Design and R&D progress of Korean HCCR TBM

Abstract

Korea plans to test a Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM) in ITER. The HCCR TBM adopts a four sub-module concept considering the fabricability and the transfer of irradiated TBM for post irradiation examination. Each sub-module has seven-layer breeding zone, including three neutron multiplier layers packed with beryllium pebbles, three lithium ceramic pebble bed packed tritium breeder layers, and a reflector layer packed with graphite pebbles. Based on this configuration, neutronic and electromagnetic calculations were performed and their results were applied for the conceptual design of HCCR TBM that considers manufacturing feasibility. Also, a design and safety analysis of HCCR Test Blanket System (TBS) was performed using integrated design tools modifying nuclear system codes for helium coolant and tritium behavior evaluation. The Advanced Reduced Activation Alloy (ARAA) is being developed as a structural material. A total of 73 candidate ARAA alloys were designed and their out-of-pile performance was evaluated. The graphite pebbles as the neutron reflector were fabricated by using mechanical machining and grounding method with the surface coated with SiC. The hydrogen permeation characteristics of structural materials were evaluated using the Hydrogen PERmeation (HYPER) facility. The recent design and R&D progress on these areas are addressed in this paper.