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Latest News
Canada clears Darlington to produce Lu-177 and Y-90
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has amended Ontario Power Generation’s power reactor operating license for Darlington nuclear power plant to authorize the production of the medical radioisotopes lutetium-177 and yttrium-90.
Saber Azam, Anil Kumar
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 17 | Number 3 | May 1990 | Pages 452-465
Technical Paper | Blanket Engineering | doi.org/10.13182/FST90-A29220
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The objective of the LOTUS experimental program, started in 1983, is to perform various integral neutronics measurements like neutron spectrometry, activation, and tritium breeding ratio (TBR) on fusion reactor blanket concepts. The first blanket concept studied at the LOTUS facility was the fission-suppressed type. Investigations of pure fusion blanket concepts constitute a logical continuation of this program. The new LOTUS fusion blanket concept employs a eutectic of lithium and lead, for example, 17L-83Pb, and lithium-metal as tritum breeders. The blanket consists of a first wall of low-activation ferritic steel, followed by zones of 17Li-83Pb, 6Li, and a reflector made of graphite or silicon carbide (SiC). The choice of structural material for each zone is based on its compatibility with the primary zonal component. Vanadium alloy (V-15 Cr-5 Ti), low-activation ferritic steel (Fe-11 Cr-2.5 W-0.3 V-0.15 C), and the same vanadium alloy were retained for 17Li-83Pb, 6Li, and graphite or SiC zones, respectively. One-dimensional ANISN calculations have been carried out for the optimization of the blanket dimensions. The main criteria for the optimization calculations are a TBR >1.1 and a compact blanket. An experimental module composed of lead and lithium pellets is proposed to simulate various eutectic compositions. Natural lithium, clad in aluminum, is used due to economic considerations. There are some important differences in the experimental module with respect to the optimized concept, which are mainly related to the location of the 14-MeV neutron source outside the blanket. Foil activation, TBR measurements using novel and conventional techniques, and spectrum measurements employing mini NE-213 and, possibly, NE-230 form the bulk of the experimental program.
