/SiC structural material and a Li 4 SiO 4 breeder. The performed analyses have to be considered preliminary and an academic exercise, nevertheless they could give

Economic performance of liquid-metal fast breeder reactor and gas-cooled fast reactor radial blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsoulfanidis, N.; Jankhah, M.H.

1979-01-01

The economic performance of the radial blanket of a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) and a gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) has been studied based on the calculation of the net financial gain as well as the value of the levelized fuel cost. The necessary reactor physics calculations have been performed using the code CITATION, and the economic analysis has been carried out with the code ECOBLAN, which has been written for that purpose. The residence time of fuel in the blanket is the main variable of the economic analysis. Other parameters that affect the results and that have been considered are the value of plutonium, the price of heat, the effective cost of money, and the holdup time of the spent fuel before reprocessing. The results show that the radial blanket of both reactors is a producer of net positive income for a broad range of values of the parameters mentioned above. The position of the fuel in the blanket and the fuel management scheme applied affect the monetary gain. There is no significant difference between the economic performance of the blanket of an LMFBR and a GCFR

Tritium dynamics in fusion reactor solid breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Violante, V.

1986-01-01

In the field of the NET research progrm, the chemical and diffusive processes involved in solid ceramic breeder materials have been analysed. A mathematical model describing the phenomena has been developed to obtain a quantitative evaluation for a first design approach. The data obtained by means of the above mentioned model are in good agreement with the data obtained by other research groups working in Europe and in United States. The computer codes BLANKET2, MC2, FWBC, have been developed to simulate the phenomena

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Weijing; Pupeschi, Simone; Hanaor, Dorian; Gan, Yixiang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Weijing [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Pupeschi, Simone [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Hanaor, Dorian [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Institute for Materials Science and Technologies, Technical University of Berlin (Germany); Gan, Yixiang, E-mail: yixiang.gan@sydney.edu.au [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Blanket Manufacturing Technologies : Thermomechanical Tests on HCLL Blanket Mocks Up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laffont, G.; Cachon, L.; Taraud, P.; Challet, F.; Rampal, G.; Salavy, J.F.

2006-01-01

In the Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) Blanket concept, the lithium lead plays the double role of breeder and multiplier material, and the helium is used as coolant. The HCCL Blanket Module are made of steel boxes reinforced by stiffening plates. These stiffening plates form cells in which the breeder is slowly flowing. The power deposited in the breeder material is recovered by the breeder cooling units constituted by 5 parallel cooling plates. All the structures such as first wall, stiffening and cooling plates are cooled by helium. Due to the complex geometry of these parts and the high level of pressure and temperature loading, thermo-mechanical phenomena expected in the '' HCLL blanket concept '' have motivated the present study. The aim of this study, carried out in the frame of EFDA Work program, is to validate the manufacturing technologies of HCLL blanket module by testing small scale mock-up under breeder blanket representative operating conditions.The first step of this experimental program is the design and manufacturing of a relevant test section in the DIADEMO facility, which was recently upgraded with an He cooling loop (pressure of 80 bar, maximum temperature of 500 o C,flow rate of 30 g/s) taking the opportunity of synergies with the gas-cooled fission reactor R-and-D program. The second step will deal with the thermo-mechanical tests. This paper focuses on the program made to support the cooling plate mock up tests which will be carried out on the DIADEMO facility (CEA) by thermo-mechanical calculations in order to define the relevant test conditions and the experimental parameters to be monitored. (author)

Blanket comparison and selection study. Volume II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-10-01

This volume contains extensive data for the following chapters: (1) solid breeder tritium recovery, (2) solid breeder blanket designs, (3) alternate blanket concept screening, and (4) safety analysis. The following appendices are also included: (1) blanket design guidelines, (2) power conversion systems, (3) helium-cooled, vanadium alloy structure blanket design, (4) high wall loading study, and (5) molten salt safety studies

Concept and nuclear performance of direct-enrichment fusion breeder blanket using UO2 powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oka, Yoshiaki; Kasahara, Takayasu; An, Shigehiro

1985-01-01

A new concept is presented for direct enrichment of fissile fuel in the blanket of a fusion-fission hybrid reactor. The enriched fuel produced by this means can be used in fission reactors without reprocessing. The outstanding feature of the concept is the powdered form in which UO 2 fuel is placed in the reactor blanket, where it is irradiated to the requisite enrichment for use as fuel in burner reactor, e.g. 3%. After removal from blanket, the powder is mixed to homogenize the enrichment. Fuel pellets and assemblies are then fabricated from the powder without reprocessing. The concept of irradiating UO 2 in powder eliminates the problems of spatial nonuniformity in fissile enrichment, and of radiation damage to fuel clad, encountered in attempting to enrich prefabricated fuel. Powder mixing for homogenization brings the additional benefit of removing volatile fission products. Also burnable poison can be added, as necessary, after irradiation. An extensive neutronic parameter survey showed that the optimum blanket arrangement for this enrichment concept is one presenting a fission suppressing configuration and with beryllium adopted as moderator. By this arrangement, the average 239 Pu enrichment obtained on the natural UO 2 fuel in the blanket reaches 3% after only 0.56 MW.yr/m"2 exposure. A conceptual design is presented of the blanket, together with associated fusion breeder, from which, practical application of the concept is shown to be promising. (author)

Pressurizing Behavior on Ingress of Coolant into Pebble Bed of Blanket of Fusion DEMO Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daigo Tsuru; Mikio Enoeda; Masato Akiba

2006-01-01

Solid breeder blankets are being developed as candidate blankets for the Fusion DEMO reactor in Japan. JAEA is performing the development of the water cooled and helium cooled solid breeder blankets. The blanket utilizes ceramic breeder pebbles and multiplier pebbles beds cooled by high pressure water or high pressure helium in the cooling tubes placed in the blanket box structure. In the development of the blanket, it is very important to incorporate the safety technology as well as the performance improvement on tritium production and energy conversion. In the safety design and technology, coolant ingress in the blanket box structure is one of the most important events as the initiators. Especially the thermal hydraulics in the pebble bed in the case of the high pressure coolant ingress is very important to evaluate the pressure propagation and coolant flow behavior. This paper presents the preliminary results of the pressure loss characteristics by the coolant ingress in the pebble bed. Experiments have been performed by using alumina pebble bed (4 litter maximum volume of the pebble bed) and nitrogen gas to simulate the helium coolant ingress into breeder and multiplier pebble beds. Reservoir tank of 10 liter is filled with 1.0 MPa nitrogen. The nitrogen gas is released at the bottom part of the alumina pebble bed whose upper part is open to the atmosphere. The pressure change in the pebble bed is measured to identify the pressure loss. The measured values are compared with the predicted values by Ergun's equation, which is the correlation equation on pressure loss of the flow through porous medium. By the results of the experiments with no constraint on the alumina pebble bed, it was clarified that the measured value agreed in the lower flow rate. However, in the higher flow rate where the pressure loss is high, the measured value is about half of the predicted value. The differences between the measured values and the predicted values will be discussed from

Production behavior of irradiation defects in solid breeder materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moriyama, Hirotake; Moritani, Kimikazu [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

1998-03-01

The irradiation effects in solid breeder materials are important for the performance assessment of fusion reactor blanket systems. For a clearer understanding of such effects, we have studied the production behavior of irradiation defects in some lithium ceramics by an in-situ luminescence measurement technique under ion beam irradiation. The luminescence spectra were measured at different temperatures, and the temperature-transient behaviors of luminescence intensity were also measured. The production mechanisms of irradiation defects were discussed on the basis of the observations. (author)

Development and qualification of functional materials for the EU Test Blanket Modules: Strategy and R and D activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zmitko, M., E-mail: milan.zmitko@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy (F4E), 08019 Barcelona (Spain); Poitevin, Y. [Fusion for Energy (F4E), 08019 Barcelona (Spain); Boccaccini, L., E-mail: lorenzo.boccaccini@inr.fzk.de [Institut Fuer Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik, FZK, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Salavy, J.-F., E-mail: jfsalavy@cea.fr [CEA/Saclay, DEN/DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Knitter, R., E-mail: regina.knitter@imf.fzk.de [Institut Fuer Materialforschung III, FZK, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Moeslang, A., E-mail: anton.moeslang@imf.fzk.de [Institut Fuer Materialforschung I, FZK, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Magielsen, A.J., E-mail: magielsen@nrg.eu [NRG Petten, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Hegeman, J.B.J. [NRG Petten, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands); Laesser, R. [Fusion for Energy (F4E), 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2011-10-01

Europe has developed two reference tritium breeder blankets concepts for a DEMO fusion reactor: the Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed. Both will be tested in ITER under the form of Test Blanket Modules (TBMs). The paper reviews the current status of development and qualification of the EU TBMs functional materials; i.e. ceramic solid breeder materials, beryllium/beryllides multiplier materials and Lithium-Lead liquid metal breeder material Pb-15.7Li. For each functional material the main functional/performance requirements with key qualification issues, current status of the R and D activities and the EU development strategy are presented. In the development strategy major steps considered are listed pointing out importance of the 'Development/qualification/procurement plan', currently under elaboration, for definition of a roadmap of further activities aiming at delivery of qualified functional materials to be used in the European TBMs in ITER.

Deterministic 3D transport, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of TPR and reaction rate measurements in HCPB Breeder Blanket mock-up benchmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodeli, I.

2006-01-01

The Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Breeder Blanket mock-up benchmark experiment was analysed using the deterministic transport, sensitivity and uncertainty code system in order to determine the Tritium Production Rate (TPR) in the ceramic breeder and the neutron reaction rates in beryllium, both nominal values and the corresponding uncertainties. The experiment, performed in 2005 to validate the HCPB concept, consists of a metallic beryllium set-up with two double layers of breeder material (Li 2 CO 3 powder). The reaction rate measurements include the Li 2 CO 3 pellets for the tritium breeding monitoring and activation foils, inserted at several axial and lateral locations in the block. In addition to the well established and validated procedure based on the 2-dimensional (2D) code DORT, a new approach for the 3D modelling was validated based on the TORT/GRTUNCL3D transport codes. The SUSD3D code, also in 3D geometry, was used for the cross-section sensitivity and uncertainty calculations. These studies are useful for the interpretation of the experimental measurements, in particular to assess the uncertainties linked to the basic nuclear data. The TPR, the neutron activation rates and the associated uncertainties were determined using the EFF-3.0 9 Be nuclear cross section and covariance data, and compared with those from other evaluations, like FENDL-2.1. Sensitivity profiles and nuclear data uncertainties of the TPR and detector reaction rates with respect to the cross-sections of 9 Be, 6 Li, 7 Li, O and C were determined at different positions in the experimental block. (author)

Analysis of the HCPB breeder blanket bock-up experiment for ITER using SUSD3D code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodeli, I.

2005-01-01

In order to validate new nuclear cross-section evaluations, method development and design of the helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) test blanket module of ITER a benchmark experiment was performed this year at the Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG) in the scope of the EFF (European Fusion File) project in Europe. The objective of this experiment is to study the tritium breeding ratio and other nuclear quantities in a breeder blanket in order to establish and improve the quality of related JEFF nuclear data. The experiment consists of a metallic beryllium set-up with two double layers of breeder material (Li 2 CO 3 powder). The reaction rate measurements include the Li 2 CO 3 pellets (tritium breeding ratio), activation foils, and neutron and gamma spectrometers inserted at several axial and lateral locations in the block. Our task is to perform the deterministic transport, and cross section sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. The role of the cross-section sensitivity and uncertainty analysis is to optimise the design of the benchmark, and to assist in the interpretation of the measurement results. The paper presents the pre- and post- analysis of the benchmark experiment. (author)

Fusion Breeder Program interim report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.; Lee, J.D.; Neef, W.

1982-01-01

This interim report for the FY82 Fusion Breeder Program covers work performed during the scoping phase of the study, December, 1981-February 1982. The goals for the FY82 study are the identification and development of a reference blanket concept using the fission suppression concept and the definition of a development plan to further the fusion breeder application. The context of the study is the tandem mirror reactor, but emphasis is placed upon blanket engineering. A tokamak driver and blanket concept will be selected and studied in more detail during FY83

An assessment of the base blanket for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffray, A.R.; Abdou, M.A.; Ying, A.

1991-01-01

Ideally, the ITER base blanket would provide the necessary tritium for the reactor to be self-sufficient during operation, while having minimal impact on the overall reactor cost, reliability and safety. A solid breeder blanket has been developed in CDA phase in an attempt to achieve such objectives. The reference solid breeder base blanket configurations at the end of the CDA phase has many attractive features such as a tritium breeding ratio (TBR) of 0.8--0.9 and a reasonably low tritium inventory. However, some concerns regarding the risk, cost and benefit of the base blanket have been raised. These include uncertainties associated with the solid breeder thermal control and the potentially high cost of the amount of Be used to achieve high TBR and to provide the necessary thermal barrier between the high temperature solid breeder and low temperature coolant. This work addresses these concerns. The basis for the selection of a breeding blanket is first discussed in light of the incremental risk, cost and benefits relative to a non-breeding blanket. Key issues associated with the CDA breeding blanket configurations are then analyzed. Finally, alternative schemes that could enhance the attractiveness and flexibility of a breeding blanket are explored

Fusion reactor blanket-main design aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strebkov, Yu.; Sidorov, A.; Danilov, I.

1994-01-01

The main function of the fusion reactor blanket is ensuring tritium breeding and radiation shield. The blanket version depends on the reactor type (experimental, DEMO, commercial) and its parameters. Blanket operation conditions are defined with the heat flux, neutron load/fluence, cyclic operation, dynamic heating/force loading, MHD effects etc. DEMO/commercial blanket design is distinguished e.g. by rather high heat load and neutron fluence - up to 100 W/cm 2 and 7 MWa/m 2 accordingly. This conditions impose specific requirements for the materials, structure, maintenance of the blanket and its most loaded components - FW and limiter. The liquid Li-Pb eutectic is one of the possible breeder for different kinds of blanket in view of its advantages one of which is the blanket convertibility that allow to have shielding blanket (borated water) or breeding one (Li-Pb eutectic). Using Li-Pb eutectic for both ITER and DEMO blankets have been considered. In the conceptual ITER design the solid eutectic blanket was carried out. The liquid eutectic breeder/coolant is suggested also for the advanced (high parameter) blanket

Updated reference design of a liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berwald, D.H.; Whitley, R.H.; Garner, J.K.

1985-09-01

Detailed studies of key techinical issues for liquid metal cooled fusion breeder (fusion-fission hybrid blankets) have been performed during the period 1983-4. Based upon the results of these studies, the 1982 reference liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder blanket design was updated and is described. The updated reference blankets provides increased breeding and lower technological risk in comparison with the original reference blanket. In addition to the blanket design revisions, a plant concept, cost, and fuel cycle economics assessment is provided. The fusion breeder continues to promise an economical source of fissile fuel for the indefinite future

Updated reference design of a liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berwald, D.H.; Whitley, R.H.; Garner, J.K.; Gromada, R.J.; McCarville, T.J.; Moir, R.W.; Lee, J.D.; Bandini, B.R.; Fulton, F.J.; Wong, C.P.C.; Maya, I.; Hoot, C.G.; Schultz, K.R.; Miller, L.G.; Beeston, J.M.; Harris, B.L.; Westman, R.A.; Ghoniem, N.M.; Orient, G.; Wolfer, M.; DeVan, J.H.; Torterelli, P.

1985-09-01

Detailed studies of key techinical issues for liquid metal cooled fusion breeder (fusion-fission hybrid blankets) have been performed during the period 1983-4. Based upon the results of these studies, the 1982 reference liquid metal cooled tandem mirror fusion breeder blanket design was updated and is described. The updated reference blankets provides increased breeding and lower technological risk in comparison with the original reference blanket. In addition to the blanket design revisions, a plant concept, cost, and fuel cycle economics assessment is provided. The fusion breeder continues to promise an economical source of fissile fuel for the indefinite future.

Tritium extraction methods proposed for a solid breeder blanket. Subtask WP-B 6.1 of the European Blanket Program 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, H.

1997-04-01

Ten different methods for the extraction of tritium from the purge gas of a ceramic blanket are described and evaluated with respect to their applicability for ITER and DEMO. The methods are based on the conditions that the purge gas is composed of helium with an addition of up to 0.1% of H 2 or O 2 and H 2 O to facilitate the release of tritium, and that tritium occurs in the purge gas in two main chemical forms, i.e. HT and HTO. Individual process steps of many methods are identical; in particular, the application of cold traps, molecular sieve beds, and diffusors are proposed in several cases. Differences between the methods arise mainly from the ways in which various process steps are combined and from the operating conditions which are chosen with respect to temperature and pressure. Up to now, none of the methods has been demonstrated to be reliably applicable for the purge gas conditions foreseen for the operation of an ITER blanket test module (or larger ceramic blanket designs such as for DEMO). These conditions are characterized by very high gas flow rates and extremely low concentrations of HT and HTO. Therefore, a proposal has been made (FZK concept) which is expected to have the best potential for applicability to ITER and DEMO and to incorporate the smallest development risk. In this concept, the extraction of tritium and excess hydrogen is accomplished by using a cold trap for freezing out HTO/H 2 O and a 5A molecular sieve bed for the adsorption of HT/H 2 . (orig.) [de

Size limitations for microwave cavity to simulate heating of blanket material in fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, D.

1987-01-01

The power profile in the blanket material of a nuclear fusion reactor can be simulated by using microwaves at 200 MHz. Using these microwaves, ceramic breeder materials can be thermally tested to determine their acceptability as blanket materials without entering a nuclear fusion environment. A resonating cavity design is employed which can achieve uniform cross sectional heating in the plane transverse to the neutron flux. As the sample size increases in height and width, higher order modes, above the dominant mode, are propagated and destroy the approximation to the heating produced in a fusion reactor. The limits at which these modes develop are determined in the paper

Thermo-mechanical characterization of ceramic pebbles for breeding blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lo Frano, Rosa, E-mail: rosa.lofrano@ing.unipi.it; Aquaro, Donato; Scaletti, Luca

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Experimental activities to characterize the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}. • Compression tests of pebbles. • Experimental evaluation of thermal conductivity of pebbles bed at different temperatures. • Experimental test with/without compression load. - Abstract: An open issue for fusion power reactor is to design a suitable breeding blanket capable to produce the necessary quantity of the tritium and to transfer the energy of the nuclear fusion reaction to the coolant. The envisaged solution called Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) breeding blanket foresees the use of lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) or lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds. The thermal mechanical properties of the candidate pebble bed materials are presently extensively investigated because they are critical for the feasibility and performances of the numerous conceptual designs which use a solid breeder. This study is aimed at the investigation of mechanical properties of the lithium orthosilicate and at the characterization of the main chemical, physical and thermo-mechanical properties taking into account the production technology. In doing that at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering (DICI) of the University of Pisa adequate experiments were carried out. The obtained results may contribute to characterize the material of the pebbles and to optimize the design of the envisaged fusion breeding blankets.

EU DEMO blanket concepts safety assessment. Final report of Working Group 6a of the Blanket Concept Selection Exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.; Porfiri, T.

1996-06-01

The European Union has been engaged since 1989 in a programme to develop tritium breeding blankets for application in a fusion power reactor. There are four blanket concepts under development. Two of them use lithium ceramics, the other two concepts employ an eutectic lead-lithium alloy (Pb-17Li) as breeder material. The two most promising concepts were to select in 1995 for further development. In order to prepare the selection, a Blanket Concept Selection Exercise (BCSE) has been inititated by the participating associations under the auspices of the European Commission. This BCSE has been performed in 14 working groups which, in a comparative evaluation of the four blanket concepts, addressed specific fields. The working group safety addressed the safety implications. This report describes the methodology adopted, the safety issues identified, their comparative evaluation for the four concepts, and the results and conclusions of the working group to be entered into the overall evaluation. There, the results from all 14 working groups have been combined to yield a final ranking as a basis for the selection. In summary, the safety assessment showed that the four European blanket concepts can be considered as equivalent in terms of the safety rating adopted, each concept, however, rendering safety concerns of different quality in different areas which are substantiated in this report. (orig.) [de

ITER breeding blanket module design and analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuroda, Toshimasa; Enoeda, Mikio; Kikuchi, Shigeto [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan). Naka Fusion Research Establishment] [and others

1998-11-01

The ITER breeding blanket employs a ceramic breeder and Be neutron multiplier both in small spherical pebble form. Radial-poloidal cooling panels are arranged in the blanket box to remove the nuclear heating in these materials and to reinforce the blanket structure. At the first wall, Be armor is bonded onto the stainless steel (SS) structure to provide a low Z plasma-compatible surface and to protect the first wall/blanket structure from the direct contact with the plasma during off-normal events. Thermo-mechanical analyses and investigation of fabrication procedure have been performed for this breeding blanket. To evaluate thermo-mechanical behavior of the pebble beds including the dependency of the effective thermal conductivity on stress, analysis methods have been preliminary established by the use of special calculation option of ABAQUS code, which are briefly summarized in this report. The structural response of the breeding blanket module under internal pressure of 4 MPa (in case of in-blanket LOCA) resulted in rather high stress in the blanket side (toroidal end) wall, thus addition of a stiffening rib or increase of the wall thickness will be needed. Two-dimensional elasto-plastic analyses have been performed for the Be/SS bonded interface at the first wall taking a fabrication process based on HIP bonding and thermal cycle due to pulsed plasma operation into account. The stress-strain hysteresis during these process and operation was clarified, and a procedure to assess and/or confirm the bonding integrity was also proposed. Fabrication sequence of the breeding blanket module was preliminarily developed based on the procedure to fabricate part by part and to assemble them one by one. (author)

Low technology high tritium breeding blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.; Baker, C.C.; Smith, D.L.

1987-10-01

The main function of this low technology blanket is to produce the necessary tritium for INTOR operation with minimum first wall coverage. The INTOR first wall, blanket, and shield are constrained by the dimensions of the reference design and the protection criteria required for different reactor components and dose equivalent after shutdown in the reactor hall. It is assumed that the blanket operation at commercial power reactor conditions and the proper temperature for power generation can be sacrificed to achieve the highest possible tritium breeding ratio with minimum additional research and developments and minimal impact on reactor design and operation. A set of blanket evaluation criteria has been used to compare possible blanket concepts. Six areas: performance, operating requirements, impact on reactor design and operation, safety and environmental impact, technology assessment, and cost have been defined for the evaluation process. A water-cooled blanket was developed to operate with a low temperature and pressure. The developed blanket contains a 24 cm of beryllium and 6 cm of solid breeder both with a 0.8 density factor. This blanket provides a local tritium breeding ratio of ∼2.0. The water coolant is isolated from the breeder material by several zones which eliminates the tritium buildup in the water by permeation and reduces the changes for water-breeder interaction. This improves the safety and environmental aspects of the blanket and eliminates the costly process of the tritium recovery from the water. 12 refs., 13 tabs

A Li-particulate blanket concept for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; Cheng, E.T.; Creedon, R.L.

1989-01-01

The Li-particulate blanket design concept the authors proposed for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) uses a dilute suspension of fine solid breeder particles in a carrier gas as the combined coolant and lithium breeder stream. This blanket concept has a simple mechanical and hydraulic configuration, low inventory of bred tritium, and simple tritium extraction system. Existing technology can be used to implement the design for ITER. The concept has the potential to be a highly reliable shield and blanket design for ITER with relatively low development and capital costs

Fast Breeder Blanket Facility. Quarterly progress report, July 1, 1978--September 30, 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clikeman, F.M.

1978-09-01

This quarterly progress report summarizes work done at Purdue University's Fast Breeder Blanket Facility for the Department of Energy during the months July to September 1978. The summary includes reports on the models and methods used to characterize the FBBF facility. Using the reported models and calculational methods and computer codes a new cross section set has been generated, self-shielded for 300 0 K for use in all FBBF calculations using the 2DB computer code. The summary includes reports of the reproducability of foil activation data and measurements of the azmuthal symmetry of the facility. The status of the development of technique for the experimental measurements and preliminary foil activation measurements are also reviewed

Ceramics for fusion reactors: The role of the lithium orthosilicate as breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carella, Elisabetta, E-mail: elisabetta.carella@ciemat.es [National Laboratory for Magnetic Fusion, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Hernandez, Teresa [National Laboratory for Magnetic Fusion, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

2012-11-15

Lithium-based oxide ceramics are studied as breeder blanket materials for the controlled thermonuclear reactors (CTR). Lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) is one of the most promising candidates because of its lithium concentration (0.54 g/cm{sup 3}), its high melting temperature (1523 K) and its excellent tritium release behavior. It is reported that the diffusion of tritium is closely related to that of lithium, so it is possible to find an indirect measure of the trend of tritium studying the diffusivity of Li{sup +}. In the present work, the synthesis of the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} is carried out by Spray drying followed by pyrolysis. The study of the Li{sup +} ion diffusion on the sintered bodies, is investigated by means of electrical conductivity measurements. The effect of the {gamma}-ray irradiation is evaluated by the impedance spectroscopy method (EIS) from room temperature to 1173 K. The results indicate that the sintesis process employed can produce Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} in the form of pebbles, finally the best ion species for the electrical conduction is the Li{sup +} and is shown that the g-irradiation to a dose of 5MGy, facilitate its mobility through the creation of defects, without change in its conduction process.

An Analysis of Ripple and Error Fields Induced by a Blanket in the CFETR

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guanying; Liu, Xufeng; Liu, Songlin

2016-10-01

The Chinese Fusion Engineering Tokamak Reactor (CFETR) is an important intermediate device between ITER and DEMO. The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) blanket whose structural material is mainly made of Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martensitic (RAFM) steel, is one of the candidate conceptual blanket design. An analysis of ripple and error field induced by RAFM steel in WCCB is evaluated with the method of static magnetic analysis in the ANSYS code. Significant additional magnetic field is produced by blanket and it leads to an increased ripple field. Maximum ripple along the separatrix line reaches 0.53% which is higher than 0.5% of the acceptable design value. Simultaneously, one blanket module is taken out for heating purpose and the resulting error field is calculated to be seriously against the requirement. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207) and the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China (No. 2013GB108004)

Conceptual design of Tritium Extraction System for the European HCPB Test Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciampichetti, A.; Nitti, F.S.; Aiello, A.; Ricapito, I.; Liger, K.; Demange, D.; Sedano, L.; Moreno, C.; Succi, M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► HCPB (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed) Test Blanket Module (TBM) to be tested in ITER. ► Tritium extraction by gas purging, removal and transfer to the Tritium Plant. ► Conceptual design of TES and revision of the previous configuration. ► Main components: adsorption column, ZrCo getter beds and PERMCAT reactor. - Abstract: The HCPB (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed) Test Blanket Module (TBM), developed in EU to be tested in ITER, adopts a ceramic containing lithium as breeder material, beryllium as neutron multiplier and helium at 80 bar as primary coolant. In HCPB-TBM the main function of Tritium Extraction System (TES) is to extract tritium from the breeder by gas purging, to remove it from the purge gas and to route it to the ITER Tritium Plant for the final tritium processing. In this paper, starting from a revision of the so far reference process considered for HCPB-TES and considering a new modeling activity aimed to evaluate tritium concentration in purge gas, an updated conceptual design of TES is reported.

Activation analysis and waste management for dual-cooled lithium lead breeder (DLL) blanket of the fusion power reactor FDS-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Mingliang; Huang Qunying; Li Jingjing; Zeng Qin; Wu Yican

2005-01-01

The calculation and analysis on the activation levels of the different regions of dual-cooled lithium-lead (DLL) breeder blanket of FDS-II, including afterheat, dose rate, activity and biological hazard potential after shutdown, were carried out with the neutronics code system VisualBUS and multi-group working library HENDL1.0/MG. The safety and environment assessment of fusion power (SEAFP) strategy for the management of activated material is here applied to the DLL blanket, to define the suitable recycling (reuse of activated material) procedure and the possibility of clearance (declassification of the material with low activity level to non-active waste). (authors)

European DEMO BOT Solid Breeder Blanket: the concept based on the use of cooling plates and beds of beryllium and Li4SiO4 pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalle Donne, M.; Fischer, U.; Norajitra, P.; Reimann, G.; Reiser, H.

1995-01-01

The paper presents an important modification of the European DEMO BOT Solid Breeder Blanket. The new design uses cooling plates rather than tubes. This allows a considerable simplification of the blanket and the separation of the beryllium from the Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles. The neutronic, thermohydraulic and tritium performance of the new design is quite good and equivalent to that of the previous one. (orig.)

The State of the Art Report on the Development and Manufacturing Technology of Test Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J. S.; Jeong, Y. H.; Park, S. Y.; Lee, M. H.; Choi, B. K.; Baek, J. H.; Park, J. Y.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, H. G.; Kim, K. H.

2006-07-01

The main objective of the present R and D on breeder blanket is the development of test blanket modules (TBMs) to be installed and tested in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). In the program of the blanket development, a blanket module test in the ITER is scheduled from the beginning of the ITER operation, and the performance test of TBM in ITER is the most important milestone for the development of the DEMO blanket. The fabrication of TBMs has been required to test the basic performance of the DEMO blanket, i.e., tritium production/recovery, high-grade heat generation and radiation shielding. Therefore, the integration of the TBM systems into ITER has been investigated with the aim to check the safety, reliability and compatibility under nuclear fusion state. For this reason, in the Test Blanket Working Group (TBWG) as an activity of the International Energy Association (IEA), a variety of ITER TBMs have been proposed and investigated by each party: helium-cooled ceramic (WSG-1), helium-cooled LiPb (WSG-2), water-cooled ceramic (WSG-3), self-cooled lithium (WSG-4) and self-cooled molten salt (WSG-5) blanket systems. Because we are still deficient in investigation of TBM development, the need of development became pressing. In this report, for the development of TBM sub-module and mock-up, it is necessary to analyze and examine the state of the art on the development of manufacturing technology of TBM in other countries. And we will be applied as basic data to establish a manufacturing technology

Objectives and status of EUROfusion DEMO blanket studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boccaccini, L.V., E-mail: lorenzo.boccaccini@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Aiello, G.; Aubert, J. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, SEMT, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Bachmann, C. [EUROfusion, PPPT, Garching (Germany); Barrett, T. [CCFE, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Del Nevo, A. [ENEA CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Demange, D. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Forest, L. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, SEMT, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Hernandez, F.; Norajitra, P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Porempovic, G. [Fuziotech Engineering Ltd (Hungary); Rapisarda, D. [CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Sardain, P. [CEA/IRFM, 13115 Saint-Paul-lès-Durance (France); Utili, M. [ENEA CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Vala, L. [Centrum výzkumu Řež, 250 68 Husinec-Řež (Czech Republic)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Short description of the new Breeding Blanket Project in the EUROfusion consortium for the design of the EU PPPT DEMO: objectives. • Presentation of the design approach used in the development of the Breeding Blanket design: requirements. • Breeding Blanket design; in particular the four blanket concepts included in the study are presented, recent results highlighted and the status discussed. • Auxiliary systems and related R&D programme: in particular the work areas addressed in the Project (Tritium Technology, Pb-Li and Solid Breeders Technology, First Wall Design and R&D, Manufacturing) are presented, recent results highlighted and the status discussed. - Abstract: The design of a DEMO reactor requires the design of a blanket system suitable of reliable T production and heat extraction for electricity production. In the frame of the EUROfusion Consortium activities, the Breeding Blanket Project has been constituted in 2014 with the goal to develop concepts of Breeding Blankets for the EU PPPT DEMO; this includes an integrated design and R&D programme with the goal to select after 2020 concepts on fusion plants for the engineering phase. The design activities are presently focalized around a pool of solid and liquid breeder blanket with helium, water and PbLi cooling. Development of tritium extraction and control technology, as well manufacturing and development of solid and PbLi breeders are part of the programme.

Study on the thorium-based breeder with molten fluoride salt blanket in the Nuclear Hot Spring - 5420

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bing, X.; Yingzhong, L.

2015-01-01

Nuclear Hot Spring (NHS) is an innovative reactor type featured by pool-type molten-salt-cooled pebble-bed reactor core with the capability of natural circulation under full power operation. Except for the potential applications in power generation and high temperature process heat, thorium-based breeding is also a promising feature of the NHS. In order to take advantage of both the highly inherent safety and the on-line processing capability of fluid thorium-based fuels, a breeder design of NHS equipped with a blanket of molten salt with thorium fluoride outside the pebble-bed core is proposed in this work. For the purpose of keeping cleanness of the primary loop and blanket loop, both loops are isolated physically from each other, and the rapid on-line extraction of converted 233 Pa and 233 U is employed for the processing of blanket salt. The conversion ratio, defined as the ratio of converted 233 Pa and 233 U to the consumed fissile uranium in seed fuels, is investigated by varying the relevant parameters such as the circulation flux of blanket salt and the discharge burn-up of seed fuels. It is found that breeding can be achieved for the pure 233 U seed scheme with relatively low discharge burn-up and low blanket salt flux. However, the reprocessing for the HTGR fuels with TRISO particles has to be taken into account to ensure the breeding. (authors)

Nuclear Analyses of Indian LLCB Test Blanket System in ITER

Science.gov (United States)

Swami, H. L.; Shaw, A. K.; Danani, C.; Chaudhuri, Paritosh

2017-04-01

Heading towards the Nuclear Fusion Reactor Program, India is developing Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) tritium breeding blanket for its future fusion Reactor. A mock-up of the LLCB blanket is proposed to be tested in ITER equatorial port no.2, to ensure the overall performance of blanket in reactor relevant nuclear fusion environment. Nuclear analyses play an important role in LLCB Test Blanket System design & development. It is required for tritium breeding estimation, thermal-hydraulic design, coolants process design, radioactive waste management, equipment maintenance & replacement strategies and nuclear safety. The nuclear behaviour of LLCB test blanket module in ITER is predicated in terms of nuclear responses such as tritium production, nuclear heating, neutron fluxes and radiation damages. Radiation shielding capability of LLCB TBS inside and outside bio-shield was also assessed to fulfill ITER shielding requirements. In order to supports the rad-waste and safety assessment, nuclear activation analyses were carried out and radioactivity data were generated for LLCB TBS components. Nuclear analyses of LLCB TBS are performed using ITER recommended nuclear analyses codes (i.e. MCNP, EASY), nuclear cross section data libraries (i.e. FENDL 2.1, EAF) and neutronic model (ITER C-lite v.l). The paper describes a comprehensive nuclear performance of LLCB TBS in ITER.

Analysis of mechanical effects caused by plasma disruptions in the European BOT solid breeder blanket design with MANET as structural material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Ruatto, P.

1994-01-01

The Karlsruhe Nuclear Center is developing, through design and experimental work, a BOT (Breeder Out of Tube) Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Blanket for a DEMO application. One of the crucial problems in the blanket design is to demonstrate the capability of the structure to withstand the mechanical effects of a major plasma disruption as extrapolated to DEMO from the experience of present machines. In this paper the results of the assessment work are presented; the acceptability of the design is discussed on the basis of a stress analysis of the structure under combined thermal and electromagnetic loads. The martensitic steel MANET has been chosen as structural material, because it is able to withstand the high neutron fluence in Demo (70 dpa) without appreciably swelling and has good thermal-mechanical properties - lower thermal expansion and higher strength - in comparison to AISI 316L steel. As far as it concerns the mechanical effects of plasma disruptions, MANET presents two important features which have been carefully investigated in the assessment: the magnetic properties of the material and the degradation of the fracture toughness behavior under irradiation

Recent research activities on functional ceramics for insulator, breeder and optical sensing systems in fusion reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagata, S., E-mail: nagata@imr.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Katsui, H.; Hoshi, K. [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Tsuchiya, B. [Meijo University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Nagoya (Japan); Toh, K. [J-PARC Center Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai (Japan); Zhao, M.; Shikama, T. [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Hodgson, E.R. [Euratom/CIEMAT Fusion Association, Madrid (Spain)

2013-11-15

The paper presents a brief overview of current research activities on functional ceramic materials for insulating components, tritium breeder and optical sensing systems, mainly carried out at Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University. Topics include recent experimental results related to the electrical degradation and optical changes in typical oxide ceramics (e.g. Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and SiO{sub 2}) concerning radiolytic effects. Hydrogen effects on the electrical conductivity in the Perovskite-type oxide ceramics and the interaction between hydrogen and irradiation induced defects in ternary Li oxides used as breeder materials, were dynamically observed under the irradiation environment. Further attention is focused on several challenging qualifications required for an advanced sensing system using optical characteristics (e.g., thermoluminescence in SiO{sub 2} core fiber, neutron-induced long lasting emission from oxides doped with rare-earth elements, and gasochromic coloration phenomenon of WO{sub 3})

Blanket for thermonuclear device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozawa, Yoshihiro; Uda, Tatsuhiko; Maki, Koichi.

1993-01-01

The present invention provides a blanket of a thermonuclear device which produces tritium fuels consumed in plasmas while converting neutrons generated in the plasmas into heat energy. That is, zirconium is coated to at least one of neutron breeder pebbles and breeder pebbles, to suppress reaction between them by being in direct contact with each other at a high temperature. Further, fins are attached to a cooling pipe at a pitch smaller than the diameter of both of the pebbles, to prevent direct contact at whole surface of the pebbles and the cooling pipe, which would lower a temperature excessively. The length of the fin is controlled to control the thickness of a helium gas gap. With such constitution, direct contact of neutron breeder pebbles and the breeder pebble which are to be filled and mixed, and tend to react at a high temperature, can be prevented. The temperature of the breeding blanket is reliably prevented from lowering below a tritium emitting temperature. The structure is simplified and the production is facilitated. (I.S.)

Stress analysis of the tokamak engineering test breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Zhongqi

1992-01-01

The design features of the hybrid reactor blanket and main parameters are presented. The stress analysis is performed by using computer codes SAP5p and SAP6 with the three kinds of blanket module loadings, i.e, the pressure of coolant, the blanket weight and the thermal loading. Numerical calculation results indicate that the stresses of the blanket are smaller than the allowable ones of the material, the blanket design is therefore reasonable

Proceedings of the third specialists' workshop on modeling tritium behaviour in ceramic fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werle, H.

1991-08-01

The third specialists' workshop on modeling tritium behaviour in ceramic fusion blankets, hosted by Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, was held June 10-11, 1991. The workshop was coordinated through the IEA Annex II implementing agreement on 'Radiation damage in fusion materials'. (orig./WL)

Engineering structure design and fabrication process of small sized China helium-cooled solid breeder test blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zeming; Chen Lu; Hu Gang

2014-01-01

Preliminary design and analysis for china helium-cooled solid breeder (CHHC-SB) test blanket module (TBM) have been carried out recently. As partial verification that the original size module was reasonable and the development process was feasible, fabrication work of a small sized module was to be carried out targetedly. In this paper, detailed design and structure analysis of small sized TBM was carried out based on preliminary design work, fabrication process and integrated assembly process was proposed, so a fabrication for the trial engineering of TBM was layed successfully. (authors)

The blanket interface to TSTA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemmer, R.G.; Finn, P.A.; Grimm, T.L.; Sze, D.K.; Anderson, J.L.; Bartlit, J.R.; Naruse, Y.; Yoshida, H.

