Beryllium in the ITER blanket

This paper consists of viewgraphs used in a presentation on the application of beryllium in breeding blankets for ITER and JET. The paper brings together data on the physical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties of beryllium and beryllium oxide for this type of application, as well as issues of compatibility with construction materials, and irradiation experience. It includes the results from testing programs carried out to arrive at some of the information, including fabrication work, irradiation experiments, and sample tests performed both in and out of the irradiation piles

Revision of the tensile database for V-Ti and V-Cr-Ti alloys tested at ANL.

The published database for the tensile properties of unirradiated and irradiated vanadium-based alloys tested at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has been reviewed. The alloys tested are in the ranges of V-(0-18)wt.%Ti and V-(4-15)wt.%Cr-(3-15)wt.%Ti. A consistent methodology, based on ASTM terminology and standards, has been used to re-analyze the unpublished load vs. displacement curves for 162 unirradiated samples and 91 irradiated samples to determine revised values for yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), uniform elongation (UE) and total elongation (TE). The revised data set contains lower values for UE ({minus}5{+-}2% strain) and TE ({minus}4{+-}2% strain) than previously reported. Revised values for YS and UTS are consistent with the previously-published values in that they are within the scatter usually associated with these properties

Modeling of tritium transport in lithium aluminate fusion solid breeders

Lithium aluminate is a candidate tritium-breeding material for fusion reactor blankets. One of the concerns with using LiAlO/sub 2/ is tritium recovery from this material, particularly at low operating temperatures and high fluences. The data from various tritium release experiments with ..gamma..-LiAlO/sub 2/ and related materials are reviewed and analyzed to determine under what conditions bulk diffusion is the rate-limiting mechanism for tritium transport and what the effective bulk diffusion coefficient should be. Steady-state and transient models based on bulk diffusion are developed and used to interpret the data. Design calculations are then performed with the verified models to determine the steady-state inventory and time to reach equilibrium for a full-scale fusion blanket

US ITER limiter module design

The recent U.S. effort on the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) shield has been focused on the limiter module design. This is a multi-disciplinary effort that covers design layout, fabrication, thermal hydraulics, materials evaluation, thermo- mechanical response, and predicted response during off-normal events. The results of design analyses are presented. Conclusions and recommendations are also presented concerning, the capability of the limiter modules to meet performance goals and to be fabricated within design specifications using existing technology

Sonography of the Lateral Antebrachial Cutaneous Nerve With Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Anatomic Correlation

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135544/1/jum20143381475.pd

Implications of radiation-induced reductions in ductility to the design of austenitic stainless steel structures

In the dose and temperature range anticipated for ITER, austenitic stainless steels exhibit significant hardening with a concomitant loss in work hardening and uniform elongation. However, significant post-necking ductility may still be retained. When uniform elongation (e{sub u}) is well defined in terms of a plastic instability criterion, e{sub u} is found to sustain reasonably high values out to about 7 dpa in the temperature range 250-350 C, beyond which it decreases to about 0.3% for 316LN. This loss of ductility has significant implications to fracture toughness and the onset of new failure modes associated with hear instability. However, the retention of a significant reduction in area at failure following irradiation indicates a less severe degradation of low-cycle fatigue life in agreement with a limited amount of data obtained to date. Suggestions are made for incorporating these results into design criteria and future testing programs

Performance limits of fusion first-wall structural materials.

Key features of fusion energy relate primarily to potential advantages associated with safety and environmental considerations and the near endless supply of fuel. However, it is generally concluded that high performance fusion power systems will be required in order to be economically competitive with other energy options. As in most energy systems, structural materials operating limits pose a primary constraint to the performance of fusion power systems. It is also recognized that for the case of fusion power, the first-wall/blanket system will have a dominant impact on both the economic and safety/environmental attractiveness of fusion energy. The first-wall blanket structure is particularly critical since it must maintain high integrity at relatively high temperatures during exposure to high radiation levels, high surface heat fluxes, and significant primary stresses. The performance limits of the first-wall/blanket structure will be dependent on the structural material properties, the coolant/breeder system, and the specific design configuration. Key factors associated with high performance structural materials include (1) high temperature operation, (2) a large operating temperature window, and (3) a long operating lifetime. High temperature operation is necessary to provide for high power conversion efficiency. As discussed later, low-pressure coolant systems provide significant advantages. A large operating temperature window is necessary to accommodate high surface heating and high power density. The operating temperature range for the structure must include the temperature gradient through the first wall and the coolant system AT required for efficient energy conversion. This later requirement is dependent on the coolant/breeder operating temperature limits. A long operating lifetime of the structure is important to improve system availability and to minimize waste disposition

Modeling the behavior of metallic fast reactor fuels during extended transients

Passive safety features in the metal-fueled Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) make it possible to avoid core damage for extended time periods even when automatic scram systems fail to operate or heat removal systems are severely degraded. The time scale for these transients are intermediate between those that have traditionally been analyzed in fast reactor safety assessments and those of normal operation. Consequently, it has been necessary to validate models and computer codes (FPIN2 and LIFE-METAL) for application to this time regime. Results from out-of-reactor Whole Pin Furnace tests are being used for this purpose. Pretest predictions for tests FM-1 through FM-6 have been performed and calculations have been compared with the experimental measurements

Engineering Options for the U.S. Fusion Demo

Through its successful operation, the US Fusion Demo must be sufficiently convincing that a utility or independent power producer will choose to purchase one as its next electric generating plant. A fusion power plant which is limited to the use of currently-proven technologies is unlikely to be sufficient attractive to a utility unless fuel shortages and regulatory restrictions are far more crippling to competing energy sources than currently anticipated. In that case, the task of choosing an appropriate set of engineering technologies today involves trade-offs between attractiveness and technical risk. The design space for an attractive tokamak fusion power core is not unlimited; previous studies have shown that advanced low-activation ferritic steel, vanadium alloy, or SiC/SiC composites are the only candidates they have for the primary in-vessel structural material. An assessment of engineering design options has been performed using these three materials and the associated in-vessel component designs which are compatible with them

Neutronics and thermal design analyses of US solid breeder blanket for ITER

The US Solid Breeder Blanket is designed to produce the necessary tritium required for the ITER operation and to operate at power reactor conditions as much as possible. Safety, low tritium inventory, reliability, flexibility cost, and minimum R D requirements are the other design criteria. To satisfy these criteria, the produced tritium is recovered continuously during operation and the blanket coolant operates at low pressure. Beryllium multiplier material is used to control the solid-breeder temperature. Neutronics and thermal design analyses were performed in an integrated manner to define the blanket configuration. The reference parameters of ITER including the operating scenarios, the neutron wall loading distribution and the copper stabilizer are included in the design analyses. Several analyses were performed to study the impact of the reactor parameters, blanket dimensions, material characteristics, and heat transfer coefficient at the material interfaces on the blanket performance. The design analyses and the results from the different studies are summarized. 6 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs