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0 R N L-TM-4047
HOME
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MOLTEN SALTS AS BLANKET FLUIDS IN
CONTROLLED FUSION REACTORS
W. R. Grimes
Stanley Cantor
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This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United
States Government. Neither the United States nor the United States Atomic
Energy Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors,
subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or
assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed, or
represents that i t s use would not infringe privately owned rights.
om-TM-4047
C o n t r a c t N o . W-7405-eng-26
REACTOR CHENISTRY D I V I S I O N
MOLTEN SALTS AS BLANKET F L U I D S
I N CONTROLLED F U S I O N REACTORS
W . R . G r i m e s and S t a n l e y C a n t o r
DECEMBER 1972
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
O a k R i d g e , Tennessee 37830
operated by
UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION
for the
1J.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
This report was prepared as an account of work
sponsored by the United States Government. Neither
the United States nor the United States Atomic Energy
Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of
their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any
legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, apparatus,
product or process disclosed, or represents that its use
would not infringe privately owned rights.
i
iii
CONTENTS
Page
............................. 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2
Behavior of Li2BeFq in a Eypothetical CTR . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Effects of Strong Magnetic Fields
. . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Effects on Chemical Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Effects on Fluid Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Production of Tritium
...................9
Recovery of Tritium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
Chemical Transmutations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Abstract
. .16
Compatibility with Steam. Air. and Liquid Metals . . . . . .17
Choice of Most Promising Salts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
.
Molten Salts in Laser-Induced Fusion Reactors . . . . . . . . . . .22
Compatibility of Li2BeF4 with CTR Metals and Moderators
e
Summary: General Comparison of Molten Salts with Lithium in
Fusion Reactors
Acknowledgments
References
.
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1
MOLTEN SALTS AS BLANKET FLUIDS I N CONTROLLED FUSION REACTORS
W. R. Grimes and S t a n l e y Cantor
ABSTRACT
The b l a n k e t of a f u s i o n r e a c t o r s e r v e s t o absorb and t r a n s f e r t h e energy of t h e f u s i o n r e a c t i o n products, and t o produce
t h e tritium necessary t o r e f u e l t h e r e a c t o r . This r e p o r t o u t l i n e s how t h e s e two f u n c t i o n s a r e performed by l i t h i u m - b e a r i n g
molten s a l t s .
The s t r o n g magnetic f i e l d s may have a c o n s i d e r a b l e e f f e c t
on t h e chemical s t a b i l i t y and a l e s s s i g n i f i c a n t e f f e c t on t h e
f l u i d dynamics of a flowing s a l t . A s a l t melt flowing a c r o s s
a s t r o n g magnetic f i e l d induces an e l e c t r i c f i e l d , which i n
t u r n produces an emf between t h e walls of t h e conduit and t h e
a d j a c e n t s a l t . The emf can be lessened t o minor proportions by
c a r e f u l design--causing t h e s a l t t o flow p a r a l l e l t o t h e magn e t i c f i e l d wherever p o s s i b l e and using a system of small bore
t u b e s where t h e flow must c r o s s t h e magnetic f i e l d . Although
flow i n t h e magnetic f i e l d p a r a l l e l t o t h e l i n e s of f o r c e
suppresses turbulence (necessary i n a s a l t f o r adequate h e a t
t r a n s f e r ) , t h i s e f f e c t on molten s a l t s w i l l be n e g l i g i b l e
owing t o t h e i r low e l e c t r i c a l c o n d u c t i v i t i e s .
Breeding of tritium i n a m o l t e n - s a l t b l a n k e t i s a t b e s t
marginal when t h e l i t h i u m i s i n i t s n a t u r a l i s o t o p i c abundance;
however, t h e t r i t i u m - b r e e d i n g r a t i o can be improved by i n c l u d i n g
b l a n k e t r e g i o n s of l i t h i u m or of beryllium, or by e n r i c h i n g
t h e s a l t i n l i t h i u m - 6 . LiF and i t s mixtures w i t h BeFz are t h e
b e s t m o l t e n - s a l t c o o l a n t s i n which t o breed tritium i n q u a n t i t i e s adequate f o r f u e l i n g a r e a c t o r . Molten LiF-BeF2 i s advantageous i n recovering tritium s i n c e , i n c o n t a c t with m e t a l l i c
N i , Mo, or W, v i r t u a l l y a l l o f tritium i s p r e s e n t as TF.
While f l u o r i d e s a r e adequate h e a t - t r a n s f e r a g e n t s and
possess good r a d i a t i o n s t a b i l i t y , n e u t r o n i c transmutation of
Be and F i n t h e s a l t c a y leqd t o c o r r o s i o n u n l e s s a redox
b u f f e r (analogous t o U3 /U4 i n a f i s s i o n r e a c t o r ) i s included
i n the m e l t .
I n a b l a n k e t which h a s two c o o l a n t s , one being m e t a l l i c
l i t h i u m , s a l t s o t h e r t h a n LiF-BeF6 could be considered. For
example, L i C 1 - K C 1 , melting a t 354 C, may be adequate as vacuum
w a l l c o o l a n t and as t h e f l u i d t o t r a n s p o r t h e a t t o t h e steam
system of t h e r e a c t o r .
2
INTRODUCTION
A c o n t r o l l e d thermonuclear r e a c t o r (CTR) t h a t f u s e s deuterons with
t r i t o n s y i e l d s 17.6 Mev p e r fusion event mostly i n t h e form of very
e n e r g e t i c neutrons.
Such a device r e q u i r e s a b l a n k e t system, a more or
l e s s complex composite of s e v e r a l m a t e r i a l s , capable of performing a t
These f u n c t i o n s a r e (a) a b s o r p t i o n of t h e energy
l e a s t two f u n c t i o n s .
c a r r i e d by t h e e n e r g e t i c f u s i o n r e a c t i o n products and t r a n s f e r of h e a t
generated i n t h e b l a n k e t t o t h e power-producing p o r t i o n of t h e r e a c t o r ,
and (b) generation of tritium, i n a manner such as t o enable i t s ready
recovery, t o replace t h a t consumed i n t h e f u s i o n r e a c t i o n .
The f i r s t of
these functions c e r t a i n l y requires a suitable heat t r a n s f e r f l u i d .
The
second r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e blanket contain a s u f f i c i e n c y of l i t h i u m , from
which tritium can be e f f e c t i v e l y bred.
separable i n p r i n c i p l e
Though t h e s e two f u n c t i o n s a r e
t h e r e i s probably a considerable advantage,
o t h e r t h a n elegance, i f t h e coolant f l u i d can be a l i q u i d w i t h s u f f i c i e n t l i t h i u m t o s u s t a i n t h e r e q u i r e d tritium production.
