Effects of simultaneous transfer of heat and tritium through Li–Pb or Flibe blanket

Transport of tritium (T) and heat is calculated to estimate the performance of liquid Li17Pb83 (Li–Pb) or Li2BeF4 (Flibe) as a T-breeder in a fusion reactor blanket. T is bred in such a way of low leak to facilities outside and continuous recovery by a removal system, and heat is transferred through structural walls to He coolant efficiently. In this paper, T permeation in a blanket composed of structural materials and liquid Li–Pb or Flibe is calculated based on data of previous experiment. The effects of T recovery ratio by the outside removal apparatus and fluid-film T diffusion resistance in the liquid blanket on overall T permeation rates are analytically clarified. Design of a liquid blanket with low T leak and high T recovery is discussed here. In addition, possibility in that microbubbles may be generated at interfaces between a liquid blanket and a structural wall is investigated.