0000000000115752

AUTHOR

Rocco Mozzillo

Systems engineering activities supporting the heating & current drive and fuelling lines systems integration in the European DEMO breeding blanket

This paper describes the contribution given by the application of the systems engineering approach to the European DEMO Breeding Blanket (BB) integration studies, focussing on the integration of Heating & Current Drive (H&CD) and Fuelling Lines (FL) systems. In particular, attention has been paid to the BB-H&CD and BB-FL interfaces identification, definition and capture of the proper interface requirements necessary to drive the integration process and, as a consequence, supply a feedback for the reciprocal design of the interconnected systems. The defined interfaces are synthetically described in the paper and the results of the interface requirements capture process are shown,…

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Conceptual design of the main Ancillary Systems of the ITER Water Cooled Lithium Lead Test Blanket System

Abstract The Water Cooled Lithium Lead Test Blanket System (WCLL TBS) is one of the EU Test Blanket Systems candidate for being installed and operated in ITER. In view of its Conceptual Design Review by F4E and ITER Organization (IO), planned for mid-September 2020, several technical activities have been performed in the areas of WCLL TBS Ancillary Systems design. In this article the outcomes of the conceptual design phase of the four main Ancillary Systems of WCLL TBS, namely the Water Cooling System (WCS), the Coolant Purification System (CPS), the PbLi loop and the Tritium Extraction System (TES), are reported and critically discussed. In particular, for each Ancillary System hereafter a…

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The DEMO water-cooled lead–lithium breeding blanket: design status at the end of the pre-conceptual design phase

The Water-Cooled Lead–Lithium Breeding Blanket (WCLL BB) is one of the two blanket concept candidates to become the driver blanket of the EU-DEMO reactor. The design was enacted with a holistic approach. The influence that neutronics, thermal-hydraulics (TH), thermo-mechanics (TM) and magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD) may have on the design were considered at the same time. This new approach allowed for the design team to create a WCLL BB layout that is able to comply with different foreseen requirements in terms of integration, tritium self-sufficiency, and TH and TM needs. In this paper, the rationale behind the design choices and the main characteristics of the WCLL BB needed for the EU-DEMO …

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Recent progress in developing a feasible and integrated conceptual design of the WCLL BB in EUROfusion project

The water-cooled lithium-lead breeding blanket is in the pre-conceptual design phase. It is a candidate option for European DEMO nuclear fusion reactor. This breeding blanket concept relies on the liquid lithium-lead as breeder-multiplier, pressurized water as coolant and EUROFER as structural material. Current design is based on DEMO 2017 specifications. Two separate water systems are in charge of cooling the first wall and the breeding zone: thermo-dynamic cycle is 295–328 °C at 15.5 MPa. The breeder enters and exits from the breeding zone at 330 °C. Cornerstones of the design are the single module segment approach and the water manifold between the breeding blanket box and the back suppo…

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Nuclear performances of the water-cooled lithium lead DEMO reactor: Neutronic analysis on a fully heterogeneous model

Abstract The development of a conceptual design for the Demonstration Fusion Power Reactor (DEMO) is a key issue within the EUROfusion roadmap. The DEMO reactor is designed to produce a fusion power of about 2 GW and generate a substantial amount of electricity, relying on a closed tritium fuel cycle: it implies that the breeding blanket (BB) shall guarantee a suitable tritium production to enable a continuous operation without any external supply. The Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) concept is a candidate for the DEMO BB: it uses liquid Lithium Lead as breeder and neutron multiplier and water in PWR condition as coolant. The neutronics analyses carried out in the past have been performed …

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Advancements in DEMO WCLL breeding blanket design and integration

Summary The water-cooled lithium–lead breeding blanket is a candidate option for the European Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) nuclear fusion reactor. This breeding blanket concept relies on the liquid lithium–lead as breeder–multiplier, pressurized water as coolant, and EUROFER as structural material. The current design is based on DEMO 2015 specifications and represents the follow-up of the design developed in 2015. The single-module-segment approach is employed. This is constituted by a basic geometry repeated along the poloidal direction. The power is removed by means of radial–toroidal (i.e., horizontal) water cooling tubes in the breeding zone. The lithium–lead flows in a radial–poloi…

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WCLL breeding blanket design and integration for DEMO 2015: status and perspectives

Abstract Water-cooled lithium-lead breeding blanket is considered a candidate option for European DEMO nuclear fusion reactor. ENEA and the linked third parties have proposed and are developing a multi-module blanket segment concept based on DEMO 2015 specifications. The layout of the module is based on horizontal (i.e. radial-toroidal) water-cooling tubes in the breeding zone, and on lithium lead flowing in radial-poloidal direction. This design choice is driven by the rationale to have a modular design, where a basic geometry is repeated along the poloidal direction. The modules are connected with a back supporting structure, designed to withstand thermal and mechanical loads due to norma…

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Progress in EU Breeding Blanket design and integration

Abstract In Europe (EU), in the frame of the EUROfusion consortium activities, four Breeding Blanket (BB) concepts are being developed with the aim of fulfilling the performances required by a near-term fusion power demonstration plant (DEMO) in terms of tritium self-sufficiency and electricity production. The four blanket options cover a wide range of technological possibilities, as water and helium are considered as possible coolants and solid ceramic breeder in combination with beryllium and PbLi as tritium breeder and neutron multipliers. The strategy for the BB selection and operation has to account for the challenging schedule of the EU DEMO, the ambitious operational requirements of …

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Recent Progress in the WCLL Breeding Blanket Design for the DEMO Fusion Reactor

The water-cooled lithium-lead (PbLi) breeding blanket is one of the candidate systems considered for the implementation in the European Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) nuclear fusion reactor. This concept employs PbLi liquid metal as tritium breeder and neutron multiplier, water pressurized at 15.5 MPa as the coolant, and EUROFER as the structural material. The current design is based on the single module segment approach and follows the requirements of the DEMO-2015 baseline design. The module is constituted by a basic toroidal-radial cell that is recursively repeated along the poloidal direction where the liquid metal flows along a radial-poloidal path. The heat generated by the fusion r…

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