1988-01-01

The requirements of tritium technology are centered in three main areas, (1) fuel processing, (2) breeder tritium extraction, and (3) tritium containment. The Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) now in operation at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is dedicated to developing and demonstrating the tritium technology for fuel processing and containment. TSTA is the only fusion fuel processing facility that can operate in a continuous closed-loop mode. The tritium throughput of TSTA is 1000 g/d. However, TSTA does not have a blanket interface system. The authors have initiated a study to define a Breeder Blanket Interface (BBIO) for TSTA. The first step of the work is to define the condition of the gaseous tritium stream from the blanket tritium recovery system. This report summarizes this part of the work for one particular blanket concept, i.e., a self-cooled lithium blanket. The total gas throughput, the hydrogen to tritium ratio, the corrosive chemicals, and the radionuclides are defined. Various methods of tritium recovery from liquid lithium were assessed: yttrium gettering, permeation windows, and molten salt extraction. The authors' evaluation concluded that the best method was molten salt extraction

Cyclic loading tests on ceramic breeder pebble bed by discrete element modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Hao [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Guo, Haibing; Shi, Tao [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Ye, Minyou [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China); Huang, Hongwen, E-mail: hhw@caep.cn [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Li, Zhenghong, E-mail: inpcnyb@sina.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027 (China)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • Methods of cyclic loading tests on the pebble beds were developed in DEM. • Size distribution and sphericity of the pebbles were considered for the specimen. • Mechanical responses of the pebble beds under cyclic loading tests were assessed. - Abstract: Complex mechanics and packing instability can be induced by loading operation on ceramic breeder pebble bed for its discrete nature. A numerical approach using discrete element method (DEM) is applied to study the mechanical performance of the ceramic breeder pebble bed under quasi-static and cyclic loads. A preloaded specimen can be made with servo-control mechanism, the quasi-static and dynamic stress-strain performances are studied during the tests. It is found that the normalized normal contact forces under quasi-static loads have the similar distributions, and increase with increasing loads. Furthermore, the relatively low volumetric strain can be absorbed by pebble bed after several loading and unloading cycles, but the peak normal contact force can be extremely high during the first cycle. Cyclic loading with target pressure is recommended for densely packing, irreversible volume reduction gradually increase with cycles, and the normal contact forces decrease with cycles.

Cyclic loading tests on ceramic breeder pebble bed by discrete element modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hao; Guo, Haibing; Shi, Tao; Ye, Minyou; Huang, Hongwen; Li, Zhenghong

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Methods of cyclic loading tests on the pebble beds were developed in DEM. • Size distribution and sphericity of the pebbles were considered for the specimen. • Mechanical responses of the pebble beds under cyclic loading tests were assessed. - Abstract: Complex mechanics and packing instability can be induced by loading operation on ceramic breeder pebble bed for its discrete nature. A numerical approach using discrete element method (DEM) is applied to study the mechanical performance of the ceramic breeder pebble bed under quasi-static and cyclic loads. A preloaded specimen can be made with servo-control mechanism, the quasi-static and dynamic stress-strain performances are studied during the tests. It is found that the normalized normal contact forces under quasi-static loads have the similar distributions, and increase with increasing loads. Furthermore, the relatively low volumetric strain can be absorbed by pebble bed after several loading and unloading cycles, but the peak normal contact force can be extremely high during the first cycle. Cyclic loading with target pressure is recommended for densely packing, irreversible volume reduction gradually increase with cycles, and the normal contact forces decrease with cycles.

Symbiosis of near breeder HTR's with hybrid fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifritz, W.

1978-07-01

In this contribution to INFCE a symbiotic fusion/fission reactor system, consisting of a hybrid beam-driven micro-explosion fusion reactor (HMER) and associated high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTR) with a coupled fuel cycle, is proposed. This system is similar to the well known Fast Breeder/Near Breeder HTR symbiosis except that the fast fission breeder - running on the U/Pu-cycle in the core and the axial blankets and breeding the surplus fissile material as U-233 in its radial thorium metal or thorium oxide blankets - is replaced by a hybrid micro-explosion DT fusion reactor

Study on ceramic breeder and related materials by means of work function measurement under irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, G.N.; Terai, T.; Yamawaki, M.; Yamaguchi, K.

2002-01-01

Ceramic breeder materials, Li 2 O, LiAlO 2 and Li 4 SiO 4 , under irradiation have been studied using a Kelvin probe that measures work function changes of materials. Surface charging was observed to influence greatly the probe output, which can be explained qualitatively employing a model concerning induction electric field due to external field and free charges on ceramic surface. It is found that the insulating ceramics could not be studied properly with the Kelvin probe. A probable solution is to heat the ceramics, so as to raise their electric conductivities high enough to root out the surface charging. Also briefly discussed is the application of the probe to metals under ion irradiation. (orig.)

Preliminary accident analysis of Loss of Off-Site Power and In-Box LOCA for the CFETR helium cooled solid breeder blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lian, Qiang; Cui, Shijie [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Tian, Wenxi, E-mail: wxtian@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Zhang, Jing; Zhang, Dalin; Su, G.H. [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China); Shaanxi Key Lab. of Advanced Nuclear Energy and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049 (China)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • The CFETR HCSB blanket has been investigated using RELAP5. • Loss of Off-Site Power is investigated. • The parametric analyses during In-Box LOCA are investigated. • The HCSB blanket for CFETR is designed with sufficient decay heat removal capability. - Abstract: As one of three candidate tritium breeding blanket concepts for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), a conceptual structure of helium cooled solid breeder (HCSB) blanket was recently proposed. In this paper, the preliminary thermal-hydraulic and safety analyses of the typical outboard equatorial blanket module (No.12) have been carried out using RELAP5/Mod3.4 code. Two design basis accidents are investigated based on the steady-state initialization, including Loss of Off-Site Power and In-Box Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). The differences between circulator coast down and circulator rotor locked under Loss of Off-Site Power are compared. Regarding the In-Box LOCA, the influences of different break sizes and locations are thoroughly analyzed based on a relatively accurate modeling method of the heat structures in sub-modules. The analysis results show that the blanket and the combined helium cooling system (HCS) are designed with sufficient decay heat removal capability for both accidents, which can preliminarily verify the feasibility of the conceptual design. The research work can also provide an important reference for parameter optimization of the blanket and its HCS in the next stage.

Neutronic performance issues of the breeding blanket options for the European DEMO fusion power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fischer, U., E-mail: ulrich.fischer@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Bachmann, C. [EUROfusion—Programme Management Unit, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Jaboulay, J.-C. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, SERMA, LPEC, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Moro, F. [ENEA, Dipartimento Fusione e tecnologie per la Sicurezza Nucleare, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Rome (Italy); Palermo, I. [Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Madrid (Spain); Pereslavtsev, P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Villari, R. [ENEA, Dipartimento Fusione e tecnologie per la Sicurezza Nucleare, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Rome (Italy)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Breeder blanket concepts for DEMO—design features. • Neutronic characteristics of breeder blankets. • Evaluation of Tritium breeding potential. • Evaluation of shielding performance. - Abstract: This paper presents nuclear performance issues of the HCPB, HCLL, DCLL and WCLL breeder blankets, which are under development within the PPPT (Power Plant Physics and Technology) programme of EUROfusion, with the objective to assess the potential and suitability of the blankets for the application to DEMO. The assessment is based on the initial design versions of the blankets developed in 2014. The Tritium breeding potential is considered sufficient for all breeder blankets although the initial design versions of the HCPB, HCLL and DCLL blankets were shown to require further design improvements. Suitable measures have been proposed and proven to be sufficient to achieve the required Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR) ≥ 1.10. The shielding performance was shown to be sufficient to protect the super-conducting toroidal field coil provided that efficient shielding material mixtures including WC or borated water are utilized. The WCLL blanket does not require the use of such shielding materials due to a very compact blanket support structure/manifold configuration which yet requires design verification. The vacuum vessel can be safely operated over the full anticipated DEMO lifetime of 6 full power years for all blanket concepts considered.

Thermomechanical analysis of solid breeders in sphere-pac, plate, and pellet configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanchard, J.P.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1986-02-01

The first configuration studied is called sphere-pac. It features small breeder spheres of three different diameters, thus allowing efficient packing and minimal void fraction. The concept originated as an attempt to minimize thermal stresses in the breeder and improve the predictability of the breeder-structure interface heat conduction. In general the breeder is made as thin as possible, to maximize the breeding ratio, so the cladding's integrity will likely be the life-limiting issue of this concept. The third breeder configuration is in the form of pellets cladded by steel tubes. The major thermomechanical issue of the pin-type designs is cracking, which would impair the thermal performance of the blanket. Fortunately, the pins can be sized to prevent cracking under normal operation. In this report we have treated each blanket generically, dealing with basic issues rather than design specifics. Our basic philosophy is to avoid cracking of the breeder if at all possible. It can be argued that cracking could be allowed, but this would sacrifice predictability of the blanket thermal performance and tritium release characteristics. Proper design can and should minimize breeder cracking

Fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.

1982-01-01

The fusion breeder is a fusion reactor designed with special blankets to maximize the transmutation by 14 MeV neutrons of uranium-238 to plutonium or thorium to uranium-233 for use as a fuel for fission reactors. Breeding fissile fuels has not been a goal of the US fusion energy program. This paper suggests it is time for a policy change to make the fusion breeder a goal of the US fusion program and the US nuclear energy program. The purpose of this paper is to suggest this policy change be made and tell why it should be made, and to outline specific research and development goals so that the fusion breeder will be developed in time to meet fissile fuel needs

Preliminary Analysis on Decay Heat Removal Capability of Helium Cooled Solid Breeder Test Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, Mu Young; Cho, Seung Yon; Kim, Duck Hoi; Lee, Eun Seok; Kim, Hyung Seok; Suh, Jae Seung; Yun, Sung Hwan; Cho, Nam Zin

2007-01-01

One of the main ITER goals is to test and validate design concepts of tritium breeding blankets relevant to DEMO or fusion power plants. Korea Helium-Cooled Solid Breeder (HCSB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) has been developed with overall objectives of achieving this goal. The TBM employs high pressure helium to cool down the First Wall (FW), Side Wall (SW) and Breeding Zone (BZ). Therefore, safety consideration is a part of the design process. Each ITER Party performing the TBM program is requested to reach a similar level of confidence in the TBM safety analysis. To meet ITER's request, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) studies have been performed on the TBM to identify the Postulated Initial Event (PIE). Although FMEA on the KO TBM has not been completed, in-vessel, in-box and ex-vessel Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) are considered as enveloping cases of PIE in general. In this paper, accidental analyses for the three selected LOCA were performed to investigate the decay heat removal capability of the TBM. To simulate transient thermo-hydraulic behavior of the TBM for the selected scenarios, RELAP5/MOD3.2 code was used

Activation analysis of Chinese ITER helium cooled solid breeder test blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Jingru; Chen Yixue; Ma Xubo; Wang Shouhai; Forrest, R.A.

2009-01-01

Based on the Chinese ITER helium cooled solid breeder(CH-HCSB) test blanket module (TBM) of the 3 x 6 sub-modules options, the activation characteristics of the TBM were calculated. Three-dimensional neutronic calculations were performed using the Monte-Carlo code MCNP and the nuclear data library FENDL/2. Furthermore, the activation calculations of HCSB-TBM were carried out with the European activation system EASY-2007. At shutdown the total activity is 1.29 x 10 16 Bq, and the total afterheat is 2.46 kW. They are both dominated by the Eurofer steel. The activity and afterheat are both in the safe range of TBM design, and will not have a great impact on the environment. Meanwhile,on basis of the calculated contact dose rate, the activated materials can be re-used following the remote handling recycling options. The activation results demonstrate that the current HCSB-TBM design can satisfy the ITER safety design requirements from the activation point of view. (authors)

A study of sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor with thorium blanket for supply of U-233 to high temperature gas cooled reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, H.; Nishimura, H.; Osugi, T.

1978-08-01

Symbiotic energy system between fast breeder reactor and thermal reactor would have a potential merit for nuclear proliferation problem. And when using HTGR as the thermal reactor in the system, the energy system appears to be promising as an energy system self-sufficient in fuels, which can generate both electricity and high temperature process heat. In the system the fast breeder reactor has to supply sufficient amount of fissile plutonium to keep the reactor going, and also produce U-233 necessary to the associated U-233 fuelled process heat production HTGR. Three types of LMFBR concepts with thorium blanket, conventional homogeneous core LMFBR, and axial and radial parfait heterogeneous core LMFBRs, have been investigated to find out suitable configurations of LMFBR for supply of U-233 to the HTGR with relatively high conversion ratio of 0.85, in the symbiotic energy system between LMFBR and HTGR. The investigation on LMFBR has been made on fuel sufficiency of the system, inherent safety such as sodium-void and Doppler coefficients, and fuel cycle cost. The followings were revealed; (1) Conventional homogeneous core LMFBR with thorium radial blanket well satisfies the condition of fuel sufficiency, if adequate radial blanket thickness is chosen. However, the sodium-void coefficient and fuel cycle cost are inferior to the other concepts. (2) Axial parfait heterogeneous core LMFBR can be regarded as one of the best LMFBR concepts installed in the symbiotic energy system, from the viewpoints of fuel sufficiency, inherent safety and fuel cycle cost. However, further investigations should be needed on reliability and operationability of the concept. (3) Radial parfait heterogeneous core LMFBR seems inadequate as the LMFBR in the system, because the configurations based on this concept does not satisfy plutonium and U-233 breedings, simultaneously. This LMFBR concept, however, has excellent breeding performance in the internal radial blanket. So further

The behaviour of ceramic breeder materials with respect to tritium release and pellet/pebble mechanical integrity

Science.gov (United States)

Kwast, H.; Conrad, R.; May, R.; Casadio, S.; Roux, N.; Werle, H.

1994-09-01

In situ tritium release experiments from several candidate fusion blanket ceramic breeder materials have been performed in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) at Petten over the last few years. The sixth experiment, EXOTIC-6, contained pellets of LiAlO 2, Li 2XrO 3, Li 6Xr 2O 7 and Li 8ZrO 6 and pebbles of Li 4SiO 4 and Li 2ZrO 3 which were irradiated up to a lithium burnup of 3%. A large number of temperature transients and purge gas composition changes were performed. From the temperature transients tritium residence times have been determined. Some preliminary results were presented at the 17th Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT) held in Rome in 1992. In the present paper results of a further analysis of the residence times are presented together with some postirradiation examination results. The LiAlO 2 pellets showed a better mechanical stability than the Li-zirconates pellets. The pebbels remained intact. The tritium residence times determined from the tritium inventories were in good agreement with those previously determined from temperature transients. The tritium release characteristics of the materials investigated remain substantially unchanged up to the maximum lithium burnup achieved in this experiment.

Method for cooling a breeder reactor and breeder reactor for applying the method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gast, K.

1977-01-01

The fuel assemblies of the fission zone and the breeder subassemblies in the radial breeding blanket are supported on a double bottom. The coolant gets into the interspace of the double bottom below the blanket. This part of the space is separated from the interspace of the double bottom below the fission zone. Each breeder subassembly consists of a twin tube. The coolant enters the inner tube, flows through it upwards in axial direction, is then deflected on the upper end, and afterwards, in the annulus of the twin tube, flows down again in axial direction into the inlet region, below the double bottom. From there on it flows upwards through the fuel assemblies of the fission zone from below. Thereby a uniformly high coolant outlet temperature is obtained. (DG) [de

Thermal diffusivity measurement of molten fluoride salt containing ThF4 (improvement of the simple ceramic cell)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Y.; Araki, N.; Kobayashi, K.; Makino, A.

1985-01-01

Design conditions of a cylindrical ceramic cell are estimated which can be used to measure the absolute value of thermal diffusivity of molten salts by applying the stepwise heating method. Molten salt is expected to be used in nuclear systems such as the Molten-Salt Reactor, the Accelerator Molten-Salt Breeder, the Fusion Reactor Blanket Coolant, the Fuel Reprocessing System, and so on

Methods to enhance blanket power density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, P.Y.; Miller, L.G.; Bohn, T.S.; Deis, G.A.; Longhurst, G.R.; Masson, L.S.; Wessol, D.E.; Abdou, M.A.

1982-06-01

The overall objective of this task is to investigate the extent to which the power density in the FED/INTOR breeder blanket test modules can be enhanced by artificial means. Assuming a viable approach can be developed, it will allow advanced reactor blanket modules to be tested on FED/INTOR under representative conditions

Dual coolant blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Schleisiek, K.

1994-11-01

A self-cooled liquid metal breeder blanket with helium-cooled first wall ('Dual Coolant Blanket Concept') for a fusion DEMO reactor is described. This is one of the four blanket concepts under development in the frame of the European fusion technology program with the aim to select in 1995 the two most promising ones for further development. Described are the design of the blankets including the ancillary loop system and the results of the theoretical and experimental work in the fields of neutronics, magnetohydrodynamics, thermohydraulics, mechanical stresses, compatibility and purification of lead-lithium, tritium control, safety, reliability, and electrically insulating coatings. The remaining open questions and the required R and D programme are identified. (orig.) [de

Using one hybrid 3D-1D-3D approach for the conceptual design of WCCB blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Kecheng; Zhang, Xiaokang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Li, Jia [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Ma, Xuebin [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • The Hybrid 3D-1D-3D approach is used for radial building design of WCCB. • Nuclear heat obtained by this method agrees well with 3D neutronics results. • The final results of temperature and TBR satisfy with the requirements. • All the results show that this approach is high efficiency and high reliability. - Abstract: A hybrid 3D-1D-3D approach is proposed for the conceptual design of a blanket. Firstly, the neutron wall loading (NWL) of each blanket module is obtained through a neutronics calculation employing a 3D model, which contains the geometry outline of in-vacuum vessel components and the exact neutron source distribution. Secondly, a 1D cylindrical model with the blanket module containing a detailed radial building is adopted for the neutronics analysis, with the aim of calculating the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and nuclear heating. Being normalized to the NWL, the nuclear heating is transferred to a 2D model for thermal-hydraulics analysis using the FLUENT code. Through a series analysis of nuclear-thermal iterations that considers the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and thermal performance as optimization objectives, the optimized radial building of each module surrounding plasma can be obtained. Thirdly, the 3D structural design of each module is established by adding side walls, cover plates, stiffening plates, and other components based on the radial building. The 3D neutronics and thermal-hydraulics using the detailed blanket modules are re-analyzed. This approach has been successfully applied to the design of a water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The radial building of each blanket module surrounding plasma is optimized. The global tritium breeding ratio (TBR) calculated by the 3D neutronics analysis is 1.21, and the temperature of all materials in the 3D blanket structure is below the upper limits. As indicated by the comparison of the 1D and 3D neutronics and thermal

A new combination of membranes and membrane reactors for improved tritium management in breeder blanket of fusion machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demange, D.; Staemmler, S.; Kind, M.

2011-01-01

Tritium used as fuel in future fusion machines will be produced within the breeder blanket. The tritium extraction system recovers the tritium to be routed into the inner-fuel cycle of the machine. Accurate and precise tritium accountancy between both systems is mandatory to ensure a reliable operation. Handling in the blanket huge helium flow rates containing tritium as traces in molecular and oxide forms is challenging both for the process and the accountancy. Alternative tritium processes based on combinations of membranes and membrane reactors are proposed to facilitate the tritium management. The PERMCAT process is based on counter-current isotope swamping in a palladium membrane reactor. It allows recovering tritium efficiently from any chemical species. It produces a pure hydrogen stream enriched in tritium of advantage for integration upstream of the accountancy stage. A pre-separation and pre-concentration stage using new zeolite membranes has been studied to optimize the whole process. Such a combination could improve the tritium processes and facilitate accountancy in DEMO.

Fusion blanket testing in MFTF-α + T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.

1985-01-01

The Mirror Fusion Test Facility-α + T (MFTF-α + T) is an upgraded version of the current MFTF-B test facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and is designed for near-term fusion-technology-integrated tests at a neutron flux of 2 MW/m 2 . Currently, the fusion community is screening blanket and related issues to determine which ones can be addressed using MFTF-α + T. In this work, the minimum testing needs to address these issues are identified for the liquid-metal-cooled blanket and the solid-breeder blanket. Based on the testing needs and on the MFTF-α + T capability, a test plan is proposed for three options; each option covers a six to seven year testing phase. The options reflect the unresolved question of whether to place the research and development (R and D) emphasis on liquid-metal or solid-breeder blankets. In each case, most of the issues discussed can be addressed to a reasonable extent in MFTF-α+T

Ceramic fiber blanket wrap for fire protection of cable trays and conduits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaille, C.E.; Reiman, R.J.

1980-01-01

In some areas of nuclear power plants, cables of redundant electrical systems, which are necessary for the safe shutdown of the reactor, are in close proximity. If a fire should occur in one of these areas, both electrical systems could be destroyed before the fire is extinguished and control of the reactor may be lost. A ceramic fiber blanket was evaluated as a fire protective wrap around cable trays and conduits. 2 refs

The reprocessing of advanced mixed lithium orthosilicate/metatitanate tritium breeder pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leys, Oliver, E-mail: oliver.leys@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany); Bergfeldt, Thomas; Kolb, Matthias H.H.; Knitter, Regina [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Applied Materials, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany); Goraieb, Aniceto A. [Karlsruhe Beryllium Handling Facility, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, 76344 (Germany)

2016-06-15

Highlights: • The recycling of advanced breeder pebbles without a deterioration of the material properties is possible using a melt-based process. • The only accumulation of impurities upon reprocessing, results from the platinum crucible alloy used for processing. • It is possible to replenish burnt-up lithium by additions of LiOH·H{sub 2}O to the melt during reprocessing. - Abstract: The recycling of tritium breeding materials will be necessary for any future use of nuclear fusion energy due to economical as well as ecological considerations. In the case of the solid breeder blanket concept, the ceramic pebble beds that are intended for the generation of tritium will eventually need to be restored due to depleted lithium levels as well as due to fractured pebbles, which will cause a deterioration of the pebble bed properties. It is proposed that the pebbles, which are fabricated using a melt-based process, are recycled using the same initial process, by replenishing the lithium levels and reforming the pebbles at the same time. To prove this recycling scheme, advanced ceramic pebbles were fabricated and then re-melted multiple times to prove that the reprocessing did not have any negative effect on the pebble properties and secondly, pebbles were produced with a simulated lithium burn-up and subsequently replenished by additions of LiOH to the melt. It was shown that the re-melting and lithium re-enrichment had no effect on the pebble properties, demonstrating that a melt-based process is suitable for recycling used breeder pebbles.

MISTRAL: A comprehensive model for tritium transport in lithium-base ceramics. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Federici, G.; Raffray, A.R.; Abdou, M.A.

1990-01-01

A new tritium transport model called MISTRAL (Model for Investigative Studies of Tritium Release in Lithium Ceramics) has been developed to describe and predict the kinetics of tritium release in lithium ceramic materials for tritium breeding applications in fusion blankets. The model has transient capabilities and has been developed to analyze the full range of transient conditions produced in in-pile tritium recovery experiments and expected in fusion blankets. Calibration of the model against experiments has been done in parallel with its development in order to assess its predictive capabilities and to identify the ranges of potential applicability. The comparisons of the results available for lithium metasilicate and aluminate samples irradiated respectively in the two in-pile tritium recovery experiments LISA1 and MOZART are presented and discussed in this paper. They have been selected for the calibration of the codes as being good examples of various features relevant for tritium release analysis in ceramic breeders under different transient conditions such as change in temperature, purge gas composition and reactor power. (orig.)

Preliminary RAMI analysis of WCLL blanket and breeder systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arroyo, Jose Manuel; Brown, Richard; Harman, Jon; Rosa, Elena; Ibarra, Angel

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Preliminary RAMI model for WCLL has been developed. • Critical parts and parameters influencing WCLL availability have been focused. • Necessary developments of tools/models to represent system performance have been identified. - Abstract: DEMO will be a prototype fusion reactor designed to prove the capability to produce electrical power in a commercially acceptable way. One of the key factors in that endeavor is the achievement of certain level of plant availability. Therefore, RAMI (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Inspectability) will be a key element in the engineering development of DEMO. Some studies have been started so as to develop the tools and models to assess different design alternatives from RAMI point of view. The main objective of these studies is to be able to evaluate the influence of different parameters on DEMO availability and to focus the critical parts that should be further researched and improved in order to develop a high-availability oriented DEMO design. A preliminary RAMI analysis of the Water Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL) blanket and breeder concept for DEMO has been developed. The amounts of single elements that may fail (e.g. more than 180,000 C-shaped tubes) and the mean down time associated to failures inside the vacuum vessel (around 3 months) have been highlighted as the critical parameters influencing the system availability. On the other hand, the necessary developments of tools/models to better represent the system performance have been identified and proposed for future work.

Preliminary RAMI analysis of WCLL blanket and breeder systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arroyo, Jose Manuel, E-mail: josemanuel.arroyo@ciemat.es [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain); Brown, Richard [Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Harman, Jon [EFDA Close Support Unit, Garching (Germany); Rosa, Elena; Ibarra, Angel [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Preliminary RAMI model for WCLL has been developed. • Critical parts and parameters influencing WCLL availability have been focused. • Necessary developments of tools/models to represent system performance have been identified. - Abstract: DEMO will be a prototype fusion reactor designed to prove the capability to produce electrical power in a commercially acceptable way. One of the key factors in that endeavor is the achievement of certain level of plant availability. Therefore, RAMI (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Inspectability) will be a key element in the engineering development of DEMO. Some studies have been started so as to develop the tools and models to assess different design alternatives from RAMI point of view. The main objective of these studies is to be able to evaluate the influence of different parameters on DEMO availability and to focus the critical parts that should be further researched and improved in order to develop a high-availability oriented DEMO design. A preliminary RAMI analysis of the Water Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL) blanket and breeder concept for DEMO has been developed. The amounts of single elements that may fail (e.g. more than 180,000 C-shaped tubes) and the mean down time associated to failures inside the vacuum vessel (around 3 months) have been highlighted as the critical parameters influencing the system availability. On the other hand, the necessary developments of tools/models to better represent the system performance have been identified and proposed for future work.

Liquid metal cooled blanket concept for NET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Casal, V.; Arheidt, K.; Fischer, U.; Link, W.; Rust, K.

1986-01-01

A blanket concept for NET using liquid lithium-lead both as breeder material and as coolant is described. The need for inboard breeding is avoided by using beryllium as neutron multiplier in the outboard blanket. Novel flow channel inserts are employed in all poloidal ducts to reduce the MHD pressure drop. The concept offers a simple mechanical design and a higher tritium breeding ratio compared to water- and gas-cooled blankets. (author)

Preconceptual design and analysis of a solid-breeder blanket test in an existing fission reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deis, G.A.; Hsu, P.Y.; Watts, K.D.

1983-01-01

Preconceptual design and analysis have been performed to examine the capabilities of a proposed fission-based test of a water-cooled Li 2 O blanket concept. The mechanical configuration of the test piece is designed to simulate a unit cell of a breeder-outside-tube concept. This test piece will be placed in a fission test reactor, which provides an environment similar to that in a fusion reactor. The neutron/gamma flux from the reactor produces prototypical power density, tritium production rates, and operating temperatures and stresses. Steady-state tritium recovery from the test piece can be attained in short-duration (5-to-6-day) tests. The capabilities of this test indicate that fission-based testing can provide important near-term engineering information to support the development of fusion technology

Activation analysis and waste management of China ITER helium cooled solid breeder test blanket module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, J.R., E-mail: hanjingru@163.co [North China Electric Power University, School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Zhu-Xin-Zhuang, De-Wai, Beijing 102206 (China); Chen, Y.X.; Han, R. [North China Electric Power University, School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Zhu-Xin-Zhuang, De-Wai, Beijing 102206 (China); Feng, K.M. [Southwestern Institute of Physics, P.O.Box 432, Chengdu 610041 (China); Forrest, R.A. [EURATOM/UKAEA Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom)

2010-08-15

Activation characteristics have been assessed for the ITER China helium cooled solid breeder (CH-HCSB) 3 x 6 test blanket module (TBM). Taking a representative irradiation scenario, the activation calculations were performed by FISPACT code. Neutron fluxes distributions in the TBM were provided by a preceding MCNP calculation. These fluxes were passed to FISPACT for the activation calculation. The main activation parameters of the HCSB-TBM were calculated and discussed, such as activity, afterheat and contact dose rate. Meanwhile, the dominant radioactivity nuclides and reaction channel pathways have been identified. According to the Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion Power (SEAFP) waste management strategy, the activated materials can be re-used following the remote handling recycling options. The results will provide useful indications for further optimization design and waste management of the TBM.

Investigation of heat treatment conditions of structural material for blanket fabrication process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirose, Takanori; Suzuki, Satoshi; Akiba, Masato; Shiba, Kiyoyuki; Sawai, Tomotsugu; Jitsukawa, Shiro

2004-01-01

This paper presents recent results of thermal hysteresis effects on ceramic breeder blanket structural material. Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAF) steel is the leading candidates for the first wall structural materials of breeding blankets. RAF steel demonstrates superior resistance to high dose neutron irradiation, because the steel has tempered martensite structure which contains the number of sink site for radiation defects. This microstructure obtained by two-step heat treatment, first is normalizing at temperature above 1200 K and the second is tempering at temperature below 1100 K. Recent study revealed the thermal hysteresis has significant impacts on the post-irradiation mechanical properties. The breeding blanket has complicated structure, which consists of tungsten armor and thin first wall with cooling pipe. The blanket fabrication requires some high temperature joining processes. Especially hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is examined as a near-net-shape fabrication process for this structure. The process consists of heating above 1300 K and isostatic pressing at the pressure above 150 MPa followed by tempering. Moreover ceramics pebbles are packed into blanket module and the module is to be seamed by welding followed by post weld heat treatment in the final assemble process. Therefore the final microstructural features of RAFs strongly depend on the blanket fabrication process. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of thermal hysteresis corresponding to blanket fabrication process on RAFs microstructure in order to establish appropriate blanket fabrication process. Japanese RAFs F82H (Fe-0.1C-8Cr-2W-0.2V-0.05Ta) was investigated by metallurgical method after isochronal heat treatment up to 1473 K simulating high temperature bonding process. Although F82H showed significant grain growth after conventional solid HIP conditions (1313 K x 2 hr.), this coarse grained microstructure was refined by the post HIP normalizing at

Solid tritium breeder materials-Li2O and LiAlO2: a data base review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y.Y.; Billone, M.C.; Clemmer, R.G.; Fischer, A.K.; Hollenberg, G.W.; Tam, S.W.

1985-01-01

The fabrication, properties, and irradiation behavior of Li 2 O and γ-LiAlO 2 are reviewed and assessed to determine the potential of these materials to satisfy the basic solid breeder blanket performance requirements. Based on the data analysis and theoretical modeling, a set of major technical uncertainties is identified. These uncertainties include: fabricability of sphere-pac solid breeders; high fluence and burnup effects on thermal conductivity and microstructural stability; high fluence and burnup effects on tritium diffusion coefficients at low temperature; relationship among purge flow chemistry, surface adsorption, and species of released tritium; and mechanical properties and the loads imposed on the structural materials by the breeder during blanket operation. Resolution of these issues is important in assuring that solid breeder blankets can be designed with confidence

Status of advanced tritium breeder development for DEMO in the broader approach activities in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshino, Tsuyoshi; Oikawa, Fumiaki; Nishitani, Takeo

2010-01-01

DEMO reactors require ' 6 Li-enriched ceramic tritium breeders' which have high tritium breeding ratios (TBRs) in the blanket designs of both EU and JA. Both parties have been promoting the development of fabrication technologies of Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles and of Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles including the reprocessing. However, the fabrication techniques of tritium breeders pebbles have not been established for large quantities. Therefore, these parties launch a collaborative project on scaleable and reliable production routes of advanced tritium breeders. In addition, this project aims to develop fabrication techniques allowing effective reprocessing of 6 Li. The development of the production and 6 Li reprocessing techniques includes preliminary fabrication tests of breeder pebbles, reprocessing of lithium, and suitable out-of-pile characterizations. The R and D on the fabrication technologies of the advanced tritium breeders and the characterization of developed materials has been started between the EU and Japan in the DEMO R and D of the International Fusion Energy Research Centre (IFERC) project as a part of the Broader Approach activities from 2007 to 2016. The equipment for production of advanced breeder pebbles is planned will be installed in the DEMO R and D building at Rokkasho, Japan. The design work in this facility was carried out. The specifications of the pebble production apparatuses and related equipment in this facility were fixed, and the basic data of these apparatuses was obtained. In this design work, the preliminary investigations of the dissolution and purification process of tritium breeders were carried out. From the results of the preliminary investigations, lithium resources of 90% above were recovered by the aqueous dissolving methods using HNO 3 and H 2 O 2 . The removal efficiency of 60 Co by the addition in the dissolved solutions of lithium ceramics were 97-99.9% above using activated carbon impregnated with 8-hydroxyquinolinol. In this report

Characterization of the effects of continuous salt processing on the performance of molten salt fusion breeder blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson-Hine, F.A.; Davidson, J.W.; Klein, D.E.; Lee, J.D.

1985-01-01

Several continuous salt processing options are available for use in molten salt fusion breeder blanket designs: fluorination only, fluorination plus reductive extraction, and fluorination, plus reductive extraction, plus metal transfer. The effects of processing on blanket performance have been assessed for these three levels of processing and various equilibrium uranium concentrations in the salt. A one-dimensional model of the blanket was used in the neutronics analysis, which incorporated transport calculations with time-dependent isotope generation and depletion calculations. The method of salt processing was found to have little affect on the level of radioactivity, toxicity, or the thermal behavior of the salt during operation of the reactor. The processing rates necessary to maintain the desired uranium concentrations in the suppressed-fission environment were quite low, which permitted only long-lived species to be removed from the salt. The effects of the processing therefore became apparent only after the radioactivity due to the short-lived species diminished. The effect of the additional processing (reductive extraction and metal transfer) could be seen after approximately 1 year of decay, but were not significant at times closer to shutdown. The reduced radioactivity and corresponding heat deposition were thus of no consequence in accident or maintenance situations. Net fissile production in the Be/MS blanket concept at a fusion power level of 3000 MW at 70% capacity ranged from 5100 kg/year to 5170 kg/year for uranium concentrations of 0.11% and 1.0% 233 U in thorium, respectively, with fluorination-only processing. The addition of processing by reductive extraction resulted in 5125 kg/year for the 0.11% 233 U case and 5225 kg/year for the 1.0% 233 U case

Economic evaluation of the Blanket Comparison and Selection Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waganer, L.M.

1985-01-01

The economic impact of employing the highly ranked blankets in the Blanket Comparison and Selection Study (BCSS) was evaluated in the context of both a tokamak and a tandem mirror power reactor (TMR). The economic evaluation criterion was determined to be the cost of electricity. The influencing factors that were considered are the direct cost of the blankets and related systems; the annual cost of blanket replacement; and the performance of the blanket, heat transfer, and energy conversion systems. The technical and cost bases for comparison were those of the STARFIRE and Mirror Advanced Reactor Study conceptual design power plants. The economic evaluation results indicated that the nitrate-salt-cooled blanket concept is an economically attractive concept for either reactor type. The water-cooled, solid breeder blanket is attractive for the tokamak and somewhat less attractive for the TMR. The helium-cooled, liquidlithium breeder blanket is the least economically desirable of higher ranked concepts. The remaining self-cooled liquid-metal and the helium-cooled blanket concepts represent moderately attractive concepts from an economic standpoint. These results are not in concert with those found in the other BCSS evaluation areas (engineering feasibility, safety, and research and development (R and D) requirements). The blankets faring well economically had generally lower cost components, lower pumping power requirements, and good power production capability. On the other hand, helium- and lithium-cooled systems were preferred from the standpoints of safety, engineering feasibility, and R and D requirements

Mechanical design of a light water breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fauth, W.L. Jr.; Jones, D.S.; Kolsun, G.J.; Erbes, J.G.; Brennan, J.J.; Weissburg, J.A.; Sharbaugh, J.E.

1976-01-01

In a light water reactor system using the thorium-232--uranium-233 fuel system in a seed-blanket modular core configuration having the modules arranged in a symmetrical array surrounded by a reflector blanket region, the seed regions are disposed for a longitudinal movement between the fixed or stationary blanket region which surrounds each seed region. Control of the reactor is obtained by moving the inner seed region thus changing the geometry of the reactor, and thereby changing the leakage of neutrons from the relatively small seed region into the blanket region. The mechanical design of the Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) core includes means for axially positioning of movable fuel assemblies to achieve the neutron economy required of a breeder reactor, a structure necessary to adequately support the fuel modules without imposing penalties on the breeding capability, a structure necessary to support fuel rods in a closely packed array and a structure necessary to direct and control the flow of coolant to regions in the core in accordance with the heat transfer requirements. 4 claims, 24 drawing figures

Self-cooled liquid-metal blanket concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.; Arheidt, K.; Barleon, L.

1988-01-01

A blanket concept for the Next European Torus (NET) where 83Pb-17Li serves both as breeder material and as coolant is described. The concept is based on the use of novel flow channel inserts for a decisive reduction of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure drop and employs beryllium as neutron multiplier in order to avoid the need for breeding blankets at the inboard side of the torus. This study includes the design, neutronics, thermal hydraulics, stresses, MHDs, corrosion, tritium recovery, and safety of a self-cooled liquid-metal blanket. The results of the investigations indicate that the self-cooled blanket is an attractive alternative to other driver blanket concepts for NET and that it can be extrapolated to the conditions of a DEMO reactor

Neutronic investigation and activation calculation for CFETR HCCB blankets

Science.gov (United States)

Shuling, XU; Mingzhun, LEI; Sumei, LIU; Kun, LU; Kun, XU; Kun, PEI

2017-12-01

The neutronic calculations and activation behavior of the proposed helium cooled ceramic breeder (HCCB) blanket were predicted for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR) design model using the MCNP multi-particle transport code and its associated data library. The tritium self-sufficiency behavior of the HCCB blanket was assessed, addressing several important breeding-related arrangements inside the blankets. Two candidate first wall armor materials were considered to obtain a proper tritium breeding ratio (TBR). Presentations of other neutronic characteristics, including neutron flux, neutron-induced damages in terms of the accumulated dpa and helium production were also conducted. Activation, decay heat levels and contact dose rates of the components were calculated to estimate the neutron-induced radioactivity and personnel safety. The results indicate that neutron radiation is efficiently attenuated and slowed down by components placed between the plasma and toroidal field coil. The dominant nuclides and corresponding isotopes in the structural steel were discussed. A radioactivity comparison between pure beryllium and beryllium with specific impurities was also performed. After a millennium cooling time, the decay heat of all the concerned components and materials is less than 1 × 10-4 kW, and most associated in-vessel components qualify for recycling by remote handling. The results demonstrate that acceptable hands-on recycling and operation still require a further long waiting period to allow the activated products to decay.

The fusion blanket program at Chalk River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hastings, I.J.

1986-03-01

Work on the Fusion Blanket Program commenced at Chalk River in 1984 June. Co-funded by Canadian Fusion Fuels Technology Project and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Program utilizes Chalk River expertise in instrumented irradiation testing, ceramics, tritium technology, materials testing and compound chemistry. This paper gives highlights of studies to date on lithium-based ceramics, leading contenders for the fusion blanket

Magnetoconvection in HCLL blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mistrangelo, C.; Buehler, L.

2014-01-01

In the present work we consider magneto-convective flows in one of the proposed European liquid metal blankets that will be tested in the experimental fusion reactor ITER. Here the PbLi alloy is used as breeder material and helium as coolant. In order to finalize the design of the helium cooled lead lithium (HCLL) blanket, studies are still required to fully understand the behavior of the electrically conducting breeder under the influence of the intense magnetic field that confines the fusion plasma and in case of non-uniform thermal conditions. Liquid metal HCLL blanket flows are expected to be mainly driven by buoyancy forces caused by non-isothermal operating conditions due to neutron volumetric heating and cooling of walls, since only a weak forced ow is foreseen for tritium extraction in external ancillary systems. Buoyancy can therefore become very important and modify the velocity distribution and related heat transfer performance of the blanket. The present numerical study aims at clarifying the influence of electromagnetic and thermal coupling of neighboring fluid domains on magneto-convective flows in geometries relevant for the HCLL blanket concept. According to the last design review two internal cooling plates subdivide the fluid domain into three slender flow regions, which are thermally and electrically coupled through common walls. First a uniform volumetric heat source is considered to identify the basic convective patterns that establish in the liquid metal. Results are then compared with those obtained by applying a realistic radial distribution of the power density as obtained from a neutronic analysis. Velocity and temperature distributions are discussed for various volumetric heat sources and magnetic field strengths.

