Thermomechanical and Thermofluid-Dynamic Coupled Analysis of the Top Cap Region of the Water-Cooled Lithium Lead Breeding Blanket for the EU DEMO Fusion Reactor

Alberto Gioè, Gaetano Bongiovì (), Ilenia Catanzaro, Pierluigi Chiovaro, Pietro Alessandro Di Maio, Salvatore Giambrone, Andrea Quartararo, Eugenio Vallone, Pietro Arena and Salvatore Basile
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Alberto Gioè: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Gaetano Bongiovì: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Ilenia Catanzaro: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Pierluigi Chiovaro: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Pietro Alessandro Di Maio: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Salvatore Giambrone: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Andrea Quartararo: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Eugenio Vallone: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Pietro Arena: Department of Fusion and Nuclear Safety Technology, ENEAC.R. Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, Italy
Salvatore Basile: Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 6, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-29

Abstract: In the EU, the Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) Breeding Blanket (BB) concept is one of the candidates for the design of the DEMO reactor. From the past campaign of analysis emerged that the thermal-induced stress led to the failure in the verification of the RCC-MRx structural criteria. Hence, in this paper the classic conceptual design approach, based on a pure FEM thermal and structural analysis, is compared to a coupled thermofluid-dynamic/structural one. Even though the coupled approach requires tremendous modelling effort and computational burden, it surely allows determining the thermal field with a higher level of detail than the FEM analysis. Therefore, in this work, the focus is put on the impact of a more detailed thermal field on the DEMO WCLL BB global structural performances, focusing on the Top Cap region of its Central Outboard Blanket segment. The obtained results have allowed confirming the soundness of the design solution of the Top Cap region, except for concerns arising on the mass flow rate distribution. Moreover, results have shown that, globally, the pure FEM approach allows for obtaining more conservative results than the coupled one. This is a positive outcome in sight of the follow-up of the DEMO WCLL BB design, as it will be still possible adopting the pure FEM approach to quickly down-select design alternatives, using the most onerous coupled approach to finalise the most promising.

Keywords: DEMO; WCLL BB; coupled analysis; thermomechanics; thermofluid dynamics; breeding blanket (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: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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