The coolant f l u i d must meet s e v e r a l c r i t e r i a .
These a r e g e n e r a l l y
similar t o t h e requirements imposed on molten s a l t s as f u e l s f o r f i s s i o n
r e a c t o r f u e l s (1).
It must not adversely i n t e r a c t with neutrons necessary
for breeding of tritium.
It must be a good h e a t t r a n s f e r f l u i d and i t s
h e a t t r a n s f e r and hydrodynamic behavior must ( f o r most a p p l i c a t i o n s ) be
adequate i n t h e presence of l a r g e magnetic f i e l d s .
It must be non-
c o r r o s i v e toward metals of c o n s t r u c t i o n i n t h e b l a n k e t region, t h e pumps,
and t h e power generation equipment.
It must be s u i t a b l y s t a b l e t o t h e
i n t e n s e r a d i a t i o n f i e l d s within t h e b l a n k e t and it must n o t r e a c t v i o l e n t l y
i f , upon f a i l u r e of t h e h e a t t r a n s f e r equipment,
it i s i n a d v e r t e n t l y
mixed with t h e power-generating f l u i d (steam, potassium, e t c . )
.
It should,
i n a d d i t i o n , possess a r e l a t i v e l y low vapor p r e s s u r e t o minimize s t r e s s e s
on t h e blanket s t r u c t u r e , and it should be compatible with a u x i l i a r y
b l a n k e t subsystems such as neutron moderators ( g r a p h i t e s ) or neutron
multipliers.
F i n a l l y , t h i s f l u i d should a l s o be capable of e f f i c i e n t
i s p o s s i b l e , a t p r e s e n t , t o v i s u a l i z e a b l a n k e t i n which tritium i s
bred i n ( e s s e n t i a l l y ) s t a t i o n a r y bodies of l i t h i u m metal, l i t h i u m a l l o y s ,
o r l i t h i u m salts, with t h e necessary cooling accomplished by another
fluid--molten sodium, p r e s s u r i z e d helium, gas, or molten s a l t .
'It
g e n e r a t i o n of tritium and it should be of a n a t u r e such as t o permit
easy recovery of t h e tritium f o r r e t u r n t o t h e f u s i o n c y c l e .
This paper a t t e m p t s t o a s s e s s t h e p o t e n t i a l of molten s a l t s as
b l a n k e t f l u i d s i n c o n t r o l l e d thermonuclear r e a c t o r s .
A s m a t t e r s stand a t
p r e s e n t , s e v e r a l e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t t y p e s of CTRs a r e p o t e n t i a l l y f e a s i b l e .
This f a c t coupled w i t h t h e p o s s i b i l i t y (even t h e l i k e l i h o o d ) t h a t t h e
c o o l a n t and t h e breeding f u n c t i o n s a r e separable makes it impossible t o
examine i n a s i n g l e document a l l t h e c r e d i b l e combinations.
We have chosen i n s t e a d , i n what we hope w i l l prove t o be a continuing
examination of t h e o v e r a l l problem, t o do t h e following:
1. To a s s e s s t h e problems f o r t h e most d i f f i c u l t case, a s i n g l e
molten s a l t c o o l a n t arid breeder b l a n k e t i n a closed magnetic f i e l d device.
We w i l l use molten Li2BeF4, probably t h e most s t u d i e d and b e s t understood
of t h e p o s s i b l e candidates, f o r t h i s assessment i n a h y p o t h e t i c a l Tokamak;
a S t e l l e r a t o r would be e q u i v a l e n t i n n e a r l y every r e g a r d ,
2.
To compare s e v e r a l molten s a l t s f o r t h i s and o t h e r l e s s demanding
p o s s i b l e CTR u s e s ,
3.
To c o n s i d e r , b r i e f l y , a p p l i c a t i o n of molten s a l t s f o r a laser-
powered f u s i o n device whose problems a r e q u i t e d i f f e r e n t , and f i n a l l y
4.
To compare and c o n t r a s t t h e s e molten s a l t s w i t h molten l i t h i u m
as t h e b l a n k e t f l u i d .
BEHAVIOR OF L i 2 B e F 4 IN
A HYPOTHETICAL CTR
The most d i f f i c u : l t problems which must be surmounted by a molten s a l t
i n a CTR b l a n k e t system a r e , almost c e r t a i n l y , t h o s e imposed i f t h e s a l t
must serve as t h e s i n g l e - f l u i d blanket-coolant f o r a closed magnetic f i e l d
(and e s s e n t i a l l y steady s t a t e ) CTR.
The p r e c i s e magnitude of t h e s e
problems w i l l depend upon t h e d e t a i l e d design of t h e d e v i c e - - i t s power
l e v e l , s i z e , temperature and temperature d i f f e r e n t i a l , and coolant passage
p a t t e r n s within t h e b l a n k e t r e g i o n .
To i l l u s t r a t e t h e n a t u r e and g e n e r a l
magnitude of t h e problems we have chosen a t o r o i d a l CTR, blanketed and
cooled w i t h molten Li2BeF4, of t h e size and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s shown i n
Table 1.2 The b l a n k e t dimensions a r e e s s e n t i a l l y t h o s e proposed by
~~
2This design i s a hybrid from sources i n d i c a t e d i n t h e t e x t . It i s p r e s e n t e d only f o r i l l c s t r a t i o n of s e v e r a l problems t o be d e s c r i b e d .
4
F r a a s ( 2 ) f o r a lithium-metal cooled device; t h e magnetic f i e l d s
are t h o s e i n d i c a t e d i n an O a k Ridge National Laboratory study (3); flow
rate and temperature d i f f e r e n t i a l a r e s c a l e d from a proposed 1000 rJrw(e>
molten s a l t f i s s i o n r e a c t o r ( 4 ) .
It i s c l e a r from Table 1, t h a t t h e e f f i c i e n c y of t h e device (ca 45%)
0
presupposes temperatures above 700 C f o r t h e coolant o u t l e t and t h a t mean
residence time of t h e f l u i d w i t h i n t h e a c t i v e b l a n k e t region i s (since
only a small f r a c t i o n of t h e inventory i s i n t h e pumps, piping, and h e a t
exchangers) approximately f i v e minutes.
