Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor
The helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) breeding blanket (BB) is one of the two driver-blanket candidates for the European DEMO fusion reactor. Recent design activities were focused, among other objectives, on the achievement of an efficient shielding system to adequately protect the vacuum vessel (VV)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/15/5734 |
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| author | Iole Palermo Francisco A. Hernández Pavel Pereslavtsev David Rapisarda Guangming Zhou |
| author_facet | Iole Palermo Francisco A. Hernández Pavel Pereslavtsev David Rapisarda Guangming Zhou |
| author_sort | Iole Palermo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) breeding blanket (BB) is one of the two driver-blanket candidates for the European DEMO fusion reactor. Recent design activities were focused, among other objectives, on the achievement of an efficient shielding system to adequately protect the vacuum vessel (VV) and toroidal field coils (TFCs). Several shielding options have been studied in terms of architecture (e.g., in-BB shield and ex-BB shield) and materials (e.g., B<sub>4</sub>C, WC, WB, YHx, and ZrHx). In this study, the B<sub>4</sub>C material was selected as the most attractive option considering not only shielding performance but also availability, industrialization, experience, and cost factors. Subsequently, we performed a parametric study by implementing different thicknesses of a B<sub>4</sub>C external shield and reporting information of its effect on shielding performance, structural behavior, swelling and tritium breeding. Furthermore, a detailed structure for the VV was developed considering an internal layered configuration comprising steels/water with different boron contents. Corresponding shielding analyses were conducted regarding influence on neutron attenuation when implementing such a VV structure for both the baseline consolidated design of the HCPB and one of the previously developed and improved BSS configurations. The most critical responses (neutron flux and dpa) were fully established only using 10 cm B<sub>4</sub>C and an improved VV configuration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:26:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c018a995ebb480286fbec212aba0beb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:26:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c018a995ebb480286fbec212aba0beb2023-12-03T12:36:43ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-08-011515573410.3390/en15155734Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion ReactorIole Palermo0Francisco A. Hernández1Pavel Pereslavtsev2David Rapisarda3Guangming Zhou4CIEMAT, Fusion Technology Division, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, SpainKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, GermanyKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, GermanyCIEMAT, Fusion Technology Division, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, SpainKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, GermanyThe helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) breeding blanket (BB) is one of the two driver-blanket candidates for the European DEMO fusion reactor. Recent design activities were focused, among other objectives, on the achievement of an efficient shielding system to adequately protect the vacuum vessel (VV) and toroidal field coils (TFCs). Several shielding options have been studied in terms of architecture (e.g., in-BB shield and ex-BB shield) and materials (e.g., B<sub>4</sub>C, WC, WB, YHx, and ZrHx). In this study, the B<sub>4</sub>C material was selected as the most attractive option considering not only shielding performance but also availability, industrialization, experience, and cost factors. Subsequently, we performed a parametric study by implementing different thicknesses of a B<sub>4</sub>C external shield and reporting information of its effect on shielding performance, structural behavior, swelling and tritium breeding. Furthermore, a detailed structure for the VV was developed considering an internal layered configuration comprising steels/water with different boron contents. Corresponding shielding analyses were conducted regarding influence on neutron attenuation when implementing such a VV structure for both the baseline consolidated design of the HCPB and one of the previously developed and improved BSS configurations. The most critical responses (neutron flux and dpa) were fully established only using 10 cm B<sub>4</sub>C and an improved VV configuration.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/15/5734shieldingboron carbideHCPB blanketDEMOneutronicsnuclear fusion |
| spellingShingle | Iole Palermo Francisco A. Hernández Pavel Pereslavtsev David Rapisarda Guangming Zhou Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor Energies shielding boron carbide HCPB blanket DEMO neutronics nuclear fusion |
| title | Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor |
| title_full | Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor |
| title_fullStr | Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor |
| title_short | Shielding Design Optimization of the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor |
| title_sort | shielding design optimization of the helium cooled pebble bed breeding blanket for the eu demo fusion reactor |
| topic | shielding boron carbide HCPB blanket DEMO neutronics nuclear fusion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/15/5734 |
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