Overview of ITER Fuel Cycle R&D and Design Activities by the European Home Team

The European Home Team has designed several of the key systems in the ITER Fuel Cycle and carried out R&D to validate critical features of the processing concepts adopted and components proposed. System designs for Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP), Storage and Delivery (SDS), Isotope Separation (ISS) and Tritium plant Analytical Systems (ANS) have been generated, with emphasis placed on measures to minimise tritium inventory. Design integration studies and dynamic simulations of tritium inventory behaviour have been performed. Recent TEP R&D has focussed on upgrading of the test loop for integrated testing of gas streams representative of all modes of operation, including tritium recovery from Plasma Facing Components (PFC s). Tests to characterise tritium inventories in PFC s and develop processes for quantitative recovery of this tritium are under way. A near ITER scale Torus Exhaust cryopump has been tested and the pumping speed design calculations validated. Tests to ensure that ISS product quality can be maintained during fluctuations in feed conditions have been successfully carried out. Construction of an ITER-scale tritium storage bed is in progress.