AbstractAt the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center (KfK) a flexible tool is being developed to simulate the dynamics of tritium inventories. This tool can be applied to any tritium handling system, especially to the fuel cycle components of future nuclear fusion devices. This instrument of simulation will be validated in equipment to be operated at the Karlsruhe Tritium Laboratory. In this study tritium inventories in a NET/ITER type fuel cycle involving a lithium salt solution blanket are investigated. The salt solution blanket serves as an example because it offers technological properties which are attractive in modeling the process; the example does not impair the general validity of the tool.Usually, the operation strategy of complex structures will deteriorate due to failures of the subsystems involved. These failures together with the reduced availability ensuing from them will be simulated. The example of this study is restricted to reduced availabilities of two subsystems, namely the reactor and the tritium recovery system. For these subsystems the influence of statistically varying intervals of operation is considered. Strategies were selected which are representative of expected modes of operation. In the design of a fuel cycle, care will be taken that prescribed availabilities of the subsystems can be achieved; however, the description of reactor operation is a complex task since operation breaks down into several campaigns for which rules have been specified which enable determination of whether a campaign has been successful and can be stopped. Thus, it is difficult to predict the overall behavior prior to a stimulation which includes stochastic elements.Using the example mentioned above the capabilities of the tool will be illustrated; besides the presentation of results of inventory simulation, the applicability of these data will be discussed.
Aqueous salt blanket tritium concentration control by water storage