First wall fabrication of 1/3 scale china dual functional lithium lead blanket

The dual functional lithium lead blanket is chosen as one of the candidate blankets for China fusion reactor, for its advantages of tritium breeding and good heat exchange performance. As one of the most important components of the blanket, the first wall (FW) is assembled with China low activation martensitic (CLAM) rectangular tubes and plates by hot isostatic pressing (HIP)–diffusion bonding (DB). In this work, the rectangular tube fabrication and FW assembly were carried out in order to verify the feasibility of the FW fabrication scheme. The mechanical property and dimensional accuracy of CLAM rectangular tubes were tested, the microstructure observation and non-destructive detection revealed the sound of the FW mock-up, and the reliability of the FW mock-ups is under evaluation.     

Impact Analysis of Helium Cooled Solid Blanket Structures on the Tritium Breeding Performance in CFETR

Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a test tokamak reactor to bridge the gap between ITER and future fusion power plant. As its objectives are to demonstrate generation of fusion power and to realize tritium self-sufficiency, the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) is a key design parameter. In the blanket design and optimization, the structures such as the first wall (FW), cooling plate (CP), stiffening plate (SP), cap and some other design parameters in detailed 3-D model have significant impacts on the tritium breeding performance. Based on a helium cooled solid breeder blanket option for CFETR, the impact analysis of the helium cooled solid blanket structures on tritium breeding performance was performed in this paper. Firstly, the detailed 3D neutronics model was built by using of a CAD to Monte Carlo Geometry conversion tool McCad. Then based on the detailed 3D neutronics model, the impact analyses of the blanket structures on tritium breeding performance were carried out, which include the FW, CP, SP, cap and side wall. By the sensitivity study of the blanket structures on the TBR, it gave the TBR variation trend and references for the blanket design and optimization.     

Corrosion-resistant coating technique for oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic/martensitic steel

Oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) steels are attractive materials for application as fuel cladding in fast reactors and first-wall material of fusion blanket. Recent studies have focused more on high-chromium ferritic (12–18 wt% Cr) ODS steels with attractive corrosion resistance properties. However, they have poor material workability, require complicated heat treatments for recrystallization, and possess anisotropic microstructures and mechanical properties. On the other hand, low-chromium ferritic/martensitic (8–9 wt% Cr) ODS steels have no such limitations; nonetheless, they have poor corrosion resistance properties. In our work, we developed a corrosion-resistant coating technique for a low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steel. The ODS steel was coated with the 304 or 430 stainless steel, which has better corrosion resistances than the low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steels. The 304 or 430 stainless steel was coated by changing the canning material from mild steel to stainless steel in the conventional material processing procedure for ODS steels. Microstructural observations and micro-hardness tests proved that the stainless steels were successfully coated without causing a deterioration in the mechanical property of the low-chromium ferritic/martensitic ODS steel.     

硅对9Cr-1.5WVTa低活化马氏体钢力学性能的影响

基于中国正在研究的聚变堆用9Cr-1.5WVTa低活化马氏体钢(CLAM钢),研究了添加合金元素硅对CLAM钢力学性能的影响。结果表明,添加0.2%Si使得CLAM钢的抗拉强度和屈服强度明显提高,钢的塑性和冲击韧性同时也得到一定提高,其中,韧脆转变温度(DBTT)由-13℃降至-30℃。未添加和添加0.29%Si的CLAM钢均为全马氏体组织,无δ铁素体存在。硅的添加使得9Cr-1.5WVTaSi钢的晶粒细化,从而提高了钢的拉伸和冲击性能。     

Effect of tungsten and tantalum on the low cycle fatigue behavior of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels are candidate materials for the test blanket modules of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Several degradation mechanisms such as thermal fatigue, low cycle fatigue, creep fatigue interaction, creep, irradiation hardening, swelling and phase instability associated irradiation embrittlement must be understood in order to estimate the component lifetime and issues concerning the structural integrity of components. The current work focuses on the effect of tungsten and tantalum on the low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of RAFM steels. Both alloying elements tungsten and tantalum improved the fatigue life. Influence of Ta on increasing fatigue life was an order of magnitude higher than the influence of W on improving the fatigue life. Based on the present study, the W content was optimized at 1.4 wt.%. Softening behavior of RAFM steels showed a strong dependence on W and Ta content in RAFM steels.     