It i s assumed f o r t h i s p a r t i c u l a r
device t h a t t h e Li2BeF4 i s pumped through t h e b l a n k e t region (acd through
t h e enormous magnetic f i e l d ) a t 120 cubic f e e t p e r second and d i r e c t l y
t o equipment f o r generation of high q u a l i t y steam.
These assumptions, as
t o pumping r a t e s , AT, and steam generation c o m p a t i b i l i t y , a r e not u n l i k e
t h o s e proposed f o r molten s a l t breeder ( f i s s i o n ) r e a c t o r s (MSBRS) ( 4 ) .
Table 1.
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a Hypothetical
Controlled Thermonuclear Reactor
Major Diameter
21 meters
Minor Diameters:
F i r s t Wall
Blanket Region
Shield Region
7 meters
9 meters
11 meters
Magnetic F i e l d s :
Maximum Toroidal F i e l d a t t h e Coils
Toroidal F i e l d a t t h e Center of t h e Plasma
P o l o i d a l F i e l d (pulsed) i n t h e Plasma
80 kgaus s
37 kgauss
7 kgauss
Blanket C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s :
S a l t (Li 2 BeF4
Graphite ( o r Be)
Inventory of Li2BeF4
Flow Rate
AT
60%
40%
2 x lo6 kg
4 x lo5 kg/min
(120 f t 3 / s e c )
167OC (300°F)
5
W
It i s worthy of note t h a t t h e mean r a d i a t i o n l o a d on t h e Li2EeF4
(ca 1.1 watts/gram) i s more than 1 0 - f o l d below t h a t proposed f o r MSBRs.
This comparison i s , however, d e c e p t i v e l y f a v o r a b l e toward MSBRs i n t h a t
t h e s e r e a c t o r s can a s s u r e moderately uniform r a d i a t i o n l e v e l s w i t h i n
t h e i r f u e l s while CTRs cannot do s o f o r t h e i r b l a n k e t s .
It i s l i k e l y
t h a t r a d i a t i o n d e n s i t i e s i n CTR b l a n k e t n e a r t h e plasma-confinement
( f i r s t ) w a l l w i l l be l a r g e r than those proposed f o r t h e MSBR.
"his CTR
r a d i a t i o n d e n s i t y i s n o t , however, l i k e l y t o approach t h e maximum r a d i a t i o n d e n s i t y a t which molten s a l t s have been t e s t e d (5).
Such a device as t h a t d e s c r i b e d above w i l l , on t h e o t h e r hand, pose
s e v e r a l problems f o r t h e Li2BeF4.
Some of t h e s e problems a r e similar
and some a r e q u i t e d i f f e r e n t from those posed by use as f u e l s o l v e n t s i n
fission reactors.
These problems a r e defined and discussed i n t h e
following s e c t i o n s .
E f f e c t s of Strong Magnetic F i e l d s
Pumping a conducting f l u i d i n t o ( a c r o s s t h e magnetic f i e l d l i n e s o f )
a closed magnetic f i e l d device poses a problem.
For a l i q u i d metal t h i s
problem m a n i f e s t s i t s e l f as a l a r g e pumping power l o s s due t o magnetic a l l y induced turbulence; f o r molten s a l t s t h e e f f e c t appears as chemical
destabilization.
A f t e r t h e f l u i d i s within t h e magnetic f i e l d one can,
i n p r i n c i p l e (and perhaps, with considerable d i f f i c u l t y , i n p r a c t i c e )
make t h e flow channels conform c l o s e l y t o t h e magnetic l i n e s of f o r c e .
I n t h a t c a s e t h e magnetic f i e l d may e x e r t a pronounced e f f e c t upon t h e
f l u i d dynamics of t h e flowing stream.
E f f e c t s on Chemical S t a b i l i t y
From electromagnetic t h e o r y it i s known t h a t t h e e l e c t r i c f i e l d
induced i n a conducting f l u i d c r o s s i n g a magnetic f i e l d i s given by
t h e cross-product of f l u i d v e l o c i t y and magnetic f i e l d :
+
+
+
E = V X B
Molten Li2BeF4 (or any conducting f l u i d ) flowing a t 10 meters/
second i n a pipe of 5 cm diameter w i t h i t s axis a l i g n e d perpendicular t o
t h e l i n e s of f o r c e of an 80 kgauss (8 volt-sec/meter2) magnetic f i e l d
v
w i l l have induced, a t r i g h t a n g l e s t o both t h e magnetic f i e l d and t h e
6
flow d i r e c t i o n , a p o t e n t i a l d i f f e r e n c e of 4 v o l t s between t h e s a l t and
t h e pipe w a l l .
P o t e n t i a l d i f f e r e n c e s of such magnitudes a r e c l e a r l y
i n t o l e r a b l e ; though LiF and BeF2 are both very s t a b l e compounds (6) an
induced v o l t a g e such as t h i s (equivalent t o d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n by 92 k c a l /
mole) would make t h e s e compounds q u i t e c o r r o s i v e t o t h e m e t a l l i c tube
walls.
Homeyer (7), who seems t o have been t h e f i r s t t o consider such
e l e c t r o l y t i c corrosion i n a CTR b l a n k e t system, noted t h a t such corrosion should be a l l e v i a t e d by (a) reducing f l u i d v e l o c i t i e s perpendicular
t o t h e magnetic f i e l d , and (b) using a s e r i e s of p a r a l l e l p i p e s t o
reduce t h e pipe dimension where flow a c r o s s t h e magnetic f i e l d l i n e s
a r e necessary.
If, f o r example, t h e 120 f t 3 / s e c flow of Li2BeF' r e q u i r e d of our
h y p o t h e t i c a l 1000 MW(e) CTR were supplied a t a flow r a t e of 4 meters/sec
through pipes of 4 cm diameter perpendicular t o t h e 25 kgauss f i e l d 3 t h e
emf induced i n each pipe would be 0.4 v o l t s ; some 675 p i p e s would be
required.
If t h e s e p i p e s p e n e t r a t e d t h e f i e l d a t 30'
t h i s e m f would be reduced t o 0.2 v o l t s .
be t o l e r a b l e .
t o the f i e l d l i n e s
These c o n d i t i o n s would seem t o
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , by supplying e x t e r n a l cooling t o each pipe,
as it c r o s s e s t h e magnetic f i e l d l i n e s , so as t o form a poorly conducting
l a y e r of frozen s a l t on t h e i n n e r pipe w a l l , it may be p o s s i b l e t o reduce
t h e number of p i p e s and t o somewhat i n c r e a s e t h e i r s i z e .
