Analysis of Coolant Purification Strategies for Tritium Control in DEMO Water Primary Coolant

Vincenzo Narcisi, Andrea Quartararo, Ivo Moscato and Alessia Santucci ()
Additional contact information
Vincenzo Narcisi: Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, RM, Italy
Andrea Quartararo: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, PA, Italy
Ivo Moscato: Fusion Technology Department, EUROfusion Consortium, 85748 Garching, Germany
Alessia Santucci: Fusion and Technology for Nuclear Safety and Security Department, ENEA, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, RM, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: A major objective of the European fusion program is the design of the DEMOnstration power plant named DEMO. Up to now, most fusion experiments have been dedicated to a plasma physics investigation while, in DEMO-oriented activities, large attention is devoted also to other systems necessary to produce tritium and to convert the fusion power to electricity. The blanket region, responsible for tritium breeding, is characterized by high tritium concentrations, high temperature, and large heat transfer metallic surfaces in which tritium can permeate. Therefore, the problem of tritium permeation and the resulting tritium content in the primary coolant are of great relevance for DEMO. For the pre-conceptual design of the Water-Cooled Lead–Lithium variant, the tritium permeation rate from blanket into coolant was assessed and possible mitigation strategies were suggested. Starting from a review of the CANDU tritium experience, a preliminary assessment of the maximum tritium concentration target in the DEMO primary coolant was performed and different strategies (off-line, on-line, and hybrid) for the water coolant purification system coupled with the DEMO operating scenario were analyzed. The intent is to identify suitable solutions to reduce the tritium concentration inside the water coolant, having in mind the complexity of a water detritiation process.

Keywords: coolant purification system; CPS; distillation column; permeation; primary heat transport system; water-cooled lead–lithium; WCLL; breeding blanket; detritiation system; tritium recovery and removal; chronic and acute leakage; fuel cycle (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
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/2/617/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/2/617/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:2:p:617-:d:1025238

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().