Water-cooled Pb–17Li test blanket module for ITER: Impact of the structural material grade on the neutronic responses

The Water-Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) DEMO blanket is one of the two EU lines to be further developed with the aim of manufacturing by 2010 a Test Blanket Module for ITER (TBM). In this paper results of a 3D-Monte Carlo neutronic analysis of the TBM design are reported. A fully 3D heterogeneous model of the WCLL–TBM has been inserted into an existing ITER model accounting for a proper D–T neutron source. The structural material assumed for the calculations was martensitic 9% Cr steel code named Z 10 CDV Nb 9-1. Results have been compared with those obtained using MANET. The main nuclear responses of the TBM have been determined, such as detailed power deposition density, material damage through DPA and He and H gas production rate, radial distribution of tritium production rate and total tritium production in the module. The impact of using natural Lithium on the TBM system operation has also been evaluated.