Periodic
replacement of corroded pipe s e c t i o n s might a l s o be considered, s i n c e they
a r e l o c a t e d a t t h e periphery of t h e torus.'
Plasma s t a b i l i t y i n a r e a c t o r such as t h i s r e q u i r e s a pulsed p o l o i d a l
magnetic f i e l d t r a n s v e r s e t o t h e main f i e l d and, accordingly, perpendicu-
l a r t o t h e f l u i d flow p a r a l l e l t o t h e f u e l l i n e s of t h e main ( t o r o i d a l )
field.
Chemical e f f e c t s of t h i s p o l o i d a l f i e l d (which may reach 7 kgauss)
may not be t r i v i a l , b u t they would seem, i n g e n e r a l , t o be t o l e r a b l e .
3This i s roughly t h e maximum f i e l d between t h e c o i l s (3) i n a pipe
e n t e r i n g t h e o u t e r edge of t h e t o r u s .
'Other a l t e r n a t i v e s e x i s t . It should be p o s s i b l e t o p e n e t r a t e t h e f i e l d
by s h a f t s of mechanical pumps t o permit use of Li2BeF' t o t r a n s f e r h e a t
t o ( f o r example) a b o i l i n g potassium cycle w i t h i n t h e magnetic f i e l d .
Such a l t e r n a t i v e s are beyond t h e scope of t h i s document.
7
It i s c l e a r t h a t t h e problems o u t l i n e d above deserve experimental
study e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e area of k i n e t i c s of de- and r e - s t a b i l i z a t i o n of
r e a l f l u i d s upon passage through i n t e n s e magnetic f i e l d s .
E f f e c t s on F l u i d Dynamics
To avoid induced e l e c t r i c f i e l d s as discussed above, flow of t h e
b l a n k e t f l u i d w i t h i n t h e t o r u s w i l l be a l i g n e d with t h e magnetic l i n e s of
force.
However, i n t h a t case t h e magnetic f i e l d w i l l e x e r t a f o r c e
opposed t o e d d i e s within t h e f l u i d and w i l l tend t o damp t u r b u l e n t flow.
Heat loadings i n t h e blanket s t r u c t u r e o f a CTR, and e s p e c i a l l y a t t h e
f i r s t (plasma-confining) w a l l , w i l l be very l a r g e , and molten LizBeF4
must develop t u r b u l e n t flow i f it i s t o cool t h i s w a l l e f f e c t i v e l y .
It
i s important, t h e r e f o r e , t o assess t h i s damping e f f e c t of t h e f i e l d on
t u r b u l e n t flow i n t h e s a l t .
No experimental study of magnetic damping i n molten s a l t h a s been
r e p o r t e d , b u t experiments with l i q u i d mercury have been performed (8,9).
These experiments with mercury appear t o provide a means of e s t i m a t i n g
t h e Reynolds number a t which t h e t r a n s i t i o n from laminar t o t u r b u l e n t
flow occurs.
A dimensionless q u a n t i t y which c h a r a c t e r i z e s t h e magnetic
f o r c e s t h a t a f f e c t flow i s c a l l e d t h e Hartmann number (MI, and i s defined:
1
M
where
3
BR(o/r))Z
B i s the applied f i e l d ,
,t i s a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c l e n g t h , u s u a l l y t h e half-width of t h e
flow channel,
o i s t h e f l u i d ' s e l e c t r i c a l conductivity, and
r) i s t h e v i s c o s i t y
I n t h e absence of a magnetic f i e l d t h e laminar-turbulent t r a n s i t i o n
occurs a t Reynolds number (R
0
of about 2200; i n t h e presence of t h e f i e l d
t h i s t r a n s i t i o n occurs a t a h i g h e r Reynolds number (Rt).
(more commonly t h e r a t i o (Rt/Ro)
This i n c r e a s e
i s a f h c t i o n of t h e Hartman number
(MI.
Three such c o r r e l a t i o n f u n c t i o n s have been published (8?9,10) ,.
For Li2BeF4 a t 6OO0C, t h e e l e c t r i c a l conductivity (11) i s 220
(ohm-rneter)-l,
the viscosity i s 8 x
kg/(sec-meter)
.
Accordingly,
f o r t h i s material i n a 80 kgauss (8 webers/meter2) f i e l d and assuming a
6 cm (3 ern half-width) channel t h e value of t h e Hartman number i s 40. If
w e apply each of t h e t h r e e c o r r e l a t i o n s (8,9,10) developed from e x p e r i ments w i t h mercury t o a f l u i d of
8
M
=
40
we f i n d t h e t r a n s i t i o n Reynolds number should r i s e from Ro = 2200 t o
Rt
= 2720, 3740,
and 2400, r e s p e c t i v e l y .
The e f f e c t of magnetic f i e l d
on t h i s f l u i d i s , t h e r e f o r e , p r e d i c t e d t o be r e l a t i v e l y small.
These t h r e e values f o r R
t a r e very much l e s s than values estimated
f o r flows i n t h e f i r s t w a l l r e g i o n . A s an approximation l e t us assume
t h a t t o cool t h e vacuum w a l l we r e q u i r e 40 f t 3 p e r second of s a l t (one
t h i r d t h e q u a n t i t y required t o cool t h e e n t i r e b l a n k e t ) and t h a t t h i s
s a l t flows through a 6 cm wide annulus around t h e 7 meter diameter f i r s t
The l i n e a r v e l o c i t y of s a l t i s 0.85 meters/sec, t h e d e n s i t y (11)
wall.
( a t 6OO9C) of LizBeF4 i s 1990 kg/meter3 and t h e v i s c o s i t y i s 8 c e n t i p o i s e .
The Reynolds number under t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s i s about 13,000.
These data s t r o n g l y suggest t h a t molten Li2BeF4 can be made t o flow
t u r b u l e n t l y w i t h i n t h e b l a n k e t system, b u t d i r e c t experiments with molten
s a l t s would c e r t a i n l y appear d e s i r a b l e .
Any t r a n s v e r s e magnetic f i e l d w i l l a l s o a c t t o suppress t u r b u l e n c e .
Hoffman and Carlson (10) propose t h e formula, Rt = 500M for c a l c u l a t i n g
t h e t r a n s i t i o n Reynolds number of Mercury flowing t r a n s v e r s e t o t h e
magnetic f i e l d .
0
The same formula a p p l i e d t o Li2EkF4 a t 600 C flowing i n
a 6-cm t h i c k channel t r a n s v e r s e t o 8 kgauss ( t h e p o l o i d a l f i e l d s t r e n g t h )
yields
Rt = 500M = 2000.
