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High-temperature plumbing and advanced reactors
The use of nuclear fission power and its role in impacting climate change is hotly debated. Fission advocates argue that short-term solutions would involve the rapid deployment of Gen III+ nuclear reactors, like Vogtle-3 and -4, while long-term climate change impact would rely on the creation and implementation of Gen IV reactors, “inherently safe” reactors that use passive laws of physics and chemistry rather than active controls such as valves and pumps to operate safely. While Gen IV reactors vary in many ways, one thing unites nearly all of them: the use of exotic, high-temperature coolants. These fluids, like molten salts and liquid metals, can enable reactor engineers to design much safer nuclear reactors—ultimately because the boiling point of each fluid is extremely high. Fluids that remain liquid over large temperature ranges can provide good heat transfer through many demanding conditions, all with minimal pressurization. Although the most apparent use for these fluids is advanced fission power, they have the potential to be applied to other power generation sources such as fusion, thermal storage, solar, or high-temperature process heat.1–3
Duck-Hoi Kim et al.
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 2 | August 2013 | Pages 126-130
ITER | Proceedings of the Twentieth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2012) (Part 1), Nashville, Tennessee, August 27-31, 2012 | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-A18066
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Since the decision of blanket redesign by 2007 ITER design review, the blanket system is being developed in the framework of Blanket Integrated Product Team (BIPT) composed mainly of ITER Organization (IO) and procuring parties. Korean Domestic Agency (KODA) is mainly contributing to the design and development of blanket Shield Block (SB). In particular, KODA is supporting the design activities including electromagnetic, thermo-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical analyses to complete the final design of blanket shield block. For the manufacturing of a blanket shield block conventional fabrication techniques based on drilling, milling and welding of stainless steel forged blocks have been adopted. As a consequence of the manufacturing feasibility study, key fabrication techniques to be verified beforehand have been identified and successfully developed in collaboration with related industries. The pre-qualification program of the fabrication and testing of Full Scale Prototype (FSP) is in progress. Until now the material development of 316L(N)-IG stainless steel forging has been successfully completed, and the fabrication of FSP is on-going. Even though the procurement of blanket First Wall (FW) was withdrawn at the 9th meeting of the ITER Management Advisory Committee, the participation of the 2nd pre-qualification program of EHF (Enhanced Heat Flux) FW small scale mock is being valid for securing core engineering technologies. At present the fabricated mock-ups are waiting for high heat flux test with the Electron Beam (EB) gun test facility being newly built in Korea. This paper provides the current status of design and relevant R&D activities of the blanket system to secure key technologies and to fulfill our promise to ITER project.