Neutronics Integral Experiments of Simulated Fusion Reactor Blanket with Various Beryllium Configurations Using Deuterium-Tritium Neutrons

Abstract

Fusion neutronics experiments are performed on a full-coverage blanket with various configurations of a beryllium neutron multiplier. In the basic experimental system, a lithium carbonate enclosure contains a lithium oxide test zone and a deuterium-tritium neutron source to simulate a neutron spectrum in a fusion reactor. Five beryllium configurations are adopted to examine the effects of neutron multiplication and reflection by beryllium. The measurements are carried out along the central line in the test zone. Various measurement techniques are applied to obtain the tritium production rate distribution, which is one of the most important parameters for assessing the total tritium breeding ratio in a fusion blanket. In addition, the reaction rates and the neutron spectrum are measured to provide test data for confirmation of calculation results. These data are compared among six different configurations of the experimental system. Consistency between the different techniques for each measured parameter is also tested among different experimental systems. The experimental results are compared with the calculations by DOT3.5 using JENDL-3/PR1 and /PR2. The calculation differs from the experimental data by <10%, except for the beryllium zone.