Design studies on three-dimensional issues for liquid blanket systems in helical reactor FFHR

A new design activity is under way for a helical type DEMO reactor FFHR-d1. The first stage of the activity involves the fundamental issues related to three-dimensional blanket design: (1) the minimum blanket space required for reactor parameter decisions, (2) the support method for the helical blanket system, and (3) the blanket module design. Investigations have been performed with neutronics and mechanical finite-element method calculations. Neutronics investigations indicate that a tungsten carbide radiation shield could reduce the minimum blanket space requirement by ～30 cm at the inboard region of FFHR-d1 compared with the blanket space of ～100 cm in the previous FFHR2 design. The investigations also showed that main shielding materials, ferritic steel and B₄C, could be used separately in a two-layered shielding configuration. The ferritic steel layer of the radiation shield is considered suitable to support the helical blanket system instead of relying on a thin vacuum vessel of the helical reactor. A size of a blanket module for a replacement process and the preferable cooling channel direction under a magnetic field are also discussed.