Monte Carlo calculation of radiation damage in first wall of an experimental hybrid reactor

This work was focused on the neutronic calculation of the nuclear parameters (neutron spectrum, displacement per atom (DPA), gas production, tritium breeding ratio (TBR), nuclear heating) for structural materials in the first wall (FW) and fuel clad (made of ferritic/martensitic steels, vanadium alloy, silicon carbide, copper alloy, and stainless steel) of an experimental hybrid reactor using the most current Monte Carlo Neutron-Particle Transport code MCNP5 1.4. Neutronic calculations were performed using a (DT) fusion driver hybrid reactor under a neutron wall loud of 2.25 MW/m² by full reactor power for one year. Obtained results were compared with three different data libraries (ENDF/B-V, ENDF/B-VI and CLAW-IV). TBR values in the reactor blanket for all investigated materials became greater than the minimum requirement (TBR > 1.05). Nuclear parameters like DPA, He-production and nuclear heating were considered as radiation damage limits for structural materials, copper alloy (Cu0.5Cr0.3Zr) showed better performance than all investigated materials.     

CFETR氦冷陶瓷增殖包层在等离子体主破裂时的电磁结构耦合分析

增殖包层作为中国聚变工程实验堆(China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor,CFETR)的核心部件,承载着能量转换和氚增殖的重要作用。中国科学院等离子体物理研究所在之前增殖包层设计的基础上,又提出了氦冷陶瓷增殖(Helium Cooled Ceramic Breeder,HCCB)包层的概念设计。为评估电磁载荷对HCCB包层结构安全性的影响,借助通用有限元软件ANSYS,研究计算了在等离子体主破裂时包层中产生的感应涡流、洛伦兹力和力矩。通过多物理场耦合分析方法,获取了包层中产生的等效应力和形变位移。结果表明,在等离子体电流指数衰减时,HCCB包层模型上产生的最大等效应力和形变位移满足包层结构设计的要求,同时模拟分析结果也为未来的包层结构优化以及支撑结构设计提供了必要的数据支撑。     

中国聚变工程试验堆包层的核热耦合效应研究

本文以中国聚变工程试验堆（CFETR）的氦冷固态包层和水冷固态包层为研究对象,基于蒙特卡罗程序MCNP和计算流体力学程序FLUENT,利用3D-1D-2D耦合方法和伪材料方法,分别对200 MW的氦冷固态包层和水冷固态包层及1.5 GW的水冷固态包层方案进行了核热耦合计算分析。研究结果表明,金属铍的热散射效应和轻水密度是聚变包层核热耦合效应的主要来源,核热耦合效应对氦冷固态包层的影响可忽略,对水冷固态包层的氚增殖比和温度分布有一定程度的影响。     

Design,Analysis and Optimization of the First Wall Cooling System of the CFETR Blanket

China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a superconducting tokamak which is designed by China National Integration design Group for Magnetic Confinement Fusion. CFETR Blanket, as a plasma-facing component withstand very high heat load, is very critical for fusion reactor operation. The first wall (FW) is one of the most significant components of the blanket. The cooling system of the FW has been designed. Meanwhile, thermal–dynamic calculations are performed to obtain the coolant feature and temperature distribution of the FW using ANSYS CFX code. Besides, thermo-mechanical coupling analysis is carried out using the temperature distribution from thermal–dynamic calculation as boundary condition. In addition, cooling channel optimization is proposed according to the analysis results. Analysis results of the optimization cooling channel indicate that the maximum temperature and thermal stress satisfy the design requirements of the FW.     

