Uncertainties in liquid metal fusion blanket design windows

Conference · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Fusion Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:7190678

Garner, J K; Abdou, M A

The work reported here attempts to: 1) define limits for the design windows for liquid metal breeders and coolants with various structural materials in various tokamak fusion reactors; and 2) quantify the impact of uncertainties in these limits on the design window. MHD pressure drop and heat transfer models are developed and used to quantify the effects of varying several tokamak reactor and blanket design parameters and materials properties. Uncertainties in the present pressure drop equations and calculational methods are also considered. Calculations are used to evaluate the impact of the coolant inlet temperature on the thermal cycle efficiency. An evaluation of the limits of uncertainty gives results ranging from a promising blanket candidate to a severely restricted design window, that would probably exclude self-cooled liquid metal blankets for large tokamaks from consideration. The major uncertainties in the design window result from the current lack of understanding of pressure drop and heat transfer in strong magnetic fields.

• Research Organization: TRW Inc., One Space Park, R1/1078, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
• OSTI ID: 7190678
• Report Number(s): CONF-860652-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Fusion Technol.; (United States) Journal Volume: 10:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360104 -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700201* -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Blanket Engineering
700209 -- Fusion Power Plant Technology-- Component Development & Materials Testing
BREEDING BLANKETS
CALCULATION METHODS
COOLANTS
COOLING
DATA COVARIANCES
DESIGN
EFFICIENCY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDRODYNAMICS
LIQUID METALS
LIQUIDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
METALS
PRESSURE DROP
REACTOR COMPONENTS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
THERMAL EFFICIENCY
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS
TOKAMAK TYPE REACTORS