Numerical benchmark of SuperMC3.2 with HCPB mock-up experiment

Abstract

In fusion reactors, the blanket is one of the crucial components which play the key role of breeding tritium. This is necessary because there sufficient external tritium supply is not available for fusion reactors. Furthermore, blankets have to provide shielding for ex-vessel components, which are sensitive to the radiation (e.g., Toroidal Field (TF) superconductor coils). To support the development of blanket in EU, two mock-up neutronics experiments based on two European blanket conceptual designs: the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCBP), and the Helium Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) have been conducted to validate computational tools and qualify nuclear data. In this work, SuperMC-a nuclear design and safety evaluation software system, developed by FDS Team was validated with HCBP mock-up experiment. SuperMC calculations results are compared with experimental results from SINBAD 2016. The results showed good agreements of reaction rates for the activated foils and tritium production rate (TPR) of the mock-up experiment. This result indicates that SuperMC is a valid and promising 3D neutronics simulation tool for supporting design and safety analysis of fusion reactors such as DEMO.