DOE OSTI2016
Fusion power offers the prospect of an almost inexhaustible source of energy for future generations. Although this may be true, it also presents so far serious scientific and engineering challenges. Breeding Blanket is one of key components of future fusion reactors, since it directly involves tritium breeding and energy extraction, both of them critical to development of fusion power. To deal with the development of Breeding Blankets, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) designed and built a lead lithium loop (IELLLO: Integrated European Lead Lithium Loop): the experiment aims to support R and D activities for the conceptual and preliminary design of the European test blanket systems. IELLLO was completed, installed and operated at ENEA Brasimone Research Centre. The purpose of this work is to describe the experimental activities that have been carried out concerning the qualification of the facility, and relative instrumentations, for lead lithium applications. A series of thermo-hydraulic investigations on IELLLO facility has been elaborated: lead lithium pressure transducers, heat exchanger, permanent magnet pumping system, mass flow meters and air cooler have been tested. The absolute pressure meter in contact with Pb-16Li was qualified in pressure range up to 10 bar and temperature up to 400 deg. C. The installation of new kinds of Pb-16Li differential pressure transducers will allow to check the pump characteristic curve and accurately calculate valves pressure drops. These factors could give a better information for the thermo-hydraulic qualification of the facility. Vortex Mass Flow Meter has shown good results in terms of accuracy. The performance has been validated by thermal balance with a dedicated heating system. Nevertheless, the installations of different types of mass flow meters will enable to test IELLLO at ITER relevant conditions, and at lower mass flow rates than those tested up to now. The new pumping system with a PM Pump, was qualified for the first time in Pb-16Li, and the procedure for the operation and maintenance of the pump was developed. The pump is able to supply a mass flow rate in the range from 1.2 to 2.4 kg/s with a temperature of Pb-16Li up to 550 deg. C in the test section. Significant results have been obtained also for the heat exchanger, which has shown high efficiencies, even more than expected. Likewise, the Air Cooler has been verified to be able to cool Pb-16Li in a relatively short time, even at the worst temperature and mass flow conditions. (authors)