Experimental and numerical analysis on pebble beds used in an ITER Test Module Blanket

High Energy Pipe Break analysis for the pipelines of a nuclear power plant: No standard case

“…It is particularly useful for modelling the dynamic loading of concrete. The non-linear behaviour of this model is similar to other brittle materials such as rock and ceramic [4][5][6].…”

Experimental and numerical analyses on LiSO4 and Li2TiO3 pebble beds used in a ITER test blanket module

“…The theoretical model developed by the authors describes the thermo-mechanical behaviour of two compressed spheres and extends the results to a pebble bed assuming that it is made up of a mixture of regular lattices [1][2][3]. The mechanical stiffness is determined by considering two half spheres as variable cross-section beams and assuming the behaviour of the material to be elastic-perfectly plastic under compressive stresses and elastic under tensile stresses.…”

“…The main items of the experimental set up [3] are shown in Fig. 1: a hydraulic actuator (a), a heat source plate, connected to the piston, (b); a cylinder that contains the pebble bed (100 mm of diameter) (c) and a water cooled heat sink lower plate (d).…”

“…The model has been assessed by performing numerical simulations using finite element method (FEM) computer codes and comparing the results with theoretical results. Moreover, a comparison has been made with experimental data found in the literature [1][2][3]. However, the geometry of the TBMs and the distribution of the thermal and mechanical loads are very complex and the theoretical model can not be applied in the form which has been developed.…”

Mechanical characterization of Li2TiO3 and Li4SiO4 pebble beds: Experimental determination of the material properties and of the pebble bed effective values

“…This paper deals with the experimental activity performed at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica Nucleare e della Produzione of the University of Pisa (Italy) in order to determine the effective properties of the pebble beds and to develop a constitutive model. Oedometric and uniaxial conductivity tests on pebble bed are illustrated elsewhere [5,6]. This paper reports the results of two mechanical characterization tests on lithium metatitanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) and lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) spheres.…”