Enhancement of isotope exchange reactions over ceramic breeder material by deposition of catalyst metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narisato, Y.; Munakata, K.; Koga, A.; Yokoyama, Y.; Takata, T.; Okabe, H.

2004-01-01

The deposition of catalyst metals in ceramic breeders could enhance the release rate of tritium due to the promotion of isotope exchange reactions taking place at the interface of the breeder surface and the sweep gas. In this work, the authors examined the effects of catalytic active metal deposited on lithium titanate on the isotope exchange reactions. With respect to the virgin lithium titanate, it was found that the rate of the isotope exchange reactions taking place on the surface is quite low. However, the deposition of palladium greatly increased the exchange reaction rate. The effect of the amounts of deposited palladium on the isotope exchange reaction rate was also investigated. The results indicate that the exchange reactions are still enhanced even if the amounts of deposited palladium are as low as 0.04%

Drucker-Prager-Cap creep modelling of pebble beds in fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofer, D.; Kamlah, M.

2005-01-01

Modelling of thermal and mechanical behaviour of pebble beds for fusion blankets is an important issue to understand the interaction of solid breeder and beryllium pebble beds with the surrounding structural material. Especially the differing coefficients of thermal expansion of these materials cause high stresses and strains during irradiation induced volumetric heating. To describe this process, the coupled thermomechanical behaviour of both pebble bed materials has to be modelled. Additionally, creep has to be considered contributing to bed deformations and stress relaxation. Motivated by experiments, we use a continuum mechanical approach called Drucker-Prager/Cap theory to model the macroscopic pebble bed behaviour. The model accounts for pressure dependent shear failure, inelastic hardening, and volumetric creep. The elastic part is described by a nonlinear elasticity law. The model has been implemented by user-defined routines in the commercial finite-element code ABAQUS. To check the numerics, the implementation is compared to an analytical solution. Furthermore, the Drucker-Prager/Cap tool is applied to a single ceramic breeder bed subject to creep under volumetric heating

Study on tritium recovery from breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriyama, H.; Moritani, K.

1997-01-01

For the development of fusion reactor blanket systems, some of the key issues on the tritium recovery performance of solid and liquid breeder materials were studied. In the case of solid breeder materials, a special attention was focussed on the effects of irradiation on the tritium recovery performance, and tritium release experiments, luminescence measurements of irradiation defects and modeling studies were systematically performed. For liquid breeder materials, tritium recovery experiments from molten salt and liquid lithium were performed, and the technical feasibility of tritium recovery methods was discussed. (author)

Neutronic analyses of design issues affecting the tritium breeding performance in different DEMO blanket concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereslavtsev, Pavel; Bachmann, Christian; Fischer, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Realistic 3D MCNP model based on the CAD engineering model of DEMO. • Automated procedure for the generation and arrangement of the blanket modules for different DEMO concepts: HCPB, HCLL, WCLL, DCLL. • Several parameters affecting tritium breeding ratio (TBR) were investigated. • A set of practical guidelines was prepared for the designers developing the individual breeding blanket concepts. - Abstract: Neutronic analyses were performed to assess systematically the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) variations in the DEMO for the different blanket concepts HCPB, HCLL, WCLL and DCLL DEMOs due to modifications of the blanket configurations. A dedicated automated procedure was developed to fill the breeding modules in the common generic model in correspondence to the different concepts. The TBR calculations were carried out using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The following parameters affecting the global TBR were investigated: TBR poloidal distribution, radial breeder zone depth, "6Li enrichment, steel content in the breeder modules, poloidal segmentation of the breeder blanket volume, size of gaps between blankets, thickness of the first wall and of the tungsten armour. Based on the results a set of practical guidelines was prepared for the designers developing the individual breeding blanket concepts with the goal to achieve the required tritium breeding performance in DEMO.

Neutronic analyses of design issues affecting the tritium breeding performance in different DEMO blanket concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereslavtsev, Pavel, E-mail: pavel.pereslavtsev@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Bachmann, Christian [EUROfusion – Programme Management Unit, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Fischer, Ulrich [Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Realistic 3D MCNP model based on the CAD engineering model of DEMO. • Automated procedure for the generation and arrangement of the blanket modules for different DEMO concepts: HCPB, HCLL, WCLL, DCLL. • Several parameters affecting tritium breeding ratio (TBR) were investigated. • A set of practical guidelines was prepared for the designers developing the individual breeding blanket concepts. - Abstract: Neutronic analyses were performed to assess systematically the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) variations in the DEMO for the different blanket concepts HCPB, HCLL, WCLL and DCLL DEMOs due to modifications of the blanket configurations. A dedicated automated procedure was developed to fill the breeding modules in the common generic model in correspondence to the different concepts. The TBR calculations were carried out using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The following parameters affecting the global TBR were investigated: TBR poloidal distribution, radial breeder zone depth, {sup 6}Li enrichment, steel content in the breeder modules, poloidal segmentation of the breeder blanket volume, size of gaps between blankets, thickness of the first wall and of the tungsten armour. Based on the results a set of practical guidelines was prepared for the designers developing the individual breeding blanket concepts with the goal to achieve the required tritium breeding performance in DEMO.

Canadian ceramic breeder sphere-pac technology: Capability and recent results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, J.D.; Brayman, C.L.; Verrall, R.A.; Miller, J.M.; Gierszewski, P.J.; Londry, F.; Slavin, A.

1991-01-01

Sphere-pac ceramic breeders have been under development in Canada for several years. The goal is to fabricate and characterize these materials for use in engineering test reactors and subsequent fusion power reactors. Practical application of sphere-pac beds requires close consideration of both properties and fabrication. The present emphasis of the program is on 1-3 mm diameter Li 2 ZrO 3 spheres, with the future development of binary beds planned. Litre quantities have been produced by methods that are applicable to high production rates. These spheres are being tested for measurement of bulk properties (e.g., thermal conductivity, gas permeability, packing density, tritium release, specific heat) and long-term irradiation exposure. This paper summarizes the status of the work. (orig.)

Blanket testing in NET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chazalon, M.; Daenner, W.; Libin, B.

1989-01-01

The testing stages in NET for the performance assessment of the various breeding blanket concepts developed at the present time in Europe for DEMO (LiPb and ceramic blankets) and the requirements upon NET to perform these tests are reviewed. Typical locations available in NET for blanket testing are the central outboard segments and the horizontal ports of in-vessel sectors. These test positions will be connectable with external test loops. The number of test loops (helium, water, liquid metal) will be such that each major class of blankets can be tested in NET. The test positions, the boundary conditions and the external test loops are identified and the requirements for test blankets are summarized (author). 6

Conceptual design study for a mirror fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Jinhua; Deng Boquan; Li Guiqing

1986-01-01

A mirror fusion breeder, CHD, has been designed for providing plenty of nuclear fuel for light water reactors to meet the needs for rapid development of nuclear power in the first half of next century. The breeder is able to support the nuclear fuel needs for more than 10 LWRs of equal scale in power with fuel enriched directly in CHD without reprocessing. Measures are taken to flatten the power density distribution in the blanket so that fission is suppressed in the region close to the plasma, and by this way fuel production is enhanced for this direct enriched fusion breeder. In order to reduce the MHD pressure drop, LiPb flows in the blanket axially. Though the tritium inventory in the reactor is very low, special material and design have to be developed to reduce the permeation of tritium through the coolant pipes. The cost of electricity from the system, consisting of 11 LWR plants and one fusion breeder is predicted to be 1.05 times of that from a traditional LWR plant. This figure is insensitive both to the cost of CHD and its support ratio

Methodology for accident analyses of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled pebble bed blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panayotov, Dobromir; Grief, Andrew; Merrill, Brad J.; Humrickhouse, Paul; Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael; Murgatroyd, Julian T.; Owen, Simon; Poitevin, Yves; Peers, Karen; Lyons, Alex; Heaton, Adam; Scott, Richard

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Test Blanket Systems (TBS) DEMO breeding blankets (BB) safety demonstration. • Comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena. • Development of accident analysis specifications (AAS) via the use of phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRT). • PIRT application to identify required physical models for BB accidents analysis, code assessment and selection. • Development of MELCOR and RELAP5 codes TBS models. • Qualification of the models via comparison with finite element calculations, code-tocode comparisons, and sensitivity studies. - Abstract: ‘Fusion for Energy’ (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. The methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCPB TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Methodology for accident analyses of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled pebble bed blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panayotov, Dobromir, E-mail: dobromir.panayotov@f4e.europa.eu [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Josep Pla, 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, Barcelona E-08019 (Spain); Grief, Andrew [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Merrill, Brad J.; Humrickhouse, Paul [Idaho National Laboratory, PO Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael; Murgatroyd, Julian T.; Owen, Simon [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom); Poitevin, Yves [Fusion for Energy (F4E), Josep Pla, 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, Barcelona E-08019 (Spain); Peers, Karen; Lyons, Alex; Heaton, Adam; Scott, Richard [Amec Foster Wheeler, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford WA16 8QZ, Cheshire (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Test Blanket Systems (TBS) DEMO breeding blankets (BB) safety demonstration. • Comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena. • Development of accident analysis specifications (AAS) via the use of phenomena identification and ranking tables (PIRT). • PIRT application to identify required physical models for BB accidents analysis, code assessment and selection. • Development of MELCOR and RELAP5 codes TBS models. • Qualification of the models via comparison with finite element calculations, code-tocode comparisons, and sensitivity studies. - Abstract: ‘Fusion for Energy’ (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. The methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCPB TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Helium-cooled pebble bed test blanket module alternative design and fabrication routes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lux, M.

2007-01-01

According to first results of the recently started European DEMO study, a new blanket integration philosophy was developed applying so-called multi-module segments. These consist of a number of blanket modules flexibly mounted onto a common vertical manifold structure that can be used for replacing all modules in one segment at one time through vertical remote-handling ports. This principle gives new freedom in the design choices applied to the blanket modules itself. Based on the alternative design options considered for DEMO also the ITER test blanket module was newly analyzed. As a result of these activities it was decided to keep the major principles of the reference design like stiffening grid, breeder unit concept and perpendicular arrangement of pebble beds related to the First Wall because of the very positive results of thermo-mechanical and neutronics studies. The present paper gives an overview on possible further design optimization and alternative fabrication routes. One of the most significant improvements in terms of the hydraulic performance of the Helium cooled reactor can be reached with a new First Wall concept. That concept is based on an internal heat transfer enhancement technique and allows drastically reducing the flow velocity in the FW cooling channels. Small ribs perpendicular to the flow direction (transverse-rib roughness) are arranged on the inner surface of the First Wall cooling channels at the plasma side. In the breeder units cooling plates which are mostly parallel but bent into U-shape at the plasma-side are considered. In this design all flow channels are parallel and straight with the flow entering on one side of the parallel plate sections and exiting on the other side. The ceramic pebble beds are embedded between two pairs of such type of cooling plates. Different modifications could possibly be combined, whereby the most relevant discussed in this paper are (i) rib-cooled First Wall channels, (ii) U-bent cooling plates for

Safety and environmental impact of the dual coolant blanket concept. SEAL subtask 6.2, final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.; Dammel, F.; Gabel, K.; Jordan, T.; Schmuck, I.

1996-03-01

The European Union has been engaged since 1989 in a programme to develop tritium breeding blankets for application in a fusion power reactor. There are four concepts under development, namely two of the solid breeder type and two of the liquid breeder type. At the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe one blanket concept of each line has been pursued so far with the so-called dual coolant type representing the liquid breeder line. In the dual coolant concept the breeder material (Pb-17Li) is circulated to external heat exchangers to carry away the bulk of the generated heat and to extract the tritium. Additionally, the heavily loaded first wall is cooled by high pressure helium gas. The safety and environmental impact of the dual coolant blanket concept has been assessed as part of the blanket concept selection excercise, a European concerted action, aiming at selecting the two most promising concepts for futher development. The topics investigated are: (a) Blanket materials and toxic materials inventory, (b) energy sources for mobilisation, (c) fault tolerance, (d) tritium and activation products release, and (e) waste generation and management. No insurmountable safety problems have been identified for the dual coolant blanket. The results of the assessment are described in this report. The information collected is also intended to serve as input to the EU 'Safety and Environmental Assessment of Fusion longterm Programme' (SEAL). The unresolved issues pertaining to the dual coolant blanket which would need further investigations in future programmes are outlined herein. (orig.) [de

Blanket comparison and selection study. Volume I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-10-01

The objectives of the Blanket Comparison and Selection Study (BCSS) can be stated as follows: (1) Define a small number (approx. 3) of blanket design concepts that should be the focus of the blanket R and D program. A design concept is defined by the selection of all materials (e.g., breeder, coolant, structure and multiplier) and other major characteristics that significantly influence the R and D requirements. (2) Identify and prioritize the critical issues for the leading blanket concepts. (3) Provide the technical input necessary to develop a blanket R and D program plan. Guidelines for prioritizing the R and D requirements include: (a) critical feasibility issues for the leading blanket concepts will receive the highest priority, and (b) for equally important feasibility issues, higher R and D priority will be given to those that require minimum cost and short time

Combined system of accelerator molten-salt breeder (AMSB) apd molten-salt converter reactor (MSCR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, K.; Kato, Y.; Ohmichi, T.; Ohno, H.

1983-01-01

A design and research program is discUssed of the development of accelerator molten-salt breeder (AMSB) consisting of a proton accelerator and a molten fluoride target. The target simultaneously serves as a blanket for fissionable material prodUction. An addition of some amoUnt of fissile nuclides to a melt expands the AMSB potentialities as the fissionable material production increases and the energy generation also grows up to the level of self-provision. Besides the blanket salts may be used as nuclear fuel for molten-salt converter reactor (MSCR). The combined AM SB+MSCR system has better parameters as compared to other breeder reactors, molten-salt breeder reactors (MSBR) included

Technical issues for beryllium use in fusion blanket applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarville, T.J.; Berwald, D.H.; Wolfer, W.; Fulton, F.J.; Lee, J.D.; Maninger, R.C.; Moir, R.W.; Beeston, J.M.; Miller, L.G.

1985-01-01

Beryllium is an excellent non-fissioning neutron multiplier for fusion breeder and fusion electric blanket applications. This report is a compilation of information related to the use of beryllium with primary emphasis on the fusion breeder application. Beryllium resources, production, fabrication, properties, radiation damage and activation are discussed. A new theoretical model for beryllium swelling is presented

Neutronics analysis for aqueous self-cooled fusion reactor blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varsamis, G.; Embrechts, M.J.; Jaffa, R.; Steiner, D.; Deutsch, L.; Gierszewski, P.

1986-06-01

The tritium breeding performance of several Aqueous Self-Cooled Blanket (ASCB) configurations for fusion reactors has been evaluated. The ASCB concept employs small amounts of lithium compound dissolved in light or heavy water to serve as both coolant and breeding medium. The inherent simplicity of this concept allows the development of blankets with minimal technological risk. The tritium breeding performance of the ASCB concept is a critical issue for this family of blankets. Contrary to conventional blanket designs there will be a significant contribution to the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) in the water coolant/breeder of duct shields, and the 3-D TBR will therefore be similar to the 1-D TBR. The tritium breeding performance of an ASCB for a MARS-like-tandem reactor and an ASCB based breeding-shield for the Next European Torus (NET) are assessed. Two design options for the MARS-like blanket are discussed. One design employs a vanadium first wall, and zircaloy for the structural material. The trade-offs between light water and heavy water cooling options for this zircaloy blanket are discussed. The second design option for MARS relies on the use of a vanadium alloy as the stuctural material, and heavy water as the coolant. It is demonstrated that both design options lead to low-activation blankets that allow class C burial. The breeder-shield for NET consists of a water-cooled stainless steel shield

Chemical form of tritium released from solid breeder materials and the influences of it on a bred tritium recovery systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukubo, Y.; Nishikawa, M.; Nishida, Y.; Kinjyo, T.; Tanifuji, Takaaki; Kawamura, Yoshinori; Enoeda, Mikio

2004-01-01

The ratio of HTO in total tritium was measured at release of the bred tritium to the purge gas with hydrogen using the thermal release after irradiation method, where neutron irradiation was performed at JRR-3 reactor in JAERI or KUR reactor in Kyoto University. It is experimentally confirmed in this study that not a small portion of bred tritium is released to the purge gas in the form of HTO form ceramic breeder materials even when hydrogen is added to the purge gas. The chemical composition is to be decided by the competitive reaction at the grain surface of a ceramic breeder material where desorption reaction, isotope exchange reaction 1, isotope exchange reaction 2 and water formation reaction are considered to take part. Observation in this study implies that it is necessary to have a bred tritium recovery system applicable for both HT and HTO form to recover whole bred tritium. The chemical composition also decides the amount of tritium transferable to the cooling water of the electricity generation system through the structural material in the blanket system. Permeation behavior of tritium through some structural materials at various conditions are also discussed. (author)

Thermal-hydraulic calculation and analysis on helium cooled ceramic breeder pebble bed assembly for in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Chunqiu; Xie Jiachun; Liu Xingmin

2013-01-01

In-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment is one of associated domestic research projects in ITER special program. According to the technical requirements of in-pile irradiation experiment of helium cooled ceramic breeder (ceramic) pebble bed assembly in a research reactor, the feasibility of the design for the in-pile irradiation and in-situ tritium extraction experiment of ceramic pebble bed assembly was evaluated. By conducting thermal-hydraulic design calculation with different in-pile irradiation channels, locations and structure parameters for ceramic pebble bed assembly, a reasonable design scheme of ceramic pebble bed assembly satisfying the design requirements for in-pile irradiation was obtained. (authors)

Tritium adsorption/release behaviour of advanced EU breeder pebbles

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Matthias H. H.; Rolli, Rolf; Knitter, Regina

2017-06-01

The tritium loading of current grades of advanced ceramic breeder pebbles with three different lithium orthosilicate (LOS)/lithium metatitanate (LMT) compositions (20-30 mol% LMT in LOS) and pebbles of EU reference material, was performed in a consistent way. The temperature dependent release of the introduced tritium was subsequently investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments to gain insight into the desorption characteristics. The obtained TPD data was decomposed into individual release mechanisms according to well-established desorption kinetics. The analysis showed that the pebble composition of the tested samples does not severely change the release behaviour. Yet, an increased content of lithium metatitanate leads to additional desorption peaks at medium temperatures. The majority of tritium is released by high temperature release mechanisms of chemisorbed tritium, while the release of physisorbed tritium is marginal in comparison. The results allow valuable projections for the tritium release behaviour in a fusion blanket.

An aqueous lithium salt blanket option for fusion power reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steiner, D.; Varsamis, G. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (USA). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics); Deutsch, L.; Rathke, J. (Grumman Corp., Bethpage, NY (USA). Advanced Energy Systems); Gierszewski, P. (Canadian Fusion Fuels Technology Project (CFFTP), Mississauga, ON (Canada))

1989-04-01

An aqueous lithium salt blanket (ALSB) concept is proposed which could be the basis for either a power reactor blanket or a test module in an engineering test reactor. The design is based on an austenitic stainless steel structure, a beryllium multiplier, and a salt breeder concentration of about 32 g LiNO/sub 3/ per 100 cm/sup 3/ of H/sub 2/O. To limit tritium release rates, the salt breeder solution is separated from the water coolant circuit. The overall tritium system cost for a 2400 MW (fusion power) reactor is estimated to be 180 million Dollar US87 installed. (orig.).

Manufacturing aspects in the design of the breeder unit for Helium Cooled Pebble Bed blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rey, J.; Ihli, T.; Filsinger, D.; Polixa, C.

2007-01-01

The breeding blanket programme has been in the focus of European fusion research for more than a decade. Recently, it has been driven by the EU Power Plant Conceptual Study (PPCS), investigating the potential of fusion energy in a future economic environment. On the way to the first commercial nuclear fusion reactor (DEMO) new studies for reactor in-vessel components have been initiated. One central focus is the design and manufacturing of the blankets that have to ensure the breeding process to maintain the fuel cycle and are also responsible for the extraction of the main part of the reactor heat for power generation. Two kinds are established: One is the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) and the other the Helium Cooled Liquid Lead (HCLL) blanket. Both designs employ three different cooling plate assemblies. The outer, cooled U-shaped shell, namely the First Wall (FW), with two caps builds the blanket box. The structural strength of the blanket box is realized by integrating Stiffening Grids (SG) that separate the equally spaced Breeder Unit (BU) and allow the box, in case of faulted conditions, to withstand an internal pressure of 8 MPa. The cooled SG constitute the side walls of the BU and are also cooled. The BU consists of a dedicated Cooling Plate (CP) assembly. In present studies about the fabrication of Cooling Plates two kinds of diffusion welding processes are focused on. One is based on a Hot Isostatic Gas Process (HIP). The second is a uni-axial Diffusion Welding Process (DWP). In both cases the bond between the two halves of the cooling plate structure is reached by controlled pressure and heat cycles. Approaching larger, realistic scaled components the uncertainty of ensuring uniform process parameters across the bonding zone increases the risk of defect sources and, therefore, makes it difficult to guarantee the required bonding penetration. This study presents an alternative manufacturing strategy. The premises for this strategy are the reduction of

Accelerator molten-salt breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Kazuo; Kuroi, Hideo; Kato, Yoshio; Oomichi, Toshihiko.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To obtain fission products and to transmute transuranium elements and other radioactive wastes by the use of Accelerator Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor. Constitution: Beams from an accelerator pipe at one end of a target vessel is injected through a window into target molten salts filled inside of the target vessel. The target molten salts are subjected to pump recycling or spontaneous convection while forcively cooled by blanket molten salts in an outer vessel. Then, energy is recovered from the blanket molten salts or the target molten salts at high temperatures through electric power generation or the like. Those salts containing such as thorium 232 and uranium 238 are used as the blanket molten salts so that fission products may be produced by neutrons generated in the target molten salts. PbCl 2 -PbF 2 and LiF-BeF 2 -ThF 4 can be used as the target molten salts and as the blanket molten salts respectively. (Seki, T.)

Overview of R and D at TLK for process and analytical issues on tritium management in breeder blankets of ITER and DEMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demange, D.; Alecu, C.G.; Bekris, N.; Borisevich, O.; Bornschein, B.; Fischer, S.; Gramlich, N.; Köllö, Z.; Le, T.L.; Michling, R.; Priester, F.; Röllig, M.; Schlösser, M.; Stämmler, S.; Sturm, M.; Wagner, R.; Welte, S.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We present advanced processes and analytics to improve tritium management. ► Membranes and membrane reactors can minimise tritium residence time and inventory. ► Spectroscopic methods can ensure on-line and near to real time tritium measurement. - Abstract: Safe, reliable, and efficient tritium management in the breeder blanket will have to face unprecedented technological challenges. Beside the efficiency for tritium recovery from the breeder blanket (Tritium Extraction (TES) and Coolant Purification Systems (CPS)), the accuracy for tritium tracking between the inner and the outer fuel cycle must also be demonstrated. This paper focuses on the recent R and D carried out at the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe to tackle these issues. For ITER, the recently consolidated TES and CPS designs comprise adsorption columns and getter beds operated in semi-continuous mode. Different approaches for the tritium accountancy stage (TAS) have been evaluated. Balancing static (batch-wise gas collection at the TBM outlets and the tritium plant) or dynamic (in/on-line) approaches with respect to the expected analytical performances and integration issues, the first conceptual design of the TAS for EU TBMs is presented. For DEMO, the overall strategy for tritium recovery and tracking has been revisited. The necessity for on-line real-time tritium accountancy and improved process efficiency suggest the use of continuous processes such as permeator and catalytic membrane reactor. The main benefits combining the PERMCAT process with advanced membranes is discussed with respect to process improvements and facilitated accountancy using spectroscopic methods.

Fusion blanket design and optimization techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

2005-01-01

In fusion reactors, the blanket design and its characteristics have a major impact on the reactor performance, size, and economics. The selection and arrangement of the blanket materials, dimensions of the different blanket zones, and different requirements of the selected materials for a satisfactory performance are the main parameters, which define the blanket performance. These parameters translate to a large number of variables and design constraints, which need to be simultaneously considered in the blanket design process. This represents a major design challenge because of the lack of a comprehensive design tool capable of considering all these variables to define the optimum blanket design and satisfying all the design constraints for the adopted figure of merit and the blanket design criteria. The blanket design techniques of the First Wall/Blanket/Shield Design and Optimization System (BSDOS) have been developed to overcome this difficulty and to provide the state-of-the-art techniques and tools for performing blanket design and analysis. This report describes some of the BSDOS techniques and demonstrates its use. In addition, the use of the optimization technique of the BSDOS can result in a significant blanket performance enhancement and cost saving for the reactor design under consideration. In this report, examples are presented, which utilize an earlier version of the ITER solid breeder blanket design and a high power density self-cooled lithium blanket design for demonstrating some of the BSDOS blanket design techniques

Tritons and tritides as the solute and diffusing species in ceramic tritium breeders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, A.K.; Johnson, C.E.

1987-01-01

Intragranular diffusion of tritium is an inherent participant in the process of releasing tritium from lithium-containing ceramics that are used to breed tritium in a fusion reactor. The nature of this transport is reviewed in terms of the understanding established for the mechanism of hydrogen migration in other oxides, namely, that the diffusing species is the proton and that it moves from oxide ion to oxide ion, thereby giving rise to apparent hydroxide migration. Analogously, the triton, transiently bonded to successive oxides and forming successive tritoxides, is taken to be the dominant migrating species in ceramic breeders. In addition, tritide becomes a significant participant at low oxygen activity. The relationship of tritons and tritides as the migrating species to the observed release of both reduced and oxidized forms can be understood in terms of the thermodynamic conditions that prevail. Mechanisms exist that can be proposed to rationalize the participation of these species

TOKOPS: Tokamak Reactor Operations Study: The influence of reactor operations on the design and performance of tokamaks with solid-breeder blankets: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conn, R.W.; Ghoniem, N.M.; Firestone, M.A.

1986-09-01

Reactor system operation and procedures have a profound impact on the conception and design of power plants. These issues are studied here using a model tokamak system employing a solid-breeder blanket. The model blanket is one which has evolved from the STARFIRE and BCSS studies. The reactor parameters are similar to those characterizing near-term fusion engineering reactors such as INTOR or NET (Next European Tokamak). Plasma startup, burn analysis, and methods for operation at various levels of output power are studied. A critical, and complicating, element is found to be the self-consistent electromagnetic response of the system, including the presence of the blanket and the resulting forces and loadings. Fractional power operation, and the strategy for burn control, is found to vary depending on the scaling law for energy confinement, and an extensive study is reported. Full-power reactor operation is at a neutron wall loading pf 5 MW/m 2 and a surface heat flux of 1 MW/m 2 . The blanket is a pressurized steel module with bare beryllium rods and low-activation HT-9-(9-C-) clad LiAlO 2 rods. The helium coolant pressure is 5 MPa, entering the module at 297 0 C and exiting at 550 0 C. The system power output is rated at 1000 MW(e). In this report, we present our findings on various operational scenarios and their impact on system design. We first start with the salient aspects of operational physics. Time-dependent analyses of the blanket and balance of plant are then presented. Separate abstracts are included for each chapter

Tritium transport analysis for CFETR WCSB blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Pinghui, E-mail: phzhao@mail.ustc.edu.cn; Yang, Wanli; Li, Yuanjie; Ge, Zhihao; Nie, Xingchen; Gao, Zhongping

2017-01-15

Highlights: • A simplified tritium transport model for CFETR WCSB blanket was developed. • Tritium transport process in CFETR WCSB blanket was analyzed. • Sensitivity analyses of tritium transport parameters were carried out. - Abstract: Water Cooled Solid Breeder (WCSB) blanket was put forward as one of the breeding blanket candidate schemes for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). In this study, a simplified tritium transport model was developed. Based on the conceptual engineering design, neutronics and thermal-hydraulic analyses of CFETR WCSB blanket, tritium transport process was analyzed. The results show that high tritium concentration and inventory exist in primary water loop and total tritium losses exceed CFETR limits under current conditions. Conducted were sensitivity analyses of influential parameters, including tritium source, temperature, flow-rate capacity and surface condition. Tritium performance of WCSB blanket can be significantly improved under a smaller tritium impinging rate, a larger flow-rate capacity or a better surface condition. This work provides valuable reference for the enhancement of tritium transport behavior in CFETR WCSB blanket.

Optimization of mass-production conditions for tritium breeder pebbles based on slurry droplet wetting method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Yi-Hyun, E-mail: yhpark@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Min, Kyung-Mi; Ahn, Mu-Young; Cho, Seungyon; Lee, Young-Min [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sang-Jin; Danish, Rehan; Lim, Chul-Hwan; Jo, Yong-Dae [IVT Co., Ltd., Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • An automatic dispensing system was developed to improve uniformity and production rate of breeder pebbles. • The production rate of this system for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was estimated at 50 kg/year. • The optimization of dispensing and sintering conditions for the mass-production of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was conducted. • Integrity of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was able to be ensured during mass-production process, especially during batch process. - Abstract: Lithium metatitanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) is being considered as tritium breeding material for solid-type breeding blanket, which are used in pebble-bed form. The total amount of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles in Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is approximately 80 kg. Furthermore, DEMO reactor requires a great deal of breeder pebbles. Therefore, the development of mass-production system for breeder pebbles is necessary. The slurry droplet wetting method was adopted in the mass-production process for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles, which had been developed in Korea. In this method, an automatic slurry dispensing system is one of the key apparatuses because the uniformity of pebbles and production rate are able to be improved. The system was successfully manufactured, which was consisted of a dispensing unit for instillation of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} slurry, a glycerin bath for hardening of droplets, and an automatic maintaining unit for constant distance between syringe needle and glycerin surface. The production rate of this system for Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble was estimated at 50 kg/year. In this study, it was investigated that the effect of dispensing and sintering conditions on the mass-production of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles.

Tritium adsorption/release behaviour of advanced EU breeder pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolb, Matthias H.H., E-mail: matthias.kolb@kit.edu; Rolli, Rolf; Knitter, Regina

2017-06-15

The tritium loading of current grades of advanced ceramic breeder pebbles with three different lithium orthosilicate (LOS)/lithium metatitanate (LMT) compositions (20–30 mol% LMT in LOS) and pebbles of EU reference material, was performed in a consistent way. The temperature dependent release of the introduced tritium was subsequently investigated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments to gain insight into the desorption characteristics. The obtained TPD data was decomposed into individual release mechanisms according to well-established desorption kinetics. The analysis showed that the pebble composition of the tested samples does not severely change the release behaviour. Yet, an increased content of lithium metatitanate leads to additional desorption peaks at medium temperatures. The majority of tritium is released by high temperature release mechanisms of chemisorbed tritium, while the release of physisorbed tritium is marginal in comparison. The results allow valuable projections for the tritium release behaviour in a fusion blanket.

Fusion breeder: its potential role and prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.

1981-01-01

The fusion breeder is a concept that utilizes 14 MeV neutrons from D + T → n(14.1 MeV) + α(3.5 MeV) fusion reactions to produce more fuel than the tritium (T) needed to sustain the fusion process. This excess fuel production capacity is used to produce fissile material (Pu-239 or U-233) for subsequent use in fission reactors. We are concentrating on a class of blankets we call fission suppressed. The blanket is the region surrounding the fusion plasma in which fusion neutrons interact to produce fuel and heat. The fission-suppressed blanket uses non-fission reactions (mainly (n,2n) or (n,n't)) to generate excess neutrons for the production of net fuel. This is in contrast to the fast fission class of blankets which use (n,fiss) reactions to generate excess neutrons. Fusion reactors with fast fission blankets are commony known as fusion-fission hybrids because they combine fusion and fission in the same device

Overview of the Last Progresses for the European Test Blanket Modules Projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salavy, J.-F.; Rampal, G.; Boccaccini, L.V.; Meyder, R.; Neuberger, H.; Laesser, R.; Poitevin, Y.; Zmitko, M.; Rigal, E.

2006-01-01

The long-term objective of the EU Breeding Blankets programme is the development of DEMO breeding blankets, which shall assure tritium self-sufficiency, an economically attractive use of the heat produced inside the blankets for electricity generation and a sufficiently high shielding of the superconducting magnets for long time operation. In the short-term so-called DEMO relevant Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) of these breeder blanket concepts shall be designed, manufactured, tested, installed, commissioned and operated in ITER for first tests in a fusion environment. The Helium Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) breeder blanket and the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) concepts are the two breeder blanket lines presently developed by the EU. The main objective of the EU test strategy related to TBMs in ITER is to provide the necessary information for the design and fabrication of breeding blankets for a future DEMO reactor. EU TBMs shall therefore use the same structural and functional materials, apply similar fabrication technologies, and test adequate processes and components. This paper gives an overview of the last progresses in terms of system design, calculations, test program, safety and R-and-D done these last two years in order to cope with the ambitious objective to introduce two EU TBM systems for day-1 of ITER operation. The engineering design of the two systems is mostly concluded and the priority is now on the development and qualification of the fabrication technologies. From calculations point of view, the last modelling efforts related to the thermal-hydraulic of the first wall, the tritium behaviour, and the box thermal and mechanical resistance in accidental conditions are presented. Last features of the TBM and cooling system designs and integration in ITER reactor are highlighted. In particular, this paper also describes the safety and licensing analyses performed for each concept to be able to include the TBM systems in the ITER preliminary safety report

Neutronic studies of a 233U breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, L.F.; Maniscalco, J.A.

1978-09-01

Neutronic calculations have been carried out to design a laser fusion driven hybrid blanket which maximizes 233 U production per unit of thermal energy (>1 kg/MW/sub T/-year) with acceptable fusion energy multiplication (M/sub F/ approx. 4). Two hybrid blankets, a thorium and a uranium--thorium blanket, are discussed in detail and their performance is evaluated by incorporating them into an existing hybrid design (the LLL/Bechtel design). The performance of these two blankets is discussed in terms of their energy multiplication, tritium breeding and fissile fuel production. The neutronic calculations have been done for two neutron libraries, the ENDF/B-IV and the ENDL with differences no larger than 10% in the results. An estimate is given of the number of equivalent thermal power fission reactors (LWR, HWR, SSCR, and HTGR) that these fusion breeders can fuel

Achievements of element technology development for breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enoeda, Mikio

2005-03-01

Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has been performing the development of breeding blanket for fusion power plant, as a leading institute of the development of solid breeder blankets, according to the long-term R and D program of the blanket development established by the Fusion Council of Japan in 1999. This report is an overview of development plan, achievements of element technology development and future prospect and plan of the development of the solid breeding blanket in JAERI. In this report, the mission of the blanket development activity in JAERI, key issues and roadmap of the blanket development have been clarified. Then, achievements of the element technology development were summarized and showed that the development has progressed to enter the engineering testing phase. The specific development target and plan were clarified with bright prospect. Realization of the engineering test phase R and D and completion of ITER test blanket module testing program, with universities/NIFS cooperation, are most important steps in the development of breeding blanket of fusion power demonstration plant. (author)

Nuclear, thermo-mechanical and tritium release analysis of ITER breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosaku, Yasuo; Kuroda, Toshimasa; Enoeda, Mikio; Hatano, Toshihisa; Sato, Satoshi; Miki, Nobuharu; Akiba, Masato

2003-06-01

The design of the breeding blanket in ITER applies pebble bed breeder in tube (BIT) surrounded by multiplier pebble bed. It is assumed to use the same module support mechanism and coolant manifolds and coolant system as the shielding blankets. This work focuses on the verification of the design of the breeding blanket, from the viewpoints which is especially unique to the pebble bed type breeding blanket, such as, tritium breeding performance, tritium inventory and release behavior and thermo-mechanical performance of the ITER breeding blanket. With respect to the neutronics analysis, the detailed analyses of the distribution of the nuclear heating rate and TBR have been performed in 2D model using MCNP to clarify the input data for the tritium inventory and release rate analyses and thermo-mechanical analyses. With respect to the tritium inventory and release behavior analysis, the parametric analyses for selection of purge gas flow rate were carried out from the view point of pressure drop and the tritium inventory/release performance for Li 2 TiO 3 breeder. The analysis result concluded that purge gas flow rate can be set to conventional flow rate setting (88 l/min per module) to 1/10 of that to save the purge gas flow and minimize the size of purge gas pipe. However, it is necessary to note that more tritium is transformed to HTO (chemical form of water) in case of Li 2 TiO 3 compared to other breeder materials. With respect to the thermo-mechanical analyses of the pebble bed blanket structure, the analyses have been performed by ABAQUS with 2D model derived from one of eight facets of a blanket module, based on the reference design. Analyses were performed to identify the temperature distribution incorporating the pebble bed mechanical simulation and influence of mechanical behavior to the thermal behavior. The result showed that the maximum temperature in the breeding material was 617degC in the first row of breeding rods and the minimum temperature was 328

Limitations on blanket performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malang, S.

1999-01-01

The limitations on the performance of breeding blankets in a fusion power plant are evaluated. The breeding blankets will be key components of a plant and their limitations with regard to power density, thermal efficiency and lifetime could determine to a large degree the attractiveness of a power plant. The performance of two rather well known blanket concepts under development in the frame of the European Blanket Programme is assessed and their limitations are compared with more advanced (and more speculative) concepts. An important issue is the question of which material (structure, breeder, multiplier, coatings) will limit the performance and what improvement would be possible with a 'better' structural material. This evaluation is based on the premise that the performance of the power plant will be limited by the blankets (including first wall) and not by other components, e.g. divertors, or the plasma itself. However, the justness of this premise remains to be seen. It is shown that the different blanket concepts cover a large range of allowable power densities and achievable thermal efficiencies, and it is concluded that there is a high incentive to go for better performance in spite of possibly higher blanket cost. However, such high performance blankets are usually based on materials and technologies not yet developed and there is a rather high risk that the development could fail. Therefore, it is explained that a part of the development effort should be devoted to concepts where the materials and technologies are more or less in hand in order to ensure that blankets for a DEMO reactor can be developed and tested in a given time frame. (orig.)

A comparison of fusion breeder/fission client and fission breeder/fission client systems for electrical energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Land, R.J.; Parish, T.A.

1983-01-01

A parametric study that evaluated the economic performance of breeder/client systems is described. The linkage of the breeders to the clients was modelled using the stockpile approach to determine the system doubling time. Since the actual capital costs of the breeders are uncertain, a precise prediction of the cost of a breeder was not attempted. Instead, the breakeven capital cost of a breeder relative to the capital cost of a client reactor was established by equating the cost of electricity from the breeder/client system to the cost of a system consisting of clients alone. Specific results are presented for two breeder/client systems. The first consisted of an LMFBR with LWR clients. The second consisted of a DT fusion reactor (with a 238 U fission suppressed blanket) with LWR clients. The economics of each system was studied as a function of the cost of fissile fuel from a conventional source. Generally, the LMFBR/LWR system achieved relatively small breakeven capital cost ratios; the maximum ratio computed was 2.2 (achieved at approximately triple current conventional fissile material cost). The DTFR/LWR system attained a maximum breakeven capital cost ratio of 4.5 (achieved at the highest plasma quality (ignited device) and triple conventional fissile cost)

Impact of material system thermomechanics and thermofluid performance on He-cooled ceramic breeder blanket designs with SiCf/SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ying, Alice Y.; Yokomine, Takehiko; Shimizu, Akihiko; Abdou, Mohamed; Kohyama, Akira

2004-01-01

This paper presents results from a recent effort initiated under the JUPITER-II collaborative program for high temperature gas-cooled blanket systems using SiC f /SiC as a structural material. Current emphasis is to address issues associated with the function of the helium gas considered in the DREAM and ARIES-I concepts by performing thermomechanical and thermofluid analysis. The objective of the analysis is to guide future research focus for a task in the project. It is found that the DREAM concept has the advantage of achieving uniform temperature without threatening blanket pebble bed integrity by differential thermal stress. However, its superiority needs to be further justified by investigating the feasibility and economic issues involved in the tritium extraction technology

Impact of material system thermomechanics and thermofluid performance on He-cooled ceramic breeder blanket designs with SiCf/SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ying, A.Y.; Abdou, M.; Yokomine, T.; Shimizu, A.; Kohyama, A.

