Abstract Scope |
The blanket is a key fusion reactor component that must fulfill several roles simultaneously: radiation shielding, tritium breeding, heat extraction, and structural robustness. Here we analyze a not much investigated but believed promising blanket concept based on molten salts breeding and cooling. The advantages of molten salt blankets are low MHD effects, flow at near atmospheric pressure, possible high temperatures, and good heat transfer properties. The drawbacks are structural material compatibility and chemistry control. Here we analyze molten salt blankets with respect to the Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR) and material compatibility to test the capability of such MS breeders to reach high TBR and be feasible blankets. The nuclear quantities are evaluated with various molten salts via the MCNP code: TBR, nuclear heating, neutron flux, displacement damage, and helium production are reported and discussed. We present an optimization exercise and an optimized configuration of a molten salt blanket. |