Maxwell force analysis of CN HCCB TBM based on preliminary design.

• A global finite element model of a typical 20° sector was established and validated for static Maxwell force simulation of CN HCCB TBM. • The corrected B-H curve based on effective volume ratio of ferrite material was adopted to exclude the influence caused by absence of cooling channels in the finite element model. • A simplified equation to analytically calculate the static MF on TBM was derived. • Results showed that the total Maxwell force was basically proportional to the volume and the saturation magnetization value of ferrite material used in TBM structures and the gradient of magnetic field in the TBM region. The Chinese (CN) Helium Cooled Ceramic Breeder (HCCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) will be tested in ITER according to the ITER TBM program. In order to well achieve the test goals and to meet the ITER technical requirements, the design of CN HCCB TBM is continuously updating since 2004 and it is currently in preliminary design (PD) phase. As an in-vessel component of ITER, TBM will be exposed to strong magnetic field. Consequently, large electromagnetic (EM) loads may generate on TBM structures and should be quantitatively evaluated to provide input for the structural integrity assessment of TBM. In this paper, the Maxwell force (MF), one of the EM loads, is numerically calculated and discussed. To improve the calculation efficiency, the finite element (FE) model is simplified by ignoring the cooling channels. Hence, the corrected B-H curve based on effective volume ratio of ferrite material is adopted to exclude the influence caused by absence of cooling channels. Current obtained results are comparable with those in previous work and agree well with analytical ones also, which indicates that the global FE model developed here is acceptable and the analytical equation derived in this paper can be used to approximately predict the MF on TBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]