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IFE Fuel Cycle Hub Discussion

IFE Collaboratory – Industry Day

Brenda Garcia-Diaz and Dave Babineau

Savannah River National Lab

11/10/2022

SRNL-RP-2022-01034

Managed and operated by Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC for the U. S. Department of Energy.

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SRNL Recommended Fuel Cycle Development and Demonstration Plan

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Non-rad Demonstration(s)

Integrated demonstrations of sub-systems required to work together at fixed processing rates

Scale of needed demonstrations to be determined by technology readiness assessments in system planning

Facilities for performing integrated demonstrations will likely need specialized infrastructure

Non-rad facility preferably in a relatively low security restricted location (e.g. PPA)

Utilize facilities to help with workforce development

Rad Demonstration

Need fully integrated demonstration roughly at scale that demonstrates feasibility of plant operations

Scale of needed demonstrations to be determined by discussions with industry, funding agencies, regulators, and other stake holders

Needs to be in a secured location that is able to handle appropriate quantities of tritium and deuterium

Leverage investments from other agencies where possible

FACILITIES

Fusion Pilot Plant D-T Fuel Cycle

SYSTEM DESIGN/ ENGINEERING

Technology Baselining

Determine approximate tritium processing criteria for a FPP system

Develop a current description of a system with high TRL that can meet the processing volumes

Quantify gaps in system size, cost, tritium inventory, and other critical parameters from targets

TRL Technology Assessments

Assess the TRL level for tritium technologies in development

Determine technology gaps and challenges for each unit operation and cross-cutting areas (e.g. materials)

System Modeling

Develop a modeling framework using ASPEN or other appropriate software to assist in integration decisions

Develop baseline modeling and key alternative configurations

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Component Development

Improve component technologies and unit operations to increase the TRL level and scale of gas processing

Intensify processes to both increase throughput and reduce inventory through innovative design

Develop novel processing and inventory methods that can move from batch processing or aggregation inventory to online processes

Model performance of novel processes

Materials Development

Synthesize, characterize, and model novel materials or coatings that can improve tritium processing

Develop novel and improved tritium processing methods that are based around novel materials

Characterize tritium effects on materials and estimate materials durability and lifetime in an FPP environment

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Five Tritium Research Topics to Enable Fusion Energy

Tritium Confinement to Reduce Emissions and Support Safety Basis – Develop advanced tritium wetted materials and confinement barriers, understand and mitigate tritium effects on plasma facing components, and improve tritium removal and recovery from secondary/tertiary confinements and effluent streams
Tritium Accountability and Tritium Analytical/Diagnostic Capabilities – Develop rapid, high-accuracy/precise accountability measurement instruments and techniques to measure tritium and account for it in different parts of the system

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Process Modeling, Process Control, & Simulation – Define models to advance & optimize system design, monitor operation, control the process and simulate performance during normal and off-normal operation
Tritium Inventory Reduction & Improved Process Technologies – Improve tritium processing to reduce the inventory needed and lower the radioactive source term. This includes developing advanced designs such as direct internal recycling
Isotope Supply, Tritium Breeding, and Tritium Extraction– Define tritium/isotope supply source and processing, ensure tritium breeding ratio can be achieved, and minimize captive inventory

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Targets, Impurities, and Fuel Cycle Differences between MFE and IFE

Need active co-design between he target physics community and the fuel cycle teams
Multiple sources of Impurities in IFE systems

Reaction of T₂ with oxygen, nitrogen and other air constituents that leak into process
Reaction products are subject to (self-) radiolysis
Radiochemical equilibrium composition depends on tritium concentration (ratio of T/ΣH) and presence of metal catalysts (especially precious metals such as Pt, Pd)

Reaction of T₂ with carbon and isotopic exchange with methane

Methanes are typically more easily generated in IFE relative to MFE due to the presence of polymer target material containing carbon
If deuterium is present 15 different labeled methanes (isotopologues) appear in gas phase all with different reaction kinetics and thermodynamics

Removing impurities requires a radiochemical process with multiple steps to react impurities and separate tritium from other elements

More impurities with different chemical species (N, Fl, Cl, P, etc) could require multiple unit operations, increasing complexity, cost, and inventory of tritium

* Glugla, Fusion Reactor Fuel Cycle INSTN Lecture, February 6, 2009

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elements/compounds (C, N, P, CHx etc)

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Tritiated Impurities

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Conducting workshop with community on fuel cycle needs
Request for Information conducted

Sent out in October 2022
Responses received in November 2022

Planning a virtual introductory session followed by an in-person workshop
Workshop will be similar to FPNS, IFE, and Blanket workshops

Define infrastructure needs for the fuel cycle
Define critical technology needs to be addressed
Identify enduring scientific missions for facilities after fusion pilot plant operation

SRNL is co-hosting workshop with community members

Industry: CFS, Realta Fusion, Type One Energy
Education: MIT

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2023 Fuel Cycle Workshop

Figure 1: Preliminary block diagram of an FPP-class tritium handling system (utilizing the ARC power plant being developed by CFS as an example to start discussion).

Please contact SRNL if you are interested in participating in either the virtual or in-person workshop

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Questions?

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One of the Main Fuel Cycle Differences between MFE and IFE could be Impurity Processing

Reaction of T₂ with oxygen, nitrogen and air

Reaction products are subject to (self-) radiolysis
Radiochemical equilibrium composition depends on tritium concentration (ratio of T/ΣH) and presence of metal catalysts (especially precious metals such as Pt, Pd)

Reaction of T₂ with methane

If deuterium is present 15 different labeled methanes appear in gas phase

* Glugla, Fusion Reactor Fuel Cycle INSTN Lecture, February 6, 2009

as well as other heavier hydrocarbons

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Example of a Method for Processing of Tritiated Gases and Tritium Removal�(Change with Impurity Mix)

Chemistry of the 2^nd step: (Q = H, D, T)

CQ₄↔ C + 2 Q₂

C + CO₂ ↔ 2 CO

CO + Q₂O ↔ CO₂ + Q₂

CO + 3 Q₂↔ CQ₄ + Q₂O

Chemistry of the PERMCAT:

2 H₂ + CQ₄ ↔ CH₄ + 2Q₂

H₂ + Q₂O ↔ H₂O+ Q₂