Tritium permeation through steam generator tubing of helium-cooled ceramic breeder blankets
- DRN/DMT/SERMA, Gif-sur-Yvettte (France)
The potential sources of tritium contamination of the helium-coolant of ceramic breeder blankets have been evaluated in a previous paper for the specific case of the European BIT DEMO blanket. This evaluation associated with a rough assessment of the permeability to tritium of the tubing of helium-heated steam generators confirmed that the control of tritium losses to the steam circuit is a critical issue for this class of blanket requiring developments in three areas: (1) permeation barriers, (2) tritium recovery processes maintaining a very low concentration in tritiated species in the coolant, and (3) methods for controlling the chemistry of the coolant. Consequently, in order to define the specifications of these developments, a detailed evaluation of the permeability to tritium of helium-heated steam generators (SGs) was performed, which will be reported in this paper. This study includes the definition of the thermal-hydraulic operating conditions of the SGs through thermodynamic cycle calculations, and its thermal-hydraulic design. The obtained geometry, area and temperature profiles along the tubes are then used to estimate, based on relevant permeability data, the tritium permeation through the SG as a function of the composition in tritiated species of the coolant. The implications of these results, in terms of requirements for the considered tritium control methods, will also be discussed on the basis of expected limits in tritium release to the steam circuit.
- OSTI ID:
- 197116
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940664-; TRN: 95:005767-0294
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ISFNT-3: international symposium on fusion nuclear technology, Los Angeles, CA (United States), 27 Jun - 1 Jul 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Third international symposium on fusion nuclear technology; PB: 362 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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