MHD Analysis and Preparation of an Experiment for Developing the Korean Test Blanket Module

To develop a Korean (KO) test blanket module (TBM) for an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), particularly for a liquid breeder type, a currently developed conventional code, CFX, with an electromagnetic module for analyzing the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect of the liquid breeder under a high magnetic field is numerically validated using a theoretical equation and previous experimental data. From a comparison with the previous data, the code shows its capability to simulate the MHD effect very well. The KO TBM was then analyzed using the code for comparing the velocities and pressure drops when there was a high magnetic field of the ITER condition (5 T) and when there was not. From the analysis, the pressure drop increased from 0.008337 to 486.8 Pa, and the flow became more uniform in the upward region but concentrated in a corner or inlet manifold, which provided the idea to modify the manifold design. Since the pressure drop by the MHD effect will be tested with the constructed experimental loop for the liquid breeder, a preliminary analysis was performed using the installed test section and magnet, which can produce a magnetic field of up to 2.2 T.