This r e s u l t suggests t h a t an 8 kgauss p o l o i d a l f i e l d i n a t o r o i d a l
r e a c t o r may n o t a f f e c t turbulence i n Li2EeF4; a t most, t h e suppression
of turbulence by t h i s f i e l d w i l l be comparable t o t h e e f f e c t s of t h e
toroidal field.
5Metallic l i t h i u m i s expected t o be q u i t e d i f f e r e n t . The Hartman number
f o r L i i s 12,000 f o r t h e condition where t h a t of Li2BeF4 i s 40; t h e
corresponding R t f o r l i t h i u m i s , accordingly, above 700,000. It would
appear t h a t L i w i l l be c o n s t r a i n e d t o laminar flow; it seems l i k e l y ,
however, t h a t (because of i t s good thermal conductivity) it can
adequately cool t h e f i r s t w a l l .
9
Production of T r i t i u m
It i s obviously necessary t o use t h e neutrons produced i n f u s i o n t o
breed t h e tritium r e q u i r e d t o f u e l a D-T r e a c t o r .
If t h e only sources of
tritium were t o d a y ' s transmutation f a c i l i t i e s then t h e f u e l c o s t alone
would be about 1 . 2 c e n t s p e r k i l o w a t t - h o u r . 6
The only p r a c t i c a , l neutron r e a c t i o n s which w i l l y i e l d tritium
s u f f i c i e n t f o r t h e needs of a D-T f u s i o n r e a c t o r a r e 6Li(n,a)T and
7Li(n,an')T.
2 5 MeV.
The l a t t e r i s a high-energy r e a c t i o n w i t h a t h r e s h o l d a t
Neutron-capture c r o s s s e c t i o n s of 6 L i become s i g n i f i c a n t only
a t e n e r g i e s of 0.5 MeV and l e s s .
The 7 L i r e a c t i o n i s p a r t i c u l a r l y
f a v o r a b l e s i n c e t h e product neutron ( n ' ) can r e a c t with 6 L i t o y i e l d a
second tritium atom, b u t because t h e b l a n k e t c o n t a i n s elements which
s c a t t e r and absorb high-energy neutrons, t h e production of tritium from
7 L i i s n o t very e f f i c i e n t .
When t h e l i t h i u m i n t h e b l a n k e t i s i n
n a t u r a l i s o t o p i c abundance (92.58% 7 L i , 7.42% 6 L i ) , t h e g r e a t e r f r a c t i o n
of tritium i s produced from 6 L i .
S e v e r a l s t u d i e s have been r e p o r t e d concerning t h e breeding of
tritium i n f u s i o n r e a c t o r b l a n k e t s (12-16).
I n c a s e s where t h e l i t h i u m
i s i n n a t u r a l i s o t o p i c abundance, t r i t i u m - b r e e d i n g r a t i o s c l e a r l y g r e a t e r
t h a n u n i t y a r e c a l c u l a t e d f o r l i t h i u m metal b l a n k e t s ; t h e breeding r a t i o s
f o r lithium salts a r e d i s t i n c t l y l e s s favorable.
Table 2 p r e s e n t s some
very r e c e n t c a l c u l a t i o n s f o r f o u r s a l t s and f o r l i t h i u m metal a l l i n t h e
same b l a n k e t c o n f i g u r a t i o n .
Some of t h e neutron c r o s s s e c t i o n s , p a r t i c -
u l a r l y t h o s e f o r t h e n,a, and n,n'Y r e a c t i o n s of f l u o r i n e (171, are
uncertain.
The v a l u e s i n Table 2 a r e , t h e r e f o r e , more u s e f u l f o r com-
p a r i s o n than f o r a c c u r a t e p r e d i c t i o n of tritium production;
uncertain-
t i e s of perhaps 10% i n t h e c a l c u l a t e d breeding r a t i o s a r e p o s s i b l e .
Three o p t i o n s , e i t h e r alone o r i n combination, can be considered
f o r upgrading tritium production when t h e breeding r a t i o i s marginal
as appears t o be t h e case f o r L ~ z E ~ F These
~ , . ~are:
6Based on a tritium c o s t o f 10 c e n t s / c u r i e and 22 MeV/fusion u t i l i z e d i n
a p l a n t o p e r a t i n g a t 40% thermal e f f i c i e n c y .
71t should be noted t h a t Blow, e t a l . (14) c a l c u l a t e a tritium breeding
r a t i o of 1.027 f o r Li2BeF4 i n a b l a n k e t assembly similar t o t h a t of
Table 2 .
8 P o s s i b l e use of LiF, L i C 1 , and L i 2 C O 3 i s discussed b r i e f l y i n a subsequent s e c t i o n of t h i s r e p o r t .
--
10
Table 2.
T r i t i u m Breeding CalculationsaJb
Breeding Ratio'
d
Coolant
To t a l
Bre e ding
Ratio
from
%i
7 ~ i
LiF
(85O0C) e
0.804
0.244
1.05
LizBeF,
(85O0C)
0.785
0 144
0.93
L i 2 CO,
(900OK)
0.642
0.167
0.81
LiCl
(900'K)
0.614
0.132
0.75
Li
(85OoC
0.982
0.45,:
1.44
aD. S t e i n e r , Oak Ridge National Laboratory, personal communication,
March 1972.
bBlanket Configuration:
(1) f i r s t w a l l - 0.5 cm Nb, (2) 94% coolant,
6% Nb - 3 cm, (3) second w a l l - 0.5 cm Nb, (4) 94% coolant, 6% Nb 60 cm, ( 5 ) g r a p h i t e - 30 cm, (6) 94% coolant, 6% Nb - 6 cm.
'Defined as tritium atom produced p e r f u s i o n neutron i n c i d e n t on t h e
first w a l l .
dLithium i n n a t u r a l i s o t o p i c abundance.
e
Temperature a t which atom d e n s i t i e s were c a l c u l a t e d .
(a) design of blanket t o include a region of m e t a l l i c l i t h i u m ,
(b) i n c r e a s i n g Be content of t h e blanket by adding a region of Be
or Be2C t o i n c r e a s e neutron m u l t i p l i c a t i o n and t o provide more 6 L i
ZBe(n,d $He
> $ L i , and
(c) modest enrichment of t h e blanket m a t e r i a l i n 6 L i .
