Instrumentation Considerations for Lead Lithium Eutectic Experimental Apparatus

Abstract

Lead lithium eutectic (LLE) alloys have become increasingly attractive to the fusion scientific community as a potential breeder blanket (BB) material that can facilitate tritium breeding and other essential fusion processes. However, the community has relatively little experience with LLE, and more experiments are needed to find the best way to remove tritium from this liquid metal. The purpose of this paper is to address some instrument design considerations for these experimental systems.

Specialized instrumentation is necessary to support the operation of any LLE experimental systems. This includes supporting challenging environmental conditions including high temperatures and a radiological environment as well as meeting functional requirements of the system, such as tritium monitoring, level control, and molten metal flow indication. There are also several safety considerations which instrumentation can support, such as hydrogen gas management and molten metal spill detection. By discussing these design considerations, the aim is to support the development of experimental and operational systems and support safety-in-design with reduced apparatus error and instrument replacement frequency.