Turbulence and the Feasibility of Self-Cooled Liquid Metal Blankets for Fusion Reactors

Effects of anisotropic turbulence, which can develop in the flow of liquid metal in a transverse magnetic field, on the heat transfer-rate and on self-cooled blanket design and performance are investigated using recent experimental evidence and an approximate analytical model. It is found that the anisotropic turbulence might enhance the heat transfer rate by an order of magnitude without affecting the magnetohydrodynamics pressure drop. The enhanced heat transfer rate opens new interesting possibilities for the design of self-cooled liquid metal blankets, including the possibility of:(l)designing simple yet efficient poloidal-flow blankets, (2) reducing the pressure drop, and (3)increasing the exit coolant temperature and, hence, thermal-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of conventional blanket concepts. A thorough investigation of the anisotropic turbulent flow phenomena is essential for enabling a realistic assessment of their implications. This investigation ought to include large-scale experiments that enable simulation of realistic fusion reactor conditions.