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Argonne’s METL gears up to test more sodium fast reactor components
Argonne National Laboratory has successfully swapped out an aging cold trap in the sodium test loop called METL (Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop), the Department of Energy announced April 23. The upgrade is the first of its kind in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the DOE, and will help test components and operations for the sodium-cooled fast reactors being developed now.
J.L. Hemmerich
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 21 | Number 2 | March 1992 | Pages 276-281
Tritium Processing | doi.org/10.13182/FST92-A29757
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A re-evaluation of the characteristics of the intermediate flow regime with simultaneous thermal accommodation has shown the full potential of the Cryogenic Diffusion Pump for Fusion Reactor applications. A device with a characteristic diameter of 1m will have a pumping speed of 150m3s−1 for Deuterium at an inlet pressure of 2 × 10−2 Pa (Reactor Burn phase) and 400m3s−1 at an inlet pressure of 0.1 Pa (Reactor Dwell phase). Simultaneously, it separates impurities, Hydrogen isotopes and Helium and compresses the Helium. The Helium compression ratio (already proven to be ≥25 for 3% Helium in D2) can be further enhanced by additional D2 or He driven Diffusion Pump and Ejector stages. The latter feature will also simplify pumping requirements for the Helium Glow Discharge scenario: recirculation of Helium at 0.1 Pa (driven by D2 or He Ejector) and simultaneous removal of DT and impurities by cryocondensation requires no mechanical pump at all or only small turbomolecular-drag pump combinations for He jet drive. The design offers superior tritium compatibility: all metal, fully bakeable, it avoids use of absorbers and argon for helium pumping, thereby reducing overall tritium inventory both in the pump itself and by replacing major fuel clean-up facilities. The advantages of using the Cryogenic Diffusion Pump in a Fusion Reactor Vacuum System are discussed in detail.
