Design and analysis of manifolds for Indian HCCB blanket module

The Indian LLCB blanket concept is one of the Indian DEMO relevant test blanket module, to be tested in ITER as a part of the TBM program. Helium-Cooled Ceramic Breeder (HCCB) is an alternative blanket concept for its DEMO, which consists of lithium titanate (Li2TiO3) as ceramic breeder (CB) material in the form of packed pebble beds and beryllium as the neutron multiplier. Indian TBM program in ITER is one of the major steps in Indian fusion reactor program towards DEMO. It establishes the synergy among research institutes and industries for carrying out the R&D activities in the critical areas like design of tritium breeding blankets relevant to DEMO. In this paper, the HCCB blanket based on ITER like fusion reactor has been proposed and analysed. The design of manifolds is an important part in a breeding blanket design since it determines how helium is getting distributed in to different circuits for cooling different zones and components in blanket module. The flow scheme for HCCB blanket has been optimized based on its flow parameters. The inlet helium coolant of 300C comes out at 360C from FW and is then distributed into breeding unit zones, grid plates, top plate and bottom plate in parallel configuration. Hydraulic analysis of different circuits using ANSYS CFX has been performed to estimate the flow distribution from manifolds, velocities and pressure drop in different circuits. Heat transfer coefficients have also been evaluated using the obtained velocities in different cooling channels. The detailed design and analyses of the flow schemes in different circuits of blanket module and the purge helium flow have been discussed in this report. The thermo-mechanical design and analysis at using ANSYS mechanical has also been performed at design and operating conditions for p type and s type damages including fatigue and discussed in this report. This study will further help in the design of DEMO blanket module.