High power density self-cooled lithium-vanadium blanket

A self-cooled lithium-vanadium blanket concept capable of operating with 2 MW/m(2) surface heat flux and 10 MW/m(2) neutron wall loading has been deve loped. The blanket has liquid lithium as the tritium breeder and the coolan t to alleviate issues of coolant breeder compatibility and reactivity. Vana dium alloy (V-4Cr-4Ti) is used as the structural material because it can ac commodate high heat loads. Also, it has good mechanical properties at high temperatures, high neutron fluence capability, low degradation under neutro n irradiation, good compatibility with the blanket materials, low decay hea t, low waste disposal rating, and adequate strength to accommodate the elec tromagnetic loads during plasma disruption events. Self-healing electrical insulator (CaO) is utilized to reduce the MHD pressure drop. A poloidal coo lant flow with high velocity at the first wall is used to reduce the peak t emperature of the vanadium structure and to accommodate high surface heat f lux. The blanket has a simple geometrical configuration and low coolant pre ssure to reduce the fabrication cost, to improve the blanket reliability, a nd to increase confidence in its performance. Spectral shifter and reflecto r are utilized to improve the blanket shielding capability and energy multi plication, and to reduce the radial blanket thickness. Natural lithium is u sed to avoid extra cost related to the lithium enrichment process. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.