INFLUENCE OF A SPATIALLY VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD ON LIQUID METAL FLOWS IN THE EUROPEAN CONCEPT FOR A FUSION TEST BLANKET.

In the European concept for a liquid metal test blanket in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) lead lithium is foreseen as a breeder material for generating the plasma fuel component tritium. The flow of the electrically conducting liquid breeder in the blanket is strongly affected by the intensity and distribution of the externally applied magnetic field required for plasma confinement. In a series of experiments, MHD flows in a scaled model of the blanket have been investigated. The pressure distribution in the mock-up has been determined, regions in which significant pressure drops occur have been identified and these characteristic contributions have been quantified depending on the flow rates and on the strength and non-uniformity of the magnetic field. Measurements show that the magnitude of the total pressure drop in the mock-up is significantly influenced by the strength of the local magnetic field at the manifolds, while gradients of the field across the entire module have minor effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]