Exploratory fire analysis in DONES lithium system

Abstract

The exploitation of Nuclear Fusion energy in power plants will require the development and qualification of materials able to withstand outstanding neutronic loads for which no operating experience is currently available. Therefore, a Demo-Oriented early NEutron Source (DONES) facility for material irradiation is currently being designed within EUROfusion programme aimed at the production of neutrons with fusion relevant spectrum and fluence by means of D – Li stripping reactions occurring between a deuteron beam impacting a stable liquid lithium flowing film implementing the target. The Lithium System (LS) in DONES shall provide circulation of liquid lithium with suitable thermal-hydraulic characteristics and assure impurity control and heat removal. Given the hazard constituted by liquid lithium inventory and the potential risk of reactions with air eventually resulting into fire events, a preliminary evaluation of the modality of occurrence and evolution of such abnormal events in LS has been performed. In particular, two events have been selected for fire analysis. The first event considers a failure of off-line sampler equipment with water getting in contact with sampled lithium inventory. The initiating event is a failure in the glove box containing the off-line sampler. An air ingress occurs in the glovebox and a break of the Li flask is hypothesized at the same time. The second event assumes a leak at the outlet of the electromagnetic pump with loss of Lithium from the Li pipe in Heat Rejection System in LS room. Simultaneous air ingress is hypothesized as well in LS room (normally filled with inert argon). Fire loads were initially identified for the selected events and the room models developed considering dimensions, lithium inventory and fire compartment assumed to coincide with room limits. The ignition of lithium in contact with air occurs at liquid lithium operating temperature as reported in most conservative observations in literature and lithium fires were simulated as heat flux associated to lithium – air reactions rates observed in literature. A model for both events was implemented in Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) code to evaluate fire dynamics and a sensitivity analysis was performed on relevant inventories in the lithium loop area to investigate possible consequences.