2008-01-01

This paper presents results from a recent effort initiated under the JUPITER-II collaborative program for high temperature gas-cooled blanket systems using SiC/SiC as a structural material. Current emphasis is to address issues associated with the function of the helium gas considered in the DREAM and ARIES-I concepts by performing thermomechanical and thermofluid analysis. The objective of the analysis is to guide future research focus for a task in the project. It is found that the DREAM concept has the advantage of achieving uniform temperature without threatening blanket pebble bed integrity by differential thermal stress. However, its superiority needs to be further justified by investigating the feasibility and economic issues involved in the tritium extraction technology. (author)

One- and two-dimensional heating analyses of fusion synfuel blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, J.S.K.; Lazareth, O.W.; Powell, J.R.

1979-01-01

Comparisons between one- and two-dimensional neutronics and heating analyses were performed on a Brookhaven designed fusion reactor blanket featuring synthetic fuel production. In this two temperature region blanket design, the structural shell is stainless steel. The interior of the module is a packed ball of high temperature ceramic material. The low temperature shell and the high temperature ceramic interior are separately cooled. Process steam (approx. 1500 0 C) is then produced in the ceramic core for the producion of H 2 and H 2 -based synthetic fuels by a high temperature electrolysis (HTE) process

Overview of design and R and D of solid breeder TBM in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, K.M.; Pan, C.H.; Zhang, G.S.; Yuan, T.; Chen, Z.; Zhao, Z.; Liu, H.B.; Li, Z.Q.; Hu, G.; Wang, X.Y.; Ye, X.F.; Luo, D.L.; Wang, H.Y.; Zhou, Z.W.; Gao, C.M.; Chen, Y.J.; Wang, P.H.; Cao, Q.X.; Wang, Q.J.

2008-01-01

Testing of breeding blanket module (TBM) is one of ITER's important objectives. China is performing design and technology development of ITER TBMs based on the development strategy of fusion DEMO in China. Solid breeder with helium-cooled test blanket module concept for test in ITER should be the basic option in China. The progress and status of China helium-cooled solid breeder (CH HCSB) TBM since 2004 are introduced briefly. Concept designs of HCSB TBM and ancillary systems, test strategy for their tests in ITER, key R and D issues are summarized in this paper. An international collaboration in R and D, development and testing of TBMs are proposed

Tritium breeders and tritium permeation barrier coatings for fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamawaki, Michio; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko

2004-01-01

A state of R and D of tritium breeders and tritium permeation barrier coatings for fusion reactor is explained. A list of candidate for tritium breeders consists of ceramics containing lithium, for examples, Li 2 O, Li 2 TiO 3 , Li 2 ZrO 3 , Li 4 SiO 4 and LiAlO 2 . The characteristics and form are described. The optimum particle size is from 1 to 10 μm. The production technologies of tritium breeders in the world are stated. Characteristics of ceramics with lithium as tritium breeders are compared. TiC, TiN/TiC, Al 2 O 3 and Cr 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -P 2 O 5 are tritium permeation barrier coating materials. These production methods and evaluation of characteristics are explained. (S.Y.)

Design analyses of self-cooled liquid metal blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

1986-12-01

A trade-off study of liquid metal self-cooled blankets was carried out to define the performance of these blankets and to determine the potential to operate at the maximum possible values of the performance parameters. The main parameters considered during the course of the study were the tritium breeding ratio (TBR), the blanket energy multiplication factor, the energy fraction lost to the shield, the lithium-6 enrichment in the breeder material, the total blanket thickness, the reflector material selection, and the compositions of the different blanket zones. Also, a study was carried out to assess the impact of different reactor design choices on the reactor performance parameters. The design choices include the impurity control system (limiter or divertor), the material choice for the limiter, the elimination of tritium breeding from the inboard section of tokamak reactors, and the coolant choice for the nonbreeding inboard blanket. In addition, tritium breeding benchmark calculations were performed using different transport codes and nuclear data libraries. The importance of the TBR in the blanket design motivated the benchmark calculations

Neutronic analysis of graphite-moderated solid breeder design for INTOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, J.; Abdou, M.A.

1981-01-01

An in-depth analysis of the INTOR tritium-production-blanket design is presented. A ternary system of solid silicate breeder, lead neutron multiplier, and graphite moderator is explored primary from safety and blanket tritium-inventory considerations. Lithium-silicate (Li 2 SiO 3 ) breeder systems are studied along with water (H 2 O/D 2 O) and Type 316 stainless steel as coolant and structural material, respectively. The analysis examines the neutronics effects on tritium-production regarding: (1) coolant choice; (2) moderator choice; (3) moderator location; (4) multiplier thickness; (5) 6 Li enrichment; and (6) 6 Li burnup. The tritium-breeding-blanket modules are located at the top, outboard, and bottom (outer) parts of the torus, resulting in a breeding coverage of approx. 60% at the first-wall surface. It is found that the reference INTOR design yields, based on a three-dimensional analysis, a net tritium breeding ratio (BR) of approx. 0.65 at the beginning of reactor operation, satisfying the design criterion of BR > 0.6

Analysis of tritium behaviour and recovery from a water-cooled Pb17Li blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malara, C.; Casini, G.; Viola, A.

1995-01-01

The question of the tritium recovery in water-cooled Pb17Li blankets has been under investigation for several years at JRC Ispra. The method which has been more extensively analysed is that of slowly circulating the breeder out from the blanket units and of extracting the tritium from it outside the plasma vacuum vessel by helium gas purging or vacuum degassing in a suited process apparatus. A computerized model of the tritium behaviour in the blanket units and in the extraction system was developed. It includes four submodels: (1) tritium permeation process from the breeder to the cooling water as a function of the local operative conditions (tritium concentration in Pb17Li, breeder temperature and flow rate); (2) tritium mass balance in each breeding unit; (3) tritium desorption from the breeder material to the gas phase of the extraction system; (4) tritium extraction efficiency as a function of the design parameters of the recovery apparatus. In the present paper, on the basis of this model, a parametric study of the tritium permeation rate in the cooling water and of the tritium inventory in the blanket is carried out. Results are reported and discussed in terms of dimensionless groups which describe the relative effects of the overall resistance on tritium transfer to the cooling water (with and without permeation barriers), circulating Pb17Li flow rate and extraction efficiency of the tritium recovery unit. The parametric study is extended to the recovery unit in the case of tritium extraction by helium purge or vacuum degassing in a droplet spray unit. (orig.)

A promising tritium breeding material: Nanostructured 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic pebbles

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Chen; Yang, Mao; Gong, Yichao; Feng, Lan; Wang, Hailiang; Shi, Yanli; Shi, Qiwu; Qi, Jianqi; Lu, Tiecheng

2018-03-01

As an advanced tritium breeder material for the fusion reactor blanket of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic has attracted widely attention due to its merits. In this paper, the uniform precursor powders were prepared by hydrothermal method, and nanostructured 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 biphasic ceramic pebbles were fabricated by an indirect wet method at the first time. In addition, the composition dependence (x/y) of their microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties were investigated. The results indicated that the crush load of biphasic ceramic pebbles was better than that of single phase ceramic pebbles under identical conditions. The 2Li2TiO3-Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles have good morphology, small grain size (90 nm), satisfactory crush load (37.8 N) and relative density (81.8 %T.D.), which could be a promising breeding material in the future fusion reactor.

Joining of SiC/SiCf ceramic matrix composites for fusion reactor blanket applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colombo, P.; Riccardi, B.; Donato, A.; Scarinci, G.

2000-01-01

Using a preceramic polymer, joints between SiC/SiC f ceramic matrix composites were obtained. The polymer, upon pyrolysis at high temperature, transforms into a ceramic material and develops an adhesive bonding with the composite. The surface morphology of 2D and 3D SiC/SiC f composites did not allow satisfactory results to be obtained by a simple application of the method initially developed for monolithic SiC bodies, which employed the use of a pure silicone resin. Thus, active or inert fillers were mixed with the preceramic polymer, in order to reduce its volumetric shrinkage which occurs during pyrolysis. In particular, the joints realized using the silicone resin with Al-Si powder as reactive additive displayed remarkable shear strength (31.6 MPa maximum). Large standard deviation for the shear strength has nevertheless been measured. The proposed joining method is promising for the realization of fusion reactor blanket structures, even if presently the measured strength values are not fully satisfactory

A review of prospects for an accelerator breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraser, J.S.; Hoffman, C.R.; Schriber, S.O.; Garvey, P.M.; Townes, B.M.

1981-12-01

The scientific feasibility, engineering practicability and economic prospects for an Accelerator Breeder are reviewed. The scientific feasibiliity of high power accelerator components rests on a firm basis as a result of technical advances made in recent years but there is a need to combine all components in a demonstration model working under realistic conditions. The engineering practicability of Accelerator Breeder components should be tested in a staged development culminating in a full-scale demonstration plant. The economic assessment depends on calculations of allowed and estimated capital costs of an Accelerator Breeder for a CANDU system operating on the Th-U fuel cycle. The results indicate that the ratio of estimated to allowed capital cost is approximately 3.5 for a breeder with a 2% enriched uranium metal blanket and for separated U235 valued at 48 $/g

Tritium inventory and permeation in the ITER breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Violante, V.; Tosti, S.; Sibilia, C.; Felli, F.; Casadio, S.; Alvani, C.

2000-01-01

A model has allowed us to perform the analysis of the tritium inventory and permeation in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) breeding blanket under the hypothesis of steady state conditions. Li 2 ZrO 3 (reference) and Li 2 TiO 3 (alternative) have been studied as breeding materials. The total breeder inventory assessed is 7.64 g for the Li 2 ZrO 3 at reference temperature. The model has also been used for a parametric analysis of the tritium permeation. At reference temperature and purge helium velocity of 0.01 m/s, the HT partial pressure is ranging from 10 to 30 Pa in the breeder and 1.5x10 -3 Pa in the beryllium. At 0.1 m/s of purge helium velocity, the HT partial pressure is reduced of one order by magnitude in the breeder and becomes 5x10 -5 Pa in the beryllium. The tritium permeation into the coolant for the whole blanket is ranging from 100 to 250 mCi per day for purge helium velocity of 0.01 m/s. The analysis of the tritium inventory and permeation for the alternative Li 2 TiO 3 breeding material has been carried out too. The tritium inventory in the breeder is in the range from 6 to 375 g larger than in Li 2 ZrO 3 by about a factor 5; the tritium permeation into coolant is comparable to the Li 2 ZrO 3 one. This analysis provides indications on the influence of the operating parameters on the tritium control in the ITER breeding blanket; particularly the control of the tritium inventory by the temperature and the tritium permeation by the purge gas velocity

Status of fusion reactor blanket evaluation studies in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carre, F.; Chevereau, G.; Gervaise, F.; Proust, E.

1985-03-01

In the frame of recent CEA studies aiming at the evaluation and at the comparison of various candidate blanket concepts in moderate power conditions (Psub(n) approximately 2 MW/m 2 ), the present work examines the neutronic and thermomechanical performances of a water cooled Li 17 Pb 83 tubular blanket and those of a helium cooled canister blanket taking advantage of the excellent breeding capability of composite Beryllium/LiAlO 2 (85/15%) breeder elements. The purpose of the following discussion is to justify the impetus for these reference concepts and to summarize the state of their evaluation studies updated by the continuous assimilation of calculations and experiments in progress

Conceptual design and neutronics analyses of a fusion reactor blanket simulation facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beller, D.E.; Ott, K.O.; Terry, W.K.

1987-01-01

A new conceptual design of a fusion reactor blanket simulation facility has been developed. This design follows the principles that have been successfully employed in the Purdue Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBF), where experiments have resulted in the discovery of substantial deficiencies in neutronics predictions. With this design, discrepancies between calculation and experimental data can be nearly fully attributed to calculation methods because design deficiencies that could affect results are insignificant. The conceptual design of this FBBF analog, the Fusion Reactor Blanket Facility, is presented

On blanket concepts of the Helias reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wobig, H.; Harmeyer, E.; Herrnegger, F.; Kisslinger, J.

1999-07-01

The paper discusses various options for a blanket of the Helias reactor HSR22. The Helias reactor is an upgrade version of the Wendelstein 7-X device. The dimensions of the Helias reactor are: major radius 22 m, average plasma radius 1.8 m, magnetic field on axis 4.75 T, maximum field 10 T, number of field periods 5, fusion power 3000 MW. The minimum distance between plasma and coils is 1.5 m, leaving sufficient space for a blanket and shield. Three options of a breeding blanket are discussed taking into account the specific properties of the Helias configuration. Due to the large area of the first wall (2600 m 2 ) the average neutron power load on the first wall is below 1 MWm .2 , which has a strong impact on the blanket performance with respect to lifetime and cooling requirements. A comparison with a tokamak reactor shows that the lifetime of first wall components and blanket components in the Helias reactor is expected to be at least two times longer. The blanket concepts being discussed in the following are: the solid breeder concept (HCPB), the dual-coolant Pb-17Li blanket concept and the water-cooled Pb-17Li concept (WCLL). (orig.)

Experimental program for the Fast Breeder Blanket Facility, FBBF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ott, K.O.; Clikeman, F.M.; Johnson, R.H.; Borg, R.C.

1976-01-01

The work performed in the reporting period was primarily concerned with the development of the experimental program (Task A) and with the pre-analysis of future loadings and the impact upon the permanent loading of the two converter regions, which contain 4.8 percent enriched UO 2 rods. It appears necessary that a neutron poison (B 4 C) be placed in the converter (transformer) regions in order to hold, also for future loadings, the k/sub eff/ of a hypothetically flooded FBBF well below 1. Since it is planned to use the same welded converter regions for all experiments, the required B 4 C loading needs to be determined prior to the first blanket loading. Further the equipment needs have been identified (Task D), the 252 Cf-source has been requested on a loan basis (Task E). First discussions with ANL on blanket experiments have been initiated

Electromagnetic analysis of the Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector test blanket module set

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Youngmin; Ku, Duck Young; Lee, Dong Won; Ahn, Mu-Young; Park, Yi-Hyun; Cho, Seungyon

2016-01-01

Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module set (TBM-set) will be installed at equatorial port #18 of Vacuum Vessel in ITER in order to test the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant. Since ITER tokamak has a set of electromagnetic coils (Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field and Toroidal Field coil set) around Vacuum Vessel, the HCCR TBM-set, the TBM and associated shield, is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. In the case of fast transient electromagnetic events such as major disruption, vertical displacement event or magnet fast discharge, magnetic field and induced eddy current results in huge electromagnetic load, known as Lorentz load, on the HCCR TBM-set. In addition, the TBM-set experiences electromagnetic load due to magnetization of the structural material not only during the fast transient events but also during normal operation since the HCCR TBM adopts Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel as a structural material. This is known as Maxwell load which includes Lorentz load as well as load due to magnetization of structure material. This paper presents electromagnetic analysis results for the HCCR TBM-set. For analysis, a 20° sector finite model was constructed considering ITER configuration such as Vacuum Vessel, ITER shield blankets, Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field, Toroidal Field coil set as well as the HCCR TBM-set. Three major disruptions (operational event, likely event and highly unlikely event) were selected for analysis based on the load specifications. ANSYS-EMAG was used as a calculation tool. The results of EM analysis will be used as input data for the structural analysis.

Electromagnetic analysis of the Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector test blanket module set

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Youngmin, E-mail: ymlee@nfri.re.kr [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ku, Duck Young [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Won [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Mu-Young; Park, Yi-Hyun; Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Korean helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module set (TBM-set) will be installed at equatorial port #18 of Vacuum Vessel in ITER in order to test the breeding blanket performance for forthcoming fusion power plant. Since ITER tokamak has a set of electromagnetic coils (Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field and Toroidal Field coil set) around Vacuum Vessel, the HCCR TBM-set, the TBM and associated shield, is greatly influenced by magnetic field generated by these coils. In the case of fast transient electromagnetic events such as major disruption, vertical displacement event or magnet fast discharge, magnetic field and induced eddy current results in huge electromagnetic load, known as Lorentz load, on the HCCR TBM-set. In addition, the TBM-set experiences electromagnetic load due to magnetization of the structural material not only during the fast transient events but also during normal operation since the HCCR TBM adopts Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel as a structural material. This is known as Maxwell load which includes Lorentz load as well as load due to magnetization of structure material. This paper presents electromagnetic analysis results for the HCCR TBM-set. For analysis, a 20° sector finite model was constructed considering ITER configuration such as Vacuum Vessel, ITER shield blankets, Central Solenoid, Poloidal Field, Toroidal Field coil set as well as the HCCR TBM-set. Three major disruptions (operational event, likely event and highly unlikely event) were selected for analysis based on the load specifications. ANSYS-EMAG was used as a calculation tool. The results of EM analysis will be used as input data for the structural analysis.

First wall and blanket design for the STARFIRE commercial tokamak power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, G.D.; Trachsel, C.A.; Cramer, B.A.; Bowers, D.A.; Smith, D.L.

1979-01-01

The first wall and blanket design concepts being evaluated for the STARFIRE commercial tokamak reactor study are presented. The two concepts represent different approaches to the mechanical design of a tritium breeding blanket using the reference materials options. Each concept has a separate ferritic steel first wall cooled by heavy water (D 2 O), and a ferritic steel blanket with solid lithium oxide breeder cooled by helium. A separate helium purge system is used in both concepts to extract tritium. The two concepts are compared and relative advantages and disadvantages for each are discussed

Thermal response of a pin-type fusion reactor blanket during steady and transient reactor operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grotz, S.; Ghoniem, N.M.

1986-02-01

The thermal analysis of the blanket examines both the steady-state and transient reactor operations. The steady-state analysis covers full power and fractional power operation whereas the transient analysis examines the effects of power ramps and blanket preheat. The blanket configuration chosen for this study is a helium cooled solid breeder design. We first discuss the full power, steady-state temperature fields in the first wall, beryllium rods, and breeder rods. Next we examine the effects of fractional power on coolant flow and temperature field distributions. This includes power plateaus of 10%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 100% of full power. Also examined are the restrictions on the rates of power ramping between plateaus. Finally we discuss the power and time requirements for pre-heating the primary from cold iron conditions up to startup temperature (250 0 C)

The TFTR lithium blanket module program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jassby, D.L.; Bertone, P.C.; Creedon, R.L.; File, J.; Graumann, D.W.

1985-01-01

The Lithium Blanket Module (LBM) is an approximately 80X80X80 cm cubic module, representative of a helium-cooled lithium oxide fusion reactor blanket module, that will be installed on the TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor) in late 1986. The principal objective of the LBM Program is to perform a series of neutron transport and tritium-breeding measurements throughout the LBM when it is exposed to the TFTR toroidal fusion neutron source, and to compare these data with the predictions of Monte Carlo (MCNP) neutronics codes. The LBM consists of 920 2.5-cm diameter breeder rods constructed of lithium oxide (Li 2 O) pellets housed in thin-walled stainless steel tubes. Procedures for mass-producing 25,000 Li 2 O pellets with satisfactory reproducibility were developed using purified Li 2 O powder, and fabrication of all the breeder rods was completed in early 1985. Tritium assay methods were investigated experimentally using both small lithium metal samples and LBM-type pellets. This work demonstrated that the thermal extraction method will be satisfactory for accurate evaluation of the minute concentrations of tritium expected in the LBM pellets (0.1-1nCi/g)

Investigation of tritium inventory and permeation behaviour in the liquid breeder blanket concept of Demo as a function of design and material parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tominetti, S.; Perujo, A.; Reiter, F.

1991-01-01

A numerical code has been used to estimate the time dependence of tritium inventory and of tritium transport into the coolant, into the first wall boxes and through the liquid breeder in the Pb-17Li blanket concept of DEMO. Several issues in both design and material parameters have been considered and the effect on inventory and permeation of coatings with low surface recombination coefficient and/or low diffusivity at various surfaces of the structural material has been studied. TiC has been chosen as reference material for these calculations and a general database on coating efficiency as a function of its properties has also been produced on the basis of TiC data

Trade-off study of liquid metal self-cooled blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

1986-01-01

A trade-off study of liquid metal self-cooled blankets was carried out to define the performance of these blankets and to determine the potential to operate at the maximum possible values of the performance parameters. The main parameters considered during the course of this study were the tritium breeding ratio (TBR), the blanket energy multiplication factor, the energy fraction lost to the shield, the lithium-6 enrichment in the breeder material, the total blanket thickness, the reflector material selection, and the compositions of the different blanket zones. The primary results of the study are as follows: a) the lithium-lead blanket achieves a higher TBR with a smaller blanket thickness relative to the lithium blanket; b) the lithium blanket generates more energy per fusion neutron relative to the lithium-lead blanket; c) among the possible reflector materials, the carbon reflector produces the highest TBR; d) the high-Z reflector materials (Mo, Cu, W, or steel) generate more energy per fusion neutron and produce smaller TBRs relative to the carbon reflector; e) lithium-6 enrichment is required for the lithium-lead blanket to reduce the total blanket thickness; and f) the energy deposition per fusion neutron reaches a saturation as the blanket thickness, the fraction of the high-Z material in the reflector, or the reflector zone thickness increases (this allows one to design the blanket for a specific TBR without reducing the energy production)

Status of the solid breeder materials database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billone, M.C.; Dienst, W.; Lorenzetto, P.; Noda, K.; Roux, N.

1995-01-01

The databases for solid breeder ceramics (Li 2 O, Li 4 SiO 4 , Li 2 ZrO 3 , and LiAlO 2 ) and beryllium multiplier material were critically reviewed and evaluated as part of the ITER/CDA design effort (1988-1990). The results have been documented in a detailed technical report. Emphasis was placed on the physical, thermal, mechanical, chemical stability/compatibility, tritium retention/release, and radiation stability properties which are needed to assess the performance of these materials in a fusion reactor environment. Materials properties correlations were selected for use in design analysis, and ranges for input parameters (e.g., temperature, porosity, etc.) were established. Also, areas for future research and development in blanket materials technology were highlighted and prioritized. For Li 2 O, the most significant increase in the database has come in the area of tritium retention as a function of operating temperature and purge flow composition. The database for postirradiation inventory from purged in-reactor samples has increased from four points to 20 points. These new data have allowed an improvement in understanding and modeling, as well as better interpretation of the results of laboratory annealing studies on unirradiated and irradiated material. In the case of Li 2 ZrO 3 , relatively little data were available on the sensitivity of the mechanical properties of this ternary ceramic to microstructure and moisture content. The increase in the database for this material has allowed not only better characterization of its properties, but also optimization of fabrication parameters to improve its performance. Some additional data are also available for the other two ternary ceramics to aid in the characterization of their performance. In particular, the thermal performance of these materials, as well as beryllium, in packed-bed form has been measured and characterized

Direct LiT Electrolysis in a Metallic Fusion Blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olson, Luke [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-09-30

A process that simplifies the extraction of tritium from molten lithium-based breeding blankets was developed. The process is based on the direct electrolysis of lithium tritide using a ceramic Li ion conductor that replaces the molten salt extraction step. Extraction of tritium in the form of lithium tritide in the blankets/targets of fusion/fission reactors is critical in order to maintain low concentrations. This is needed to decrease the potential tritium permeation to the surroundings and large releases from unforeseen accident scenarios. Extraction is complicated due to required low tritium concentration limits and because of the high affinity of tritium for the blanket. This work identified, developed and tested the use of ceramic lithium ion conductors capable of recovering hydrogen and deuterium through an electrolysis step at high temperatures.

Direct LiT Electrolysis in a Metallic Fusion Blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, Luke

2016-01-01

A process that simplifies the extraction of tritium from molten lithium-based breeding blankets was developed. The process is based on the direct electrolysis of lithium tritide using a ceramic Li ion conductor that replaces the molten salt extraction step. Extraction of tritium in the form of lithium tritide in the blankets/targets of fusion/fission reactors is critical in order to maintain low concentrations. This is needed to decrease the potential tritium permeation to the surroundings and large releases from unforeseen accident scenarios. Extraction is complicated due to required low tritium concentration limits and because of the high affinity of tritium for the blanket. This work identified, developed and tested the use of ceramic lithium ion conductors capable of recovering hydrogen and deuterium through an electrolysis step at high temperatures.

Numerical and experimental characterization of ceramic pebble beds under cycling mechanical loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pupeschi, S., E-mail: pupeschi.simone@hotmail.it [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Knitter, R.; Kamlah, M. [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Gan, Y. [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006 (Australia)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The effect of cyclic loading on the mechanical response of pebble beds was assessed. • Numerical simulations were performed with KIT-DEM code. • The numerical simulations were compared with the experimental outcomes. • A good qualitative agreement between experimental and simulation results was found. • The pebble size distribution affects the mechanical response of the assemblies. - Abstract: All solid breeder concepts considered to be tested in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), make use of lithium-based ceramics in the form of pebble-packed beds as tritium breeder. A thorough understanding of the thermal and mechanical properties of the ceramic pebble beds under fusion relevant conditions is essential for the design of the breeder blanket modules of future fusion reactors. In this study, the effect of cyclic loading on the mechanical behaviour of pebble bed assemblies was investigated using a Discrete Element Method (DEM) code. The numerical simulations were compared with the experimental outcomes. The results of numerical simulations show that the pebble size distribution affects noticeably the stress-strain behaviour of the assemblies. A good qualitative agreement between experimental and simulation results was found in terms of difference between residual strains of consecutive cycles. An increase of the oedometric modulus with the compressive load was observed for all investigated compositions in both experimental and DEM simulations. The numerical results show an increase of the oedometric modulus (E) with progressive compaction of the assemblies due to the cycling loading, while no significant influence of the pebbles size distribution was observed.

A methodology for accident analysis of fusion breeder blankets and its application to helium-cooled lead–lithium blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panayotov, Dobromir; Poitevin, Yves; Grief, Andrew; Trow, Martin; Dillistone, Michael

2016-01-01

'Fusion for Energy' (F4E) is designing, developing, and implementing the European Helium-Cooled Lead-Lithium (HCLL) and Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) Test Blanket Systems (TBSs) for ITER (Nuclear Facility INB-174). Safety demonstration is an essential element for the integration of these TBSs into ITER and accident analysis is one of its critical components. A systematic approach to accident analysis has been developed under the F4E contract on TBS safety analyses. F4E technical requirements, together with Amec Foster Wheeler and INL efforts, have resulted in a comprehensive methodology for fusion breeding blanket accident analysis that addresses the specificity of the breeding blanket designs, materials, and phenomena while remaining consistent with the approach already applied to ITER accident analyses. Furthermore, the methodology phases are illustrated in the paper by its application to the EU HCLL TBS using both MELCOR and RELAP5 codes.

Fission-suppressed hybrid reactor: the fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.; Lee, J.D.; Coops, M.S.

1982-12-01

Results of a conceptual design study of a 233 U-producing fusion breeder are presented. The majority of the study was devoted to conceptual design and evaluation of a fission-suppressed blanket and to fuel cycle issues such as fuel reprocessing, fuel handling, and fuel management. Studies in the areas of fusion engineering, reactor safety, and economics were also performed

Lay-out of the He-cooled solid breeder model B in the European power plant conceptual study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Malang, S.; Fischer, U.; Gordeev, S.

2003-01-01

The European helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) blanket concept is the basis for one of two limited-extrapolation plant models that are being elaborated within the European power plant conceptual study (PPCS). In addition to addressing the case for fusion safety and environmental compatibility, following earlier studies like SEAFP or SEAL, this reactor study puts emphasis on plant availability and economic viability, which are closely related to specific plant models and require a detailed lay-out of the fusion power core and a consideration of the overall plant (balance of plant). Within the development of in-vessel components for the plant model, the major tasks to be carried out were: (i) adaptation of the HCPB concept--featuring separate pebble beds of ceramic breeder and Beryllium neutron multiplier and reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steel EUROFER as structural material--to the large module segmentation chosen for reasons of plant availability in part II of the PPCS; (ii) proposal of a concept for a Helium cooled divertor compatible with a maximum of 10 MW/m 2 heat flux to satisfy the requirements of reasonably extrapolated plasma physics; (iii) lay-out of the major plant model components and integration into the in-vessel dimensions found from system code calculations for a power plant of 1500 MW electrical output and iterated data on the plant model performance. The paper defines all major in-vessel components of plant model B, as it is called in the PPCS, namely (i) the unit of FW, blanket and high temperature shield that is to be replaced regularly; (ii) the low temperature shield that is laid out as a lifetime component of the reactor; (iii) the divertor; and (iv) the in-vessel manifolding. Results are presented for the thermal-hydraulic performance of the components and for the thermal-mechanical behaviour of the blanket and the divertor target plate. These results suggest, together with results from the wider exploration of the plant model within

Progress on solid breeder TBM at SWIP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, K.M.; Pan, C.H.; Zhang, G.S.; Luo, T.Y.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, Y.J.; Ye, X.F.; Hu, G.; Wang, P.H.; Yuan, T.; Feng, Y.J.; Xiang, B.; Zhang, L.; Wang, Q.J.; Cao, Q.X.; Li, Z.X.; Wang, F.

2010-01-01

Current progress on the design and R and D of Chinese helium-cooled solid breeder test blanket module, CN HCSB TBM is presented. The updated design on structural, neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and safety analysis has been completed. In order to accommodate the HCSB TBM ancillary system, the design and necessary R and Ds corresponding sub-systems have being developed. Current status on the development of function materials, structure material and the helium test loop are also presented. The Chinese low-activation ferritic/martensitic steels CLF-1, which is the structural material for the HCSB TBM is being manufactured by industry. The neutron multiplier Be and tritium breeder Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles are being prepared in laboratory scale.

The Test Blanket Modules project in Europe: From the strategy to the technical plan over next ten years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poitevin, Y.; Zmitko, M.; Orco, G. dell; Laesser, R.; Diegele, E.; Sundstroem, J.; Boccaccini, L.; Salavy, J.-F.

2006-01-01

The testing of Breeding Blanket concepts in ITER is recognized as an essential milestone in the development of a future reactor ensuring tritium self-sufficiency, extraction of high grade heat and electricity production. Europe is currently developing two reference breeding blankets for DEMO reactor specifications that will be tested in ITER: the Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) blanket which uses the eutectic Pb-15. 7 Li as both breeder and neutron multiplier, and the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) blanket which features lithiated ceramic pebbles (Li 4 SiO 4 or Li 2 TiO 3 ) as breeder and beryllium pebbles as neutron multiplier. Both blankets are using the pressurized He technology for heat extraction (8 MPa, inlet/outlet temperature 300/500 o C) and a 9% CrWVTa Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel as structural material, the EUROFER. Referring to the so called '' fast-track '' EU scenario, those concepts are intended to be tested in ITER, getting the maximum of information required for launching the DEMO blanket design and construction after the first 10 years of ITER operation. For that, the EU has adopted a blanket testing strategy based on the development of Test Blanket Modules (TBMs) that are expected to use DEMO relevant technologies and are designed for each ITER plasma phase to optimize the feedback and to avoid any impact on ITER availability. Following the decision on ITER construction, the EU has reviewed and detailed the fundamental elements for an implementation of the future EU TBMs Project aimed at delivering TBMs Systems to ITER under suitable schedule and acceptance standards. For that the following items have been analyzed in detail and are reported in the present paper: · Impact of the ITER environment (design, standards, schedule, operational scheme) on the TBM systems design and development plan · Project technical plan with focus on the next ten years up to the installation of the first TBMs in ITER · Project risk

Potential use of thorium through fusion breeders in the Indian context

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srinivasan, M.; Basu, T.K.; Subba Rao, K.

1991-01-01

The Indian Nuclear Programme is based on a three stage strategy: the first stage of about 10 GWe comprises of natural uranium fuelled Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs); the second stage would consist of Liquid Metal Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors (LMFBRs) to be fuelled with plutonium generated in the first stage PHWRs and the third stage is envisaged to be based on advanced converters/breeders operating on the Th/U-233 cycle. It has generally been assumed that the initial inventory of U-233 for the third stage reactors would be generated in the blankets of LMFBRs containing thorium. But the success of this strategy depends crucially on the attainment of LMFBR doubling times as short as 14 years. The progress registered in recent years in the magnetic confinement of fusion plasmas has opened up the prospects of developing Fusion Breeders for the direct conversion of fertile 232 Th into fissile 233 U using the 14 MeV neutron released in the (D-T) fusion reaction. A detailed study of the dependence of the 233 U production characteristics as well as energy cost of fissile fuel production of such systems on parameters such as plasma energy gain Q, blanket neutron multiplication has been carried out. The growth rate dynamics of the symbiotic combination of 233 U generating fusion breeders with PHWRs operating on the Th/U-233 cycle in the so called near-breeder regime has been examined. 95% of the energy generated by PHWRs operating with Th/ 233 U fuel would arise from thorium consumption rather than fission of the initially loaded 233 U. A few sub-engineering breakeven fusion breeders producing U-233 at an energy cost well under 200 MeV per atom are adequate to give the requisite nuclear capacity growth rates in conjunction with such near breeder PHWRs. This corresponds to only a 5% diversion of the grid electrical power for the operation of such fusion breeders. In summary the symbiotic combination of a few fusion breeders with a number of PHWRs gives fresh hopes

Development of a new cellular solid breeder for enhanced tritium production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharafat, Shahram; Williams, Brian; Ghoniem, Nasr; Ghoniem, Adam; Shimada, Masashi; Ying, Alice

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new cellular solid breeder is presented with 2 to 3× the thermal conductivity and substantially higher density (∼90%) compared with pebble beds. • The cellular solid breeder contains an internal network of interconnected open micro-channels (∼50 –100 μm diam.) for efficient tritium release. • Cellular breeders are made by melt-infiltrating Li-based ceramic materials into an open-cell carbon foam followed by removal of the foam. • High temperature (750 °C and 40 °C/mm) cyclic compression tests demonstrated good structural integrity (no cracking) and low Young’s modulus of of <5 GPa. • Deuterium absorption–desorption release rates were comparable with those from pebble beds with similar characteristic T-diffusion lengths. - Abstract: A new high-performance cellular solid breeder is presented that has several times the thermal conductivity and is substantially denser compared with sphere-packed breeder beds. The cellular breeder is fabricated using a patented process of melt-infiltrating ceramic breeder material into an open-cell carbon foam. Following solidification the carbon foam is removed by oxidation. This process results in a near 90% dense robust freestanding breeder in a block configuration with an internal network of open interconnected micro-channels for tritium release. The network of interconnected micro-channels was investigated using X-ray tomography. Aside from increased density and thermal conductivity relative to pebble beds, high temperature sintering is eliminated and thermal durability is increased. Cellular breeder morphology, thermal conductivity, specific heat, porosity levels, high temperature mechanical properties, and deuterium charging-desorption rates are presented.

Development of a new cellular solid breeder for enhanced tritium production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharafat, Shahram, E-mail: sharams@gmail.com [University of California Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1587 (United States); Williams, Brian [Ultramet, Pacoima, CA 91331-2210 (United States); Ghoniem, Nasr [University of California Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1587 (United States); Ghoniem, Adam [Digital Materials Solutions, Inc., Westwood, CA 90024 (United States); Shimada, Masashi [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Ying, Alice [University of California Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90095-1587 (United States)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • A new cellular solid breeder is presented with 2 to 3× the thermal conductivity and substantially higher density (∼90%) compared with pebble beds. • The cellular solid breeder contains an internal network of interconnected open micro-channels (∼50 –100 μm diam.) for efficient tritium release. • Cellular breeders are made by melt-infiltrating Li-based ceramic materials into an open-cell carbon foam followed by removal of the foam. • High temperature (750 °C and 40 °C/mm) cyclic compression tests demonstrated good structural integrity (no cracking) and low Young’s modulus of of <5 GPa. • Deuterium absorption–desorption release rates were comparable with those from pebble beds with similar characteristic T-diffusion lengths. - Abstract: A new high-performance cellular solid breeder is presented that has several times the thermal conductivity and is substantially denser compared with sphere-packed breeder beds. The cellular breeder is fabricated using a patented process of melt-infiltrating ceramic breeder material into an open-cell carbon foam. Following solidification the carbon foam is removed by oxidation. This process results in a near 90% dense robust freestanding breeder in a block configuration with an internal network of open interconnected micro-channels for tritium release. The network of interconnected micro-channels was investigated using X-ray tomography. Aside from increased density and thermal conductivity relative to pebble beds, high temperature sintering is eliminated and thermal durability is increased. Cellular breeder morphology, thermal conductivity, specific heat, porosity levels, high temperature mechanical properties, and deuterium charging-desorption rates are presented.

High temperature blankets for non-electrical/electrical applications of fusion reactors: Progress report, July 15, 1983--November 30, 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribe, F.L.; Woodruff, G.L.

1988-01-01

We report a continuation of work done in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) on design studies of the tandem-mirror fusion reactor (TMR) coupled to the General Atomic (GA) sulfur-iodine thermochemical process for producing hydrogen. During this report period the emphasis was on a solid-breeder gas cooled ''cannister'' blanket for TMR-based hydrogen production. This work was integrated with the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Fusion Energy (OFE) Blanket Comparison and Selection Study, coordinated by the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The areas investigated by the two principal investigators and their students were the following: Plasma engineering of the TMR, including the magnets. Neutronics transport support for the synfuel blanket and shield. Completion of studies of the GA sulfur-iodine process. Under subcontract D.S. Rowe of Rowe and Associates worked with both UW and LLNL personnel on Mechanical design and thermal hydraulics of a high temperature, solid breeder blanket. 2 refs., 3 figs

Status of ITER blanket attachment design and related R and D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadakov, S.; Khomiakov, S.; Calcagno, B.; Chappuis, Ph.; Dellopoulos, G.; Kolganov, V.; Merola, M.; Poddubnyi, I.; Raffray, R.; Raharijaona, J.J.; Ulrickson, M.; Zhmakin, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • ITER blanket attachment system went through a significant design upgrade and become basically compliant with specified design loads and required cyclic lifetime. • Upgrade of flexible supports allowed the doubling of cross sections of central bolts. Ceramic coatings were relocated to much larger areas on conical pairs screwed into shield blocks. • Key pads were relocated from keys of vacuum vessel into keyways of shield blocks and reshaped to enlarge areas of lateral interfaces with ceramic electro-insulating coatings. • Ceramic coatings are hidden between pads and enclosures in keyways with a purpose to minimize their wear rate, which depends on peak friction stress and cyclic sliding path. • Ceramic coatings to be verified by experiment, with several R and D aimed to collect statistically sufficient data on their reliability and durability in ITER relevant cyclic loading conditions. -- Abstract: Main function of the ITER blanket system [1–3] is to shield the vacuum vessel (VV) from nuclear radiation and thermal energy coming from the plasma. Blanket system consists of discrete blanket modules (BM). Each BM is composed of a first wall panel and a shield block (SB). The shield block is attached to the VV by means of four flexible supports and three or four shear keys, through key pads. All listed supports do have parts with ceramic electro-insulating coatings necessary to exclude the largest loops of eddy currents and restrict EM loads. Electrical connection of each SB to the VV is through two elastic electrical straps. Cooling water is supplied to each BM by one coaxial water connector. This paper summarizes the recent evolution of the blanket attachment system toward design solutions compatible with design loads and numbers of load cycles, and providing sufficient reliability and durability. This evolution was done in a frame of pre-defined external interfaces. The ongoing supporting R and D is also briefly described

Tritium inventory in Li2ZrO3 blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikawa, M.; Baba, A.

1998-01-01

Recently, we have presented the way to estimate the tritium inventory in a solid breeder blanket considering effects of diffusion of tritium in the grain, absorption of water in the bulk of grain, and adsorption of water on the surface of grain, together with two types of isotope exchange reactions. It is reported in our previous paper that the estimated tritium inventory for a LiAlO 2 blanket agrees well with data observed in various in situ experiments when the effective diffusivity of tritium from the EXOTIC-6 experiment is used and that the better agreement is obtained when existence of some water vapor is assumed in the purge gas. The same way as used for a LiAlO 2 blanket is applied to a Li 2 ZrO 3 blanket in this study and the estimated tritium inventory shows a good agreement with data obtained in such in situ experiments as MOZART, EXOTIC-6 and TRINE experiments. (orig.)

