TECNO FUS

TECNO_FUS is a Programme financed by the Spanish Government (by means of a CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010 grant CSD2008-0079 by MICINN) and oriented towards the development of technologies associated with the Breeding blanket of future Fusion Power Plants.

Generally speaking the purpose of the breeding blanket is twofold: to extract the energy generated in the power reactor, and to convert Lithium into Tritium. Going into the details of these key component of the Fusion reactor the breeding blanket has to guarantee:

• The shielding of superconducting coils from the plasma (n, γ) radiation with extreme shield factors (< mW cm^-3)
• The extraction and amplification of the fusion power (thermal loads in the first wall MWm^-2 and volumetric (MWm^-3)
• Tritium self-sufficientcy, i.e. technology of closed tritium cycle as an intrinsic requirement of the DT fusion reactors.

Associated techniques involve neutron detection, the development of materials (Eurofer steel, ceramics, SiC or composite SiCf/SiC), the management of liquid metals in strong magnetic fields, and thermomechanical calculations in complex geometries. The first design of a dual coolant, dual functionality model is not original of TECNO_FUS, what is original is the development of the so called dual coolant Lithium Lead (DCLL) or Modular Double Coolant DRM He/Liquid Metal design (Spanish for "Doble Refrigerante Modular" of He/Pb-15.7Li.

Going into details it is worthwhile to mention some ongoing tasks:

• ITMA has started the development of a spanish RAFM (ASTURFER(R)) and CIEMAT is making its characterisation.
• CEIT has started the development of production routes of ceramic materials based on porous SiC and composite SiCf/SiC, for application as insulating channels inserts (FCI= Flow Channel Inserts). This is based on the concept of regenerative DRM/LiPb. The SiC is the Material of choice for its application due to its excellent thermal stability, mechanical and chemical characteristics at high temperatures. Its low thermal expansion, good thermal shock resistnce, low corrosion in Pb-15.7Li, low activation and good resistance to neutron irradiation make it the correct working material.

Institutional participation

BSE-SEM images of polished cross sectors after corrosion test (A.Bereciartu et al. CEIT

Institutions involved are specialized Centres and Universities all over Spain, they are the following:

• Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Técnicas de Gipuzkoa (CEIT) of the Universidad de Navarra (UNAV)
• Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (ETSII-COMILLAS)
• Universidad del País Vasco (UPV-EHU)
• Instituto Químico de Sarriá -IQS-(Universidad Ramón Llull)
• Instituto Tecnológico de Materiales (ITMA) (Centro Tecnológico del Acero y Materiales Metálicos at Avilés) together with the Universidad de Oviedo (UNIOVI)
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
• Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
• Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (UPC)
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

The work is coordinated by CIEMAT, acting as Legal Management Entity, such that the Head of the LNF is also the Research Coordinator. The project includes a Technical Secretary.

Tasks

Detail of Modular Dualcoolant with He(red)/LiPb(blue) tubes over a segment of three modules and their dimensions (J.Juanas, I.Fernández, G.Veredas, L.Sedano CIEMAT)

Leadership researchers are responsible for the following 9 tasks:

1. Computational neutronics of Modular Dualcoolant -DRM-refrigerated by He and by LiPb box,
2. Integral structural design Thermomecanic (TM) and EM of the DRM He/LiPB box,
3. Integral CDF computational capabilities for Liquid Metal and gas channels of the DRM He/LiPb box and its auxiliary systems,
4. Production of DRM functional and structural materials,
5. Design of technologies and Plant Systems,
6. Breeding blanket diagnostic and control and Data Acquisition (CODAC) architectures,
7. Safety analysis and the Environmental Impact of the DRM He/LiPb system,
8. DEMO plasmae and reactor specifications and
9. Blanket and Systems Integration and engineering survey

