Exploratory fire analysis in DONES lithium system

•Exploratory lithium fire analysis performed with Fire Dynamic Simulator code for DONES lithium loop system.•Conservative assumptions made for burner, considering lowest observed ignition temperature and full combustion with oxygen.•Fire spreading risk in the sampling room, accessible for the workers during the DONES normal operation, appears negligible.•A parametric analysis on released lithium inventory was performed in second accident occurring in lithium loop room.•In worst case liner not jeopardized, fire confined to EMP pit while pressure increases up to a peak of 86 kPa in the room. The exploitation of Nuclear Fusion energy in power plants will require the development and qualification of materials able to withstand outstanding neutronic loads for which no operating experience is currently available. Therefore, a Demo-Oriented early NEutron Source (DONES) facility for material irradiation is currently being designed within EUROfusion programme aimed at the production of neutrons with fusion relevant spectrum and fluence by means of D – Li stripping reactions occurring between a deuteron beam impacting a stable liquid lithium flowing film implementing the target. The Lithium System (LS) in DONES shall provide circulation of liquid lithium with suitable thermal-hydraulic characteristics and assure impurity control and heat removal. Given the hazard constituted by liquid lithium inventory and the potential risk of reactions with air eventually resulting into fire events, a preliminary evaluation of the modality of occurrence and evolution of such abnormal events in LS has been performed. In particular, two events have been selected for fire analysis. The first event considers a failure of off-line sampler equipment with water getting in contact with sampled lithium inventory. The initiating event is a failure in the glove box containing the off-line sampler. An air ingress occurs in the glovebox and a break of the Li flask is hypothesized at the same time. The second event assumes a leak at the outlet of the electromagnetic pump with loss of Lithium from the Li pipe in Heat Rejection System in LS room. Simultaneous air ingress is hypothesized as well in LS room (normally filled with inert argon). Fire loads were initially identified for the selected events and the room models developed considering dimensions, lithium inventory and fire compartment assumed to coincide with room limits. The ignition of lithium in contact with air occurs at liquid lithium