Tritium Transport in PFCs and Blankets

Remi Delaporte-Mathurin

PSFC

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

12:00pm

NW17-218 Hybrid

PSFC Seminars

Abstract: Fusion energy, with its potential to provide clean and nearly limitless power, remains an exciting frontier in energy research. Tritium, an essential fuel for the fusion process, presents complex transport challenges within breeding blankets. This seminar provides a comprehensive exploration of Tritium Transport in Breeding Blankets, encompassing both experimental insights and computational modeling.

A dedicated section on Hydrogen/Tritium Transport in Materials delves into the mechanics of hydrogen and tritium transport within materials, with a focus on ongoing efforts at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

LIBRA, a tritium breeding experiment at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, is discussed, highlighting its objectives, setup, and findings related to tritium release and migration.

Additionally, it explores FESTIM, a modeling tool employed to simulate tritium transport within Water-Cooled Lithium-Lead (WCLL) breeding blankets. The modeling results are compared with experimental data, shedding light on the intricacies of tritium behavior in fusion reactor environments.

Challenges and future directions form a crucial part of the seminar, discussing limitations in experimental work and modeling. It also addresses potential improvements and future research avenues in the field of tritium transport.
This seminar provides insights into the complexities of tritium management in breeding blankets, emphasizing the need for continued research and collaboration within the fusion community.

 

Bio: Dr. Delaporte-Mathurin started his career in fusion at the Culham Science Centre for Fusion Energy (UKAEA), did his Ph.D. at the french Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research (CEA) and recently joined the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a postdoc associate. His primary research focus is hydrogen transport modelling in fusion relevant materials. He is the lead developer of the FESTIM code. His Ph.D. project investigated tritium retention in the ITER divertor but his current focus is now on tritium breeding technologies through the project LIBRA. Aside from his core research, Dr. Delaporte-Mathurin has a keen interest in data visualisation and popularisation of science.