Status and progress of Indian LLCB test blanket systems for ITER

The lead–lithium ceramic breeder (LLCB) TBM and its auxiliary systems are being developed by India for testing in ITER machine. The LLCB TBM consists of lithium titanate as ceramic breeder (CB) material in the form of packed pebble beds. The FW structural material is ferritic martensitic steel cooled by high-pressure helium gas and lead–lithium eutectic (Pb–Li) flowing separately around the ceramic breeder pebble bed to extract the nuclear heat from the CB zones. Low-pressure helium is purged inside the CB zone for in situ extraction of bred tritium. Currently the LLCB blanket design optimization is under progress. The performance of tritium breeding and high-grade heat extraction is being evaluated by neutronic analysis and thermal–hydraulic calculations for different LLCB cooling configurations and geometrical design variants. The LLCB TBM auxiliary systems such as, helium cooling system (HCS), lead–lithium cooling system (LLCS), tritium extraction system (TES) process design are under progress. Safety analysis of the LLCB test blanket system (TBS) is under progress for the contribution to preliminary safety report of ITER-TBMs. This paper will present the status of the LLCB TBM design, process integration design (PID) of the auxiliary systems and preliminary safety analysis results.     

CLAM钢中氕氘的渗透与去除

低活化铁素体/马氏体钢（RAFM钢）是聚变堆产氚包层的优选结构材料。氢同位素在结构材料中的扩散渗透特性关系到产氚回收率、燃料循环及运行安全。本工作对国内研发RAFM钢之一的CLAM钢进行了气体驱动的氘渗透实验,得到573～873 K温度范围内氘的宏观溶解度S（mol/(m³•Pa^0.5)）为0.264exp(-22 447/RT),扩散系数D（m²/s）为1.38×10^-7exp(-17 271/RT),渗透率Φ（mol/(m•s•Pa^0.5)）为3.64×10^-8exp(-39 718/RT)。还进行了氕氘气体混合物的渗透实验,确认了渗透同位素效应;探索了钢中溶解氘的真空热释放去除。     

CFETR第一壁及赤道面外包层中子辐照损伤初步分析

中国聚变工程实验堆(Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor,CFETR)的包层和偏滤器第一壁面向堆芯等离子体,第一壁辐照损伤分析对于托克马克安全运行至关重要。赤道面外包层较其它包层距离堆芯等离子体中心更近,其结构材料承受中子辐照大。因此,进行中子辐照损伤评估十分必要。基于此目的,采用计算机辅助设计(Computer Aided Design,CAD)模型和蒙特卡罗中子学建模转换接口Mc CAD完成中子学建模,并用蒙特卡罗方法的粒子输运程序计算第一壁和氦冷固态外包层结构材料辐照损伤。此外,对比了铍和钨作为面向等离子体材料两种情况下第一壁的受损情况。计算结果表明,氦冷固态包层模型下结构材料可以满足CFETR一期的运行要求。     

聚变次临界堆双冷嬗变包层第一壁结构和氦气流道优化分析

在聚变次临界堆双冷嬗变包层第一壁结构初步设计基础上 ,对第一壁结构尺寸和氦气流道形状进行优化分析 ,利用有限元分析软件对第一壁结构进行应力数值模拟 ,在满足结构应力及部件可靠性的前提下 ,给出最佳优化方案。     

Effect of electromagnetic coupling on MHD flow in the manifold of fusion liquid metal blanket

In fusion liquid metal (LM) blanket, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effects will dominate the flow patterns and the heat transfer characteristics of the liquid metal flow. Manifold is a key component in LM blanket in charge of distributing or collecting the liquid metal coolant. In this region, the complex three dimensional MHD phenomena will be occurred, and the velocity, pressure and flow rate distributions may be dramatically influenced. One important aspect is the electromagnetic coupling effect resulting from an exchange of electric currents between two neighboring fluid domains that can lead to modifications of flow distribution and pressure drop compared to that in electrical separated channels. Understanding the electromagnetic coupling effect in manifold is necessary to optimize the liquid metal blanket design.In this work, a numerical study was carried out to investigate the effect of electromagnetic coupling on MHD flow in a manifold region. The typical manifold geometry in LM blanket was considered, a rectangular supply duct entering a rectangular expansion area, finally feeding into 3 rectangular parallel channels. This paper investigated the effect of electromagnetic coupling on MHD flow in a manifold region. Different electromagnetic coupling modes with different combinations of electrical conductivity of walls were studied numerically. The flow distribution and pressure drop of these modes have been evaluated.     

