Abstract Details
Abstracts
Author: Matt T. Beidler
Requested Type: Consider for Invited
Submitted: 2025-02-21 08:33:02
Co-authors: N.M. Ferraro, J.M. Park, S. Smolentsev, J.D. Lore, B. Turcksin, P. Huang, Y. Fan
Contact Info:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
USA
Abstract Text:
Fusion blankets must be designed to extract energy, breed tritium, and handle the high heat loads from fusion energy reactors. However, all magnetic confinement concepts are prone to disruptions, where the current quench can induce currents in surrounding conductive structures, including the blanket. This work models disruptions in the Compact Advanced Tokamak (CAT) reactor concept [1] with different blanket concepts. We obtain estimates of the plasma equilibrium, first wall, blanket, and vacuum vessel positions using the code TokDesigner. These design features are then used in the extended-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code M3D-C1 [2] to simulate a disruption. In the plasma region, extended-MHD is used, and in the first wall and blanket, which are modeled as electrically conducting solids, the resistive Faraday’s law is used. In this study, the effective resistivity of the blanket region is chosen to model lead-lithium and FLiBe concepts. Additionally, the effective resistivity of the blanket region can be anisotropic or isotropic to explore differences in isolated poloidal ducts and toroidally symmetric blanket configurations. An anomalous thermal quench is triggered using an unphysically large perpendicular thermal conductivity. We find that the toroidally symmetric lead-lithium (TSLL) blanket is passively stable to vertical displacement events (VDEs), as compared to dual coolant lead-lithium (DCLL) and FLiBe tank blankets. However, this passive stability comes at the cost of significantly increased static radial forces on the blanket. The toroidal currents induced in the TSLL blanket also screen out the changing poloidal field from the plasma, which has important implications for the pumping pressure needed to circulate the liquid metal through the blanket. [1] R.J. Buttery et al., Nucl. Fusion 61, 046028 (2021); [2] N.M. Ferraro et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 056114 (2016).
Characterization: 1.0
Comments: