Search results for "Breeding blanket"
showing 10 items of 43 documents
Thermo-Mechanical Analysis and Design Update of the Top Cap Region of the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead Central Outboard Blanket Segment
2022
Within the framework of the EUROfusion research and development activities, the Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB) is one of the two candidates to be chosen as the driver blanket for the European DEMO nuclear fusion reactor. Hence, an intense research work is currently ongoing throughout the EU to develop a robust conceptual design able to fulfil the design requirements selected at the end of the DEMO pre-conceptual design phase. In this work, the thermo-mechanical analysis and the design update of the top cap (TC) region of the DEMO WCLL Central Out-board Blanket (COB) segment is presented. The scope of the work is to find a design solution of the WCLL COB TC region abl…
Analysis of the Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of the EU DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead Central Outboard Blanket Segment under an Optimized Thermal Field
2022
Within the framework of the EUROfusion research activities on the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB) design, a research study was performed to preliminarily optimize, from the thermal point of view, the WCLL Central Outboard Blanket (COB) segment in order to investigate its structural behaviour under a realistic thermal field. In particular, a study of thermal analyses was performed to optimize the Double Walled Tubes and Segment Box cooling channels’ geometric configurations along the poloidal extension of the WCLL COB segment, in order to obtain a spatial temperature distribution fulfilling the thermal design requirement. Then, the thermo-mechanical analysis of th…
Thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical simulations of Water-Heavy Liquid Metal interactions towards the DEMO WCLL breeding blanket design
2019
Abstract The Water-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket concept foresees the eutectic lithium-lead (Pb-15.7Li) alloy being cooled by pressurized sub-cooled water (temperature 295–328 °C; pressure 15.5 MPa) flowing in double wall tubes. Therefore, the interaction between the Pb-15.7Li and water (e.g. tube rupture) represents one of the main safety concerns for the design and safety analysis. Available LIFUS5/Mod2 experimental data are employed to assess the performances of thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanic codes. Thermal-hydraulic simulations, by SIMMER-III code, are focused on the prediction of the thermodynamic interaction among the fluids. ABAQUS Finite Element code, used for the desi…
On the thermal and thermomechanical assessment of the “Optimized Conservative” helium-cooled lithium lead breeding blanket concept for DEMO
2018
Abstract Within the framework of EUROfusion R&D activities a research campaign has been performed at CEA-Saclay, in close collaboration with the University of Palermo, in order to investigate thermal and thermomechanical performances of the “Optimized Conservative” concept of DEMO Helium-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket (HCLL). Attention has been paid to the HCLL outboard equatorial module (OEM) when subjected to the steady state nominal loading scenario. To this purpose three simplified 3D models, characterized by an increasing level of detail, have been set-up taking into account, firstly, a single radial-toroidal slice, then a basic module geometric unity composed by two adjacent sli…
Thermal optimization of the Helium-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding zone layout design regarding TBR enhancement
2017
Abstract Within the framework of EUROfusion R&D activities, CEA-Saclay has carried out an investigation of the thermal and mechanical performances of alternative designs intended to enhance the Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR) of the Helium-Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB) for DEMO. Neutronic calculations performed on the 2014 DEMO HCLL baseline predicted a value of TBR equal to 1.07, lower than the required value of 1.1, necessary to ensure the tritium self-sufficiency of the breeding blanket taking into account uncertainties. In order to reach the TBR target, the strategy of the steel amount reduction inside the HCLL module breeding zone (BZ) has been followed by suppressing s…
Modelling of the thermal mechanical behaviour of a single size beryllium pebble bed
2001
The Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Blanket for fusion power reactors and the ITER breeding blanket are based on the use of pebble beds of lithium ceramics as breeder and beryllium as neutron multiplier. Experimental activities were performed at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe concerning the measurement of pebble bed heat transfer parameters. At the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Palermo, the experimental results have been reproduced by means of the ABAQUS finite element code. Moreover, a thermal-mechanical theoretical model has been developed for single size beryllium pebble beds. In the paper the results from the numerical and theoretical analyses and the comparison wi…
Thermo-mechanical analyses and ways of optimization of the helium cooled DEMO First Wall under RCC-MRx rules
2017
Abstract The EUROfusion Consortium develops a design of a fusion power demonstrator plant (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 (BB) surrounding the plasma, ensuring tritium self-sufficiency, heat removal for conversion into electricity, and neutron shielding. Among the 4 candidates for the DEMO BB, 2 of them use helium as coolant (HCPB, HCLL), and another one (DCLL) uses helium to cool down the First Wall (FW) only. Due to uncertainties regarding the plasma Heat Flux (HF) load the DEMO BB integrated FW will have to cope with, a set of sensitive thermal and stress analys…
Multi-Module vs. Single-Module concept: Comparison of thermomechanical performances for the DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket
2018
Abstract Within the framework of EUROfusion R&D activity an intense research campaign has been performed at the University of Palermo, in close cooperation with ENEA labs and KIT, in order to compare the thermomechanical performances of the Back Supporting Structure (BSS) of Multi-Module and Single-Module concepts of DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead breeding blanket (WCLL). To this purpose, detailed 3D models of the DEMO WCLL right inboard and central outboard segments, including detailed BSS and simplified First Wall and structures according to the two concepts, have been set-up. The study has been performed considering the Normal Operation and Central Major Disruption steady state loading s…
A multi-physics integrated approach to breeding blanket modelling and design
2019
Abstract Often, for the design of a component, several kinds of analyses are needed. Even more frequently, the different fields of study, to be taken into account for the design verification, have to be examined minutely until the final results are satisfying. Furthermore, when geometry modifications are required, for instance to fulfill the component functions, the analyses cycle has to be restarted and an iterative process has to be carried out. This procedure may be time-consuming and herald of errors, in particular if it is demanded to the human activity. Therefore, it is more convenient for the scientific community to adopt a numerical tool that can combine various computational codes.…