Studies of fusion reactor blankets with minimum radioactive inventory and with tritium breeding in solid lithium compounds: a preliminary report
The feasibility of fusion reactor blankets with low residual activity is examined. Several designs are examined with regard to activation, tritium breeding ratio, mechanical design, tritium removal from the blanket, and thermal cycle efflciency. Using aluminum (SAP) as a structural material, it should be possible to build CTR blankets with ~10 curies/MW(e) of long-lived (half life one day or greater) residual activity (other than tritium), which is many orders of magnitude less than with Nb or stainless steel blankets. In the designs examined in this study, tritium is bred in -solid-lithium-containing materials, e.g., LiAl alloy, which have high-equilibrium tritium pressures. The tritium diffuses into either the helium-coolant stream, from which it is removed by absorption, or into the vacuum region between the first wall and plasma. Depending on processing methods and blanket parameters, the tritium blanket inventory should range from 10/sup 2/ to 10/sup 3/ curies/ MW(e). Tritium breeding ratios range from 0.9 to 1.5 depending on blanket design, while therrnal cycle efficiency is estimated to range from 35% to well over 40%, depending on design. Several module designs are developed in which helium-coolant exit temperatures are substantially above the operating temperature limit (~400 deg C) for the aluminum (SAP) structure. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- NSA Number:
- NSA-29-011652
- OSTI ID:
- 4385047
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-18236
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-74
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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