Thermal–hydraulic and thermo-structural analysis of first wall for Indian DEMO blanket module

The first wall (FW) is one of the most important components of any fusion blanket design. India has developed two concepts of breeding blanket for the DEMO reactor: the first one is Lead–Lithium cooled Ceramic Breeder (LLCB), and the second one is Helium-Cooled Ceramic Breeder (HCCB) concept. Both the concept has the same kind of FW structure. Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic steel (RAFMS) used as the structural material and helium (He) gas is used to actively cool the FW structure. Beryllium (Be) layer of 2 mm is coated on the plasma side of the FW as the plasma facing material. Cooling channels running in radial–toroidal–radial direction in the RAFMS structure are designed to withstand the maximum He pressure of 8 MPa. Heat transfer coefficients (HTC) obtained form the correlations revealed that required cooling could be achieved by artificially roughened surface towards the plasma-side wall of He cooling channel which helps to keep the RAFMS temperatures below the allowable limit. A 1D analytical and 2D thermal–hydraulic simulation studies using ANSYS has been performed based on the heat load obtained from neutronics calculations to confirm the heat removal and structural integrity under various conditions including ITER transient events. The required helium flow through the cooling channels are evaluated and used to optimize the suitable header design. The detail design of FW thermal–hydraulics, thermo-structural analyses, and He flow distribution network will be presented in this paper.     

Assessment of design limits and criteria requirements for Eurofer structures in TBM components

Eurofer97 is a Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) steel developed for use as structural material in fusion power reactors blankets and in particular the future DEMOnstration power plant that should follow ITER. In order to evaluate the performances of the different blanket concepts in a fusion-relevant environment, the ITER experimental programme foresees the installation of dedicated Test Blanket Modules (TBMs), representative of the corresponding DEMO blankets, in selected equatorial ports. To be fully relevant, TBMs will have to be designed and fabricated using DEMO relevant technologies and will, in particular, use Eurofer97 as structural material.While the use of ferritic/martensitic steels is not new in the nuclear industry, the fusion environment in ITER poses new challenges for the structural materials. Besides, contrary to DEMO, ITER is characterised by a strongly pulsed mode of operation that could have severe consequences on the lifetime of the components. This paper gives an overview of the issues related to the design of Eurofer97 structures in TBM components, discussing the choice of reference Codes&Standards and the consistency of the design rules with Eurofer97 mechanical properties.     

Analysis of cleavage fracture potential of martensitic stainless steel fusion structures: Part I. Micromechanical models and material properties

The major disadvantage of martensitic stainless steels for structural applications in fusion reactors is currently considered to be their potential for low temperature brittle cleavage fracture. This study attempts to review the current understanding of cleavage fracture in steels and the role of microstructure in dictating material resistance to this type of fracture. A parametric analysis of cleavage fracture in a surrogate steel, A533B, is made and the results are used in conjunction with general cleavage fracture theory to establish some potential guidelines for future research in developing the martensitic stainless steels.     

中国氦冷固态增殖剂实验包层模块材料研究进展

在未来核聚变反应堆中,为补充氚的消耗,需要在核聚变堆的包层中进行氚的在线增殖,以维持核聚变反应的持续进行。为验证这一关键技术,在国际热核聚变实验堆（ITER）上开展了ITER TBM计划（实验包层项目）。作为ITER计划成员方之一,中方以中国氦冷固态增殖剂实验包层模块（HCCB TBM）概念参与ITER TBM计划。HCCB TBM现今进入初步设计阶段,而材料的制备技术和性能数据是支撑其结构设计、安全分析和服役工况评估的基础。本文综述和分析了HCCB TBM结构材料低活化铁素体/马氏体钢（RAFM钢）与功能材料氚增殖剂和中子倍增剂的研究现状,并对这些材料下一步的研究方向进行了展望。     

聚变驱动次临界堆双冷嬗变包层第一壁结构热应力计算与分析

使用有限元程序对聚变次临界堆双冷嬗变包层第一壁进行数值模拟 ,给出不同载荷条件下的温度场和应力场分布 ,结果证明典型氦气系统设计满足热工要求。依据数值模拟结果对第一壁氦气载热能力进行分析 ,并考虑了流道形状对结构热应力的影响。