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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
General Atomics announces breeding blanket test facility
General Atomics announced it is developing design concepts in collaboration with the Department of Energy for the Fusion Blanket Component Test Facility (BCTF), which will test full-scale breeding blankets.
“No one has tested a fusion blanket at this scale. While there are more research and development challenges ahead, a BCTF brings us closer to turning fusion from proven science into practical, sustainable power,” said Anantha Krishnan, senior vice president of the General Atomics Energy Group.
A. Khodak, P. Titus, T. Brown, J. Klabacha, H. Nielsen, X. Cheng, S. Liu
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 72 | Number 4 | November 2017 | Pages 628-633
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2017.1350478
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Initial China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), blanket design, includes water-cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) blanket operating in pre-superheated regime. This condition allows efficient cooling; however it requires accurate control and analysis to avoid zones with excessive heat flux. Analysis of the coolant flow and heat transfer in CFETR Pre-Superheated Blanket was performed using ANSYS CFX and included: 3D coolant flow analysis, external volumetric and surface heating effect, and two-phase wall boiling. ASIPP CAD Model imported directly into ANSYS Workbench Design Modeler as a STEP file. Fluid volume is created using Design Modeler Fill operation, and converting Inlet and Outlet surfaces. Meshing was performed using CFX method available within the framework of the ANSYS mesh generator. Application of tetrahedral elements for meshing of the internal regions allowed automatic mesh generation. Advanced sizing functions were used with automatic mesh inflation depending on wall proximity and curvature. Conjugated heat transfer analysis was performed including solution of heat transfer equations in solid and liquid parts, and solution of the flow equations in the liquid parts. Coolant flow in that was assumed turbulent and was resolved using Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations with Shear Stress Transport turbulence model. RPI model for wall driven boiling is used. Inhomogeneous two-phase flow is resolved solving two sets of momentum and energy equations for liquid and steam. Results showed ability of the model to simulate two-phase boiling flow in complex configuration.