Conceptual Study of a Lithium Lead Eutectic Blanket for a Power Reactor

In the frame of the recent CEA studies aiming at the evaluation and the comparison of various candidate blanket concepts in view of their possible extrapolation to the commercial power reactor, the present work examines the potential interest of a 15 MPa pressurized water cooled Li₁₇Pb₈₃ blanket. After a brief presentation of the main reactor parameters, the body of the paper is devoted to the engineering optimization of the blanket arrangement, in terms of tritium breeding (minimization of the water content), coolant manifolding (minimum coolant cross section, minimum number of connections and easy access for maintenance) and adaptation to the steep power and irradiation gradients, typical of Li₁₇Pb₈₃ and crucial for a power reactor. Poloidal cooling direction, long heated length and segmentation into the radial direction (breeder rows) provide some answers to these preoccupations and could be recommended for the next step liquid blanket studies, in order to anticipate the requirements of the commercial reactor.