Breeding Blanket: Design, Technology and Performance

Dear Colleagues,

A prerequisite for establishing fusion power as one of the sources for low-carbon electricity generation is the demonstration of the capability of future fusion powerplants to achieve tritium self-sufficiency and to efficiently produce electricity; both these functions are related to breeding blanket systems, a key component in the transition from ITER to the first generation of nuclear reactor. The future DEMOnstration fusion power plant should be the first to show that, with a breeding blanket system, it is possible to deliver several hundred megawatts of electrical energy in net and operate in a closed fuel cycle. With ITER construction moving forward, the DEMO projects are transitioning from a preconceptual to conceptual phase, moving towards the beginning of an engineering phase in about ten years.

New material developments and novel manufacturing processes have made their way into blanket design, raising the hopes for more cost-effective designs that still benefit from the high cooling capabilities of complex structures. The presence of the test blanket modules (TBM) program in ITER has also brought about a paradigm change in the way the breeding blanket concepts are developed and nuclear licensing, with quality and qualification requirements now being an important part of the process.

This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the current status of breeding blanket designs as well as the main related technological aspects.

Original research articles and reviews are welcome. The research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Breeding blanket concepts;
• Specific material development and qualification including both functional and structural materials;
• Blanket manufacturing technologies;
• Modelling in terms of thermal–hydraulic aspects, material behavior
  and electromagnetic effects;
• Tritium production and control;
• Safety aspects.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Bradut E. Ghidersa
Dr. Lorenzo Boccaccini
Guest Editors

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