Tritium transport modeling at system level for the EUROfusion dual coolant lithium-lead breeding blanket

Science.gov (United States)

Urgorri, F. R.; Moreno, C.; Carella, E.; Rapisarda, D.; Fernández-Berceruelo, I.; Palermo, I.; Ibarra, A.

2017-11-01

The dual coolant lithium lead (DCLL) breeding blanket is one of the four breeder blanket concepts under consideration within the framework of EUROfusion consortium activities. The aim of this work is to develop a model that can dynamically track tritium concentrations and fluxes along each part of the DCLL blanket and the ancillary systems associated to it at any time. Because of tritium nature, the phenomena of diffusion, dissociation, recombination and solubilisation have been modeled in order to describe the interaction between the lead-lithium channels, the structural material, the flow channel inserts and the helium channels that are present in the breeding blanket. Results have been obtained for a pulsed generation scenario for DEMO. The tritium inventory in different parts of the blanket, the permeation rates from the breeder to the secondary coolant and the amount of tritium extracted from the lead-lithium loop have been computed. Results present an oscillating behavior around mean values. The obtained average permeation rate from the liquid metal to the helium is 1.66 mg h-1 while the mean tritium inventory in the whole system is 417 mg. Besides the reference case results, parametric studies of the lead-lithium mass flow rate, the tritium extraction efficiency and the tritium solubility in lead-lithium have been performed showing the reaction of the system to the variation of these parameters.

Approach to lithium burn-up effect in lithium ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasneur, B.

1994-01-01

The lithium burn-up in Li 2 ZrO 3 is simulated by removing lithium under Li 2 O form and trapping it in high specific surface area powder while heating during 15 days or 1 month at moderate temperature so that lithium mobility be large enough without causing any sintering neither of the specimens nor of the powder. In a first treatment at 775 deg C during 1 month. 30% of the lithium content could be removed inducing a lithium concentration gradient in the specimen and the formation of a lithium-free monoclinic ZrO 2 skin. Improvements led to similar results at 650 deg C and 600 deg C, the latter temperatures are closer to the operating temperature of the ceramic breeder blanket of a fusion reactor. (author) 4 refs.; 4 figs.; 1 tab

Cost study of the ESPRESSO blanket for a Tandem Mirror Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffray, A.R.; Hoffman, M.A.; Gaskins, T.

1986-02-01

A detailed cost study of the ESPRESSO blanket concept for the Tandem Mirror Fusion Reactor (TMR) has been performed to complement the thermal-hydraulic parametric study and to help narrow down the choice of parameters for the final design. The ESPRESSO blanket consists of a number of structurally independent ring modules. Each ring module is made up of a number of mutually pressure-supporting canisters containing arrays of breeder tubes. Two separate helium coolant flows are used: a main flow to cool the tube bank and a cooler first wall flow

Preliminary study on lithium-salt aqueous solution blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Hiroshi; Naruse, Yuji; Yamaoka, Mitsuaki; Ohara, Atsushi; Ono, Kiyoshi; Kobayashi, Shigetada.

1992-06-01

Aqueous solution blanket using lithium salts such as LiNO 3 and LiOH have been studied in the US-TIBER program and ITER conceptual design activity. In the JAERI/LANL collaboration program for the joint operation of TSTA (Tritium Systems Test Assembly), preliminary design work of blanket tritium system for lithium ceramic blanket, aqueous solution blanket and liquid metal blanket, have been performed to investigate technical feasibility of tritium demonstration tests using the TSTA. Detail study of the aqueous solution blanket concept have not been performed in the Japanese fusion program, so that this study was carried out to investigate features of its concept and to evaluated its technical problems. The following are the major items studied in the present work: (i) Neutronics of tritium breeding ratio and shielding performance Lithium concentration, Li-60 enrichment, beryllium or lead, composition of structural material/beryllium/solution, heavy water, different lithium-salts (ii) Physicochemical properties of salts Solubility, corrosion characteristics and compatibility with structural materials, radiolysis (iii) Estimation of radiolysis in ITER aqueous solution blanket. (author)

Evaluation of US demo helium-cooled blanket options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; McQuillan, B.W.; Schleicher, R.W.

1995-10-01

A He-V-Li blanket design was developed as a candidate for the U.S. fusion demonstration power plant. This paper presents an 18 MPa helium-cooled, lithium breeder, V-alloy design that can be coupled to the Brayton cycle with a gross efficiency of 46%. The critical issue of designing to high gas pressure and the compatibility between helium impurities and V-alloy are addressed

First wall and blanket module safety enhancement by material selection and design decision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merrill, B.J.

1980-01-01

A thermal/mechanical study has been performed which illustrates the behavior of a fusion reactor first wall and blanket module during a loss of coolant flow event. The relative safety advantages of various material and design options were determined. A generalized first wall-blanket concept was developed to provide the flexibility to vary the structural material (stainless steel vs titanium), coolant (helium vs water), and breeder material (liquid lithium vs solid lithium aluminate). In addition, independent vs common first wall-blanket cooling and coupled adjacent module cooling design options were included in the study. The comparative analyses were performed using a modified thermal analysis code to handle phase change problems

Activation analysis of tritium breeder lithium lead irradiated by fusion neutrons in FDS-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mingliang Chen

2006-01-01

R-and-D of fusion materials, especially their activation characteristics, is one of the key issues for fusion research in the world. Research on activation characteristics for low activation materials, such as reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels, vanadium alloys and SiCf/SiC composites, is being done throughout the world to ensure the attractiveness of fusion power regarding safety and environmental aspects. However, there is less research on the activation characteristics of the other important fusion materials, such as tritium breeder etc.. Lithium lead (Li 17 Pb 83 ) is presently considered as a primary candidate tritium breeder for fusion power reactors because of its attractive characteristics. It can serve as a tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and coolant in the blanket at the same time. The radioactivity of Li 17 Pb 83 by D-T fusion neutrons in FDS-II has been calculated and analyzed. FDS-II is a concept design of fusion power reactor, which consists of fusion core with advanced plasma parameters extrapolated from the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) and two candidates of liquid lithium breeder blankets (named SLL and DLL blankets). The neutron transport and activation calculation are carried out based on the one-dimensional model for FDS-II with the home-developed multi-functional code system VisualBUS and the multi-group data library HENDL1.0/MG and European Activation File EAF-99. The effects of irradiation time on the activation characteristics of Li 17 Pb 83 were analyzed and it concludes that the irradiation time has an important effect on the activation level of Li 17 Pb 83 . Furthermore, the results were compared with the activation levels of other tritium breeders, such as Li 4 SiO 4 , Li 2 TiO 3 , Li 2 O and Li etc., under the same irradiation conditions. The dominant nuclides to dose rate and activity of Li 17 Pb 83 were analyzed as well. Tritium generated by Li has a great contribution to the afterheat and

Trade-off study of liquid-metal self-cooled blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

1986-01-01

A trade-off study of liquid-metal self-cooled blankets was carried out to define the performance of these blankets with respect to the main functions in a fusion reactor, and to determine the potential to operate at the maximum possible values of the performance parameters. The main purpose is to improve the reactor economics by maximizing the blanket energy multiplication factor, reduce the capital cost of the reactor, and satisfy the design requirements. The main parameters during the course of the study were the tritium breeding ratio (TBR), the blanket energy multiplication factor, the energy fraction lost to the shield, the 6 Li enrichment in the breeder material, the total blanket thickness, the reflector material selection, and the compositions of the different blanket zones. Also, the impact of different reactor design choices on the performance parameters was analyzed. The effect of the impurity control system (limiter or divertor), the material choice for the limiter, the elimination of tritium breeding from the inboard section of tokamak reactors, the coolant choice for the nonbreeding inboard blanket, and the neutron source distribution were part of the trade-off study. In addition, tritium breeding benchmark calculations were performed to study the impact of the use of different transport codes and nuclear data libraries. The importance and the negative effect of high TBR on the energy multiplication motivated the benchmark calculations

Neutronic studies of fissile and fusile breeding blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taczanowski, S.

1984-08-01

In light of the need of convincing motivation substantiating expensive and inherently applied research (nuclear energy), first a simple comparative study of fissile breeding economics of fusion fission hybrids, spallators and also fast breeder reactors has been carried out. As a result, the necessity of maximization of fissile production (in the first two ones, in fast breeders rather the reprocessing costs should be reduced) has been shown, thus indicating the design strategy (high support ratio) for these systems. In spite of the uncertainty of present projections onto further future and discrepancies in available data even quite conservative assumptions indicate that hybrids and perhaps even earlier - spallators can become economic at realistic uranium price increase and successfully compete against fast breeders. Then on the basis of the concept of the neutron flux shaping aimed at the correlation of the selected cross-sections with the neutron flux, the indications for the maximization of respective reaction rates has been formulated. In turn, these considerations serve as the starting point for the guidelines of breeding blanket nuclear design, which are as follows: 1) The source neutrons must face the multiplying layer (of proper thickness) of possibly low concentration of nuclides attenuating the neutron multiplication (i.e. structure materials, nongaseous coolants). 2) For the most effective trapping of neutrons within the breeding zone (leakage and void streaming reduction) it must contain an efficient moderator (not valid for fissile breeding blankets). 3) All regions of significant slow flux should contain 6 Li in order to reduce parasite neutron captures in there. (orig./HP)

Tritium transport in the water cooled Pb-17Li blanket concept of DEMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiter, F.; Tominetti, S.; Perujo, A.

1992-01-01

The code TIRP has been used to calculate the time dependence of tritium inventory and tritium permeation into the coolant and into the first wall boxes in the water cooled Pb-17Li blanket concept of DEMO. The calculations have been performed for the martensitic steel MANET and the austenitic steel AISI 316L as blanket structure materials, for water or helium cooling and for convective or no motion of the liquid breeder in the blanket. Tritium inventories are rather low in blankets with MANET structure and higher in those with AISI 316L structure. Tritium permeation rates are too high in both blankets. Further calculations on tritium inventory and permeation are therefore presented for blankets with TiC permeation barriers of 1 μm thickness on various surfaces of the blanket structure and for blankets with any permeation barriers in function of their thickness, tritium diffusivities, tritium surface recombination rates and atomic densities. These last calculations have been performed for a blanket with coatings on the outer surfaces of the blanket and with a tritium residence time of 10 4 s and for a blanket with coatings on both sides of the cooling tubes and stagnant Pb-17Li in the blanket. The second case for a blanket with MANET structure presents a very interesting solution for tritium recovery by permeation into and pumping from the first wall boxes. (orig.)

Liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic flows in manifolds of dual coolant lead lithium blankets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mistrangelo, C., E-mail: chiara.mistrangelo@kit.edu; Bühler, L.

2014-10-15

Highlights: • MHD flows in model geometries of DCLL blanket manifolds. • Study of velocity, pressure distributions and flow partitioning in parallel ducts. • Flow partitioning affected by 3D MHD pressure drop and velocity distribution in the expanding zone. • Reduced pressure drop in a continuous expansion compared to a sudden expansion. - Abstract: An attractive blanket concept for a fusion reactor is the dual coolant lead lithium (DCLL) blanket where reduced activation steel is used as structural material and a lead lithium alloy serves both to produce tritium and to remove the heat in the breeder zone. Helium is employed to cool the first wall and the blanket structure. Some critical issues for the feasibility of this blanket concept are related to complex induced electric currents and 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena that occur in distributing and collecting liquid metal manifolds. They can result in large pressure drop and undesirable flow imbalance in parallel poloidal ducts forming blanket modules. In the present paper liquid metal MHD flows are studied for different design options of a DCLL blanket manifold with the aim of identifying possible sources of flow imbalance and to predict velocity and pressure distributions.

Blanket comparison and selection study. Final report. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-09-01

The study focused on: (1) Development of reference design guidelines, evaluation criteria, and a methodology for evaluating and ranking candidate blanket concepts. (2) Compilation of the required data base and development of a uniform systems analysis for comparison. (3) Development of conceptual designs for the comparative evaluation. (4) Evaluation of leading concepts for engineering feasibility, economic performance, and safety. (5) Identification and prioritization of R and D requirements for the leading blanket concepts. Sixteen concepts (nine TMR and seven tokamak) which were identified as leading candidates in the early phases of the study, were evaluated in detail. The overall evaluation concluded that the following concepts should provide the focus for the blanket R and D program: (Breeder/Coolant/Structure), Lithium/Lithium/Vanadium Alloy, Li 2 O/Helium/Ferritic Steel, LiPb Alloy/LiPb Alloy/Vanadium Alloy, and Lithium/Helium/Ferritic Steel. The primary R and D issues for the Li/Li/V concept are the development of an advanced structural alloy, resolution of MHD and corrosion problems, provision for an inert atmosphere (e.g., N 2 ) in the reactor building, and the development of non-water cooled near-plasma components, particularly for the tokamak. The main issues for the LiPb/LiPb/V concept are similar to the Li/Li/V blanket with the addition of resolving the tritium recovery issue. The R and D issues for Li 2 O/He/FS concept include resolution of the tritium recovery/containment issue, achieving adequate tritium breeding and resolving other solid breeder issues such as swelling and fabrication concerns. Major concerns for the Li/He/FS concept are related to its rather poor economic performance. Improvement of its economic performance will be somewhat concept-dependent and will be more of a systems engineering issue

Blanket comparison and selection study. Final report. Volume 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1984-09-01

The study focused on: (1) Development of reference design guidelines, evaluation criteria, and a methodology for evaluating and ranking candidate blanket concepts. (2) Compilation of the required data base and development of a uniform systems analysis for comparison. (3) Development of conceptual designs for the comparative evaluation. (4) Evaluation of leading concepts for engineering feasibility, economic performance, and safety. (5) Identification and prioritization of R and D requirements for the leading blanket concepts. Sixteen concepts (nine TMR and seven tokamak) which were identified as leading candidates in the early phases of the study, were evaluated in detail. The overall evaluation concluded that the following concepts should provide the focus for the blanket R and D program: (Breeder/Coolant/Structure), Lithium/Lithium/Vanadium Alloy, Li/sub 2/O/Helium/Ferritic Steel, LiPb Alloy/LiPb Alloy/Vanadium Alloy, and Lithium/Helium/Ferritic Steel. The primary R and D issues for the Li/Li/V concept are the development of an advanced structural alloy, resolution of MHD and corrosion problems, provision for an inert atmosphere (e.g., N/sub 2/) in the reactor building, and the development of non-water cooled near-plasma components, particularly for the tokamak. The main issues for the LiPb/LiPb/V concepts are similar to the Li/Li/V blanket with the addition of resolving the tritium recovery issue. The R and D issues for Li/sub 2/O/He/FS concept include resolution of the tritium recovery/containment issue, achieving adequate tritium breeding and resolving other solid breeder issues such as swelling and fabrication concerns. Major concerns for the Li/He/FS concept are related to its rather poor economic performance. Improvement of its economic performance will be somewhat concept-dependent and will be more of a systems engineering issue.

Blanket comparison and selection study. Final report. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-09-01

The study focused on: (1) Development of reference design guidelines, evaluation criteria, and a methodology for evaluating and ranking candidate blanket concepts. (2) Compilation of the required data base and development of a uniform systems analysis for comparison. (3) Development of conceptual designs for the comparative evaluation. (4) Evaluation of leading concepts for engineering feasibility, economic performance, and safety. (5) Identification and prioritization of R and D requirements for the leading blanket concepts. Sixteen concepts (nine TMR and seven tokamak) which were identified as leading candidates in the early phases of the study, were evaluated in detail. The overall evaluation concluded that the following concepts should provide the focus for the blanket R and D program: (Breeder/Coolant/Structure), Lithium/Lithium/Vanadium Alloy, Li 2 O/Helium/Ferritic Steel, LiPb Alloy/LiPb Alloy/Vanadium Alloy, and Lithium/Helium/Ferritic Steel. The primary R and D issues for the Li/Li/V concept are the development of an advanced structural alloy, resolution of MHD and corrosion problems, provision for an inert atmosphere (e.g., N 2 ) in the reactor building, and the development of non-water cooled near-plasma components, particularly for the tokamak. The main issues for the LiPb/LiPb/V concept are similar to the Li/Li/V blanket with the addition of resolving the tritium recovery issue. The R and D issues for Li 2 O/He/FS concept include resolution of the tritium recovery/containment issue, achieving adequate tritium breeding and resolving other solid breeder issues such as swelling and fabrication concerns. Major concerns for the Li/He/FS concepts are related to its rather poor economic performance. Improvement of its economic performance will be somewhat concept-dependent and will be more of a systems engineering issue

Blanket comparison and selection study. Final report. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-09-01

The study focused on: (1) Development of reference design guidelines, evaluation criteria, and a methodology for evaluating and ranking candidate blanket concepts. (2) Compilation of the required data base and development of a uniform systems analysis for comparison. (3) Development of conceptual designs for the comparative evaluation. (4) Evaluation of leading concepts for engineering feasibility, economic performance, and safety. (5) Identification and prioritization of R and D requirements for the leading blanket concepts. Sixteen concepts (nine TMR and seven tokamak) which were identified as leading candidates in the early phases of the study, were evaluated in detail. The overall evaluation concluded that the following concepts should provide the focus for the blanket R and D program: (Breeder/Coolant/Structure), Lithium/Lithium/Vanadium Alloy, Li 2 O/Helium/Ferritic Steel, LiPb Alloy/LiPb Alloy/Vanadium Alloy, and Lithium/Helium/Ferritic Steel. The primary R and D issues for the Li/Li/V concept are the development of an advanced structural alloy, resolution of MHD and corrosion problems, provision for an inert atmosphere (e.g., N 2 ) in the reactor building, and the development of non-water cooled near-plasma components, particularly for the tokamak. The main issues for the LiPb/LiPb/V concepts are similar to the Li/Li/V blanket with the addition of resolving the tritium recovery issue. The R and D issues for Li 2 O/He/FS concept include resolution of the tritium recovery/containment issue, achieving adequate tritium breeding and resolving other solid breeder issues such as swelling and fabrication concerns. Major concerns for the Li/He/FS concept are related to its rather poor economic performance. Improvement of its economic performance will be somewhat concept-dependent and will be more of a systems engineering issue

Heat transfer characteristics of breeding zone in TBM of KOREA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seong Dae; Lee, Dong Won; Kim, Dong Jun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Mu-Young [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

In South Korea, lithium, Helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module (TBM) has been designed to install in ITER and verify the tritium production and the heat extraction. Helium cooled ceramic reflector (HCCR) test blanket module (TBM) is composed of four sub-modules and a common back manifold (BM). The HCCR TBM is cooled by a high temperature helium coolant of 300 .deg. C. The breeder, a neutron multiplier and reflector are included in the HCCR TBM. TBM is essential device to verify the tritium production and the heat extraction. The continuous deuterium-tritium (D-T) reaction should occur in order to generate heat and neutrons. The generated neutrons will react with lithium which is breeder. The margin to the allowable temperature for the breeder have a little with the conceptual design model of HCCR-TBM. Some feasible methods was discussed to lower the temperature of the breeding zone. The contact resistance between the wall and pebble beds was main factor to determine the breeder temperature. The installation of the cooling fins was considered to reduce the heat transfer resistance between the wall and the pebble beds. Thermal-hydraulic analysis was performed.

Development of thermal-hydraulic analysis methodology for multiple modules of water-cooled breeder blanket in fusion DEMO reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Geon-Woo; Lee, Jeong-Hun [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Hyoung-Kyu, E-mail: chohk@snu.ac.kr [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Goon-Cherl [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Im, Kihak [National Fusion Research Institute, 169-148, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-806 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-02-15

Highlights: • A methodology to simulate the K-DEMO blanket system was proposed. • The results were compared with the CFD, to verify the prediction capability of MARS. • 46 Blankets in a single sector in K-DEMO were simulated using MARS-KS. • Supervisor program was devised to handle each blanket module individually. • The calculation results showed the flow rates, pressure drops, and temperatures. - Abstract: According to the conceptual design of the fusion DEMO reactor proposed by the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea, the water-cooled breeding blanket system incorporates a total of 736 blanket modules. The heat flux and neutron wall loading to each blanket module vary along their poloidal direction, and hence, thermal analysis for at least one blanket sector is required to confirm that the temperature limitations of the materials are satisfied in all the blanket modules. The present paper proposes a methodology of thermal analysis for multiple modules of the blanket system using a nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic analysis code, MARS-KS. In order to overcome the limitations of the code, caused by the restriction on the number of computational nodes, a supervisor program was devised, which handles each blanket module separately at first, and then corrects the flow rate, considering pressure drops that occur in each module. For a feasibility test of the proposed methodology, 46 blankets in a single sector were simulated; the calculation results of the parameters, such as mass flow, pressure drops, and temperature distribution in the multiple blanket modules showed that the multi-module analysis method can be used for efficient thermal-hydraulic analysis of the fusion DEMO reactor.

Fissile fuel dynamics of breeder/converter reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harms, A.A.

1978-01-01

The long-term fissile fuel dynamics for a hierarchy of fission reactors covering the range from pure-burners to super-breeders is examined. It is found that the breeding gains of the core and blanket can be used to identify several distinct fissile fuel histories and elucidate the importance of fuel cycle characteristics such as the time dependence of the fissile fuel doubling time. On this basis, a self-sufficient fission reactor is introduced and its determining characteristics are identified. (author)

Lithium ceramics: sol-gel preparation and tritium release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renoult, O.

1994-04-01

Ceramics based on lithium aluminate (LiA1O 2 ), lithium zirconate (Li 2 ZrO 3 ) and lithium titanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) are candidates as tritium breeder blanket materials for forthcoming nuclear fusion reactors. Lithium silico-aluminate Li 4+x A1 4-3x Si 2x O 8 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0,25) powders were synthetized from alkoxyde-hydroxyde sol-gel route. By direct sintering at 850-1100 deg C (without prior calcination), ceramics with controlled stoichiometry and homogenous microstructure were obtained. We have also prepared, using a comparable method, Li 2 Zr 1-x Ti x O 3 (x = 0, x = 0,1 et x = 1) materials. All these ceramics, with different microstructures and compositions, have been tested in out-of-reactor experiments. Concerning lithium aluminate microporous ceramics, the silicon substitution leads to a significant improvement of the tritrium release. Classical models taking into account independent surface mechanisms are not able to describe correctly the observed tritium release kinetics. We show, using a simple model, that the release kinetics is in fact limited by an intergranular diffusion followed by a desorption. The delay in tritium release, which occurs when the ceramic compacity increases, is explained in terms of an enhancement of the ionic T + diffusion path length. The energy required for desorption includes a leading term independent of hydrogen contained in the sweep gas. This term is attributed to the limiting recombination step of T + in molecular species HTO. For similar microstructures, the facility of tritium release for the different studied materials is explained by three properties: the crystal structure of the ceramic, the acidity of oxides and finally the presence of electronic non-stoichiometric defects. (author). 89 refs., 50 figs., 2 tabs., 1 annexe

First-wall and blanket engineering development for magnetic-fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, C.; Herman, H.; Maroni, V.; Turner, L.; Clemmer, R.; Finn, P.; Johnson, C.; Abdou, M.

1981-01-01

A number of programs in the USA concerned with materials and engineering development of the first wall and breeder blanket systems for magnetic-fusion power reactors are described. Argonne National Laboratory has the lead or coordinating role, with many major elements of the research and engineering tests carried out by a number of organizations including industry and other national laboratories

The evolution of US helium-cooled blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; Schultz, K.R.; Cheng, E.T.

1991-01-01

This paper reviews and compares four helium-cooled fusion reactor blanket designs. These designs represent generic configurations of using helium to cool fusion reactor blankets that were studied over the past 20 years in the United States of America (US). These configurations are the pressurized module design, the pressurized tube design, the solid particulate and gas mixture design, and the nested shell design. Among these four designs, the nested shell design, which was invented for the ARIES study, is the simplest in configuration and has the least number of critical issues. Both metallic and ceramic-composite structural materials can be used for this design. It is believed that the nested shell design can be the most suitable blanket configuration for helium-cooled fusion power and experimental reactors. (orig.)

Materials science problems of blankets in Russian concept of fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solonin, M.I.

1998-01-01

Structural materials, beryllium and tritium breeding materials proposed for blanket of Russian reactor DEMO and Test Modules for ITER are discussed. Main requirements for the materials are concerned with basis current designs of blankets and modules and possibility meet of ones for presence and developed alloys and materials discussed considered. Main properties and results of test of ferrite-martensite and vanadium alloys for DEMO and Test Modules are cited. Beryllium compositions used as component of first wall and neutron multiplier are discussed. Liquid lithium and ceramic (lithium orthosilicate) are treated as tritium breeding materials. Russian development of reactor experimental unit for tritium breeding zone using beryllium, lithium ceramic and ferrite-martensite alloys for structural materials is presented. (orig.)

Compatibility of structural materials with fusion reactor coolant and breeder fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeVan, J.H.

1979-01-01

Fusion reactors are characterized by a lithium-containing blanket, a heat transfer medium that is integral with the blanket and first wall, and a heat engine that couples to the heat transfer medium. A variety of lithium-containing substances have been identified as potential blanket materials, including molten lithium metal, molten LiF-BeF 2 , Pb-Li alloys, and solid ceramic compounds such as Li 2 O. Potential heat transfer media include liquid lithium, liquid sodium, molten nitrates, water, and helium. Each of these coolants and blankets requires a particular set of chemical and mechanical properties with respect to the associated reactor and heat engine structural materials. This paper discusses the materials factors that underlie the selection of workable combinations of blankets and coolants. It also addresses the materials compatibility problems generic to those blanket-coolant combinations currently being considered in reactor design studies. (orig.)

Special topics reports for the reference tandem mirror fusion breeder. Volume 4. Structural analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orient, G.; Westmann, R.A.; Ghoniem, N.M.; Garner, J.K.; Gromada, R.G.

1984-12-01

This report presents a structural analysis of the reference fission suppressed fusion breeder blanket. An axisymmetric structural model is used to analyze thermal and pressure stresses in the blanket. Results indicate that the first wall must be decoupled from the back of the blanket to avoid large thermal stresses. The composite first wall appears to be adequate to resist buckling, and is further strengthened by radial diaphragms. Semieliptical closures for the module ends appear to be feasible, although the attachment of these end closures to the composite first wall has not been analyzed. Radiation effects have not been included in the structural model, but an assessment of creep and swelling indicates a 4 to 5 year blanket life at an assumed strain limit of 2%. Design modifications which will reduce thermal stresses and simplify manufacturing are recommended

Numerical characterization of thermo-mechanical performance of breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2007-01-01

A numerical approach using the discrete element method (DEM) has been applied to study the thermo-mechanical properties of ceramic breeder pebble beds. This numerical scheme is able to predict the inelastic behavior observed in a loading and unloading operation. In addition, it demonstrates that the average value of contact force increases linearly with overall pressure, but at a much faster rate, about 3.4 times the overall pressure increase rate. In this paper, the thermal creep properties of two different ceramic breeder pebble materials, Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 O, are also examined by the current numerical code. The difference found in the properties of candidate materials is reflected numerically in the overall strain in the pebble bed when the stress magnitude becomes smaller

Numerical characterization of thermo-mechanical performance of breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Zhiyong; Ying, Alice; Abdou, Mohamed

2008-01-01

A numerical approach using the discrete element method (DEM) has been applied to study the thermo-mechanical properties of ceramic breeder pebble beds. This numerical scheme is able to predict the inelastic behavior observed in a loading and unloading operation. In addition, it demonstrates that the average value of contact force increases linearly with overall pressure, but at a much faster rate, about 3.4 times the overall pressure increase rate. In this paper, the thermal creep properties of two different ceramic breeder pebble materials, Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 O, are also examined by the current numerical code. The difference found in the properties of candidate materials is reflected numerically in the overall strain in the pebble bed when the stress magnitude becomes smaller. (author)

Assessment of the accident response of a light-water-moderated breeder-reactor system: AWBA development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

High, H.M.

1983-05-01

The predicted accident response for a light water moderated, thorium/U-233 fueled, seed-blanket reactor concept was assessed. The first part of the assessment compared breeder accident response with that of a current commercial pressurized water reactor design for several different types of transients. Based on these comparisons and a review of the various parameter differences between the breeder and a U-235 fueled plant, the second part of the assessment studied the breeder accident behavior in more detail, particularly in areas of potential concern. Based on the two parts of the assessment, it was concluded that the breeder accident response would be very similar to that of present commercial pressurized water reactor plants. The large Doppler and moderator reactivity coefficients of the breeder would significantly reduce the severity of many of the accidents that must be considered. It is expected that the accident response of the breeder can be shown to meet regulatory criteria

A helium-cooled blanket design of the low aspect ratio reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.; Baxi, C.B.; Reis, E.E.; Cerbone, R.; Cheng, E.T.

1998-03-01

An aggressive low aspect ratio scoping fusion reactor design indicated that a 2 GW(e) reactor can have a major radius as small as 2.9 m resulting in a device with competitive cost of electricity at 49 mill/kWh. One of the technology requirements of this design is a high performance high power density first wall and blanket system. A 15 MPa helium-cooled, V-alloy and stagnant LiPb breeder first wall and blanket design was utilized. Due to the low solubility of tritium in LiPb, there is the concern of tritium migration and the formation of V-hydride. To address these issues, a lithium breeder system with high solubility of tritium has been evaluated. Due to the reduction of blanket energy multiplication to 1.2, to maintain a plant Q of > 4, the major radius of the reactor has to be increased to 3.05 m. The inlet helium coolant temperature is raised to 436 C in order to meet the minimum V-alloy temperature limit everywhere in the first wall and blanket system. To enhance the first wall heat transfer, a swirl tape coolant channel design is used. The corresponding increase in friction factor is also taken into consideration. To reduce the coolant system pressure drop, the helium pressure is increased from 15 to 18 MPa. Thermal structural analysis is performed for a simple tube design. With an inside tube diameter of 1 cm and a wall thickness of 1.5 mm, the lithium breeder can remove an average heat flux and neutron wall loading of 2 and 8 MW/m(2), respectively. This reference design can meet all the temperature and material structural design limits, as well as the coolant velocity limits. Maintaining an outlet coolant temperature of 650 C, one can expect a gross closed cycle gas turbine thermal efficiency of 45%. This study further supports the use of helium coolant for high power density reactor design. When used with the low aspect ratio reactor concept a competitive fusion reactor can be projected at 51.9 mill/kWh

Failure initiation and propagation of Li4SiO4 pebbles in fusion blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Shuo; Gan Yixiang; Kamlah, Marc

2013-01-01

Lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) pebbles are considered to be a candidate as solid tritium breeder in the helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) blanket. These ceramic pebbles might be crushed during thermomechanical loading in the blanket. In this work, the failure initiation and propagation of pebbles in pebble beds is investigated using the discrete element method (DEM). Pebbles are simplified as mono-sized elastic spheres. Every pebble has a contact strength in terms of critical strain energy, which is derived from a validated strength model and crush test data for pebbles from a specific batch of Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles. Pebble beds are compressed uniaxially and triaxially in DEM simulations. When the strain energy absorbed by a pebble exceeds its critical energy it fails. The failure initiation is defined as a given small fraction of pebbles crushed. It is found that the load level for failure initiation can be very low. For example, if failure initiation is defined as soon as 0.02% of the pebbles have been crushed, the pressure required for uniaxial loading is about 2.5 MPa. Therefore, it is essential to study the influence of failure propagation on the macroscopic response of pebble beds. Thus a reduction ratio defined as the size ratio of a pebble before and after its failure is introduced. The macroscopic stress–strain relation is investigated with different reduction ratios. A typical stress plateau is found for a small reduction ratio.

A coupled systems code-CFD MHD solver for fusion blanket design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wolfendale, Michael J., E-mail: m.wolfendale11@imperial.ac.uk; Bluck, Michael J.

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A coupled systems code-CFD MHD solver for fusion blanket applications is proposed. • Development of a thermal hydraulic systems code with MHD capabilities is detailed. • A code coupling methodology based on the use of TCP socket communications is detailed. • Validation cases are briefly discussed for the systems code and coupled solver. - Abstract: The network of flow channels in a fusion blanket can be modelled using a 1D thermal hydraulic systems code. For more complex components such as junctions and manifolds, the simplifications employed in such codes can become invalid, requiring more detailed analyses. For magnetic confinement reactor blanket designs using a conducting fluid as coolant/breeder, the difficulties in flow modelling are particularly severe due to MHD effects. Blanket analysis is an ideal candidate for the application of a code coupling methodology, with a thermal hydraulic systems code modelling portions of the blanket amenable to 1D analysis, and CFD providing detail where necessary. A systems code, MHD-SYS, has been developed and validated against existing analyses. The code shows good agreement in the prediction of MHD pressure loss and the temperature profile in the fluid and wall regions of the blanket breeding zone. MHD-SYS has been coupled to an MHD solver developed in OpenFOAM and the coupled solver validated for test geometries in preparation for modelling blanket systems.

Technical evaluation of major candidate blanket systems for fusion power reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tone, Tatsuzo; Seki, Masahiro; Minato, Akio

1987-03-01

The key functions required for tritium breeding blankets for a fusion power reactor are: (1) self-sufficient tritium breeding, (2) in-situ tritium recovery and low tritium inventory, (3) high temperature cooling giving a high efficiency of electricity generation and (4) thermo-mechanical reliability and simplified remote maintenance to obtain high plant availability. Blanket performance is substantially governed by materials selection. Major options of structure/breeder/coolant/neutron multiplier materials considered for the present design study are PCA/Li 2 O/H 2 O/Be, Mo-alloy/Li 2 O/He/Be, Mo-alloy/LiAlO 2 /He/Be, V-alloy/Li/Li/none, and Mo-alloy/Li/He/none. In addition, remote maintenance of blankets, tritium recovery system, heat transport and energy conversion have been investigated. In this report, technological problems and critical R and D issues for power reactor blanket development are identified and a comparison of major candidate blanket concepts is discussed in terms of the present materials data base, economic performance, prospects for future improvements, and engineering feasibility and difficulties based on the results obtained from individual design studies. (author)

Comparison of In-Vessel Shielding Design Concepts between Sodium-cooled Fast Burner Reactor and the Sodium-cooled Fast Breeder Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, Sunghwan; Kim, Sang Ji

2015-01-01

In this study, quantities of in-vessel shields were derived and compared each other based on the replaceable shield assembly concept for both of the breeder and burner SFRs. Korean Prototype Gen-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR) like SFR was used as the reference reactor and calculation method reported in the reference was used for shielding analysis. In this paper, characteristics of in-vessel shielding design were studied for the burner SFR and breeder SFR based on the replaceable shield assembly concept. An in-vessel shield to prevent secondary sodium activation (SSA) in the intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) is one of the most important structures for the pool type Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). In our previous work, two in-vessel shielding design concepts were compared each other for the burner SFR. However, a number of SFRs have been designed and operated with the breeder concept, in which axial and radial blankets were loaded for fuel breeding, during the past several decades. Since axial and radial blanket plays a role of neutron shield, comparison of required in-vessel shield amount between the breeder and burner SFRs may be an interesting work for SFR designer. Due to the blanket, the breeder SFR showed better performance in axial neutron shielding. Hence, 10.1 m diameter reactor vessel satisfied the design limit of SSA at the IHXs. In case of the burner SFR, due to more significant axial fast neutron leakage, 10.6 m diameter reactor vessel was required to satisfy the design limit of SSA at the IHXs. Although more efficient axial shied such as a mixture of ZrH 2 and B 4 C can improve shielding performance of the burner SFR, additional fabrication difficulty may mitigate the advantage of improved shielding performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that the breeder SFR has better characteristic in invessel shielding design to prevent SSA at the IHXs than the burner SFR in the pool-type reactor

Status and strategy of fusion materials development in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Q.Y.; Wu, Y.C.; Li, J.G.; Wan, F.R.; Chen, J.L.; Luo, G.N.; Liu, X.; Chen, J.M.; Xu, Z.Y.; Zhou, X.G.; Ju, X.; Shan, Y.Y.; Yu, J.N.; Zhu, S.Y.; Zhang, P.Y.; Yang, J.F.; Chen, X.J.; Dong, S.M.

2009-01-01

The liquid metal and solid ceramic pebble breeder blankets have become the most promising blankets for ITER-TBMs or DEMO reactors in China and the world due to their potential advantages. In recent years the corresponding research work on fusion reactor materials mainly focuses on structural materials, plasma facing materials and the functional materials for the blanket such as breeder, coating and flow channel insert etc. for the successful application of fusion energy in the near future. The R and D on those materials in the two kinds of blankets is being carried out widely in China, including fabrication and manufacturing techniques, physical/mechanical properties assessment before and after irradiation, joining techniques for structural materials, compatibility evaluation, and the development and verification of the criteria for fusion material designs. The progress on main R and D activities of fusion reactor materials in China is introduced and prospected in the paper.

Preliminary design of the Neutron Spectral Shifter that is dedicated to the IFMIF Liquid Breeder Validation Module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mas, A., E-mail: amassanchez@gmail.com; Mota, F.; Casal, N.; García, A.; Rapisarda, D.; Arroyo, J.M.; Molla, J.; Ibarra, A.

2014-10-15

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) has a D-Li neutron stripping source that provides typical fusion irradiation conditions for material testing. The Liquid Breeder Validation Module (LBVM) is one of the medium flux test modules of the IFMIF that is used to account for some of the DEMO liquid breeder blanket R and D needs. Previous analyses have shown that the main irradiation parameters (He (appm)/dpa and H (appm)/dpa) in the medium flux area of the IFMIF can be improved to fit the expected parameters in the DEMO reactor for functional materials of liquid breeder blankets. Therefore, the design of an additional module, called the Neutron Spectral Shifter (NSS), has been considered to optimize the irradiation conditions of LBVM experiments. The proposed concept consists of supported tungsten plates working as a shifter material inside a steel structure. This design assures the mechanical integrity of the different components and it fulfills the neutronic requirements as well as the cooling capability. This present paper summarizes the work devoted to the design of the LBVM Neutron Spectral Shifter as well as the results of neutronic, thermo-hydraulic, mechanical and safety studies carried out to validate the design.

Detailed mechanical design and manufacturing study for the ITER reference breeding blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zacchia, F.; Daenner, W.; Stefanis, L. de; Ferrari, M.; Gerber, A.; Mustoe, J.

1998-01-01

This papers relates on the detailed mechanical design, manufacturing feasibility and assembly analysis of a water-cooled solid breeding blanket concept, selected as the ITER reference design. This breeding blanket design is characterised by: i) pressurised water flowing inside flat steel panels for cooling of the internals; each panel is welded along its contour onto the first wall structure and to the rear shield plate after closure of the module (last assembly step). ii) Beryllium (neutronic multiplier) in the form of micro-spheres filling the volume between parallel flat coolant panels. iii) Breeder pebbles enclosed in rods, which form bundles and are themselves embedded inside the Beryllium micro-spheres. (authors)

Experimental Investigation of Ternary Alloys for Fusion Breeding Blankets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, B. William [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Chiu, Ing L. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-10-26

Future fusion power plants based on the deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel cycle will be required to breed the T fuel via neutron reactions with lithium, which will be incorporated in a breeding blanket that surrounds the fusion source. Recent work by LLNL proposed the used of liquid Li as the breeder in an inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant. Subsequently, an LDRD was initiated to develop alternatives ternary alloy liquid metal breeders that have reduced chemical reactivity with water and air compared to pure Li. Part of the work plan was to experimentally investigate the phase diagrams of ternary alloys. Of particular interest was measurement of the melt temperature, which must be low enough to be compatible with the temperature limits of the steel used in the construction of the chamber and heat transfer system.

