About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Transmutation Effects in Materials in Fission, Fusion, and Spallation Environments
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| Presentation Title |
Design of a fission nuclear‑heated PbLi thermal convection loop for fusion blanket testing |
| Author(s) |
Chase N. Taylor, Matthew J Vaughan, Keegan P. Ryan, Ramiro O. Freile, Clinton R WIlson, Mark Anderson, Pierre-Clément Simon, Grace Burke, Caitlin Huotilainen, Eirini C Galliopoulou, Nicolas E Woolstenhulme, Pattrick Calderoni |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Chase N. Taylor |
| Abstract Scope |
Fusion blankets serve to provide 1) power harnessing, 2) breeding tritium, and 3) radiation shielding. Each blanket function is triggered through interactions with neutrons and therefore require a nuclear environment to be tested. In the absence of a fusion neutron source with a relevant flux, fission neutrons provide a nuclear environment that is well suited for testing many blanket nuclear functions.
As part of the Blanket Nuclear Testing FIRE Collaborative, a drop-in nuclear-heated thermal convection PbLi eutectic loop is being designed for the Advanced Test Reactor. The loop will be constructed of P91 steel and will have a thermal gradient of 400-650°C, flow of >1 cm/s, and a top-to-bottom melt upon reactor startup. This experiment will examine the synergistic effects of neutron irradiation, tritium breeding, and corrosion. The corrosion rate from an identical non-nuclear test will be compared to the nuclear test to elucidate the irradiation enhanced phenomena. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, High-Temperature Materials, Modeling and Simulation |