The second option was b r i e f l y t r e a t e d by B e l l (16) who showed t h a t
i f a blanket region (40 cm t h i c k a d j o i n i n g a 1 cm f i r s t w a l l of molybdenum)
were changed from Li2BeF4 t o an equal t h i c k n e s s of Be and LizBeFq, t h e
t r i t i u m - b r e e d i n g r a t i o would i n c r e a s e from 0.95 t o 1.50.
The t h i r d option h a s a l s o received some a t t e n t i o n .
Impink (13)
r e p o r t e d t h a t small i n c r e a s e s i n 6 L i enrichment of t h e Li2BeFq b l a n k e t
l e d t o modest gains i n breeding r a t i o .
For example, i n c r e a s i n g t h e 6 L i
i s o t o p i c f r a c t i o n t o 0.2 i n a 6.25-cm t h i c k coolant region next t o t h e
f i r s t w a l l improves t h e t o t a l breeding r a t i o by about 3%. Although
11
enrichment c o s t s a r e high, t h e s e c o s t s would be p a r t l y o f f s e t by improved
s h i e l d i n g of t h e magnet c o i l s and by reduced r a d i a t i o n damage t o t h e
f i r s t w a l l through reduced resonance capture (13).
I n l i g h t of p r e s e n t knowledge of t h e p e r t i n e n t c r o s s s e c t i o n s , it
appears t h a t t h e breeding c a p a b i l i t y of Li2BeF4 i s marginal i n devices
such as our h y p o t h e t i c a l t o r u s .
This m a t e r i a l would, t h e r e f o r e , probably
need t o be augmented by one of t h e methods i n d i c a t e d above, o r by o t h e r
means.
It i s c l e a r % h a t b e t t e r c r o s s s e c t i o n d a t a a r e needed s o t h a t
t h i s p o i n t can be decided.
Recovery of T r i t i u m
Approximately 270 grams of tritium a r e consumed p e r day by f u s i o n i n
a 2250 MW(t) D-T r e a c t o r .
S l i g h t l y more than t h i s , o r approximately
300 grams p e r day, must be produced and recovered; t h i s corresponds t o
some 50 moles of T2 o r t o 100 moles of TF p e r day.
I n our h y p o t h e t i c a l
CTR t h e mean residence time of t h e f l u i d i n t h e b l a n k e t i s 5 minutes p e r
cycle.
Some 0.174 moles of T2, o r 0.348 moles TF i s , accordingly,
produced i n t h e Li2BeF4 i n t h i s i n t e r v a l .
If t h e f l u i d e n t e r i n g t h e
b l a n k e t contained no tritium s p e c i e s t h e f l u i d emerging from t h e b l a n k e t
w i l l c o n t a i n about 1.74 x
moles T2 (or a l t e r n a t i v e l y about 3.48 x
moles TF) p e r l i t e r i f complete homogeneity i s assumed.
The problems i n
recovery and management of t h e tritium depends s i g n i f i c a n t l y on whether
t h e m a t e r i a l e x i s t s as T2 o r as TF.
These two s i t u a t i o n s , and t h e e x t e n t
t o which t h e mode of tritium behavior can be c o n t r o l l e d , a r e b r i e f l y
described i n t h e following.
S o l u b i l i t y of H2 i n molten Li2BeF4 has been shown t o i n c r e a s e
0
l i n e a r l y w i t h p r e s s u r e of H2; a t 1000 K, t h e s o l u b i l i t y should be n e a r
7 x
moles H2 p e r l i t e r of s a l t p e r atmosphere of H2 (18). No
s t u d i e s of t r i t i u m s o l u b i l i t y have been r e p o r t e d .
If t h e bred tritium
occurs as T2, and i f t h e s o l u b i l i t y behavior of T2 and H2 a r e similar,
t h e emerging b l a n k e t f l u i d c a r r i e s T2 (generated during i t s p a s s through
t h e b l a n k e t ) e q u i v a l e n t t o a s a t u r a t i n g p r e s s u r e of about 2 . 5 x
atmospheres.
E q u i l i b r a t i o n of t h e emerging s a l t with a r e l a t i v e l y small
volume of i n e r t gas will r e s u l t i n s t r i p p i n g of a very l a r g e f r a c t i o n of
t h i s d i s s o l v e d T2 from t h e s a l t .
It i s c l e a r , however, t h a t t h i s process
12
(with 120 f t 3 of s a l t and, f o r example, 1 f t 3 of He) w i l l be d i f f i c u l t
t o engineer, and, moreover, t h a t d i f f u s i v i t y of T2 a t such e f f e c t i v e
p a r t i a l p r e s s u r e s through h o t metal s u r f a c e s w i l l pose problems.
The s o l u b i l i t y of HF i n molten Li2BeF4 a l s o depends l i n e a r l y on
p r e s s u r e of t h e s o l u t e gas, and i t s Henry's l a w c o n s t a n t i s
HF p e r l i t e r of s a l t p e r atmosphere HF a t 1000°K (19).
l o v 2 moles
The TF produced
during each cycle of coolant through t h e b l a n k e t region w i l l correspond
t o about 3.5 x
moles TF p e r l i t e r of Li2BeFq; t h i s i s e q u i v a l e n t
t o a s a t u r a t i o n p r e s s u r e of about 3.5 x lo-* atmospheres of TF.
The TF
w i l l be more d i f f i c u l t t o s t r i p from t h e s a l t than w i l l T2, b u t TF w i l l
n o t d i f f u s e through t h e metal walls.
If i t s r e a c t i o n with t h e metal
walls can be s u f f i c i e n t l y minimized, t h e TF c o n c e n t r a t i o n can be allowed
t o i n c r e a s e and t h e r a t e of processing t h e b l a n k e t f l u i d can be c o r r e s pondingly reduced.
If, f o r example, t h e TF can be allowed t o c o n c e n t r a t e
atmospheres, sparging o f perhaps 5 f t 3 / s e c of
u n t i l i t s pressure i s
t h e f l u i d w i t h helium should s u f f i c e f o r e f f e c t i v e recovery of t h e bred
tritium.
It i s , accordingly, worthwhile t o examine whether t h e bred
tritium can reasonably be maintained a s TF.
T r i t i u m produced, f o r example, from
6LiF
+n
--f
4He
+
T+
+ F-
i s , i n p r i n c i p l e , born a s an oxidized s p e c i e s .
The t o l e r a b l e concentra-
t i o n of TF, or of any o t h e r oxidized s p e c i e s , w i l l , of course, be l i m i t e d
by t h e e x t e n t t o which c o r r o s i v e r e a c t i o n w i t h t h e CTR metal can occur.
