MHD pressure drops and thermal hydraulic analysis for the ITER breeding blanket design

The breeding blanket design of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a self-cooled liquid lithium system with a vanadium structure. Electrical insulation of the coolant channel surfaces from the liquid metal is required to reduce the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pressure to less than 1 MPa. Insulation is provided by AIN coating at the channel surfaces in contact with lithium. MHD pressure drop and thermal hydraulic analysis of the blanket design is carried out subject to pressure, temperature, and stress considerations. Design windows relating the lithium flow velocity, MHD pressure, and structural temperature are formulated. The requirements of the insulator coating and characterization of the coating effectiveness are presented. Effects on the MHD pressure drop due to uniform cracks through the coating layer is also analyzed.