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The Tritium Breeding Blanket: Looking into the Heart of a Nuclear Fusion Reactor
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Executive Summary
This document introduces the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Tritium Breeding Blanket (TBB) developed for future nuclear fusion reactors such as the planned EU DEMO reactor. It outlines the operational principles of utilizing fusion neutrons to breed tritium and generate high-grade heat, alongside the materials engineering, manufacturing, and prototype testing carried out at KIT.
Analysis Confidence: High
ST_CODE: RITIUM
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The Tritium Breeding Blanket: Looking into the Heart of a Nuclear Fusion Reactor
The tritium breeding blanket (TBB) constitutes the heart of any deuterium- and tritium-fueled nuclear fusion reactor. It is located between the plasma having a temperature of 150 million °C and the near-zero superconducting magnets confining the plasma. All these components are arranged within a few meters distance, representing one of the biggest challenges in fusion technology. At this central position in the reactor, the TBB fulfills several essential functions. While deuterium is abundant in nature, reaching a concentration of about 150 ppm in water sources, tritium is virtually non-existent. Consequently, any reactor working with both fusion fuels has to generate own tritium. This is one of the key functions of the TBB. Nuclear fusion of deuterium and tritium produces high-energy helium ions and fast neutrons.
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This document introduces the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) Tritium Breeding Blanket (TBB) developed for future nuclear fusion reactors such as the planned EU DEMO reactor. It outlines the operational principles of utilizing fusion neutrons to breed tritium and generate high-grade heat, alongside t...