I f t h e containment metal i s s u f f i c i e n t l y i n e r t , u s e f u l c o n c e n t r a t i o n s o f
TF can be maintained without a p p r e c i a b l e r e a c t i o n .
By way of i l l u s t r a t i o n , l e t u s examine t h e r e a c t i o n of HF w i t h n i c k e l ,
where ( g ) , ( c ) , and (d) i n d i c a t e , r e s p e c t i v e l y , t h a t t h e s p e c i e s i s gaseous, c r y s t a l l i n e s o l i d , or d i s s o l v e d i n molten LizBeF4.
0
of Table 3 AGO = 10.9 kea1 f o r t h i s r e a c t i o n a t 1000 K .
c o n s t a n t i s given by
From t h e data
The e q u i l i b r i u m
13
where N i s t h e mole f r a c t i o n of d i s s o l v e d NiF2, a i s t h e a c t i v i t y of
n i c k e l ( u n i t y i n t h i s c a s e ) , and P i s t h e p a r t i a l p r e s s u r e of t h e d e s i g - 3.2 x
n a t e d gaseous s p e c i e s . If we s e t NNiF
(equivalent t o 6
1
')
L
p a r t s p e r m i l l i o n of N i 2 + , a value t h a t seems l i k e l y t o be t o l e r a b l e ) we
c a l c u l a t e p r e s s u r e s of H2 of 6 x lo-' atmospheres and 5 x
atmos-
pheres, r e s p e c t i v e l y , i n e q u i l i b r i u m with HF p r e s s u r e s of 3.5 x
atmospheres.
and
These r e s u l t s suggest t h a t i f t h e CTR metal were N i
a very l a r g e f r a c t i o n of t h e tritium could be maintained as TF and
s t r i p p e d as such.
Examination of Ta,ble 3 suggests t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n may be even more
f a v o r a b l e f o r molybdenum and, perhaps, f o r tungsten as t h e containment
metal.
However, i f t h e containment metal were i r o n , chromium, niobium,
tantalum, t i t a n i u m , or, probably, vanadium t h e tritium must, of n e c e s s i t y ,
be s t r i p p e d and handled as T2.
If one of t h e s e more r e a c t i v e metals
proves necessary as t h e CTR m a t e r i a l , some way of preventing c o r r o s i o n due
to
xTF
must be provided.
+M
--f
MFx
+3
2
This would seem t o be p o s s i b l e by i n c o r p o r a t i o n of a
redox b u f f e r (described i n more d e t a i l i n t h e subsequent s e c t i o n ) i n t h e
molten L i 2 BeF4.
A t t h i s s t a g e i n t h e technology of f u s i o n r e a c t o r s one should
probably n o t dismiss t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f using s t a i n l e s s s t e e l or a
chromium-containing n i c k e l -based a l l o y a t temperatures a t or below 1000°K.
Such m a t e r i a l s can, perhaps, be coated with molybdenum, t u n g s t e n , or
n i c k e l , by e l e c t r o d e p o s i t i o n (22) or by plasma spraying (23).
Chemical Transmutations
S e v e r a l t y p e s of chemical t r a n s m u t a t i o n s w i l l occur i n molten
Li,BeF,: i n i t s s e r v i c e as t h e b l a n k e t f l u i d i n a f u s i o n r e a c t o r .
The
most important of t h e s e , and means f o r maintenance o f t h e b l a n k e t t o
minimize o r avoid t h e i r d e l e t e r i o u s e f f e c t s , a r e t h e following:
Transmutation o f l i t h i u m i s , of course, e s s e n t i a l t o production of
tritium.
The o v e r a l l r e a c t i o n s can be r e p r e s e n t e d as
7LiF
6LiF
+n
+n
+ $He
+ $He
+
+
TF
TF.
+ n',
and
14
Table 3 .
Free Energies of Formation of F l u o r i d e s
f
"
1 OOOOK
(kcal/g-atom of f l u o r i n e )
Ref e renc e
-50.2
-56.8
c-55.3"
(21)
(21)
-66
-66.2
-66. 5a
-72. 5a
-75.2
-82.2
-85.4
-125.2;
-106.9
a
(20)
(20)
Standard f r e e energy of formation i n molten Li2BeF4.
f
f
b E s t i m a t e d from t h e r e l a t i o n , AGlo0o = m 2 9 8 - 1000 (C S g g 8 )
t a k i n g m $ 9 8 and most s 9 9 8 from NBS Technical Notes 270-3,4,5
Other S z 9 8 estimated from analogous compounds.
(21).
These r e a c t i o n s a r e n o t i n h e r e n t l y o x i d i z i n g or reducing, though, as
described i n t h e previous s e c t i o n , t h e generated TF can o x i d i z e r e a c t i v e
s t r u c t u r a l metals t o form metal f l u o r i d e s which w i l l d i s s o l v e i n t h e m e l t .
Transmutation of beryllium (as EkF2 i n Li2BeF4) l e a d s t o corrosion
of any system metal s i n c e disappearance of Be2+ i s e q u i v a l e n t t o r e l e a s e
of f l u o r i n e .
The two r e a c t i o n s may be represented as:
BeF2
+n
--f
2n
f
2$He i- 2F ( o r Fz) , and
BeF2 + n + $He + $He
$He 0.8 see h a l f l i f e
2Li
+F
+
2F, followed by
, gLi,
and
6LiF.
I n our 2250 MW r e a c t o r , t h e s e r e a c t i o n s y i e l d , r e s p e c t i v e l y , t h e e q u i v a l e n t
of 500 g and 70 g of f l u o r i n e p e r day.
This problem i s g e n e r a l l y similar
t o t h a t encountered i n f i s s i o n of uranium (as LT4) i n t h e MSRE (1);
15
U
it i s c l e a r l y necessary t o provide a redox b u f f e r i n t h e molten s a l t
( t h e UF3-UF4 couple does t h i s i n f i s s i o n r e a c t o r s ) , capable of o x i d i z i n g
It i s a l s o necessary, if N i , Mo, or W c o n s t i t u t e s t h e c o n t a i n e r
Fo t o F-.
system, t h a t t h i s redox b u f f e r be c o n s i s t e n t with maintenance of t h e
tritium as TF. The couple
e ~e4+
~e3+
may p o s s i b l y serve t h i s function.