Achievements in the development of the Water Cooled Solid Breeder Test Blanket Module of Japan to the milestones for installation in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuru, Daigo; Tanigawa, Hisashi; Hirose, Takanori; Mohri, Kensuke; Seki, Yohji; Enoeda, Mikio; Ezato, Koichiro; Suzuki, Satoshi; Nishi, Hiroshi; Akiba, Masato

2009-01-01

As the primary candidate of ITER Test Blanket Module (TBM) to be tested under the leadership of Japan, a water cooled solid breeder (WCSB) TBM is being developed. This paper shows the recent achievements towards the milestones of ITER TBMs prior to the installation, which consist of design integration in ITER, module qualification and safety assessment. With respect to the design integration, targeting the detailed design final report in 2012, structure designs of the WCSB TBM and the interfacing components (common frame and backside shielding) that are placed in a test port of ITER and the layout of the cooling system are presented. As for the module qualification, a real-scale first wall mock-up fabricated by using the hot isostatic pressing method by structural material of reduced activation martensitic ferritic steel, F82H, and flow and irradiation test of the mock-up are presented. As for safety milestones, the contents of the preliminary safety report in 2008 consisting of source term identification, failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and identification of postulated initiating events (PIEs) and safety analyses are presented.

On the use of tin-lithium alloys as breeder material for blankets of fusion power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuetterer, M.A.; Aiello, G.; Barbier, F.; Giancarli, L.; Poitevin, Y.; Sardain, P.; Szczepanski, J.; Li Puma, A.; Ruvutuso, G.; Vella, G.

2000-01-01

Tin-lithium alloys have several attractive thermo-physical properties, in particular high thermal conductivity and heat capacity, that make them potentially interesting candidates for use in liquid metal blankets. This paper presents an evaluation of the advantages and drawbacks caused by the substitution of the currently employed alloy lead-lithium (Pb-17Li) by a suitable tin-lithium alloy: (i) for the European water-cooled Pb-17Li (WCLL) blanket concept with reduced activation ferritic-martensitic steel as the structural material; (ii) for the European self-cooled TAURO blanket with SiC f /SiC as the structural material. It was found that in none of these blankets Sn-Li alloys would lead to significant advantages, in particular due to the low tritium breeding capability. Only in forced convection cooled divertors with W-alloy structure, Sn-Li alloys would be slightly more favorable. It is concluded that Sn-Li alloys are only advantageous in free surface cooled reactor internals, as this would make maximum use of the principal advantage of Sn-Li, i.e., the low vapor pressure

Progress in the development of Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lulewicz, J D; Roux, N [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

1998-03-01

Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles are being developed as ceramic breeder for the European Helium-cooled pebble bed DEMO blanket concept. Status is given of the fabrication work, and of the properties characteristics determination. (author)

Tritium Management In HCLL-PPCS Model AB Blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricapito, I.; Aiello, A.; Benamati, G.; Utili, M.; Ciampichetti, A.; Zucchetti, M.

2006-01-01

One the main issues in the HCLL blanket development for a prototype fusion reactor is the technical feasibility of the bred tritium processing system. The basis of such concern lies in the very low tritium-Pb17Li Sieverts' constant, as measured by different scientists in the past years. In the PPCS reactor 650 g/d of tritium must be generated in the breeding blanket while less than 1 g/y of tritium has to be released to the environment through the secondary cooling circuit. As a consequence, CPS (Coolant Purification System) plays a fundamental role because it has to keep at an acceptable level the tritium partial pressure in the primary HCS (Helium Cooling Circuit) limiting, therefore, the tritium environmental release through leakage and permeation into the secondary cooling circuit. On the other hand, the He mass flow-rate to be processed by CPS is linear with the tritium permeation rate from the breeder into HCS. Therefore, with the above mentioned low Sieverts' constant values and the consequent high tritium partial pressure in the liquid metal, the possibility to keep acceptable the CPS capacity depends on a highly efficient and stable performance of tritium permeation barriers, to be applied not only on the blanket cooling plates but also on the steam generator walls. However, the experimental results on the tritium permeation barriers under relevant operative conditions were so far quite disappointing. The new data on the Sieverts' constant achieved at ENEA CR Brasimone, one order of magnitude higher than those founding the past, have a big impact in relaxing the above mentioned requirements for the tritium management in PPCS model AB reactor. Besides presenting and discussing these recent experimental results, an updated assessment of the tritium permeation rate from the liquid breeder into HCS through the cooling plates and from HCS into the environment through the steam generators is given in this paper. The consequent new constraints in terms of tritium

The current status of fusion reactor blanket thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veleckis, E.; Yonco, R.M.; Maroni, V.A.

1980-01-01

The available thermodynamic information is reviewed for three categories of materials that meet essential criteria for use as breeding blankets in D-T fuelled fusion reactors: liquid lithium, solid lithium alloys, and lithium-containing ceramics. The leading candidate, liquid lithium, which also has potential for use as a coolant, has been studied more extensively than have the solid alloys or ceramics. Recent studies of liquid lithium have concentrated on its sorption characteristics for hydrogen isotopes and its interaction with common impurity elements. Hydrogen isotope sorption data (P-C-T relations, activity coefficients, Sieverts' constants, plateau pressures, isotope effects, free energies of formation, phase boundaries, etc.) are presented in a tabular form that can be conveniently used to extract thermodynamic information for the α-phases of the Li-LiH, Li-LiD and Li-LiT systems and to construct complete phase diagrams. Recent solubility data for Li 3 N, Li 2 O, and Li 2 C 2 in liquid lithium are discussed with emphasis on the prospects for removing these species by cold-trapping methods. Current studies on the sorption of hydrogen in solid lithium alloys (e.g. Li-Al and Li-Pb), made using a new technique (the hydrogen titration method), have shown that these alloys should lead to smaller blanket-tritium inventories than are attainable with liquid lithium and that the P-C-T relationships for hydrogen in Li-M alloys can be estimated from lithium activity data for these alloys. There is essentially no refined thermodynamic information on the prospective ceramic blanket materials. The kinetics of tritium release from these materials is briefly discussed. Research areas are pointed out where additional thermodynamic information is needed for all three material categories. (author)

Methods to enhance blanket power density in low-power fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, P.Y.; Miller, L.G.; Bohn, T.S.; Deis, G.A.; Longhurst, G.R.; Masson, L.S.; Wessol, D.E.; Abdou, M.A.

1982-06-01

The overall objective of this task is to investigate the extent to which the power density in the FED breeder blanket test modules can be enhanced by artificial means. Assuming a viable approach can be developed, it will allow testing of advanced reactor blanket modules on INTOR at representative conditions. The tentative approach adopted for this task consists of three parts. First, the requirements for augmented heating of the test module are outlined for different applications of interest. Second, methods are identified which have potential for augmenting the heating power in a test module, and this list of methods is narrowed to those which appear to be most useful. Finally, these methods are examined in more detail to determine the practical benefits of employing each

Conceptual design and neutronics analyses of a fusion reactor blanket simulation facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beller, D.E.

1986-01-01

A new conceptual design of a fusion reactor blanket simulation facility was developed. This design follows the principles that have been successfully employed in the Purdue Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBR), because experiments conducted in it have resulted in the discovery of deficiencies in neutronics prediction methods. With this design, discrepancies between calculation and experimental data can be fully attributed to calculation methods because design deficiencies that could affect results are insignificant. Inelastic scattering cross sections are identified as a major source of these discrepancies. The conceptual design of this FBBR analog, the fusion reactor blanket facility (FRBF), is presented. Essential features are a cylindrical geometry and a distributed, cosine-shaped line source of 14-MeV neutrons. This source can be created by sweeping a deuteron beam over an elongated titanium-tritide target. To demonstrate that the design of the FRBF will not contribute significant deviations in experimental results, neutronics analyses were performed: results of comparisons of 2-dimensional to 1-dimensional predictions are reported for two blanket compositions. Expected deviations from 1-D predictions which are due to source anisotropy and blanket asymmetry are minimal. Thus, design of the FRBF allows simple and straightforward interpretation of the experimental results, without a need for coarse 3-D calculations

Neutronic performance of Indian LLCB TBM set conceptual design in ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swami, H.L., E-mail: hswami@ipr.res.in; Shaw, A.K.; Mistry, A.N.; Danani, C.

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Neutronic analyses of conceptual design of LLCB test blanket module in ITER have been performed. • The estimated total tritium production rate in the LLCB TBM is 1.66E + 17 tritons/s. • Total heat deposited in the LLCB TBM is 0.46 MW and highest power density at TBM first wall is 5.2 Watt/cc. • The estimation shows the maximum DPA 2.72 at TBM FW. - Abstract: Tritium breeding blanket testing program in ITER is an important milestone towards the development of the fusion reactors. ITER organization is providing an opportunity to the partner countries to test their breeding blanket concepts. A mock-up of Indian Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) tritium breeding blanket known as LLCB Test Blanket Module (TBM) will be tested in ITER equatorial port no. 2. LLCB blanket consists of lead lithium (PbLi) as a neutron multiplier & tritium breeder, ceramic breeder (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) as a tritium breeder and India specific Reduced Activation Ferretic Martinic Steel (IN-RAFMS) as a structural material. A stainless steel block which is cooled by water, called as shield block, is attached with TBM to provide neutron shield to ITER TBM port. A comprehensive neutronic performance evaluation is required for the design of the LLCB TBM set (TBM + shield block) and associated ancillary systems in ITER. The neutronic performance of the conceptual design of TBM set in ITER has been carried out and reported here. In order to carry out the neutronic performance evaluation, the neutronic models of the LLCB TBM set along with TBM frame have been constructed and inserted in the equatorial port of ITER reference neutronic model C-lite. Neutronic responses such as tritium production rate, nuclear heating, neutron flux & spectra, gas production & DPA in the LLCB TBM set are calculated considering 500 MW fusion power & fluence level of 0.3 MWa/m{sup 2}. Radiation transport code MCNP6 and FENDL 2.1 nuclear cross-section data library are used to perform the neutronic

Fusion energy for alternate applications: the design of a high temperature falling bed as a long-lived blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harkness, S.D.; Stevens, H.C.; Hall, M.M.; Gohar, M.Y.A.; de Paz, J.F.

1979-01-01

The high temperature falling bed conceptual design work has consisted of a coordinated effort in neutronics, materials science, thermal hydraulics and mechanical design. The neutronics work has been based on a one-dimensional transport analysis and has been used to scope the implication of blanket dimensions, breeding materials, ceramic pebble material and coolant choice on both tritium breeding capabilities and energy deposition into the high temperature region of the blanket. The materials science effort has concentrated on defining the selection of a particular ceramic material. The thermal hydraulic analysis has been concerned with sizing the heat transfer system and defining the temperature gradients in the high temperature blanket. The mechanical design work has evaluated how such a system might be constructed from the point of view of maintainability and structural support

Improved structure and long-life blanket concepts for heliotron reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagara, A.; Imagawa, S.; Mitarai, O.

2005-01-01

New design approaches are proposed for the LHD-type heliotron D-T demo-reactor FFHR2 to solve the key engineering issues of blanket space limitation and replacement difficulty. A major radius of over 14m is selected to permit a blanket-shield thickness of about 1m and to reduce the neutron wall loading and toroidal field, while achieving an acceptable cost of electricity. Two sets of optimization are successfully carried out. One is to reduce the magnetic hoop force on the helical coil support structures by adjustment of the helical winding coil pitch parameter and the poloidal coils design, which facilitates expansion of the maintenance ports. The other is a long-life blanket concept using carbon armour tiles that soften the neutron energy spectrum incident on the self-cooled flibe-reduced activation ferritic steel blanket. In this adaptation of the spectral-shifter and tritium breeder blanket (STB) concept a local tritium breeding ratio over 1.2 is feasible by optimized arrangement of the neutron multiplier Be in the carbon tiles, and the radiation shielding of the superconducting magnet coils is also significantly improved. Using constant cross sections of a helically winding shape, the 'screw coaster' concept is proposed to replace in-vessel components such as the STB armour tiles. The key R and D issues for developing the STB concept, such as radiation effects on carbon and enhanced heat transfer of Flibe, are elucidated. (author)

Improved structure and long-life blanket concepts for heliotron reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Sagara, A.; Imagawa, S.; Mitarai, O.; Dolan, T.; Tanaka, T.; Kubota, Y.; Yamazaki, K.; Watanabe, K. Y.; Mizuguchi, N.; Muroga, T.; Noda, N.; Kaneko, O.; Yamada, H.; Ohyabu, N.; Uda, T.; Komori, A.; Sudo, S.; Motojima, O.

2005-04-01

New design approaches are proposed for the LHD-type heliotron D-T demo-reactor FFHR2 to solve the key engineering issues of blanket space limitation and replacement difficulty. A major radius of over 14 m is selected to permit a blanket-shield thickness of about 1 m and to reduce the neutron wall loading and toroidal field, while achieving an acceptable cost of electricity. Two sets of optimization are successfully carried out. One is to reduce the magnetic hoop force on the helical coil support structures by adjustment of the helical winding coil pitch parameter and the poloidal coils design, which facilitates expansion of the maintenance ports. The other is a long-life blanket concept using carbon armour tiles that soften the neutron energy spectrum incident on the self-cooled flibe-reduced activation ferritic steel blanket. In this adaptation of the spectral-shifter and tritium breeder blanket (STB) concept a local tritium breeding ratio over 1.2 is feasible by optimized arrangement of the neutron multiplier Be in the carbon tiles, and the radiation shielding of the superconducting magnet coils is also significantly improved. Using constant cross sections of a helically winding shape, the 'screw coaster' concept is proposed to replace in-vessel components such as the STB armour tiles. The key R&D issues for developing the STB concept, such as radiation effects on carbon and enhanced heat transfer of Flibe, are elucidated.

A 2D Finite Element Modelling of Tritium Permeation Through Cooling Plates for The HCLL DEMO Blanket Module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabriel, F.; Escuriol, Y.; Dabbene, F.; Salavy, J.F.; Giancarli, L.; Gastaldi, O.

2006-01-01

As the Tritium self sufficiency is one of the major challenges for fusion reactor, breeding blankets represent one of the major technological breakthroughs required from passing from ITER to the next step reactor, usually called DEMO. One of the two blanket concepts developed in the EU is the Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) blanket which uses the eutectic Pb-15.7Li metal liquid as both breeder and neutron multiplier. The structures, made of EUROFER, a low activation ferritic martensitic steel, are cooled by pressurized helium at 8 MPa and inlet/outlet temperature 300/500 o C. In this concept, the LiPb is fed from the top of the blanket and distributed in parallel vertical channels among pairs of cells (one cell for the radial movement towards the plasma, the other for the return). The liquid metal fills the in-box volume and is slowly re-circulated (few mm per seconds) to remove the produced tritium. In this paper, a local finite element modelling of the tritium permeation rate through the HCLL breeder unit cooling plates is presented. The tritium concentration in the helium circuit and remaining in the lithium lead circuit are evaluated by solving partial differential equations governing the tritium concentration balance, the thermal field and the lithium lead velocity field for a simplified 2D geometrical representation of the breeder unit. This allows estimating the sensitivity effect of coupling these different equations in order to deduce a relevant but simplified modelling for tritium permeation. This is to compare with tritium inventories studies, were the tritium permeation rate is estimated using simplified analytical modelling which generally leads to over estimate the tritium permeation rate to the coolant and so has strong influence on the coolant purification plant design. The finite element modelling performed shows that the Tritium permeation is considerable lower than the one obtained in previous estimations where nominal values of the governing

Liquid Li-Pb-Bi, a new tritium breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, A.G.; Benedict, B.L.; Clemmer, R.G.

1981-01-01

In light of their potential utility as tritium breeder-blanket materials, a study was conducted to identify and characterize low-melting phases in the lithium-lead-bismuth system. It is found that a low-melting ternary phase field did in fact exist, e.g., compositions with less than or equal to 20 atom percent lithium and Pb/Bi = 0.773 melted at or below 140 0 C. In addition, the qualitative reactivity of Li-Bi-Pb alloys with water was tested, and although minimal evidence of exothermic chemical reaction was observed, a physical vapor explosion did occur in one of the tests

Fuel cycles and advanced core designs for the Gas-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, R.H.; Hamilton, C.J.; Hunter, R.S.

1982-01-01

Studies indicate that a 1200 MW(e) Gas-Cooled Fast Breeder Reactor could achieve compound system doubling times of under ten years when using advanced oxide or carbide fuels. In addition, when thorium is used in the breeding blankets, enough U-233 can be generated in each GCFR to supply several advanced converter reactors with fissionable material and this symbiotic relationship could provide energy for the world for centuries. (author)

Conceptual design and testing strategy of a dual functional lithium-lead test blanket module in ITER and EAST

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Y.

2007-01-01

A dual functional lithium-lead (DFLL) test blanket module (TBM) concept has been proposed for testing in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in China to demonstrate the technologies of the liquid lithium-lead breeder blankets with emphasis on the balance between the risks and the potential attractiveness of blanket technology development. The design of DFLL-TBM concept has the flexibility of testing both the helium-cooled quasi-static lithium-lead (SLL) blanket concept and the He/PbLi dual-cooled lithium-lead (DLL) blanket concept. This paper presents an effective testing strategy proposed to achieve the testing target of SLL and DLL DEMO blankets relevant conditions, which includes three parts: materials R and D and small-scale out-of-pile mockups testing in loops, middle-scale TBMs pre-testing in EAST and full-scale consecutive TBMs testing corresponding to different operation phases of ITER during the first 10 years. The design of the DFLL-TBM concept and the testing strategy ability to test TBMs for both blanket concepts in sequence and or in parallel for both ITER and EAST are discussed

Present status of the Liquid Breeder Validation Module for IFMIF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casal, Natalia; Mas, Avelino; Mota, Fernando; García, Ángela; Rapisarda, David; Nomen, Oriol; Arroyo, Jose Manuel; Abal, Javier; Mollá, Joaquín; Ibarra, Ángel

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The LBVM will be used to perform irradiation experiments on functional materials for fusion reactors. • It houses 16 experimental rigs, each one containing a EUROFER capsule partially filled with lithium lead, at 300–550 °C. • A helium purge gas will sweep the tritium permeated through the capsule walls to a tritium measuring station. • A helium cooling system will keep tritium diffusion within safe margins and guarantee its mechanical integrity. • Thermal hydraulic and mechanical calculations, the module instrumentation and aspects as safety or RAMI are presented. -- Abstract: One of the objectives of IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility), as stated in its specifications, is the validation of breeder blanket concepts for DEMO design. The so-called Liquid Breeder Validation Module (LBVM) will be used in IFMIF to perform experiments under irradiation on functional materials related to liquid breeder concepts for future fusion reactors. This module, not considered in previous IFMIF design phases, is currently under design by CIEMAT in the framework of the IFMIF/EVEDA project. In this paper, the present status of the design of the LBVM is presented

Present status of the Liquid Breeder Validation Module for IFMIF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casal, Natalia, E-mail: natalia.casal@ciemat.es [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Mas, Avelino; Mota, Fernando; García, Ángela; Rapisarda, David [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Nomen, Oriol [Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya (IREC), Barcelona (Spain); Centre de Disseny d’Equips Industrials (CDEI), Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona (Spain); Arroyo, Jose Manuel [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Abal, Javier [Fusion Energy Engineering Laboratory (FEEL), Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) Barcelona-Tech, Barcelona (Spain); Mollá, Joaquín; Ibarra, Ángel [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión por Confinamiento Magnético – CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • The LBVM will be used to perform irradiation experiments on functional materials for fusion reactors. • It houses 16 experimental rigs, each one containing a EUROFER capsule partially filled with lithium lead, at 300–550 °C. • A helium purge gas will sweep the tritium permeated through the capsule walls to a tritium measuring station. • A helium cooling system will keep tritium diffusion within safe margins and guarantee its mechanical integrity. • Thermal hydraulic and mechanical calculations, the module instrumentation and aspects as safety or RAMI are presented. -- Abstract: One of the objectives of IFMIF (International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility), as stated in its specifications, is the validation of breeder blanket concepts for DEMO design. The so-called Liquid Breeder Validation Module (LBVM) will be used in IFMIF to perform experiments under irradiation on functional materials related to liquid breeder concepts for future fusion reactors. This module, not considered in previous IFMIF design phases, is currently under design by CIEMAT in the framework of the IFMIF/EVEDA project. In this paper, the present status of the design of the LBVM is presented.

Analysis of a sustainable gas cooled fast breeder reactor concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Akansha; Chirayath, Sunil S.; Tsvetkov, Pavel V.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A Thorium-GFBR breeder for actinide recycling ability, and thorium fuel feasibility. • A mixture of 232 Th and 233 U is used as fuel and LWR used fuel is used. • Detailed neutronics, fuel cycle, and thermal-hydraulics analysis has been presented. • Run this TGFBR for 20 years with breeding of 239 Pu and 233 U. • Neutronics analysis using MCNP and Brayton cycle for energy conversion are used. - Abstract: Analysis of a thorium fuelled gas cooled fast breeder reactor (TGFBR) concept has been done to demonstrate the self-sustainability, breeding capability, actinide recycling ability, and thorium fuel feasibility. Simultaneous use of 232 Th and used fuel from light water reactor in the core has been considered. Results obtained confirm the core neutron spectrum dominates in an intermediate energy range (peak at 100 keV) similar to that seen in a fast breeder reactor. The conceptual design achieves a breeding ratio of 1.034 and an average fuel burnup of 74.5 (GWd)/(MTHM) . TGFBR concept is to address the eventual shortage of 235 U and nuclear waste management issues. A mixture of thorium and uranium ( 232 Th + 233 U) is used as fuel and light water reactor used fuel is utilized as blanket, for the breeding of 239 Pu. Initial feed of 233 U has to be obtained from thorium based reactors; even though there are no thorium breeders to breed 233 U a theoretical evaluation has been used to derive the data for the source of 233 U. Reactor calculations have been performed with Monte Carlo radiation transport code, MCNP/MCNPX. It is determined that this reactor has to be fuelled once every 5 years assuming the design thermal power output as 445 MW. Detailed analysis of control rod worth has been performed and different reactivity coefficients have been evaluated as part of the safety analysis. The TGFBR concept demonstrates the sustainability of thorium, viability of 233 U as an alternate to 235 U and an alternate use for light water reactor used fuel as a

Neutronic study of fusion reactor blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barre, F.

1984-02-01

The problem of effective regeneration is a crucial issue for the fusion reactor, specially for the power reactor because of the conflicting requirements of heat removal and tritium breeding. For that, calculations are performed to evaluate blanket materials. Precise techniques are herein developed to improve the accuracy of the tritium production and the neutron and gamma transport calculations. Many configurations are studied with realistic breeder, structure, and coolant proportions. Accuracy of the results are evaluated from the sensitivity theory and uncertainty study using covariance matricies. At the end of this work, we presented the needs of nuclear data for fusion reactors and we give some advices for improving our knowledge of these data [fr

Neutronic study of fusion reactor blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barre, F.

1983-06-01

The problem of effective regeneration is a crucial issue for the fusion reactor, specially for the power reactor because of the conflicting requirements of heat removal and tritium breeding. For that, calculations are performed to evaluate blanket materials. Precise techniques are herein developed to improve the accuracy of the tritium production and the neutron and gamma transport calculations. Many configurations are studied with realistic breeder, structure, and coolant proportions. Accuracy of the results are evaluated from the sensitivity theory and uncertainty study using covariance matrices. At the end of this work, we presented the needs of nuclear data for fusion reactors and we give some advices for improving our knowledge of these data [fr

An analysis of electron beam welds in a dual coolant liquid metal breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cizelj, L.; Riesch-Oppermann, H.; Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH

1994-10-01

Numerical simulation of electron beam welding of blanket segments was performed using non-linear finite element code ABAQUS. The thermal and stress fields were assumed uncoupled, while preserving the temperature dependency of all material parameters. The martensite-austenite and austenite-martensite transformations were taken into account through volume shrinking/expansion effects, which is consistent with available data. The distributions of post welding residual stress in a complex geometry of the first wall are obtained. Also, the effects of preheating and post-welding heat treatment were addressed. Time dependent temperature and stress-strain fields obtained provide good insight into the welding process. They may be used directly to support reliability and life-time studies of blanket structures. On the other hand, they provide useful hints about the feasibility of the geometrical configurations as proposed by different design concepts. (orig.) [de

Modelling of thermal and mechanical behaviour of pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Buehler, L.; Hermsmeyer, S.; Wolf, F.

2001-01-01

FZK (Forshungzentrum Karlsruhe) is developing a Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Blanket Concept for fusion power reactors based on the use of ceramic breeder materials and beryllium multiplier in the form of pebble beds. The design of such a blanket requires models and computer codes describing the thermal-mechanical behavior of pebble beds to evaluate the temperatures, stresses, deformations and mechanical interactions between pebble beds and the structure with required accuracy and reliability. The objective to describe the beginning of life condition for the HCPB blanket seems near to be reached. Mechanical models that describe the thermo-mechanical behavior of granular materials used in form of pebble beds are implemented in a commercial structure code. These models have been calibrated using the results of a large series of dedicated experiments. The modeling work is practically concluded for ceramic breeder; it will be carried on in the next year for beryllium to obtain the required correlations for creep and the thermal conductivity. The difficulties for application in large components (such as the HCPB blanket) are the limitations of the present commercial codes to manage such a set of constitutive equations under complex load conditions and large mesh number. The further objective is to model the thermal cycles during operation; the present correlations have to be adapted for the release phase. A complete description of the blanket behavior during irradiation is at the present out of our capability; this objective requires an extensive R and D program that at the present is only at the beginning. (Y.Tanaka)

Neutronics investigation of advanced self-cooled liquid blanket systems in helical reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, T.; Sagara, A.; Muroga, T.; Youssef, M.Z.

2006-10-01

Neutronics performances of advanced self-cooled liquid blanket systems have been investigated in design activity of the helical-type reactor FFHR2. In the present study, a new three-dimensional (3-D) neutronics calculation system has been developed for the helical-type reactor to enhance quick feedback between neutronics evaluation and design modification. Using this new calculation system, advanced Flibe-cooled and Li-cooled liquid blanket systems proposed for FFHR2 have been evaluated to make clear design issues to enhance neutronics performance. Based on calculated results, modification of the blanket dimensions and configuration have been attempted to achieve the adequate tritium breeding ability and neutron shielding performance in the helical reactor. The total tritium breeding ratios (TBRs) obtained after modifying the blanket dimensions indicated that all the advanced blanket systems proposed for FFHR2 would achieve adequate tritium self-sufficiency by dimension adjustment and optimization of structures in the breeder layers. Issues in neutron shielding performance have been investigated quantitatively using 3-D geometry of the helical blanket system, support structures, poloidal coils etc. Shielding performance of the helical coils against direct neutrons from core plasma would achieve design target by further optimization of shielding materials. However, suppression of the neutron streaming and reflection through the divertor pumping areas in the original design is important issue to protect the poloidal coils and helical coils, respectively. Investigation of the neutron wall loading indicated that the peaking factor of the neutron wall load distribution would be moderated by the toroidal and helical effect of the plasma distribution in the helical reactor. (author)

Heat-pulse flowmeter for a liquid breeder blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondo, Masatoshi; Shibano, Kyohei; Tanaka, Teruya; Muroga, Takeo

2013-01-01

Liquid metals Li, Pb-17Li and Sn-20Li are candidate liquid breeders in fusion reactors. The development of a flowmeter that can be applied to high-temperature liquid metals is an important issue. A heat-pulse flowmeter is proposed in the present study. Its basic performance was investigated by means of a loop experiment with Pb-17Li and a numerical simulation. The temperature distribution in flowing Pb-17Li was obtained by local transient heating of the outer surface of a loop tube. The temperature distribution gradually changed and resembled the movement of a hot spot, which had a higher temperature than its surroundings. This hot spot moved along the flow and passed through the tips of the thermocouples. The change in temperature distribution with the movement of the hot spot was monitored by three thermocouples exposed to the Pb-17Li flow. The results of the loop experiments were numerically simulated by assuming a certain flow rate, and the temperature profile obtained in the loop experiment was in agreement with the simulation results. The time taken by the hot spot to pass through the tips of the thermocouples was measured and simulated, and the correlation between this time and the average flow velocity was evaluated. The results indicated the average flow velocity can be obtained using the heat-pulse flowmeter proposed in this study. (author)

Status of the in-pile test of HCPB pebble-bed assemblies in the HFR Petten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laan, J.G. van der; Fokkens, J.H.; Hofmans, H.E.; Jong, M.; Magielsen, A.J.; Pijlgroms, B.J.; Stijkel, M.P. [NRG, Petten (Netherlands); Conrad, R. [JRC, Inst. for Energy, Petten (Netherlands); Malang, S.; Reimann, J. [FZK, Karlsruhe (Germany); Roux, N. [CEA Saclay (France)

2002-06-01

In the framework of developing the helium cooled pebble-bed (HCPB) blanket an irradiation test of pebble-bed assemblies is prepared at the HFR Petten. The test objective is to concentrate on the effect of neutron irradiation on the thermal-mechanical behaviour of the HCPB breeder pebble-bed at DEMO representative levels of temperature and defined thermal-mechanical loads. The basic test elements are EUROFER-97 cylinders with a horizontal bed of ceramic breeder pebbles sandwiched between two beryllium beds. The pebble beds are separated by EUROFER-97 steel plates. The heat flow is managed such as to have a radial temperature distribution in the ceramic breeder pebble-bed as flat as reasonably possible. The paper reports on the project status, and presents the results of pre-tests, material characteristics, the manufacturing of the pebble-bed assemblies, and the nuclear and thermo-mechanical loading parameters. (orig.)

Nuclear performance optimization of the Be/Li/Th blanket for the fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.; Bandini, B.R.

1985-01-01

More rigorous nuclear analysis, including treatment of resonance self-shielding effects coupled with an optimization procedure, has resulted in improved performance of the Be/Li/Th blanket. Net U-233 breeding ratio has increased 36% (to 0.84) while at an average U-233/Th ratio of 0.5 a/o average energy multiplication has increased only 12% (to 2.1) compared with earlier results

Numerical Analysis for Heat transfer characteristic of Helium cooling system in Helium cooled ceramic reflector Test Module Blanket (HCCR-TBM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seong Dae; Lee, Dong Won; Jin, Hyung Gon; Lee, Eo Hwak; Yoon, Jae Sung; Kim, Suk Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Seungyon [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The main objectives of ITER project can be summarized into three types as follows - Plasma operation for a long time - Large tokamak device technology - Test blanket module (TBM) installation and verification The thermal-hydraulic analysis was performed in the He cooling channel in the BZ region of the HCCR TBM. The maximum temperature in the breeder material is equal to the limit temperature in the present design cooling channel. Nuclear fusion energy has advantage in terms of safety, resource availability, cost and waste management. There is not enough experimental results about the fusion reactor due to the severe experiments restrictions like vacuum environment, plasma production and significant nuclear heating at the same time. Much research and time is required for the commercial fusion reactor. For technical verification against the commercialization of fusion reactor, 7 countries which are EU, USA, Japan, Russia, China, India, and South Korea are building an ITER in the south of France. New designed cooling channels were proposed to improve the cooling performance. The swirl flow accelerates the mixture flow in the channels.

Normal operation and maintenance safety lessons from the ITER US PbLi test blanket module program for a US FNSF and DEMO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merrill, B.J., E-mail: Brad.Merrill@inl.gov [Fusion Safety Program, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Wong, C.P.C. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Cadwallader, L.C. [Fusion Safety Program, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Abdou, M.; Morley, N.B. [University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States)

2014-10-15

A leading power reactor breeding blanket candidate for a fusion demonstration power plant (DEMO) being pursued by the US Fusion Community is the Dual Coolant Lead Lithium (DCLL) concept. The safety hazards associated with the DCLL concept as a reactor blanket have been examined in several US design studies. These studies identify the largest radiological hazards as those associated with the dust generation by plasma erosion of plasma blanket module first walls, oxidation of blanket structures at high temperature in air or steam, inventories of tritium bred in or permeating through the ferritic steel structures of the blanket module and blanket support systems, and the {sup 210}Po and {sup 203}Hg produced in the PbLi breeder/coolant. What these studies lack is the scrutiny associated with a licensing review of the DCLL concept. An insight into this process was gained during the US participation in the ITER Test Blanket Module (TBM) Program. In this paper we discuss the lessons learned during this activity and make safety proposals for the design of a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) or a DEMO that employs a lead lithium breeding blanket.

New concepts for controlled fusion reactor blanket design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conn, R.W.; Kulcinski, G.L.; Avci, H.; El-Maghrabi, M.

1975-01-01

Several new concepts for fusion reactor blanket design based on the idea of shifting, or tailoring, the neutron spectrum incident on the first structural wall are presented. The spectral shifter is a nonstructural element which can be made of graphite, silicon carbide, or three dimensionally woven carbon fibers (and containing other materials as appropriate) placed between the neutron source and the first structural wall. The softened neutron spectrum incident on the structural components leads to lower gas production and atom displacement rates than in more standard fusion blanket designs. In turn, this results in longer anticipated lifetimes for the structural materials and can significantly reduce radioactivity and afterheat levels. In addition, the neutron spectrum in the first structural wall can be made to approach the flux shape in fast breeder reactors. Such spectral softening means that existing radiation facilities may be more profitably used to provide relevant materials radiation damage data for the structural materials in these fusion blanket designs. This general class of blanket concepts are referred to as internal spectral shifter and energy converter, or ISSEC concepts. These specific design concepts fall into three main categories: ISSEC/EB concepts based on utilizing existing designs which breed tritium behind the first structural wall; ISSEC/IB concepts based on breeding tritium inside the first vacuum wall; and ISSEC/Bu concepts based on using boron, carbon, and perhaps, beryllium to obtain an energy multiplier and converter design that does not attempt to breed tritium or utilize lithium. The detailed analyses relate specifically to the nuclear performance of ISSEC systems and to a discussion of materials radiation damage problems in the structural material.(U.S.)

Japanese contributions to IAEA INTOR Workshop, Phase Two A, Part 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Takeshi; Iida, Hiromasa; Abe, Tadashi

1988-01-01

This report includes Japanese contributions presented at INTOR Workshop Phase 2A, Part 3 relevant to the studies of technical critical issues of blanket, first wall, divertor plate and shield designs, and new database concerning these areas. New database for ceramic breeder materials, high heat flux materials, high heat flux experiments and fabrication experience are included. A comparison study of blanket concepts and design studies of candidate blankets have been carried out. The blanket with lithium oxide breeder is selected as the leading blanket concept because of its high breeding performance and good tritium release behavior. Two types of first wall concepts, bare stainless steel first wall concept and protected first wall concepts, are evaluated. For disruptions, the behaviors of crack propagation are examined based on J integrals. The local guard limiter concept with easy maintainability is selected as a reference considering currently rather uncertain disruption scenarios. Tungsten is selected as the reference armor material of divertor plate because of its good thermal and sputtering resistance. The inboard shield thickness has been optimized both for stainless steel material and tungsten material. Blanket engineering test program of FER is also described in this report. Major basic engineering tests on blanket performances such as neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, tritium recovery etc. can be performed by test elements and modules. (author)

Interim Report on Fluid-Fuel Thermal Breeder Reactors (Revised)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacPherson, H. G.; Alexander, L. G.; Carter, W. L.; Chapman, R. H.; Kinyon, B. W.; Miller, J. W.

1960-01-01

The merits of aqueous-homogeneous ), graphite-moderated molten salt (MSBR) , and graphite-moderated liquid-bismuth (LBBR) breeder reactors operated at nearly comparable fuel-cycle costs (~1.5 mills/kwhr) were evaluated. The net electrical plant capability was assumed to be 1000 MwE, and the fuel and fertile streams were processed continuously on-site. The specific powers based on fuel were 1.2, 1.2, and 0.5 MwE/kg respectively, and 5.9, 3.7, and 5.3 MwE/tonne based on thorium. Net breeding ratios were 1.10, 1.07, and 1.07, giving doubling times of 5-1/2, 11, and 25 full power years . The fuel-cycle costs at the design points selected were 1.4, 1.3, and 1.6 mills/kwhr . The AHBR has an advantage in breeding ratio and doubling time because D 2 O is superior to graphite as a moderator in breeder reactors. MSBR has an advantage in fuel-cycle costs and in inventory of uranium in the fertile stream as a result of using a solution blanket.

Lithium ceramics: sol-gel preparation and tritium release; Ceramiques lithiees: elaboration sol-gel et relachement du tritium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renoult, O

1994-04-01

Ceramics based on lithium aluminate (LiA1O{sub 2}), lithium zirconate (Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}) and lithium titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) are candidates as tritium breeder blanket materials for forthcoming nuclear fusion reactors. Lithium silico-aluminate Li{sub 4+x}A1{sub 4-3x}Si{sub 2x}O{sub 8} (0 {<=} x {<=} 0,25) powders were synthetized from alkoxyde-hydroxyde sol-gel route. By direct sintering at 850-1100 deg C (without prior calcination), ceramics with controlled stoichiometry and homogenous microstructure were obtained. We have also prepared, using a comparable method, Li{sub 2}Zr{sub 1-x}Ti{sub x}O{sub 3} (x = 0, x = 0,1 et x = 1) materials. All these ceramics, with different microstructures and compositions, have been tested in out-of-reactor experiments. Concerning lithium aluminate microporous ceramics, the silicon substitution leads to a significant improvement of the tritrium release. Classical models taking into account independent surface mechanisms are not able to describe correctly the observed tritium release kinetics. We show, using a simple model, that the release kinetics is in fact limited by an intergranular diffusion followed by a desorption. The delay in tritium release, which occurs when the ceramic compacity increases, is explained in terms of an enhancement of the ionic T{sup +} diffusion path length. The energy required for desorption includes a leading term independent of hydrogen contained in the sweep gas. This term is attributed to the limiting recombination step of T{sup +} in molecular species HTO. For similar microstructures, the facility of tritium release for the different studied materials is explained by three properties: the crystal structure of the ceramic, the acidity of oxides and finally the presence of electronic non-stoichiometric defects. (author). 89 refs., 50 figs., 2 tabs., 1 annexe.

Neutronic analyses of the preliminary design of a DCLL blanket for the EUROfusion DEMO power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palermo, Iole, E-mail: iole.palermo@ciemat.es; Fernández, Iván; Rapisarda, David; Ibarra, Angel

2016-11-01

Highlights: • We perform neutronic calculations for the preliminary DCLL Blanket design. • We study the tritium breeding capability of the reactor. • We determine the nuclear heating in the main components. • We verify if the shielding of the TF coil is maintained. - Abstract: In the frame of the newly established EUROfusion WPBB Project for the period 2014–2018, four breeding blanket options are being investigated to be used in the fusion power demonstration plant DEMO. CIEMAT is leading the development of the conceptual design of the Dual Coolant Lithium Lead, DCLL, breeding blanket. The primary role of the blanket is of energy extraction, tritium production, and radiation shielding. With this aim the DCLL uses LiPb as primary coolant, tritium breeder and neutron multiplier and Eurofer as structural material. Focusing on the achievement of the fundamental neutronic responses a preliminary blanket model has been designed. Thus detailed 3D neutronic models of the whole blanket modules have been generated, arranged in a specific DCLL segmentation and integrated in the generic DEMO model. The initial design has been studied to demonstrate its viability. Thus, the neutronic behaviour of the blanket and of the shield systems in terms of tritium breeding capabilities, power generation and shielding efficiency has been assessed in this paper. The results demonstrate that the primary nuclear performances are already satisfactory at this preliminary stage of the design, having obtained the tritium self-sufficiency and an adequate shielding.

Flibe blanket concept for transmuting transuranic elements and long lived fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.

