STEAM Experimental Facility: A Step Forward for the Development of the EU DEMO BoP Water Coolant Technology

Alessandra Vannoni, Pierdomenico Lorusso (), Pietro Arena, Marica Eboli, Ranieri Marinari, Amelia Tincani, Cristiano Ciurluini, Fabio Giannetti, Nicolò Badodi, Claudio Tripodo, Antonio Cammi, Luciana Barucca, Andrea Tarallo, Pietro Agostini and Alessandro Del Nevo
Additional contact information
Alessandra Vannoni: DIAEE Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Pierdomenico Lorusso: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Pietro Arena: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Marica Eboli: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Ranieri Marinari: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Amelia Tincani: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Cristiano Ciurluini: DIAEE Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Fabio Giannetti: DIAEE Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00186 Rome, Italy
Nicolò Badodi: Nuclear Engineering Division, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
Claudio Tripodo: Nuclear Engineering Division, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
Antonio Cammi: Nuclear Engineering Division, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy
Luciana Barucca: Ansaldo Nucleare, 16152 Genoa, Italy
Andrea Tarallo: CREATE Consortium, Università di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Naples, Italy
Pietro Agostini: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Alessandro Del Nevo: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEA, 40032 Camugnano, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-26

Abstract: Within the EUROfusion roadmap for the technological development of the European-DEMOnstration (EU-DEMO) reactor, a key point has been identified in the discontinuous operation (pulse-dwell-pulse) of the machine. Water Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB) Primary Heat Transfer Systems (PHTSs) adopt technology and components commonly used in nuclear fission power plants, whose performances could be negatively affected by the above mentioned pulsation, as well as by low-load operation in the dwell phase. This makes mandatory a full assessment of the functional feasibility of such components through accurate design and validation. For this purpose, ENEA Experimental Engineering Division at Brasimone R.C. aims at realizing STEAM, a water operated facility forming part of the multipurpose experimental infrastructure Water cooled lithium lead -thermal-HYDRAulic (W-HYDRA), conceived to investigate the water technologies applied to the DEMO BB and Balance of Plant systems and components. The experimental validation has the two main objectives of reproducing the DEMO operational phases by means of steady-state and transient tests, as well as performing dedicated tests on the steam generator aiming at demonstrating its ability to perform as intended during the power phases of the machine. STEAM is mainly composed of primary and secondary water systems reproducing the thermodynamic conditions of the DEMO WCLL BB PHTS and power conversion system, respectively. The significance of the STEAM facility resides in its capacity to amass experimental data relevant for the advancement of fusion-related technologies. This capability is attributable to the comprehensive array of instruments with which the facility will be equipped and whose strategic location is described in this work. The operational phases of the STEAM facility at different power levels are presented, according to the requirements of the experiments. Furthermore, a preliminary analysis for the definition of the control strategy for the OTSG mock-up was performed. In particular, two different control strategies were identified and tested, both keeping the primary mass flow constant and regulating the feedwater mass flow to follow a temperature set-point in the primary loop. The obtained numerical results yielded preliminary feedback on the regulation capability of the DEMO steam generator mock-up during pulsed operation, showing that no relevant overtemperature jeopardized the facility integrity, thanks to the high system responsivity to rapid load variations.

Keywords: DEMO water technologies; STEAM facility; experimental installation; DEMO components assessment; RELAP5 thermal-hydraulic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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