journal article·2021-12-07Open access

The DEMO Water-Cooled Lead–Lithium Breeding Blanket: Design Status at the End of the Pre-Conceptual Design Phase

Pietro Arena, Alessandro Del Nevo, Fabio Moro, Simone Noce, Rocco Mozzillo, Vito Imbriani, Fabio Giannetti, Francesco Edemetti, Antonio Froio, Laura Savoldi, Simone Siriano, Alessandro Tassone, Fernando Roca Urgorri, Pietro Alessandro Di Maio, Ilenia Catanzaro, Gaetano Bongiovì

Applied Sciences· Volume 11· Issue 24

Abstract

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 are reported and discussed. Finally, the main achievements reached during the pre-conceptual design phase and some remaining open issues to be further investigated in the upcoming conceptual design phase are reported as well.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Fusion materials and technologies · Nuclear Materials and Properties · Nuclear reactor physics and engineering

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, C.R. Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, Italy

Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, C.R. Frascati, 00044 Frascati, Italy

Industrial Engineering Department, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy

CREATE, Engineering School of Basilicata University, 85100 Potenza, Italy

CREATE, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy

DIAEE Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy

NEMO Group, Dipartimento Energia “Galileo Ferraris”, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy

MAHTEP Group, Dipartimento Energia “Galileo Ferraris”, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy

Centre for Energy Environment and Technology Research, National Fusion Laboratory, 28040 Madrid, Spain

Department of Engineering, Università degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Funding

Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 and 2019-2020

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