Implications of ENDF/B-VI beryllium data on the performance of the reference ARIES-I blanket

The effect of ENDF/B-VI beryllium data on the neutronic characteristics of the reference ARIES-I fusion blanket is investigated. It is found that the total initial tritium breeding ratio (1.2154) calculated with ENDF/B-V is significantly higher, by about 5.7%, than that calculated with ENDF/B-VI beryllium cross sections (1.1504). When using beryllium data from ENDF/B-VI instead of ENDF/B-V, the maximum fast neutron flux above 0.111 MeV in the superconducting magnet calculated assuming a wall loading of 1 MW/m² increases by 4.6% (1.915×10⁹ against 1.830×10⁹ neutrons/cm²/s), whereas the total blanket energy multiplication decreases by about 3.3% (1.2518 against 1.2937), the average volumetric nuclear heating in the first wall by about 3% (4.8012 against 4.9484 W/cm³), the maximum helium production rate in the neutron multiplier after one year irradiation significantly by 11.2% (1535 against 1720 parts per million), and the maximum hydrogen production rate in the first wall by 2.5% (385 against 395 parts per million)