DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING SEQUENCE OF THE EUROPEAN WATER-COOLED PB-17LI TEST BLANKET MODULE

In 1996, the European Community started the development of a water-coo led Pb-17Li blanket test module for ITER. First tests are currently sc heduled to start with the beginning of the Basic Performance Phase pri or to d-t operation. The test module is designed to be representative for a DEMO breeding blanket and relies on the liquid alloy Pb-17Li as both tritium breeder and neutron multiplier :material, and water at PW R pressure and temperature as coolant. The structural material is mart ensitic steel. The straight, box-like structure of this blanket confin es a pool of liquid Pb-17Li which is slowly circulated for ex-situ tri tium extraction and lithium adjustment. The box and the Pb-17Li pool a re separately cooled, the former with toroido-radial tubes, the latter with a bundle of double-walled U-tubes, equally made of martensitic s teel and equipped with a permeation barrier. This paper presents the l atest design and three manufacturing schemes with different degrees of technology.. Advanced techniques such as solid or powder HIP are prop osed to provide design flexibility. With a 3D neutronics analysis, the power and tritium generation were determined. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scien ce S.A. All rights reserved.