Safety assessment of Chinese ITER TBM design with helium-cooled solid breeder concept

Abstract

Safety analyses have been performed for the Chinese ITER test blanket module (TBM) design with helium-cooled solid breeder (HCSB) concept for testing in a ITER device based on the design developed with the China blanket programme. Some safety issues associated with this TBM design are explored. In particular, radiological inventories, afterheat, waste disposal ratings (WDRs), electromagnetic analysis, LOCA accident analysis and tritium safety management for the CH HCSB TBM design are given. The analysis results show that the total radiological inventory in the TBM at shutdown is very low and drops rapidly within a minute due to the decay of the Mn-56 isotope, the total afterheat is as low as 8.77 × 10−3 MW, which is attributed mainly to the structure and the WDRs for Ni-59, Zr-93 and Nb-94 are 1.48 × 10−2, 4.72 × 10−9 and 1.034 × 10−3, respectively, and according to the US 10CFR61 regulation, these materials are qualified for shallow land burial. Results show that this test blanket concept is feasible within the existing domestic technologies and has good safety characteristics. In addition, future directions in the safety and environmental area are proposed.