Scale Up of Fabrication of Li2O Pellets for Lithium Blanket Module (LBM) Application
Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 8 / Number 1P2A / July 1985 / Pages 931-936
Material Engineering — Fabrication and Testing / Proceedings of the Sixth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (San Francisco, California, March 3-7, 1985) / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST85-A40153
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Over 20,000 Li2O cylindrical pellets of 25.4 mm diameter, 25.4 mm height, and about 80% theoretical density were fabricated by cold-pressing and sintering techniques for loading a lithium blanket module for neutronic and tritium breeding studies in TFTR. This paper describes the materials, equipment, procedures, specifications, quality control, and safety measures associated with this effort. The experiences gained in handling large quantity (∼600 kgs) of Li2O powder and the fabrication of Li2O pellets of production quantity (∼23,000) and reproducible composition, microstructures, and density help to lay the foundation for the fabrication of Li2O blankets for tritium breeding in a fusion reactor.
