Computational MHD analyses in support of the design of the WCLL TBM breeding zone

Tassone, Alessandro; Caruso, Gianfranco

doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2021.112535

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…However, it should be highlighted that the contribution of this last component is expected to be minimal (0.3-0.5 kPa), as reported by detailed CFD analyses presented in Ref. [17]. Nevertheless, it is not a stretch to state that the code is able to predict with acceptable accuracy the trend of MHD pressure drop in this complex liquid metal circuit and, moreover, provides a reasonable figure for the pressure loss in the module.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Specifically, the chosen mean velocity leads to a total TBM mass flow rate of 0.12 kg/s. All dimensions of the model geometry are referred to the most recent WCLL TBM design [15]- [17] (Table 1).…”

Section: Wcll Tbm Geometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[16], and breeding zone, discussed in Ref. [17], are used to assess the quality of the results obtained by our MHD subroutines. As in the Helium-Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) mock-up [18] [19], which can be considered the predecessor of the WCLL design 1 , the manifold region is where the bulk of the pressure head loss in the module happens, whereas losses in the BZ are comparatively negligible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preliminary MHD pressure drop analysis for the prototypical WCLL TBM with RELAP5/MOD3.3

Melchiorri

Narcisi

Ciurluini

et al. 2022

Fusion Engineering and Design

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In fusion reactor development, the design of the breeding blanket (BB) represents an important technical challenge due to the extreme operative conditions that the component must withstand. One of the critical issues of a liquid metal BB is the occurring of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects within the piping network that transports the electro-conductive fluid. Predicting MHD phenomena is fundamental for a reliable and efficient blanket design and computational tools are indispensable to achieve a fusion-relevant physical analysis. For this reason, a dedicated MHD module for the System Thermal-Hydraulic (STH) code RELAP5/MOD3.3 (RELAP5) is under development at Sapienza University of Rome. In its current state, RELAP5 can evaluate MHD pressure losses in many common layouts for BB piping system. In a previous work of the Authors, the verification and validation (V&V) procedure of the MHD module has been discussed. In this paper, the code is used to assess the MHD pressure loss in the Water-Cooled Lithium Lead Test Blanket Module (TBM). Furthermore, the geometry of the TBM box is optimized to reduce the MHD pressure loss and to equalize the flow distribution among the Breeding Units.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Wcll Tbm Geometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preliminary MHD pressure drop analysis for the prototypical WCLL TBM with RELAP5/MOD3.3

Melchiorri

Narcisi

Ciurluini

et al. 2022

Fusion Engineering and Design

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“…This phenomenon seems to be characteristic of the asymmetric expansion, since it is not reported by Refs. [10], [11], [17], and could lead to tritium accumulation in the manifold. It is interesting to note that a similar phenomenon was described by Rhodes et al [8] for the sudden expansion from an insulated duct, where a pair of counter-rotating steady vortices were observed downstream of the cross-section variation.…”

Section: Mhd Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Singh and Gohil analyzed an insulating duct featuring a rectangular and triangular-shaped orifice by means of a 2D model developed using OpenFOAM; a surprising choice given the inherent 3D flow nature of the chosen geometry [16]. Tassone and Caruso have performed a more detailed study in the framework of the ITER Test Blanket Module development, using a complete 3D model to represent the MHD flow at high magnetic field intensity in a mostly one-sided sudden expansion/contraction from a rectangular orifice [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-dimensional MHD flow in moderate change ratio orifice

Melchiorri

Tassone

Caruso

2022

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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In fusion reactor blanket design, liquid metals are attractive working fluids since it is possible to combine in a single fluid the functions of coolant, tritium carrier and breeder. These electrically conductive fluids flow in the presence of a strong magnetic field, inducing the appearance of Lorentz forces and magnetohydrodynamic MHD effects. Increased pressure loss, particularly in complex geometry elements, is a critical point for blanket design. The MHD flow through an orifice plate made by electroconductive walls (c = 0.01 ÷ 0.1) has been analysed in this paper using ANSYS CFX in the range Re = 108, and Ha = 0 ÷ 300. A wide recirculation region is detected after the flow exits the orifice, with potentially harmful consequences for efficient tritium removal. Large pressure loss occurs in the orifice due to conductive wall and non-negligible axial length. The 3D pressure drop term is characterized through a local resistance coefficient (k) that is found to be k ≈ 0.205 for well conducting walls (c = 0.1) and k ≈ 0.063 for poorly conducting ones (c = 0.01).

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