2000-01-01

A Molten salt (Flibe) fusion blanket concept has been developed to solve the disposition problems of the spent nuclear fuel and the transuranic elements. This blanket concept can achieve the top rated solution, the complete elimination of the transuranic elements and the long-lived fission products. Small driven fusion devices with low neutron wall loading and low neutron fluence can perform this function. A 344-MW integrated fusion power from D-T plasmas for thirty years with an availability factor of 0.75 can dispose of 70,000 tons of the US inventory of spent nuclear fuel generated up to the year 2015. In addition, the utilization of this blanket concept eliminates the need for a geological repository site, which is a major advantage. This application provides an excellent opportunity to develop and to enhance the public acceptance of the fusion energy for the future. The energy from the transmutation process is utilized to produce revenue. Flibe, lithium-lead eutectic, and liquid lead are possible candidates. The liquid blankets have several features, which are suited for W application. It can operate at constant thermal power without interruption for refueling by adjusting the concentration of the transuranic elements and lithium-6. These liquids operate at low-pressure, which reduces the primary stresses in the structure material. Development and fabrication costs of solid transuranic materials are eliminated. Burnup limit of the transuranic elements due to radiation effects is eliminated. Heat is generated within the liquid, which simplifies the heat removal process without producing thermal stresses. These blanket concepts have large negative temperature coefficient with respect to the blanket reactivity, which enhances the safety performance. These liquids are chemically and thermally stable under irradiation conditions, which minimize the radioactive waste volume. The operational record of the Molten Salt Breeder Reactor with Flibe was very successful

Overview of the European Union fusion nuclear technologies development and essential elements on the way to DEMO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreani, R.; Diegele, E.; Gulden, W.; Laesser, R.; Maisonnier, D.; Murdoch, D.; Pick, M.; Poitevin, Y.

2006-01-01

EU is strongly preparing ITER construction involving the system of EU Associations, universities and industry. The European programme has been steered to be in line with the present conception of a future power reactor. Thirty percent of the fusion research budget has been spent on long-term related activities managed by EFDA. These include Power Plant Conceptual Studies (PPCS), the recently undertaken DEMO Conceptual Studies, design and R and D for breeder blankets, low activation materials and IFMIF. Developments on fuel cycle, neutronics, safety and socio-economics complement those specifically performed for ITER. Two EU helium-cooled DEMO blankets will be tested in ITER, using liquid lithium-lead and solid ceramics as breeders. The blanket structures will use EUROFER. Irradiations to 70-80 dpa will qualify EUROFER for DEMO. Advanced materials, in particular SiC f /SiC, under development, could provide more thermodynamically efficient blankets. Even with a fully successful ITER, a number of issues will remain open in technology. The application of high temperature superconductors, essential progress in materials, blanket design and remote handling, are required to produce environmentally safe and economically competitive fusion. A fully integrated world wide international programme is the best way to efficiently progress in these fields

In-situ ionic conductivity measurement of lithium ceramics under high energy heavy ion irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakazawa, Tetsuya; Noda, Kenji; Ishii, Yoshinobu; Ohno, Hideo; Watanabe, Hitoshi; Matsui, Hisayuki.

1992-01-01

To obtain fundamental information regarding the radiation damage in some lithium ceramics, e.g. Li 2 O, Li 4 SiO 4 etc., candidate of breeder materials exposed to severe irradiation environment, an in-situ experiment technique for the ionic conductivity measurement, which allows the specimen temperature control and the beam current monitoring, have been developed. This paper describes the features of an apparatus to measure in situ the ionic conductivity under the irradiation environment and presents some results of ionic conductivity measured for typical ceramic breeders using this apparatus. (J.P.N.)

The FUBR-1B experiment, irradiation of lithium ceramics to high burnups under large temperature gradients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollenberg, G.W.; Knight, R.C.; Densley, P.J.; Pember, L.A.; Johnson, C.E.; Poeppel, R.B.; Yang, L.

1985-01-01

Solid breeder materials used for supplying the tritium for fueling fusion power reactors will be required to withstand a variety of severe environmental conditions such as irradiation damage, thermal stresses and chemical reactions while continuing to produce tritium and not interfering with other essential components in the complex blanket region. In the FUBR-1B experiment several solid breeder candidates are being subjected to the most hostile conditions foreseen in a fusion reactor's blanket. Some material, such as Li 2 O, Li 8 ZrO 6 , and Li 4 SiO 4 , possess high lithium atom densities which are reflected in high tritium breeding ratios. Other material, such as LiAlO 2 and Li 2 ZrO 3 , appear to have exceptional irradiation stability. Verifying the magnitude of these differences will allow national selection between design options

Special topics reports for the reference tandem mirror fusion breeder: beryllium lifetime assessment. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, L.G.; Beeston, J.M.; Harris, B.L.; Wong, C.P.C.

1984-10-01

The lifetime of beryllium pebbles in the Reference Tandem Mirror Fusion Breeder blanket is estimated on the basis of the maximum stress generated in the pebbles. The forces due to stacking height, lithium flow, and the internal stresses due to thermal expansion and differential swelling are considered. The total stresses are calculated for three positions in the blanket, at a first wall neutron wall loading of 1.3 MW/m 2 . These positions are: (a) near the first fuel zone wall, (b) near the center, and (c) near the back wall. The average lifetime of the pebbles is estimated to be 6.5 years. The specific estimated lifetimes are 2.4 years, 5.4 years, and 15 years for the first fuel zone wall, center and near the back wall, respectively

Manufacturing experiment on a cooling plate for a blanket breeder unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weth, A. von der; Aktaa, J.

2008-01-01

Plates with curved cooling channels will be used as structural elements in a breeding blanket of a future fusion power plant. Such power plants are a promising attempt for future electrical energy production. The central manufacturing process of such cooling plates is a diffusion welding process. Such a process has been 'available' on a laboratory scale for years. But this diffusion welding process has not yet been applied on an industrial scale. This contribution documents our first attempt to transfer this to industry, a so-called uniaxial diffusion welding setup. The industrial transfer was attempted in two steps: (1) On a small cooling plate mock-up and (2) On a true-scale cooling plate. The problems with the technical transfer of the diffusion welding process from the laboratory scale to the true scale were outlined

Comprehensive structural analysis of the HCPB demo blanket under thermal, mechanical, electromagnetic and radiation induced loads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccaccini, L.V.; Norajitra, P.; Ruatto, P.; Scaffidi-Argentina, F.

1998-01-01

For the helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) blanket, which is one of the two reference concepts studied within the European Demo Development Program, a comprehensive finite element (FEM) structural analysis has been performed. The analysis refers to the steady-state operating conditions of an outboard blanket segment. On the basis of a three-dimensional model of radial-toroidal sections of the segment box, thermal stresses caused by the temperature gradients in the blanket structure have been calculated. Furthermore, the mechanical loads due to coolant pressure in normal operating conditions as well as an accidental over-pressurization of the blanket box have been accounted for. The stresses caused by a central plasma major disruption from an initial current of 20 MA to zero in 20 ms have been also taken into account. Radiation-induced dimensional changes of breeder and multiplier material caused by both helium production and neutron damage, have also been evaluated and discussed. All the above loads have been combined as input for a FEM stress analysis and the resulting stress distribution has been evaluated according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) norms. (orig.)

Analysis of wall-packed-bed thermal interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbis, Z.R.; Tillack, M.S.; Tehranian, F.; Abdou, M.A.

1995-01-01

One of the major issues remaining for ceramic breeder blankets involves uncertainties in heat transfer and thermomechanical interactions within the breeder and multiplier regions. Particle bed forms are considered in many reactor blanket designs for both the breeder and Be multiplier. The effective thermal conductivity of beds and the wall-bed thermal conductance are still not adequately characterized, particularly under the influence of mechanical stresses. The problem is particularly serious for the wall conductance between Be and its cladding, where the uncertainty can be greater than 50%. In this work, we describe a new model for the wall-bed conductance that treats the near-wall region as a finite-width zone. The model includes an estimate of the region porosity based on the number of contact points, and the contact area for smooth surfaces. It solves the heat conduction in a near-wall unit cell. The model is verified with existing data and used to predict the range of wall conductances expected in future simulation experiments and in reactor applications. (orig.)

Status on DEMO Helium Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket thermo-mechanical analyses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aubert, J., E-mail: julien.aubert@cea.fr [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Aiello, G.; Jaboulay, J.-C. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Kiss, B. [Institute of Nuclear Techniques, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest (Hungary); Morin, A. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • CEA with the support of Wigner-RCP and IPP-CR, is in charge of the design of the HCLL blanket for DEMO. The DEMO HCLL breeding blanket design capitalizes on the experience acquired on the HCLL Test Blanket Module designed for ITER. Design improvements are being implemented to adapt the design to DEMO specifications and performance objectives. • Thermal and mechanical analyses have been carried out in order to justify the design of the HCLL breeding blanket showing promising results for tie rods modules’ attachments system and relatively good behavior of the box in case of LOCA when comparing to RCC-MRx criteria. • CFD thermal analyses on generic breeding unit have enabled the consolidation of the results obtained with previous FEM design analyses. - Abstract: The EUROfusion Consortium develops a design of a fusion power demonstrator (DEMO) in the framework of the European “Horizon 2020” innovation and research program. One of the key components in the fusion reactor is the breeding blanket surrounding the plasma, ensuring tritium self-sufficiency, heat removal for conversion into electricity, and neutron shielding. The Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) blanket is one of the concepts which is investigated for DEMO. It is made of a Eurofer structure and uses the eutectic liquid lithium–lead as tritium breeder and neutron multiplier, and helium gas as coolant. Within the EUROfusion organization, CEA with the support of Wigner-RCP and IPP-CR, is in charge of the design of the HCLL blanket for DEMO. This paper presents the status of the thermal and mechanical analyses carried out on the HCLL breeding blanket in order to justify the design. CFD thermal analyses on generic breeding unit including stiffening plates and cooling plates have been performed with ANSYS in order to consolidate results obtained with previous FEM design analyses. Moreover in order to expand the justification of the HCLL Breeding blanket design, the most loaded area of

Comparison study on neutronic analysis of the K-DEMO water cooled ceramic breeder blanket using MCNP and ATTILA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jong Sung, E-mail: jspark@nfri.re.kr; Kwon, Sungjin; Im, Kihak

2016-11-01

Highlights: • A comparison study of main parameter calculations: neutron wall loading (NWL), tritium breeding ratio (TBR), and nuclear heating, on a Korean fusion demonstration reactor (K-DEMO) neutronic analysis model using MCNP and ATTILA was performed to investigate the feasibility of using ATTILA. • The calculation results of this study indicates that ATTILA showed close agreement with MCNP within ranges (3.3–28%). • Partly high discrepancy (17–28%) results between two codes existed to the nuclear heating calculation in high attenuating materials and radially thick structure regions. • The rest of the results showed small differences of NWL calculation (3.3%) and TBR distribution (3.9%). • ATTILA could be acceptable for K-DEMO neutronic analysis considering discrepancy (3.3–28%). - Abstract: A comparison study of main parameter calculations: neutron wall loading (NWL), tritium breeding ratio (TBR), and nuclear heating, on a Korean fusion demonstration reactor (K-DEMO) neutronic analysis model using MCNP and ATTILA was performed to investigate the feasibility of using ATTILA for the main parameter calculations. The model was created by commercial CAD program (Pro-Engineer™) as a 22.5° sector of tokamak consisting of major components such as blankets, shields, divertors, vacuum vessels (VV), toroidal field (TF) coils, and others, which was directly imported into ATTILA by Parasolid file. The discretizing in space, angle, and energy variables were refined for application of the K-DEMO neutronic analysis model through an iterative process since these variables greatly impact on accuracy, solution times, and memory consumptions in ATTILA. The main parameter calculations using ATTILA and the result of comparison studies indicate that the NWL distributions by two codes were almost agreed within discrepancy of 3.3%; the TBR distribution using ATTILA was slightly bigger than MCNP with a difference 3.9%; the nuclear heating values on TF coils and VV

Overview of principles and challenges of fusion nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdou, M.

2007-01-01

breeders. Solid breeder concepts use a lithium ceramic as breeder, beryllium as neutron multiplier, and helium or water as coolant. The liquid breeder can be: a) liquid metal (lithium or 8 3Pb 1 7Li), or b) low-conductivity molten lithium salt. Self-cooled, separately-cooled, and dual coolant concepts are options for liquid breeder blankets. Ferritic steel is considered the primary structural material for almost all blanket concepts for DEMO. There are many advantages and feasibility issues for all blanket concepts. Examples include MHD and insulators, tritium permeation barriers, tritium control, materials interactions and compatibility, thermomechanics interactions, reliability, and synergistic effects. An Research and Development program is being pursued worldwide that includes testing in non-fusion facilities such as laboratory experiments and fission reactors. Testing of blanket modules in the fusion environment is one of the key objectives of ITER. The ITER Parties are presently developing a detailed plan for testing several blanket options on ITER. In addition to ITER, a specialized plasma-based facility for testing and development of FNT is being considered

Creep of Li2O

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollenberg, G.W.; Arthur, B.; Lui, Y.Y.

1985-01-01

The objective of this effort was to obtain data on the performance of lithium ceramic materials during fast neutron irradiation in support of solid breeder blanket designs. Li 2 O has been observed to swell (greater than or equal to 4%) under fast reactor irradiation. Fortunately, Li 2 O deforms at low temperatures so that swelling strains may be internally accommodated. Laboratory creep experiments were conducted between 500 to 700 0 C in order to provide data for structural analysis of in-reactor experiments and blanket design studies. A densification model agreed with most of the available data

Heat deposition, damage, and tritium breeding characteristics in thick liquid wall blanket concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youssef, M.Z.; Abdou, M.A.

2000-01-01

The advanced power extraction (APEX) study aims at exploring new and innovative blanket concepts that can efficiently extract power from fusion devices with high neutron wall load. Among the concepts under investigation is the free liquid FW/liquid blanket concept in which a fast flowing liquid FW (∼2-3 cm) is followed by thick flowing blanket (B) of ∼40-50 cm thickness with minimal amount of structure. The liquid FW/B are contained inside the vacuum vessel (VV) with a shielding zone (S) located either behind the VV and outside the vacuum boundary (case A) or placed after the FW/B and inside the VV (case B). In this paper we investigate the nuclear characteristics of this concept in terms of: (1) attenuation capability of the liquid FW/B/S and protection of the VV and magnet against radiation damage; (2) profiles of tritium production rate and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) for several liquid candidates; and (3) profiles of heat deposition rate and power multiplication. The candidate liquid breeders considered are Li, Flibe, Li-Sn, and Li-Pb. Parameters varied are (1) FW/B thickness, L, (2) Li-6 enrichment and (3) thickness of the shield

Optimization of the binary breeder reactor. VIII annular core fueled with 233U - 238U and Pu-238U

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, J.A. do; Ishiguro, Y.

1988-04-01

First cycle burnup characteristics of a 1200 MWe binary breeder reactor with annular core fueled with metallic 233 U- 238 U-Zr, Pu- 238 U-Zr and Th in the blankets have been analysed. The Doppler effect is small as expected in a metal fueled fast reactor. The sodium void reactivity is, in general, smaller than in metal fueled homogeneous fast reactors of 1 m core height. The estimates of the required and available control rod worths show a large shutdown margin throughout the operational cycle. There are flexibilities in the blanket fueling and well balanced breeding in the two cycles, uranium and thorium, with doubling times of about 20 years are possible. (author) [pt

Experimental investigation of MHD pressure losses in a mock-up of a liquid metal blanket

Science.gov (United States)

Mistrangelo, C.; Bühler, L.; Brinkmann, H.-J.

2018-03-01

Experiments have been performed to investigate the influence of a magnetic field on liquid metal flows in a scaled mock-up of a helium cooled lead lithium (HCLL) blanket. During the experiments pressure differences between points on the mock-up have been recorded for various values of flow rate and magnitude of the imposed magnetic field. The main contributions to the total pressure drop in the test-section have been identified as a function of characteristic flow parameters. For sufficiently strong magnetic fields the non-dimensional pressure losses are practically independent on the flow rate, namely inertia forces become negligible. Previous experiments on MHD flows in a simplified test-section for a HCLL blanket showed that the main contributions to the total pressure drop in a blanket module originate from the flow in the distributing and collecting manifolds. The new experiments confirm that the largest pressure drops occur along manifolds and near the first wall of the blanket module, where the liquid metal passes through small openings in the stiffening plates separating two breeder units. Moreover, the experimental data shows that with the present manifold design the flow does not distribute homogeneously among the 8 stacked boxes that form the breeding zone.

Beryllium research on FFHR molten salt blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terai, T.; Tanaka, S.; Sze, D.-K.

2000-01-01

Force-free helical reactor, FFHR, is a demo-relevant heliotron-type D-T fusion reactor based on the great amount of R and D results obtained in the LHD project. Since 1993, collaboration works have made great progress in design studies of FFHR with standing on the major advantage of current-less steady operation with no dangerous plasma disruptions. There are two types of reference designs, FFHR-1 and FFHR-2, where molten Flibe (LiF-BeF2) is utilized as tritium breeder and coolant. In this paper, we present the outline of FFHR blanket design and some related R and D topics focusing on Be utilization. Beryllium is used as a neutron multiplier in the design and Be pebbles are placed in the front part of the tritium breeding zone. In a Flibe blanket, HF (TF) generated due to nuclear transmutation will be a problem because of its corrosive property. Though nickel-based alloys are thought to be intact in such a corrosive environment, FFHR blanket design does not adopt the alloys because of their induced radioactivity. The present candidate materials for the structure are low-activated ferritic steel (JLF-1), V-4Cr-4Ti, etc. They are capable to be corroded by HF in the operation condition, and Be is expected to work as a reducing agent in the system as well. Whether Be pebbles placed in a Flibe flow can work well or not is a very important matter. From this point, Be solubility in Flibe, reaction rate of the Redox reaction with TF in the liquid and on the surface of Be pebbles under irradiation, flowing behavior of Flibe through a Be pebble bed, etc. should be investigated. In 1997, in order to establish more practical and new data bases for advanced design works, we started a collaboration work of R and D on blanket engineering, where the Be research above mentioned is included. Preliminary dipping-test of Be sheets and in-situ tritium release experiment from Flibe with Be sheets have got started. (orig.)

Impact analysis of the time trend of TBR and irradiation damage assessment of HCSB blanket for CFETR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Qin, E-mail: zengqin@ustc.edu.cn; Chen, Hongli; Lv, Zhongliang; Pan, Lei; Zhang, Haoran; Shi, Wei

2017-01-15

Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR) is a test tokamak reactor to bridge the gap between ITER and future fusion power plants and to demonstrate generation of fusion power in China. In fusion power plants, tritium is generated from the reaction of neutron and Lithium. One of the missions of CFETR is the full cycle of tritium self-sufficiency. For the mission, a Helium Cooled Solid Breeder blanket (HCSB) was proposed for CFETR and its conceptual design has been carried out. In order to assess the capacity of the tritium breeding and irradiation damage of first wall of the HCSB blanket during the 8 years’ engineering test stage, this paper presents the time trend of TBR analysis and irradiation damage assessment of HCSB blanket based on the three-dimensional (3D) neutronics model which is created by McCad. In the 3D neutronics model, the outboard blanket on equatorial plane is described based on the detailed 3D engineering model. The calculations were performed by MCNP and FISPACT with FENDL/2.1 data library. The impact analysis of the thickness of coolant plates (CP) and the structural material content in CPs to the TBR is assessment.

Dynamic test of the ITER blanket key and ceramic insulated pad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khomyakov, S.; Sysoev, G.; Strebkov, Yu.; Kucherov, A.; Ioki, K.

2010-01-01

The dynamic testing of the blanket module's key integrated into ITER vacuum vessel portion has been performed in 2008 to investigate its capability to react the electro-magnetic (EM) loads. The preliminary analysis showed the large dynamic amplification factor (DAF) of the reactions because of technological gaps between the blanket module and key. Shock load may yield the bronze pads, which protect the blanket electrical insulation from damage. However the dynamic analysis of such particularly non-linear system needs an experimental ground and confirmation. Toward this end, as well as demonstration of the key reliability, the special test facility has been made, and the full-scale mock-up of the inboard intermodular key was tested. So as not to scale non-linear dynamic parameters, 1-ton mass was built on the single flexible support. The key was welded in a 60-mm thick steel plate modeled with a fragment of the VV. The different gaps were set in between the bronze pad of the key and the mass shock worker. This system (supplemented with some additional constraints) has natural oscillations like as the 4-ton module built on four flexible supports. Thus the most critical radial torque might be modeled with a straight force. The objectives of the test were as follows: dynamic response, DAF and damping factor determination; measurement of the strain oscillations in the key's base and in the weld seam; comparison of the measured data with computation results. The paper will present the analytical grounds of the testing conditions, test facility description, analytical adaptation of the facility, experimental results, its comparison with analysis and discussion, and guidelines for the next experimental phase.

Fusion Blanket Coolant Section Criteria, Methodology, and Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeMuth, J. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Meier, W. R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Jolodosky, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Frantoni, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Reyes, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-10-02

The focus of this LDRD was to explore potential Li alloys that would meet the tritium breeding and blanket cooling requirements but with reduced chemical reactivity, while maintaining the other attractive features of pure Li breeder/coolant. In other fusion approaches (magnetic fusion energy or MFE), 17Li- 83Pb alloy is used leveraging Pb’s ability to maintain high TBR while lowering the levels of lithium in the system. Unfortunately this alloy has a number of potential draw-backs. Due to the high Pb content, this alloy suffers from very high average density, low tritium solubility, low system energy, and produces undesirable activation products in particular polonium. The criteria considered in the selection of a tritium breeding alloy are described in the following section.

Flow characteristics analysis of purge gas in unitary pebble beds by CFD simulation coupled with DEM geometry model for fusion blanket

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Youhua [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Chen, Lei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Luo, Guangnan [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

2017-01-15

Highlights: • A unitary pebble bed was built to analyze the flow characteristics of purge gas based on DEM-CFD method. • Flow characteristics between particles were clearly displayed. • Porosity distribution, velocity field distribution, pressure field distribution, pressure drop and the wall effects on velocity distribution were studied. - Abstract: Helium is used as the purge gas to sweep tritium out when it flows through the lithium ceramic and beryllium pebble beds in solid breeder blanket for fusion reactor. The flow characteristics of the purge gas will dominate the tritium sweep capability and tritium recovery system design. In this paper, a computational model for the unitary pebble bed was conducted using DEM-CFD method to study the purge gas flow characteristics in the bed, which include porosity distribution between pebbles, velocity field distribution, pressure field distribution, pressure drop as well as the wall effects on velocity distribution. Pebble bed porosity and velocity distribution with great fluctuations were found in the near-wall region and detailed flow characteristics between pebbles were displayed clearly. The results show that the numerical simulation model has an error with about 11% for estimating pressure drop when compared with the Ergun equation.

Ceramics as nuclear reactor fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeve, K.D.

1975-01-01

Ceramics are widely accepted as nuclear reactor fuel materials, for both metal clad ceramic and all-ceramic fuel designs. Metal clad UO 2 is used commercially in large tonnages in five different power reactor designs. UO 2 pellets are made by familiar ceramic techniques but in a reactor they undergo complex thermal and chemical changes which must be thoroughly understood. Metal clad uranium-plutonium dioxide is used in present day fast breeder reactors, but may eventually be replaced by uranium-plutonium carbide or nitride. All-ceramic fuels, which are necessary for reactors operating above about 750 0 C, must incorporate one or more fission product retentive ceramic coatings. BeO-coated BeO matrix dispersion fuels and silicate glaze coated UO 2 -SiO 2 have been studied for specialised applications, but the only commercial high temperature fuel is based on graphite in which small fuel particles, each coated with vapour deposited carbon and silicon carbide, are dispersed. Ceramists have much to contribute to many aspects of fuel science and technology. (author)

Overview of TBM R and D activities in India

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajendra Kumar, E., E-mail: rajendrakumare@gmail.com [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar 382428 (India); Jayakumar, T. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603102 (India); Suri, A.K. [Materials Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

2012-08-15

In India, development of Lead-Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) blanket is being performed as the primary candidate of Test Blanket Module (TBM) towards DEMO reactor. The LLCB TBM will be tested from the first phase of ITER operation (H-H phase) in one-half of an ITER port no. 2. The Indian TBM R and D program is focused on the development of blanket materials and critical technologies: structural material (IN-RAFMS), breeding materials (Pb-Li, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}), development of technologies for Lead-Lithium cooling system (LLCS), helium cooling system (HCS), tritium extraction system (TES) and TBM related fabrication technologies. This paper will provide an overview of LLCB TBM R and D activities under progress in India.

Trial synthesis of Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3} for high-functional tritium breeders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoshino, Tsuyoshi, E-mail: hoshino.tsuyoshi@jaea.go.jp [Breeding Functional Materials Development Group, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166, Obuchi, Omotedate, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Oikawa, Fumiaki [Breeding Functional Materials Development Group, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-166, Obuchi, Omotedate, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Natori, Yuri; Kato, Kenichi; Sakka, Tomoko; Nakamura, Mutsumi; Tatenuma, Katsuyoshi [Kaken, Co. Ltd., 1044, Hori, Mito-city, Ibaraki 310-0903 (Japan)

2013-10-15

Highlights: • Mixtures of tritium breeder and neutron multiplier (Be or Be{sub 12}Ti) pebbles are being considered for increasing the tritium breeding ratio in DEMO blankets. • A high-functional tritium breeder such as lithium beryllium oxide (Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3}) needs to be developed to compensate for this reaction under high-temperatures. • Solid-state reaction of LiOH·H{sub 2}O and BeO is well-suited for synthesizing Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • The optimum sintering temperature was selected from 1000 K to 1273 K by TG–DTA. -- Abstract: Mixtures of tritium breeder (lithium) and neutron multiplier (beryllium) are being considered for use in increasing the tritium breeding ratio in breeding blankets. However, lithium and beryllium react under normal operating conditions, and therefore, a high-functional tritium breeder such as lithium beryllium oxide (Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3}) needs to be developed to compensate for this reaction under high-temperatures. LiOH·H{sub 2}O and BeO powders were mixed in stoichiometric proportions at a Li/Be molecular ratio of 1.0. The sintering temperature was established as 1073 K by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA). The Li/Be molar ratio of the reaction products measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) after the reaction agreed with the nominal molar ratio obtained by mixing LiOH·H{sub 2}O and BeO. Crystal structure analysis of this powder was performed by the XRD technique. The XRD patterns of products were the same as those of Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3} as listed in the JC-PDF-Card, and no impurities were indicated. The results indicate that the solid-state reaction of LiOH·H{sub 2}O and BeO is suitable for synthesizing lithium beryllium oxide (Li{sub 2}Be{sub 2}O{sub 3})

Alternative breeder reactor technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinrad, B.I.

1978-01-01

The significance of employing breeder reactors to stretch the world resources of nuclear fuels is briefly discussed, and the various types of breeder concepts are described. General descriptions, advantages, and disadvantages of the liquid metal cooled fast breeder, gas cooled fast breeder, molten salt breeder, thermal breeders, and spectral-shift control reactors are presented. Aspects of safeguarding fissile material connected with breeder operation are examined. 31 references

Development of hi-tech ceramics fabrication technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Suk; Park, Ji Yeon; Kim, Sun Jai; Hwan, Jung Choong; Oh, Seok Jin

1997-07-01

There are some ceramic materials being used in the nuclear energy such as nuclear fuel, coolant pump seals, tritium breeder materials, a high temperature absorber, and the solid electrolyte for recovering tritium. In addition, lots of researches recently have been conducted on the development of highly functional ceramics such as highly efficient shielding materials, functional graded materials and radioactive isotopes-separating materials. Therefore, one of the objectives of this project is to develop ultra-fine and pure powder manufacturing technology. Tritium breeder materials, LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} were made with a combustion process of mixed fuels that is developed indigenously in this project. Additionally, this study also focused on the development of promising low temperature electrolytes of ceria. By using the ceria powder made by the combustion process of GNP was investigated their sinterability and the electrolytic characteristics. (author). 167 refs., 74 tabs., 91 figs

An alternative high breeding radio design concept with liquid breeder for the NET/INTOR blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avanzini, P.G.; Cardella, A.; Raia, G.; Rosatelli, F.; Farfaletti-Casali, F.

1984-01-01

A liquid lithium tubolar breeding blanket concept has been studied which could be applied to NET/INTOR or other next generation Tokamak reactors. A high breeding ratio can be achieved using a moderator medium, without enriching lithium in the Li6 percentage. Preliminary neutron and gamma flux and thermohydraulics calculations have shown the feasibility and efficiency of our concept. (author)

Tritium transport in lithium ceramics porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tam, S.W.; Ambrose, V.

1991-01-01

A random network model has been utilized to analyze the problem of tritium percolation through porous Li ceramic breeders. Local transport in each pore channel is described by a set of convection-diffusion-reaction equations. Long range transport is described by a matrix technique. The heterogeneous structure of the porous medium is accounted for via Monte Carlo methods. The model was then applied to an analysis of the relative contribution of diffusion and convective flow to tritium transport in porous lithium ceramics. 15 refs., 4 figs

CM-244 as multiplier and breeder in a ThO/sub 2/ hybrid blanket driven by a (D,T) source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahin, S.; Al-Kusayer, T.A.

1986-01-01

The safeguard aspects of Cm-244 - a nuclear waste product in LWRs - in a cylindrical hybrid blanket, driven by a (D,T) fusion neutron source have been analyzed. Cm-244 is investigated for two different applications: 1) as a neutron multiplier between the first wall and the fuel zone in a blanket with ThO/sub 2/; and 2) as a component of the mixed fuel, ThO/sub 2/-Cm/sup 244/O/sub 2/, used for power flattening in a hybrid blanket. The calculations show that a relatively small driven with 100 MW/sub th/ fusion power could produce about 5 kg/year Cm-245, enough to provide nuclear fuel for up to 50 explosives. The study suggests an extension of the safe-guarding regulations prior to the commercial introduction of fusion reactors in the energy market

Uranium self-shielding in fast reactor blankets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadiroglu, O.K.; Driscoll, M.J.

1976-03-01

The effects of heterogeneity on resonance self-shielding are examined with particular emphasis on the blanket region of the fast breeder reactor and on its dominant reaction--capture in /sup 238/U. The results, however, apply equally well to scattering resonances, to other isotopes (fertile, fissile and structural species) and to other environments, so long as the underlying assumptions of narrow resonance theory apply. The heterogeneous resonance integral is first cast into a modified homogeneous form involving the ratio of coolant-to-fuel fluxes. A generalized correlation (useful in its own right in many other applications) is developed for this ratio, using both integral transport and collision probability theory to infer the form of correlation, and then relying upon Monte Carlo calculations to establish absolute values of the correlation coefficients. It is shown that a simple linear prescription can be developed for the flux ratio as a function of only fuel optical thickness and the fraction of the slowing-down source generated by the coolant. This in turn permitted derivation of a new equivalence theorem relating the heterogeneous self-shielding factor to the homogeneous self-shielding factor at a modified value of the background scattering cross section per absorber nucleus. A simple version of this relation is developed and used to show that heterogeneity has a negligible effect on the calculated blanket breeding ratio in fast reactors.

Radiation effects on structural ceramics in fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, G.R.; Price, R.J.; Trester, P.W.

1986-01-01

Ceramics are required to serve in a conventional role as electrical and thermal insulators and dielectrics in fusion power reactors. In addition, certain ceramic materials can play a unique structural role in fusion power reactors by virtue of their very low induced radioactivity from fusion neutron capture. The aspects of safety, long-term radioactive waste management, and personnel access for maintenance and repair can all be significantly improved by applying the low-activation ceramics to the structural materials of the first-wall and blanket regions of a fusion reactor. Achievement of long service life at high structural loads and thermal stresses on the materials exposed to high-radiation doses presents a critical challenge for fusion. In this paper, we discuss radiation effects on structural ceramics for fusion application

Agglomeration techniques for the production of spheres for packed beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, J.D.

1988-03-01

One attractive fusion-breeder-blanket design features a lithium bearing ceramic in the form of spheres packed into a random array. The spheres have diameters of 3 mm and 0.3 mm. This report surveys techniques used to produce ceramic spheres on an industrial scale. The methods examined include tumbling and mixing granulation, extrusion, briquetting and pelletizing. It is concluded that the required quantities of 0.3 mm diameter spheres can be produced by the tumbling agglomeration of a feed powder. The 3 mm diameter spheres will be made using a process of extrusion, chopping and rolling

Nuclear-thermal-coupled optimization code for the fusion breeding blanket conceptual design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Jia; Jiang, Kecheng; Zhang, Xiaokang; Nie, Xingchen; Zhu, Qinjun; Liu, Songlin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A nuclear-thermal-coupled predesign code has been developed for optimizing the radial build arrangement of fusion breeding blanket. • Coupling module aims at speeding up the efficiency of design progress by coupling the neutronics calculation code with the thermal-hydraulic analysis code. • Radial build optimization algorithm aims at optimal arrangement of breeding blanket considering one or multiple specified objectives subject to the design criteria such as material temperature limit and available TBR. - Abstract: Fusion breeding blanket as one of the key in-vessel components performs the functions of breeding the tritium, removing the nuclear heat and heat flux from plasma chamber as well as acting as part of shielding system. The radial build design which determines the arrangement of function zones and material properties on the radial direction is the basis of the detailed design of fusion breeding blanket. For facilitating the radial build design, this study aims for developing a pre-design code to optimize the radial build of blanket with considering the performance of nuclear and thermal-hydraulic simultaneously. Two main features of this code are: (1) Coupling of the neutronics analysis with the thermal-hydraulic analysis to speed up the analysis progress; (2) preliminary optimization algorithm using one or multiple specified objectives subject to the design criteria in the form of constrains imposed on design variables and performance parameters within the possible engineering ranges. This pre-design code has been applied to the conceptual design of water-cooled ceramic breeding blanket in project of China fusion engineering testing reactor (CFETR).

Nuclear-thermal-coupled optimization code for the fusion breeding blanket conceptual design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jia, E-mail: lijia@ustc.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui (China); Jiang, Kecheng; Zhang, Xiaokang [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui (China); Nie, Xingchen [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, Anhui (China); Zhu, Qinjun; Liu, Songlin [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui (China)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • A nuclear-thermal-coupled predesign code has been developed for optimizing the radial build arrangement of fusion breeding blanket. • Coupling module aims at speeding up the efficiency of design progress by coupling the neutronics calculation code with the thermal-hydraulic analysis code. • Radial build optimization algorithm aims at optimal arrangement of breeding blanket considering one or multiple specified objectives subject to the design criteria such as material temperature limit and available TBR. - Abstract: Fusion breeding blanket as one of the key in-vessel components performs the functions of breeding the tritium, removing the nuclear heat and heat flux from plasma chamber as well as acting as part of shielding system. The radial build design which determines the arrangement of function zones and material properties on the radial direction is the basis of the detailed design of fusion breeding blanket. For facilitating the radial build design, this study aims for developing a pre-design code to optimize the radial build of blanket with considering the performance of nuclear and thermal-hydraulic simultaneously. Two main features of this code are: (1) Coupling of the neutronics analysis with the thermal-hydraulic analysis to speed up the analysis progress; (2) preliminary optimization algorithm using one or multiple specified objectives subject to the design criteria in the form of constrains imposed on design variables and performance parameters within the possible engineering ranges. This pre-design code has been applied to the conceptual design of water-cooled ceramic breeding blanket in project of China fusion engineering testing reactor (CFETR).

Dynamic response of INTOR/NET blankets after coolant tube rupture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klippel, H.T.

1985-01-01

The dynamic response of different water-cooled liquid Li 17 Pb 83 breeder blanket modules has been calculated to study the potential of these modules in case of coolant tube rupture. Numerical calculations with the code PISCES have been carried out taking into account the fluid-structure interaction and the elasto-plastic behaviour of the structural material. The results show that for inert coolant characteristics the proposed conceptual designs for NET and INTOR have sufficient resistance against coolant tube rupture but when taking into account energy release due to chemical reaction of water with LiPb-alloy up to doubling of the wall thickness has to be envisaged to guarantee structural reliability. (orig.)

Protected plutonium breeding by transmutation of minor actinides in fast breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meiliza, Yoshitalia; Saito, Masaki; Sagara, Hiroshi

2008-01-01

The improvement of proliferation resistance properties of Pu and the burnup characteristics of fast breeder reactor (FBR) had been studied by utilizing minor actinides (MAs) to produce more 238 Pu from 237 Np and 241 Am through neutron capture reaction. The higher the 238 Pu content in the fuel, the higher the proliferation resistance of the fuel would be owing to the natural characteristics of 238 Pu with high decay heat and high neutron production. The present paper deals with the assessment of passive measure against nuclear material proliferation by focusing on improving the inherent proliferation barrier of discharged Pu from an FBR. Results showed that 5% MA doping to the blanket of an FBR gives as high as 17-19% 238 Pu, which could be seen as a significant improvement of the proliferation properties of Pu. Moreover, additional 5% ZrH 2 , together with 5% MA doping to the blanket, could enhance the 238 Pu fraction much more (22-24%). With an assumption of protected Pu whose 238 Pu isotopic fraction is more than 12%, the present paper revealed that protected Pu could be produced more than the Pu consumed (protected Pu breeding) through incineration in an FBR with doping of a minimum 3% MAs or (2% MAs+5% ZrH 2 ) to the blanket. (author)

Special topics reports for the reference tandem mirror fusion breeder: liquid metal MHD pressure drop effects in the packed bed blanket. Vol. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarville, T.J.; Berwald, D.H.; Wong, C.P.C.

1984-09-01

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects which result from the use of liquid metal coolants in magnetic fusion reactors include the modification of flow profiles (including the suppression of turbulence) and increases in the primary loop pressure drop and the hydrostatic pressure at the first wall of the blanket. In the reference fission-suppressed tandem mirror fusion breeder design concept, flow profile modification is a relatively minor concern, but the MHD pressure drop in flowing the liquid lithium coolant through an annular packed bed of beryllium/thorium pebbles is directly related to the required first wall structure thickness. As such, it is a major concern which directly impacts fissile breeding efficiency. Consequently, an improved model for the packed bed pressure drop has been developed. By considering spacial averages of electric fields, currents, and fluid flow velocities the general equations have been reduced to simple expressions for the pressure drop. The averaging approach results in expressions for the pressure drop involving a constant which reflects details of the flow around the pebbles. Such details are difficult to assess analytically, and the constant may eventually have to be evaluated by experiment. However, an energy approach has been used in this study to bound the possible values of the constant, and thus the pressure drop. In anticipation that an experimental facility might be established to evaluate the undetermined constant as well as to address other uncertainties, a survey of existing facilities is presented

Effect of nature convection on heat transfer in the liquid LiPb blanket for FDS-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Hongyan; Chen Hongli [Huaibei Coal Industry Teachers Coll. (China). Dept. of Physics; Zhou Tao [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China). Inst. of Plasma Physics

2007-07-01

The He-cooled liquid LiPb tritium breeder (SLL) blanket concept is one of options of the blanket design of the fusion power reactor (FDS-II). The SLL blanket could be developed relatively easily with lower LiPb outlet temperature and slower LiPb flow velocity that allows the utilization of relatively mature material technology. The velocity of the liquid LiPb in the blanket is very slowly only in order to extract tritium. The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow and heat transfer become very complex resulting from the differential heating of walls of the channels, especially adjacent to the First Wall (FW), and internal heat sources inside of the liquid LiPb. It is necessary to analyse the effect of the buoyancy-driven LiPb MHD flow on heat transfer in the channels with electrically and thermally conducting walls adjacent to the FW. The nature convection of the liquid LiPb, due to thermal diffusion, in the poloidal channel adjacent to the FW in the presence of the strong magnetic field of the SLL blanket has been considered and studied. The specially numerical MHD code based on the computational fluid dynamic software has been developed for analysis of the buoyancy-driven MHD flow. The properties of buoyantly convective flows have been investigated for various thermal boundary conditions. The numerical analysis was performed for the effect of nature convection on heat transfer of the liquid LiPb MHD flow in the poloidal channel in the SLL blanket. For the strong temperature gradient in the blanket and internal heat flux of Liquid LiPb, the three-dimensional temperature distributions of the LiPb, the FW and other walls have been given. Finally, The effect of the ratio of MHD buoyancy on the heat transfer characteristics of the LiPb flow have been calculated and presented. (orig.)