External links

• TECNO_FUS website
• J. Sánchez, L. A. Sedano, E. R. Hodgson, M. Victoria, J. Sanz, M. Chiumenti,J. Hernández, F. Reventós, R. Codina, A. Ibarra, J. Belzunce, J. Quiñones, C.Gª Rosales, P.Fernández, A. Moroño, F. Legarda, J. M. Perlado, J. Sempere, J.Abellà, J. I. Linares, J. Vega, L.E. Herranz, J. Mª. Martínez-Val, E. Mínguez,, J. Dies, J.Alonso(and 90 researches from 13 Institutions,)PROGRESS IN TECNO_FUS PROGRAMME FOR DUALCOOLANT ADVANCED BREEDING BLANKET DEVELOPMENTS
• L.Sedano, TECNO_FUS: A Breeding Blanket NFT programme developing dual functional He/Pb15.7Li systems engineering & associated underlying technologies
• J.P. Catalán, F. Ogandoa, J. Sanz, I. Palermo, G. Veredas, J.M. Gómez-Ros, L. Sedano,Neutronic analysis of a dual He/LiPb coolant breeding blanket for DEMO, Fusion Engineering and Design 86 (2011) 2293–2296
• I. Palermo, G. Veredas, C. Moreno, J.M. Gómez-Ros, J. Sanz, L. Sedano, NEUTRONIC AND ELECTROMAGNETIC DESIGN ANALYSES FOR A DUALCOOLANT BLANKET CONCEPT OPTIMIZATION FOR A FUSION REACTOR DEMO

• J.Fradera,L. Sedano, E. Mas de les Valls L. Batet, Implementation of two-phase tritium models for helium bubbles in HCLL breeding blanket modules, Journal of Nuclear Materials 417 (2011) 739–742
• International Workshop on Liquid Metal Breeder Blankets. 23-24 September 2010, CIEMAT, Madrid
• E. Mas de les Valls, L. Batet, V. de Medina, J. Fradera, L.A. Sedano, Qualification of MHD effects in dual-coolant DEMO blanket and approaches to their modelling, Fusion Engineering and Design 86 (2011) 2326–2329
• TECNO_FUS Project in CEIT website

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• A.Morán, J. Belzunce, J.M. Artímez, PRODUCCIÓN Y CUALIFICACIÓN, PARA APLICACIONES DE FUSIÓN, DE UN ACERO DE BAJA ACTIVIDAD FERRÍTICO-MARTENSÍTICO, ASTURFER®
• P. Serret, S. Colominas, G. Reyes, J. Abellà, Characterization of ceramic materials for electrochemical hydrogen sensors,Fusion Engineering and Design 86 (2011) 2446–2449
• L. Llivina, S. Colominas, J. Abellà,Síntesis y caracterización de cerámicas para sensores de hidrógeno
• G. Alberro, I. Peñalva, J. Aranburu,F. Legarda, C. Moreno, L. Sedano, TOWARDS STANDARDISATION OF TRITIUM DIFFUSION AND SOLUBILITY MEASUREMENTS IN FUSION REACTOR MATERIALS
• Modelat del transport de triti en un canal de l'embolcall regenerador de triti d'un reactor de fusió DT. PFC Pau Bermúdez García. Dec-2010
• P. Martínez, N. Moral, L. Magielsen, A. Fedorov, C. Moreno, J.M. Perlado, L. Sedano, LIBRETTO-4: Understanding and modeling tritium transport under irradiation, ,Fusion Engineering and Design 86 (2011) 2374–2377
• J.I. Linares, L.E. Herranz, B.Y. Moratilla, I.P. Serrano, BRAYTON POWER CYCLES FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION FROM FUSION REACTORS Jan. 2010, Volume 4, No.1 (Serial No.26) Journal of Energy and Power Engineering, ISSN 1934-8975, USA
• P. Castro, M. Velarde, J. Ardao, J. M. Perlado, L. Sedano,Consequences of Different Meteorological Scenarios in the Environmental Impact Assessment of Tritium Release ,Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 60 / Number 4 / November 2011 / Pages 1284-1287
• P. Castro, M. Velarde, J. Ardao, J. M. Perlado, L. Sedano, Tritiated Clouds Enviromental Impact in Air into the Western Mediterranean Basin Evaluation