Numerical simulation of tritium extraction from liquid PbLi by gas-liquid contactor

As one key component of the fusion reactor, the blanket is in charge of breeding tritium, shielding neutrons and extracting thermal energy for electricity generation. An efficient tritium extraction unit (TEU) is a necessary guarantee for the tritium self-sufficiency in the fusion reactor. The gas-liquid contactor (GLC) is considered to be one of the most efficient devices for the liquid blanket that uses the lead-lithium (PbLi) as the functional materials. Understanding the characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow and mass transfer is beneficial for guiding the design and optimization of contactor. However, it is difficult to carry out the tritium experiments due to the scarcity in nature, the strong permeability, as well as the radioactivity. In this paper, the turbulent two-phase model coupled with dilute mass transfer is adopted to numerically study the process of tritium extraction from the liquid PbLi, and the numerical model is evolving step-by-step. Firstly, based on the models of single bubble and helium purge, the effects of different design parameters on the tritium extraction efficiency of the contactor are further investigated (i.e. mass flow rate of helium, initial tritium concentration and liquid PbLi filling height). The results are in good agreement with previous experimental results, and this validates the feasibility of the numerical model used in this work. Then, the entire model of GLC is numerically analyzed, which illustrates that the tritium extraction efficiency of one single unit is only 20.8%. However, the total efficiency can achieve 95% when there are 13 units working together in series. On this basis, the schematic diagram of tritium extraction system is proposed for the fusion blanket.

Automated summary

The blanket, as a key component of the fusion reactor, plays important roles in breeding tritium, shielding neutrons, and extracting thermal energy for electricity generation. Understanding the characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow and mass transfer is essential for optimizing the design of tritium extraction units in the blanket.