Development of fusion blanket technology for the DEMO reactor

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Engineering
• Fusion Energy Research
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Nuclear fusion reactors require efficient tritium breeding to sustain operation.
• Assessing the performance of various breeding materials is crucial for reactor design.
• The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility provides a platform for testing blanket technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the tritium breeding capability of different solid and liquid breeding materials for fusion reactors.
• To compare the performance of various blanket designs through computational simulations.
• To identify promising materials for further investigation regarding self-sufficiency.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Monte Carlo simulation package MCNPX for blanket model simulations.
• Employed FISPACT code for nuclear data and activation calculations.
• Simulated tritium breeding ratios (TBR) for selected solid and liquid breeder materials.

Main Results:

• Liquid/molten salt breeders exhibited a higher tritium breeding ratio compared to solid breeders.
• The simulations provided quantitative data on the breeding performance of tested materials.
• Identified liquid breeders as favorable candidates for future fusion reactor designs.

Conclusions:

• Liquid breeders show significant potential for achieving effective tritium self-sufficiency in fusion reactors.
• Further analysis of liquid breeders is recommended for optimizing reactor fuel cycle.
• Computational simulations are a vital tool for advancing fusion blanket technology development.