Optimizing tritium extraction from a Permeator Against Vacuum (PAV) by dimensional design using different tritium transport modeling tools

• Published in: Fusion engineering and design Vol. 87; no. 7-8; pp. 1466 - 1470
• Main Authors: Martínez, P., Moreno, C., Martínez, I., Sedano, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Design engineering; Extraction; Liquid metals; Optimization; PAV; Permeator; TES; Transport; Tritium; Tritium extraction modeling; Tritium extraction modeling; TES; PAV; Permeator
• ISSN: 0920-3796; 1873-7196
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fusengdes.2012.03.035

The Permeator Against Vacuum (PAV) has been conceived as the simplest, cost effective and reliable technology system dedicated to tritium extraction from breeding liquid metals. An optimal design of a PAV requires a detailed hydraulic design optimization for established operational ranges (HCLL at low velocities of ∼1mm/s or DCLL in the ranges of tens of cm/s). The present work analyses the PAV extraction efficiency dependency on the design parameters as optimum on-line Tritium Extraction System (TES). Three different models have been built for that purpose: one through physically refined 1D tritium transport computation using TMAP7 (unique simulation tool with QA for ITER); and two further detailed models on 2D/3D FEM tool (COMSOL Multi-physics 4.0). The geometry used in this work is a simplification of Fuskite® conceptual design developed at CIEMAT, consisting of a set of cylindrical and concentric α-Fe double membranes enclosing a vacuumed space and in contact with in-pipe flowing LiPb eutectic. The aim of this paper is to give the first steps to establish the optimal design parameters of a PAV and evaluate the state-of-the-art of these models.