A tritium permeation model for conceptual fusion reactor designs

Journal Article · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · J. Fusion Energy; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01053467· OSTI ID:5207921

Hanchar, D R; Kazimi, M S

A transient tritium permeation model is developed based on a simplified conceptual DT-fueled fusion reactor design. The major design features described in the model are a solid breeder blanket, a low pressure purge gas in the blanket, and a high pressure helium primary coolant. Tritium inventory in the breeder is considered to be due to diffusive hold-up and solubility effects. It is assumed that diffusive hold-up is the dominant factor in order to separate the solution for the breeder tritium concentration. The model was applied to the STARFIRE-Interim Reference Design, whose system parameters yielded a breeder tritium inventory on the order of grams, based on an average pellet radius of 10/sup -3/ cm. The breeder pellets reach their steady-state tritium content in approximately 1.4 X 10/sup 4/ s from system start-up, assuming continuous full power operation. Both the steady-state breeder tritium concentration and the time to reach that steady-state are proportional to the pellet radius squared. Other candidate solid breeders were considered, and their effect on the blanket tritium inventory was noted. The addition of oxygen to the primary coolant loop was required in order to keepthe tritium losses through the heat exchanger to within the design goal of 0.1 Ci/day.

• Research Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
• OSTI ID: 5207921
• Journal Information: J. Fusion Energy; (United States), Journal Name: J. Fusion Energy; (United States) Vol. 3:1; ISSN JFEND
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700201* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Blanket Engineering
700205 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Fuel
Heating
& Injection Systems
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDING BLANKETS
BREEDING PELLETS
BREEDING RATIO
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONVERSION RATIO
D-T REACTORS
DIFFUSION
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INVENTORIES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PERMEABILITY
QUANTITY RATIO
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
RECOVERY
SIMULATION
SOLUBILITY
STARFIRE TOKAMAK
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS
TRITIUM
TRITIUM RECOVERY
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES