Impact of the SiC FCI in the DCLL blanket module on the nuclear environment inside a Demo reactor configuration

Abstract

Abstract-The effects of the inclusion of the SiC flow channel insert (FCI) in a dual-coolant lithium-lead (DCLL) blanket placed in a representative Demo reactor on various key neutronics parameters are studied. These parameters are: tritium production ratio (TBR), power multiplication (PM), profiles of nuclear heating, peak damage parameters (dpa, helium and hydrogen production rates) in the structure, vacuum vessel and shield, peak heating rate and fast neutron fluence in the TF coils. Various thicknesses and density factors of the FCI are considered. These effects are examined in both radial and toroidal direction by 1-D and 2-D models.

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“…The blanket is characterized by a TBR of 1.44 for the outboard module and a TBR of 1.31 for the inboard module, which results in an average value of 1.41. For a divertor coverage of 12%, this yields an overall TBR of 1.24 for the specified blanket design, which is in very good agreement with published calculations [10]. For the simulations below, we assume that 80% of the total surface can be covered with blanket modules resulting in a global TBR of 1.125.…”

“…This blanket design has been detailed in the US DCLL Design Description Document submitted to the ITER Test Blanket Working Group [9] and further refined since then. We use updated design information from Youssef et al, summarized in table 1, to simulate a module using the Monte Carlo N-Particle code MCNP [10].…”

“…Table 1. Blanket design and volume per cent compositions used in MCNP calculations [10,11]. Some lithium-lead (LL) is present in zones behind and between the breeding zones in the model, from LL flow pipes.…”

“…In our simulations, each radial zone is homogenized according to the respective volume fractions. For each case, we run MCNP separately for both blanket types, using the previously established result that 22% and 78% of the neutrons go to the inboard and the outboard modules, respectively [10]. The blanket design examined here uses a lead-lithium eutectic (Pb-17Li) with 90% 6 Li enrichment.…”