Overview of the last progresses for the European Test Blanket Modules projects

This paper gives an overview of the last progresses in terms of system design, calculations, safety and R&D done these last 2 years for the reference Test Blanket Modules developed in Europe, namely the Helium Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) breeder blanket and the Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB), in order to cope with the ambitious objective to introduce two EU TBM systems for day-1 of ITER operation. The engineering design of the two systems is mostly concluded and the priority is now on the development and qualification of the fabrication technologies. From calculations point of view, the last modelling efforts related to the thermal–hydraulic of the first wall, the tritium behaviour, and the box thermal and mechanical resistance in accidental conditions are presented. Last features of the TBM and cooling system designs and integration in ITER reactor are highlighted. In particular, this paper also describes the safety and licensing analyses performed for each concept to be able to include the TBM systems in the ITER preliminary safety report (RPrS). Finally, overview of recent R&D progresses in fabrication, tritium experiments and test facilities development is given.