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Beryllium (Be) is a precious resource with many high value uses, the low energy threshold (n,2n) reaction makes Be an excellent neutron multiplier for use in fusion breeder blankets. Estimates of Be requirements and available resources suggest that this could represent a major supply difficulty for solid-type blanket concepts. Reducing the quantity of Be required by breeder blankets would help to alleviate the problem to some extent. In addition, it is important that the reduction in the Be quantity does not diminish the blanket's performance in key aspects such as the tritium breeding ratio (TBR), energy multiplication and peak nuclear heating. Mixed pebble bed designs allow for the multiplier fraction to be varied throughout the blanket. This neutronics study used MCNP 6 to investigate linear variations of the multiplier fraction in relation to blanket depth, in order to better utilise the important multiplying Be(n,2n) and breeding reactions. Blankets with a uniform multiplier fraction showed little scope for reduction in Be mass. Blankets with varying multiplier fractions were able to simultaneously use 10% less Be, increase the energy amplification by 1%, reduce the peak heating by 7% and maintaining a sufficient TBR when compared to the performance achievable using a uniform composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High energy neutrons produced in future fusion reactors will cause significant transmutation reactions in the breeder blanket, including the important tritium breeding reactions. The reaction rate for a given reaction type depends on the neutron spectrum and material properties. The inventory consequences for tritium production of a solid-type breeder blanket are discussed in this paper. A DEMO fusion reactor with 19 homogeneous breeder blanket modules made of Eurofer, helium, Be 12 Ti and Li 4 SiO 4 , with enriched Li 6 content. Each blanket module was segmented radially in order to analyse the time-dependent reaction rate as a function of depth. The resolution of radial segmentation was varied and 5 radial divisions were found to be sufficient to accurately model the tritium inventory. Time-dependent tritium production was simulated with the use of the interface code, FATI, which couples radiation transport code MCNP 6 with the inventory code FISPACT-II. The simulated results show how the tritium production varies over the expected lifetime of the blanket. The overall tritium production of the solid-type blanket decreases as the Li 6 and Li 7 are burnt up. The effect of Li 6 burn-up in the breeder zones nearest to the plasma is identified as the main contributing factor to the decreasing tritium production of the whole breeder blanket. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work presents new integral data measured at the ASP 14MeV neutron irradiation facility at Aldermaston in the UK, which has recently become available for fusion-related work through the CCFE materials programme. Measurements of reaction products from activation experiments using elemental foils were carried out using gamma spectrometry in a high efficiency, high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector and associated digital signal processing hardware. Following irradiation and rapid extraction to the measurement cell, gamma emissions were acquired with both energy and time bins. Integral cross section and half-life data have been derived from these measurements. Selected integral cross section values are presented from the measurement campaigns. Details of the data processing approach and outputs generated are highlighted for measurement of the 186W(n,2n)185mW reaction—a selected short-lived reaction resulting from W foil irradiations; C/E results are reported along with the associated uncertainties and compared using the SAFEPAQ-II tool against existing available data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]