Three-dimensional flow measurement of a water flow in a sphere-packed pipe by digital holographic PTV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Satake, Shin-ichi, E-mail: satake@te.noda.tus.ac.jp [Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585 (Japan); Aoyagi, Yusuke [Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585 (Japan); Unno, Noriyuki [Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585 (Japan); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 5-3-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083 (Japan); Yuki, Kazuhisa [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo University of Science, Yamaguchi, Daigaku-dori 1-1-1, Sanyo-Onoda, Yamaguchi 756-0884 (Japan); Seki, Yohji; Enoeda, Mikio [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Blanket Technology Group, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan)

2015-10-15

A water cooled ceramic breeder for ITER and DEMO of a nuclear fusion reactor plays a significant role in the design of a blanket module. Pebbles of a ceramic tritium breeder are packed in a container of the blanket. Investigation of the flow behavior is necessary in an actual environment of a facility where pressure drop takes place under a complex flow such as in case of the container for the pebble bed. For the development of a facility, it is necessary to be able to monitor fluid motion of a basic flow such as a sphere-packed pipe (SPP). In the present study, to discern the complex flow structures in SPP, digital holographic PTV visualization is carried out by a refractive index-matching method using a water employed as a working fluid. The water is chosen to be able to adjust its refractive index to match to that of the MEXFLON pebble with an index of 1.33. Hologram fringe images of particles behind the spheres can be observed, and the particles’ positions can be reconstructed by a digital hologram. Consequently, 3-D velocity-fields around the spheres are obtained by the reconstructed particles’ positions. The velocity between pebbles is found to be convergence and divergence regions in the SPP.

Octalithium plumbate as breeding blanket ceramic: Neutronic performances, synthesis and partial characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colominas, S.; Palermo, I.; Abellà, J.; Gómez-Ros, J.M.; Sanz, J.; Sedano, L.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Definition of a suitable configuration for the Li 8 PbO 6 breeding blanket design. ► Demonstration of the feasibility of Li 8 PbO 6 as a breeding material. ► Synthesis optimization in the Li 8 PbO 6 production. ► Characterization of Li 8 PbO 6 by X-ray phase analysis is discussed. - Abstract: A neutronic assessment of the performances of a helium-cooled Li 8 PbO 6 breeding blanket (BB) for the conceptual design of a DEMO fusion reactor is given. Different BB configurations have been considered in order to minimize the amount of beryllium required for neutron multiplication, including the use of graphite as reflector material. The calculated neutronic responses: tritium breeding ratio (TBR), power deposition in TF coils and power amplification factor, indicate the feasibility of Li 8 PbO 6 as breeding material. Furthermore, the synthesis and characterization of Li 8 PbO 6 by X-ray phase analysis are also discussed.

Recent progress in safety assessments of Japanese water cooled solid breeder test blanket module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuru, Daigo; Enoeda, Mikio; Akiba, Masato

2007-01-01

Water Cooled Solid Breeder Test Blanket Module (WCSB TBM) is being designed by JAEA for the primary candidate TBM of Japan, and the safety evaluation of WCSB TBM has been performed. This reports presents summary of safety evaluation activities of the Japanese WCSB TBM, including nuclear analysis, source of RI, waste evaluation, occupational radiolysis exposure (ORE), failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) and postulated initiating event (PIE). For the purpose of basic evaluation of source terms on nuclear heating and radioactivity generation, two-dimensional nuclear analysis has been carried out. By the nuclear analysis, distributions of neutron flux, tritium breeding ratio (TBR), nuclear heat, decay heat and induced activity are calculated. Tritium production is calculated by the nuclear analysis by integrating distributions of TBR values, as about 0.2 g-T/FPD. With respect to the radioactive waste, the induced activity of the irradiated TBM is estimated. For the purpose of occupational radiolysis exposure (ORE), RI inventory is estimated. Tritium inventory in pebble bed of TBM is about 3 x 10 12 Bq, and tritium in purge gas is about 3 x 10 11 Bq. FMEA has been carried out to identify the PIEs that need safety evaluation. PIEs are summarized into three groups, i.e., heating, pressurization and release of RI. PIEs of local heating are converged without any special cares. With respect to heating of whole module, two PIEs are selected as the most severe events, i.e., loss of cooling of TBM during plasma operation and ingress of coolant into TBM during plasma operation. With respect to PIEs about pressurization, the PIEs of pressurization of the compartment nearby the pipes of cooling system are evaluated, because rupture of the pipes result pressurization of such compartments, i.e., box structure of TBM, purge gas loop, TRS, VV, port cell and TCWS vault. Box structure of TBM is designed to withstand the maximum pressure of the cooling system. At other compartments

Fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinzel, V.

1975-01-01

The author gives a survey of 'fast breeder reactors'. In detail the process of breeding, the reasons for the development of fast breeders, the possible breeder reactors, the design criteria, fuels, cladding, coolant, and safety aspects are reported on. Design data of some experimental reactors already in operation are summarized in stabular form. 300 MWe Prototype-Reactors SNR-300 and PFR are explained in detail and data of KWU helium-cooled fast breeder reactors are given. (HR) [de

Thermodynamics of ceramic breeder materials for fusion reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetzmann, O.

1989-05-01

Based on known or deduced phase relationships in ternary lithium oxygen systems such as Li-Al-O, Li-Si-O and Li-Zr-O, the unknown free enthalpy of formation values of ternary compounds are calculated starting from the known data of the compounds of the binary border systems. Criterion for the data assessment is interconsistency of the data of all the compounds within a given multi-component system. With the help of these data the development of partial pressures during the breeding process can be calculated for all the compounds of interest. In order to facilitate a compatibility assessment the quaternary systems Cr-Li-Si-O, Fe-Li-Si-O and Be-Li-Si-O were also investigated and thermodynamic data of pertinent ternary and quaternary compounds determined. Both the partial pressure development and the compatibility behaviour of a lithium containing compound are criteria for its qualification as a breeder material for a fusion reactor. (orig.) [de

Design development and manufacturing sequence of the European water-cooled Pb-17Li test blanket module

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Futterer, M.A.; Bielak, B.; Deffain, J.P.; Giancarli, L.; Li Puma, A.; Salavy, J.F.; Szczepanski, J. [CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France). FDRN/DMT/SERMA; Dellis, C. [CEA Grenoble, DTA-CEREM/SGM, Grenoble (France); Nardi, C. [ENEA Frascati, ERG-FUS-TECN-MEC, Frascati (Italy); Schleisiek, K. [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH Technik und Umwelt (Germany). Inst. fuer Reaktorsicherheit

1998-09-01

In 1996, the European Community started the development of a water-cooled Pb17Li blanket test module for ITER. First tests are currently scheduled to start with the beginning of the basic performance phase prior to D-T operation. The test module is designed to be a representative for a DEMO breeding blanket and relies on the liquid alloy Pb-17Li as both tritium breeder and neutron multiplier material, and water at PWR pressure and temperature as coolant. The structural material is martensitic steel. The straight, box-like structure of this blanket confines a pool of liquid Pb-17Li which is slowly circulated for ex-situ tritium extraction and lithium adjustment. The box and the Pb-17Li pool are separately cooled, the former with toroido-radial tubes, the latter with a bundle of double-walled U-tubes, equally made of martensitic steel and equipped with a permeation barrier. This paper presents the latest design and three manufacturing schemes with different degrees of technology. Advanced techniques such as solid or powder HIP are proposed to provide design flexibility. With a 3D neutronics analysis, the power and tritium generation were determined. (orig.) 11 refs.

RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 modification for transient accident scenario of Test Blanket Modules in ITER involving helium flows into heavy liquid metal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freixa, J.; Pérez, M.; Mas de les Valls, E.; Batet, L.; Sandeep, T.; Chaudhari, V.; Reventós, F.

2015-07-01

The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), India, is currently involved in the design and development of its Test Blanket Module (TBM) for testing in ITER (International Thermo nuclear Experimental Reactor). The Indian TBM concept is a Lead-Lithium cooled Ceramic Breeder (LLCB), which utilizes lead-lithium eutectic alloy (LLE) as tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and coolant. The first wall facing the plasma is cooled by helium gas. In preparation of the regulatory safety files of ITER-TBM, a number of off-normal event sequences have been postulated. Thermal hydraulic safety analyses of the TBM system will be carried out with the system code RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 which was initially designed to predict the behavior of light water reactor systems during normal and accidental conditions. In order to analyze some of the postulated off-normal events, there is the need to simulate the mixing of Helium and Lead-Lithium fluids. The Technical University of Catalonia is cooperating with IPR to implement the necessary changes in the code to allow for the mixing of helium and liquid metal. In the present study, the RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4 two-phase flow 6-equations structure has been modified to allow for the mixture of LLE in the liquid phase with dry Helium in the gas phase. Practically obtaining a two-fluid 6-equation model where each fluid is simulated with a set of energy, mass and momentum balance equations. A preliminary flow regime map for LLE and helium flow has been developed on the basis of numerical simulations with the OpenFOAM CFD toolkit. The new code modifications have been verified for vertical and horizontal configurations. (Author)

Influence of hydrogen addition to a sweep gas on tritium behavior in a blanket module containing Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katayama, K., E-mail: kadzu@nucl.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University 6-1, Kasugakoen, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Someya, Y.; Tobita, K. [National Institutes for Quantum and radiological Science and Technology, 2-166 Omotedate, Obuchi, Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori 039-3212 (Japan); Fukada, S. [Department of Advanced Energy Engineering Science, Kyushu University 6-1, Kasugakoen, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Hatano, Y. [Hydrogen Isotope Research Center, University of Toyama, Gofuku 3190, Toyama 930-8555 (Japan); Chikada, T. [Department of Chemistry, Graduate school of Science, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8529 (Japan)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Mass balance equations of H{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, T{sub 2} and T{sub 2}O in a Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed were numerically calculated. • In the temperature rising process, the pebbles were exposed to water vapor of relatively high concentration. • Tritium permeation rate to cooling water reduced with increasing hydrogen concentration in the sweep gas. • Tritium inventory in the grain bulk and the grain surface occupied 99.6% of total inventory. - Abstract: Hydrogen addition to a sweep gas of a solid breeder blanket module has been proposed to enhance tritium recovery from the surface of the breeders. However, the influence of hydrogen addition on the bred tritium behavior is not understood completely. Tritium behavior in the simplified blanket module of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles was numerically calculated considering diffusion in the grain bulk, surface reactions on the grain surface and permeation through the cooling pipe. Although a partial pressure of T{sub 2} increases with increasing a partial pressure of H{sub 2} in the sweep gas, it was estimated that tritium permeation rate to the cooling water decreases. Additionally, the release duration of water vapor generated by the reaction of the pebbles and hydrogen is shortened with increasing a partial pressure of H{sub 2}. Tritium inventory in the grain bulk and the grain surface occupies 99.6 % of total tritium inventory in the blanket module.

Carbon tiles as spectral-shifter for long-life liquid blanket in LHD-type reactor FFHR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagara, A.; Imagawa, S.; Tanaka, T.; Muroga, T.; Kubota, Y.; Dolan, T.; Hashizume, H.; Kunugi, T.; Fukada, S.; Shimizu, A.; Terai, T.; Mitarai, O.

2006-01-01

In terms of engineering feasibility for long-life Flibe blanket in LHD-type reactor FFHR, the Spectral-shifter and Tritium breeder Blanket (STB) concept is evaluated by taking neutron irradiation effects into account under system integration such as Flibe cooling and components replacement. FEM calculations for the neutron wall loading of 1.5 MW/m 2 show that the temperature of the STB armor tile can be kept below 2000 K by optimizing the first metal wall thickness. The heat load experiment on the STB armor mockup confirms feasibility of the temperature control and mechanical joining. Degradation of STB armor tiles due to neutron irradiation requires replacement of them every few years by means of remote handling 'screw coasters' using helical winding, where the replaced tiles are low level wastes. Although the STB concept is feasible within nuclear and thermal properties, more detailed structural optimization is needed including the mechanical and chemical properties

Evaluation of alternative methods of simulating asymmetric bulk heating in fusion reactor blanket/shield components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deis, G.A.; Longhurst, G.R.; Miller, L.G.; Wadkins, R.P.; Wessol, D.E.

1981-10-01

As a part of Phase O, Test Program Element-II of the Office of Fusion Energy First Wall/Blanket/Shield Engineering Test Program, a study was conducted by EG and G Idaho, Inc., to identify, characterize, and recommend alternative approaches for simulating fusion bulk heating in blanket/shield components. This is the report on that effort. Since the usefulness of any simulation approach depends upon the particular experiment considered, classes of problem types (thermal-hydraulic, thermomechanical, etc.) and material types (structure, solid breeder, etc.) are developed. The evaluation of the various simulation approaches is performed for the various significant combinations of problem class and material class. The simulation approaches considered are discrete-source heating, direct resistance, electromagnetic induction, microwave heating, and nuclear heating. From the evaluations performed for each experiment type, discrete - source heating emerges as a good approach for bulk heating simulation in thermal - hydraulics experiments, and nuclear heating appears to be a good approach in experiments addressing thermomechanics and combined thermal-hydraulic/thermomechanics

Fabrication of modified lithium orthosilicate pebbles by addition of titania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knitter, R., E-mail: regina.knitter@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Kolb, M.H.H.; Kaufmann, U. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT), Karlsruhe, 76021 (Germany); Goraieb, A.A. [Goraieb Versuchstechnik (GVT), Karlsruhe, 76227 (Germany)

2013-11-15

Highlights: ► Lithium orthosilicate pebbles with additions of titania were fabricated by a modified melt-based process. ► The fabricated pebbles exhibit a very fine-grained microstructure with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. ► Due to the addition of titanate, the crush load of the pebbles was significantly increased. ► The closed porosity was found to be slightly increased with increasing titanate content. -- Abstract: Lithium orthosilicate pebbles are one of the ceramic tritium breeder materials destined for the European solid breeder test blanket modules of ITER, the large-scale scientific experiment intended to prove the viability of fusion as an energy source, presently under construction in Cadarache, France. While the current reference material is fabricated by melt-spraying with 2.5 wt.% excess of silica, resulting in a two-phase material of lithium orthosilicate and metasilicate, a modified melt-based process was used to fabricate breeder pebbles with additions of titania in order to obtain pebbles with lithium metatitanate as a secondary phase. The fabricated two-phase pebbles exhibit a fine-grained microstructure and increased crush loads. The optimum titanate content has yet to be evaluated, nonetheless the pebbles may have the potential to combine the advantages of both lithium orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder ceramics.

Fabrication of lithium ceramic pellets, rings and single crystals for irradiation in BEATRIX-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slagle, O.D.; Noda, K.; Takahashi, T.

1989-04-01

BEATRIX-II is an IEA sponsored experiment of lithium ceramic solid breeder materials in the FFTF/MOTA. Li 2 O solid pellets and annular ring specimens were fabricated for in-situ tritium release tests. In addition, a series of single crystal and polycrystalline lithium ceramic samples were fabricated to determine the irradiation behavior and beryllium compatibility. 6 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs

EXOTIC: Development of ceramic tritium breeding materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flipot, A.J.; Kennedy, P.; Conrad, R.

1989-03-01

As part of the joint European Programme on fusion blanket technology three laboratories, Northern Research Laboratories (NRL), Springfields in the UK, SCK/CEN-Mol in Belgium and ECN-Petten in conjunction with JRC-Petten in the Netherlands have worked closely together since 1983 on the development of ceramic breeder materials, the programme being codenamed EXOTIC. Lithium oxides, aluminates, silicates and zirconates have been produced, characterised and irradiated in the HFR-Petten in experiments EXOTIC-1, -2 and -3. EXOTIC-4 is in preparation. In this fourth annual progress report the work achieved in 1987 is reported. For EXOTIC-1 to -3 mainly post irradiation examinations have been carried out like: visual inspection, puncturing of closed capsules, tritium retention measurements and material characterisation. Moreover, tritium release experiments on small specimens have started. SCK/CEN performed a general study on lithium silicates, in particular on the thermal stability. Finally, the fabrication and the characterisation of the materials to be irradiated in experiment EXOTIC-4 are presented. The eight capsules of EXOTIC-4 will be loaed with samples of Li 2 SiO 3 , Li 2 O, Li 2 ZrO 3 , Li 6 Zr 2 O 7 and Li 8 ZrO 6 . The irradiation will last 4 reactor cycles or about 100, Full Power Day, FPD. The main objective is to determine the tritium residence time of the various lithium zirconates. 18 figs., 8 refs., 15 tabs

Tritium system design studies of fusion experimental breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Baiquan; Huang Jinhua

2003-01-01

A summary of the tritium system design studies for the engineering outline design of a fusion experimental breeder (FEB-E) is presented. This paper is divided into three sections. In first section, the geometry, loading features and tritium concentrations in liquid lithium of tritium breeding zones of blanket are described. The tritium flow chart corresponding to the tritium fuel cycle system has been constructed, and the inventories in ten subsystems are calculated using SWITRIM code in section 2. Results show that the necessary initial tritium storage to start up FEB-E with fusion power of 143 MW is about 319 g. In final section, the tritium leakage issues under different operation circumstances have been analyzed. It was found that the potential danger of tritium leakage could be resulted from the exhausted gas of the diverter system. It is important to elevate the tritium burnup fraction and reduce the tritium throughput. (authors)

Impact of delays in plutonium use on the stationary growth rate of fast breeder reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borg, R.C.; Ott, K.O.

1977-07-01

The hierarchy of the four growth rate expressions originally derived from an instantaneous reuse scheme is expanded to account for finite burnup in the core and blanket, β-decay of 241 Pu, core and blanket loading schemes, reuse delays due to reprocessing and fabricating fuel and external fuel cycle losses. The most general growth rate expression, obtained from the asymptotic slope of the accumulating fuel material in an expanding park of breeder reactors, is formally the same in both cases. Formulation of the growth rate based on the condensation of the detailed information of the equilibrium fuel cycle for a single reactor, is more complicated than without delays due to the composition difference between the average residing and excess discharge material. The third growth rate expression results from a slightly more complicated fuel-cycle eigenvalue problem than without delays. The last definition employs isotopic breeding worth factors obtained from the adjoint fuel cycle eigenvalue problem

Inclusion and difusion studies of D in fusion breeding blanket candidate materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, L.

2015-07-01

Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) reaction is the most practical fusion reaction on the way to harness fusion energy. As tritium presents trace quantities on Earth [1], tritium fuel is essential to be generated simultaneously with the D-T reaction in a commerical fusion power plant. Tritium can be obtained in the lithium contained breeding blanket as a transmutation product of nuclear reaction 6Li (n, a)T. Li2T iO3 is considered to be one promising candidate solid tritium breeder material, due to its high lithium density, low activation, compatiblity with structure materials and high chemical stability. The tritium generated in Li2T iO3 breeding blanket needs to be collected and recycled back to the fusion reaction. Therefore, the study of the diffusion characteristic of breeder material Li2T iO3 is necessary to determine tritium mobility and tritium extraction efficiency. In order to study tritium release mechanism of Li2T iO3 breeding material in a fusion power plant environment, a fusion like neutron spectrum is essential while it is now not availble in any laboratory. One alternative is using ion accelerator or implantor to get energetic hydrogenic (H,D,T) ions impacting on breeding material, to simulate the tritium distribution situation. Because of the radioactive property of tritium which will complicate processing procedure, another isotope of hydrogen Deuterium is actually used to be studied. The defect structure in Li2T iO3, due to reactor exposure to fusion generated particles and ? ray irradiation, is achieved by energetic Ti ions. SRIM program is implemented to simulate the D ion or Ti ion distributions after bombarding, as well as the defects. X-ray diffraction technique helps to identify phase compositions. Transmission electron microscopy technique is used to observe the microstructures (Author)

Conceptual design of tritium accountancy system for LLCB TBM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Rudreksh; Sircar, Amit

2017-01-01

Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) will be tested in ITER for performance evaluation of high grade of heat extraction and tritium breeding. The bred tritium in the breeder materials is extracted and recovered by Tritium Extraction System (TES), whereas tritium permeated from breeder materials to helium coolants, viz., primary coolant and secondary coolant, is recovered by Coolant Purification System (CPS). This recovered tritium has to be accounted before transferring it to tritium plant (i.e., ITER inner fuel). This tritium accountancy is performed by Tritium Accountancy System (TAS). In addition to tritium accountancy, TAS also provides necessary data for the validation of design and modelling tools.In this work, we have presented conceptual design of TAS. It also describes operational philosophy, process parameters, process flow diagram, and interface details with ITER tritium plant. (author)

Annual report 1991 on R and D work by the Institute for Materials and Solid State Research (IMF), Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

The annual report summarises the activities of the IMF in the following subject areas: 1) Contributions to the PKF (fusion technology project (refewing to structural materials, superconducting magnets, blanket development); 2) PSU, project for the management of pollutants in the environment (treatment and recycling of hazardous waste); 3) solid state and materials research (high-temperature materials, ceramic materials as protective coatings, polymer materials, high-performance ceramics, high-TC superconducting materials; biomechanics, laser technology); 4) microtechnology (development and testing of compact or layered materials in microtechnology); 5) PSF project, nuclear safety, research (safety and materials aspects of fast breeder reactors, transient behaviour of fuel elements in fact breeder reactors, LWR-specific safety research, containment design concepts for the next generation of PWR-type reactors); 6) NE project, nuclear waste management (analysis of solid wastes from the dissolution of spent LWR fuels, materials testing in nitric acid). The primary reports and other publications of the Institute issued in 1991 are listed in an annex. (orig./MM) [de

Prediction of flow recirculation in a blanket assembly under worst-case natural-convection conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, E.U.; Rector, D.R.

1982-01-01

Reactor fuel and blanket assemblies within a Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) can be subjected to severe radial heat flux gradients. At low-flow conditions, with power-to-flow ratios of nearly the same magnitude as design conditions, buoyancy forces cause flow redistribution to the side of a bundle with the higher heat generation rate. Recirculation of fluid within a rod bundle can occur during a natural convection transient because of the combined effect of flow coastdown and buoyancy-induced redistribution. An important concern is whether recirculation leads to high coolant temperatures. For this reason, the COBRA-WC code was developed with the capability of modeling recirculating flows. Experiments have been conducted in a 2 x 6 rod bundle for flow and power transients to study recirculation in the mixed-convection (forced cooled) and natural-convection regimes. The data base developed was used to validate the recirculation module in the COBRA-WC code. COBRA-WC code calculations were made to predict flow and temperature distributions in a typical LMFBR blanket assembly for the worst-case, natural-circulation transient

Materials for breeding blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattas, R.F.; Billone, M.C.

1995-09-01

There are several candidate concepts for tritium breeding blankets that make use of a number of special materials. These materials can be classified as Primary Blanket Materials, which have the greatest influence in determining the overall design and performance, and Secondary Blanket Materials, which have key functions in the operation of the blanket but are less important in establishing the overall design and performance. The issues associated with the blanket materials are specified and several examples of materials performance are given. Critical data needs are identified

Materials for breeding blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattas, R.F.; Billone, M.C.

1996-01-01

There are several candidate concepts for tritium breeding blankets that make use of a number of special materials. These materials can be classified as primary blanket materials, which have the greatest influence in determining the overall design and performance, and secondary blanket materials, which have key functions in the operation of the blanket but are less important in establishing the overall design and performance. The issues associated with the blanket materials are specified and several examples of materials performance are given. Critical data needs are identified. (orig.)

Preliminary Evaluation of the Adequacy of Lithium Resources of the World and China for D-T Fusion Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongliang; Ni, Muyi; Jiang, Jieqiong; Wu, Yican; FDS-Team

2012-07-01

This paper studied the adequacy of the World and China lithium resources, considering the most promising uses in the future, involving nuclear fusion and electric-vehicles. The lithium recycle model for D-T fusion power plant and electric-vehicles, and the logistic growth prediction model of the primary energy for the World and China were constructed. Based on these models, preliminary evaluation of lithium resources adequacy of the World and China for D-T fusion reactors was presented under certain assumptions. Results show that: a. The world terrestrial reserves of lithium seems too limited to support a significant D-T power program, but the lithium reserves of China are relatively abundant, compared with the world case. b. The lithium resources contained in the oceans can be called the “permanent" energy. c. The change in 6Li enrichment has no obvious effect on the availability period of the lithium resources using FDS-II (Liquid Pb-17Li breeder blanket) type of reactors, but it has a stronger effect when PPCS-B (Solid Li4 SiO4 ceramics breeder blanket) is used.

Development of high performance core for large fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Kotaro; Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Watari, Yoshio.

1982-01-01

Subsequently to the fast breeder prototype reactor ''Monju'', the construction of a demonstration reactor with 1000 MWe output is planned. This research aims at the establishment of the concept of a large core with excellent fuel breeding property and safety for a demonstration and commercial reactors. For the purpose, the optimum specification of fuel design as a large core was clarified, and the new construction of a core was examined, in which a disk-shaped blanket with thin peripheral edge is introduced at the center of a core. As the result, such prospect was obtained that the time for fuel doubling would be 1/2, and the energy generated in a core collapse accident would be about 1/5 as compared with a large core using the same fuel as ''Monju''. Generally, as a core is enlarged, the rate of breeding lowers. If a worst core collapse accident occurs, the scale of accident will be very large in the case of a ''Monju'' type large core. In an unhomogeneous core, an internal blanket is provided in the core for the purpose of improving the breeding property and safety. Hitachi Ltd. developed the concept of a large core unhomogeneous in axial direction and proposed it. The research on the fuel design for a large core, an unhomogeneous core and its core collapse accident is reported. (Kako, I.)

ITER blanket designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohar, Y.; Parker, R.; Rebut, P.H.

1995-01-01

The ITER first wall, blanket, and shield system is being designed to handle 1.5±0.3 GW of fusion power and 3 MWa m -2 average neutron fluence. In the basic performance phase of ITER operation, the shielding blanket uses austenitic steel structural material and water coolant. The first wall is made of bimetallic structure, austenitic steel and copper alloy, coated with beryllium and it is protected by beryllium bumper limiters. The choice of copper first wall is dictated by the surface heat flux values anticipated during ITER operation. The water coolant is used at low pressure and low temperature. A breeding blanket has been designed to satisfy the technical objectives of the Enhanced Performance Phase of ITER operation for the Test Program. The breeding blanket design is geometrically similar to the shielding blanket design except it is a self-cooled liquid lithium system with vanadium structural material. Self-healing electrical insulator (aluminum nitride) is used to reduce the MHD pressure drop in the system. Reactor relevancy, low tritium inventory, low activation material, low decay heat, and a tritium self-sufficiency goal are the main features of the breeding blanket design. (orig.)

Experimental study of the large-scale axially heterogeneous liquid-metal fast breeder reactor at the fast critical assembly: Power distribution measurements and their analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iijima, S.; Obu, M.; Hayase, T.; Ohno, A.; Nemoto, T.; Okajima, S.

1988-01-01

Power distributions of the large-scale axially heterogeneous liquid-metal fast breeder reactor were studied by using the experiment results of fast critical assemblies XI, XII, and XIII and the results of their analyses. The power distributions were examined by the gamma-scanning method and fission rate measurements using /sup 239/Pu and /sup 238/U fission counters and the foil irradiation method. In addition to the measurements in the reference core, the power distributions were measured in the core with a control rod inserted and in a modified core where the shape of the internal blanket was determined by the radial boundary. The calculation was made by using JENDL-2 and the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute's standard calculation system for fast reactor neutronics. The power flattening trend, caused by the decrease of the fast neutron flux, was observed in the axial and radial power distributions. The effect of the radial boundary shape of the internal blanket on the power distribution was determined in the core. The thickness of the internal blanket was reduced at its radial boundary. The influence of the internal blanket was observed in the power distributions in the core with a control rod inserted. The calculation predicted the neutron spectrum harder in the internal blanket. In the radial distributions of /sup 239/Pu fission rates, the space dependency of the calculated-to-experiment values was found at the active core close to the internal blanket

Ceramic UO2 powder production at Cameco Corporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwong, A.K.; Kuchurean, S.M.

1997-01-01

This presentation covers the various aspects of ceramic grade uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) powder production at Cameco Corporation and its use as fuel and blanket fuel for heavy-water and light-water reactors, respectively. In addition, it discusses the significant production variables that affect production and product quality. It also provides an insight into how various support groups such as Quality Assurance, Analytical Services, and Technology Development fit into the quality cycle and contribute to a successful operation. The ability of Cameco to identify, measure and control the physical and chemical properties of ceramic grade UO 2 has resulted in the production of uniform quality powder. This has meant that 100% of Cameco's ceramic grade UO 2 powder produced since mid-1989 has been accepted by the fuel manufacturers. (author)

Bouyancy effects on sodium coolant temperature profiles measured in an electrically heated mock-up of a 61-rod breeder reactor blanket assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engel, F.C.; Markley, R.A.; Minushkin, B.

1978-01-01

The paper describes test results selected to demonstrate the effect of buoyancy on the temperature profiles in a 61-rod electrically heated mock-up of an LMFBR radial blanket assembly. In these assemblies, heat transfer occurs over a wide range of complex operating conditions. The range and complexity of conditions are the result of the steep flux and power gradients which are an inherent feature of the blanket region and the power generation level in an assembly which can vary from 20 to 1100 kW

ITER convertible blanket evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, C.P.C.; Cheng, E.

1995-01-01

Proposed International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) convertible blankets were reviewed. Key design difficulties were identified. A new particle filter concept is introduced and key performance parameters estimated. Results show that this particle filter concept can satisfy all of the convertible blanket design requirements except the generic issue of Be blanket lifetime. If the convertible blanket is an acceptable approach for ITER operation, this particle filter option should be a strong candidate

First wall/blanket/shield design and power conversion for the ARIES-IV tokamak fusion reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, M.Z.; Conn, R.W.; Najmabadi, F.

1994-01-01

ARIES-IV is a conceptual, D-T burning, steady-state tokamak fusion reactor producing 1000 MWe net. It operates in the second plasma stability regime. The structural material is SiC composite and the primary coolant is helium at 10 MPa base pressure. The coolant flows poloidally in two loops, one inboard and one outboard. The coolant channels are circular tubes that form shells and are placed between two purge plates; the space between two adjacent tubes and the plate is purge gas flow area. The solid breeder is Li 2 O, and Be is used as neutron multiplier to ensure adequate TBR. Beryllium and Li 2 O are placed in between the adjacent tube shells. A computer code was developed to perform and optimize thermal-hydraulic design. Minimization of blanket thickness and the amount of Be, and the maximization of breeder zone thickness were done by iteration with neutronics. The gross thermal efficiency is 49%. The cost of electricity is 68 mills/kWh. The use of low activation SiC composite as the structural material, Li 2 O as the solid breeder, and avoidance of tungsten in the divertor has resulted in a good safety performance, and LSA rating of 1. Overall, SiC/He/Li 2 O ARIES-IV design is expected to have attractive economic and safety advantages

Activation and afterheat analyses for the HCPB test blanket

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereslavtsev, P.; Fischer, U.

2007-01-01

The Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) blanket is one of two breeder blanket concepts developed in the framework of the European Fusion Technology Programme for performance tests in ITER. The recent development programme focussed on the detailed engineering design of the Test Blanket Module (TBM) and associated systems including the assessment of safety and licensing related issues with the objective to prepare for a preliminary Safety Report. To provide a sound data basis for the safety analyses of the HCPB TBM system in ITER, the afterheat and activity inventories were assessed making use of a code system that allows performing 3D activation calculations by linking the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP and the fusion inventory code FISPACT through an appropriate interface. A suitable MCNP model of a 20 degree ITER torus sector with an integrated TBM of the HCPB PI (Plant Integration) type in the horizontal test blanket port was developed and adapted to the requirements for coupled 3D neutron transport and activation calculations. Two different irradiation scenarios were considered in the coupled 3D neutron transport and activation calculations. The first one is representative for the TBM irradiation in ITER with a total of 9000 neutron pulses over a three (calendar) years period. It was simulated by a continuous irradiation for 3 years minus the last month and a discontinuous irradiation with 250 pulses (420 s pulse length, 1200 s power-off in between) over the last month. The second (conservative) irradiation scenario assumes an extended irradiation time over the full anticipated lifetime of ITER according to the M-DRG-1 irradiation scenario with a total first wall fluence of 0.3 MWa/m 2 . For both irradiation scenarios the radioactivity inventories, the afterheat and the contact gamma dose were calculated as function of the decay time. Data were processed for the total activity and afterheat of the TBM, its constituting components and materials including their

Feasibility study of a fission-suppressed tokamak fusion breeder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.; Lee, J.D.; Neef, W.S.

1984-12-01

The preliminary conceptual design of a tokamak fissile fuel producer is described. The blanket technology is based on the fission suppressed breeding concept where neutron multiplication occurs in a bed of 2 cm diameter beryllium pebbles which are cooled by helium at 50 atmospheres pressure. Uranium-233 is bred in thorium metal fuel elements which are in the form of snap rings attached to each beryllium pebble. Tritium is bred in lithium bearing material contained in tubes immersed in the pebble bed and is recovered by a purge flow of helium. The neutron wall load is 3 MW/m 2 and the blanket material is ferritic steel. The net fissile breeding ratio is 0.54 +- 30% per fusion reaction. This results in the production of 4900 kg of 233 U per year from 3000 MW of fusion power. This quantity of fuel will provide makeup fuel for about 12 LWRs of equal thermal power or about 18 1 GW/sub e/ LWRs. The calculated cost of the produced uranium-233 is between $23/g and $53/g or equivalent to $10/kg to $90/kg of U 3 O 8 depending on government financing or utility financing assumptions. Additional topics discussed in the report include the tokamak operating mode (both steady state and long pulse considered), the design and breeding implications of using a poloidal divertor for impurity control, reactor safety, the choice of a tritium breeder, and fuel management

Development of packagings for 'MONJU' blanket fuel assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Kan; Ouchi, Yuichiro; Matsuzaki, Masaaki; Okuda, Yoshihisa

1995-01-01

Blanket assemblies for prototype Fast Breeder Reactor 'MONJU' are made at commercial fuel fabrication plants capable of handling deplete Uranium in Japan. For the purpose of transport the assemblies are inserted into a packaging that is set horizontally at the fabrication plants because of compatibility with equipment installed at the plants. On the other hand, the assemblies must be taken out from the packaging set vertically at 'MONJU' due to compatibility. For this reason development of a new packaging, which makes it possible to take assemblies in and out both horizontally and vertically, is needed to carry out transport of assemblies for reload. The development and fabrication of the packagings, taking about two years, were completed in March 1995. The packagings were used in transport of assemblies in June 1995 for the first change. This report introduces the outline of the packaging and confirmation tests done in the process of development. (author)

Comparison of early socialization practices used for litters of small-scale registered dog breeders and nonregistered dog breeders.

Science.gov (United States)

Korbelik, Juraj; Rand, Jacquie S; Morton, John M

2011-10-15

OBJECTIVE-To compare early socialization practices between litters of breeders registered with the Canine Control Council (CCC) and litters of nonregistered breeders advertising puppies for sale in a local newspaper. DESIGN-Retrospective cohort study. Animals-80 litters of purebred and mixed-breed dogs from registered (n = 40) and non-registered (40) breeders. PROCEDURES-Registered breeders were randomly selected from the CCC website, and nonregistered breeders were randomly selected from a weekly advertising newspaper. The litter sold most recently by each breeder was then enrolled in the study. Information pertaining to socialization practices for each litter was obtained through a questionnaire administered over the telephone. RESULTS-Registered breeders generally had more breeding bitches and had more litters than did nonregistered breeders. Litters of registered breeders were more likely to have been socialized with adult dogs, people of different appearances, and various environmental stimuli, compared with litters of nonregistered breeders. Litters from registered breeders were also much less likely to have been the result of an unplanned pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE-Among those breeders represented, litters of registered breeders received more socialization experience, compared with litters of nonregistered breeders. People purchasing puppies from nonregistered breeders should focus on socializing their puppies between the time of purchase and 14 weeks of age. Additional research is required to determine whether puppies from nonregistered breeders are at increased risk of behavioral problems and are therefore more likely to be relinquished to animal shelters or euthanized, relative to puppies from registered breeders.

The requirements for processing tritium recovered from liquid lithium blankets: The blanket interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemmer, R.G.; Finn, P.A.; Greenwood, L.R.; Grimm, T.L.; Sze, D.K.; Bartlit, J.R.; Anderson, J.L.; Yoshida, H.; Naruse.

1988-03-01

We have initiated a study to define a blanket processing mockup for Tritium Systems Test Assembly. Initial evaluation of the requirements of the blanket processing system have been started. The first step of the work is to define the condition of the gaseous tritium stream from the blanket tritium recovery system. This report summarizes this part of the work for one particular blanket concept, i.e., a self-cooled lithium blanket. The total gas throughput, the hydrogen to tritium ratio, the corrosive chemicals, and the radionuclides are defined. The key discoveries are: the throughput of the blanket gas stream (including the helium carrier gas) is about two orders of magnitude higher than the plasma exhaust stream;the protium to tritium ratio is about 1, the deuterium to tritium ratio is about 0.003;the corrosion chemicals are dominated by halides;the radionuclides are dominated by C-14, P-32, and S-35;their is high level of nitrogen contamination in the blanket stream. 77 refs., 6 figs., 13 tabs

Analysis of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket module under normal operation steady state conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Maio, P.A.; Arena, P. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Aubert, J. [CEA Saclay, DEN/DANS/DM2S/SEMT, 91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex (France); Bongiovì, G. [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Chiovaro, P., E-mail: pierluigi.chiovaro@unipa.it [Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Giammusso, R. [ENEA – C.R. Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano (Italy); Li Puma, A. [CEA Saclay, DEN/DANS/DM2S/SEMT, 91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex (France); Tincani, A. [ENEA – C.R. Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano (Italy)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • A DEMO WCLL blanket module thermo-mechanical behaviour has been investigated. • Two models of the WCLL blanket module have been set-up adopting a code based on FEM. • The water flow domain in the module has been considered. • A set of uncoupled steady state thermo-mechanical analyses has been carried out. • Critical temperature is not overcome. Safety verifications are generally satisfied. - Abstract: Within the framework of DEMO R&D activities, a research cooperation has been launched between ENEA, the University of Palermo and CEA to investigate the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the outboard equatorial module of the DEMO1 Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) blanket under normal operation steady state scenario. The research campaign has been carried out following a theoretical–computational approach based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) and adopting a qualified commercial FEM code. In particular, two different 3D FEM models (Model 1 and Model 2), reproducing respectively the central and the lateral poloidal–radial slices of the WCLL blanket module, have been set up. A particular attention has been paid to the modelling of water flow domain, within both the segment box channels and the breeder zone tubes, to simulate realistically the coolant-box thermal coupling. Results obtained are herewith reported and critically discussed.

Neutronic analysis of the European reference design of the water cooled lithium lead blanket for a DEMOnstration reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrizzi, L.

1994-01-01

Water cooled lithium lead blankets, using liquid Pb-17Li eutectic both as breeder and neutron multiplier material, and martensitic steel as structural material, represent one of the four families under development in the European DEMO blanket programme. Two concepts were proposed, both reaching tritium breeding self-sufficiency: the 'box-shaped' and the 'cylindrical modules'. Also to this scope a new concept has been defined: 'the single box'. A neutronic analysis of the 'single box' is presented. A full 3-D model including the whole assembly and many of the reactor details (divertors, holes, gaps) has been defined, together with a 3-D neutron source. A tritium breeding ration (TBR) value of 1.19 confirms the tritium breeding self-sufficiency of the design. Selected power densities, calculated for the different materials and zones, are here presented. Some shielding capability considerations with respect to the toroidal field coil system are presented too. (author) 10 refs.; 3 figs.; 3 tabs

Neutron transport-burnup code MCORGS and its application in fusion fission hybrid blanket conceptual research