Lithium safety in fusion systems (ITER)

Accidents postulated to occur involving chemical interactions of lithium wi th water and air are analyzed for the international thermonuclear experimen tal reactor (ITER) blanket test module using two different computer models. Vacuum vessel failure is not predicted for lithium leaks into water, but i t is predicted in minutes for water leaks into any amount of lithium if the pressure suppression system fails to work as designed. Calculations for li thium leaks into the reactor vault containing air predict failure in an adi abatic system but not if heat loss is included. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.