If, f o r example, t h e concentration
of cerium i n t h e melt i s s e t a t
tain 6 x
lo3
mole of Ce3+
+
mole f r a c t i o n t h e b l a n k e t w i l l con-
Ce4+, and t h e Ce3+/Ce4+ r a t i o would r e q u i r e
chemical adjustment on a cycle t i m e of many days.
If, on t h e o t h e r hand,
t h e c o n t a i n e r metal i s Nb (or some o t h e r metal which w i l l reduce TF i n
d i l u t i o n s o l u t i o n ) t h e redox couple must be chosen so a s t o be considera b l y more reducing.
It must d e a l with t h e F2 generated by transmutation
of beryllium b u t it must a l s o reduce t h e 100 moles p e r day of TF produced
by transmutation i n t h e LiF.
Such a b u f f e r system would r e q u i r e a d j u s t -
ment on a cycle of a few days.
I n a d d i t i o n , transmutation of f l u o r i n e occurs upon capture of
neutrons of energy above about 3 MeV.
This r e a c t i o n may be represented
bY
lZF-
+ n -+ l$N' +
$He,
This n i t r o g e n i s o t o p e decays, with a 7.3 see. h a l f - l i f e , t o an oxygen
isotope
1%-
+ 160
+ p-,
and t h e r e s u l t i s probably, although t h e mechanism may be complex, growi n of 02-.
The a b s o l u t e q u a n t i t y of 1 6 N formed by t h i s r e a c t i o n i s
r e l a t i v e l y u n c e r t a i n ; it i s estimated t o be, within a f a c t o r of t h r e e ,
120 grams/day.
The very s h o r t h a l f - l i f e of t h i s i s o t o p e guarantees t h a t
a l l t h e 1 6 N decays w i t h i n t h e CTR b l a n k e t .
The concentration of 1 6 N ,
i n whatever chemical form, within t h e Li2BeF4 cannot exceed 1.1 p a r t s
i n loll.
However, some f r a c t i o n of t h i s m a t e r i a l w i l l r e a c t with t h e
CTR containment metal; decay of t h i s i s o t o p e w i l l l e a d t o formation of
metal oxide i n t h e C'I'R metal.
This may, e s p e c i a l l y i f it c o n c e n t r a t e s
w i t h i n t h e g r a i n boundaries, prove troublesome.
If a l l t h e 1 6 N - decayed
w i t h i n t h e blanket sal-t, t h e oxide concentration of our h y p o t h e t i c a l CTR
v
would i n c r e a s e about 60 p a r t s p e r b i l l i o n p e r day.
Since 1 0 t o 50
16
p a r t s p e r m i l l i o n of oxide i s almost c e r t a i n l y t o l e r a b l e , a p r o c e s s f o r
removal of oxide on a c y c l e time of s e v e r a l months t o s e v e r a l y e a r s
should s u f f i c e .
F i n a l l y , it should be noted t h a t t h e transmutation r e a c t i o n s
For t h e h y p o t h e t i c a l CTR t h e d a i l y production
of helium i s about 125 gram atoms or n e a r l y 100 standard cubic f e e t .
H e l i u m i s r e l a t i v e l y i n s o l u b l e i n molten LizBeF4 (24); t h e s o l u b i l i t y
shown a l l generate He.
a t 1000°K i s 1 . 7 x
moles He per l i t e r s a l t p e r atmosphere.
Helium
produced p e r pass of b l a n k e t s a l t corresponds t o a s a t u r a t i o n p r e s s u r e
of 2.6 x
atmospheres.
If no sparging were attempted t h e helium
p r e s s u r e would reach 1 atmosphere i n about 30 hours.
Compatibility of LizBeF4 w i t h CTR Metals and Moderators
A s i n d i c a t e d i n Table 3 above, LiF and BeF2 i n molten Li2BeF4 are
very s t a b l e m a t e r i a l s .
Both a r e much more stable than t h e s t r u c t u r a l
metal f l u o r i d e s ; consequently, c o r r o s i o n due t o chemical r e a c t i o n s w i t h
t h e s e major b l a n k e t c o n s t i t u e n t s should prove minimal.
Indeed, e x p e r i -
ence w i t h t h e Molten S a l t Reactor Experiment (25) has shown n e g l i g i b l e
c o r r o s i o n by t h i s f l u i d on a nickel-base a l l o y (Hastelloy N).
However,
such s a l t s a r e e x c e l l e n t f l u x e s f o r m e t a l l i c oxides and h a l i d e s , and
f i l m s of such substances a f f o r d no p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t o x i d i z i n g a g e n t s
c a r r i e d by such melts; accordingly, as d e s c r i b e d above, HF (or TF) may
r e a c t w i t h t h e containment metal, and impurity i o n s such as N i 2 + w i l l
r e a c t w i t h m e t a l l i c i r o n or chromium i n t h e c o n t a i n e r metal (1).
Melts such as LizBeF4 a r e chemically i n e r t toward, and do n o t wet,
g r a p h i t e (1). However, t h e p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t such s a l t s w i l l t r a n s f e r
g r a p h i t e and c a r b u r i z e metals such as Mo or Nb cannot be discounted.
It i s n o t l i k e l y t h a t a system b u i l t of Mo, Nb, or V can use molten
LizBeFr, and unclad g r a p h i t e without adverse i n t e r a c t i o n s .
Similarly,
m e t a l l i c Be cannot r e a c t appreciably w i t h LizBeFq (but t h e Be could
c e r t a i n l y r e a c t w i t h TF or w i t h t h e Ce3+/Ce4+ couple proposed as a redox
b u f f e r i n t h e system).
Any r e a l use of m e t a l l i c Be as a neutron m u l t i -
p l i e r i n t h e b l a n k e t system, t h e r e f o r e , presupposes t h a t t h e Be i s c l a d
w i t h an i n e r t metal.
Other processes which could conceivably give r i s e t o corrosion can
be dismissed as highly improbable.
D i r e c t d i s s o l u t i o n of s t r u c t u r a l
metals i n LizBeFh has never been observed.
S a l t decomposition caused
by t h e slowing down of e n e r g e t i c p a r t i c l e s should n o t l e a d t o c o r r o s i o n
provided t h a t t h e s a l t i s kept a t e l e v a t e d temperatures.
Experience
gained i n t h e Molten S a l t Reactor Experiment (26) and i n a n e x t e n s i v e
i n - p i l e r a d i a t i o n t e s t i n g program showed t h a t as long as t h e temperature
0
was g r e a t e r than 150 C (271, r a d i o l y t i c decomposition was of no import a n c e t o c o r r o s i o n of s t r u c t u r a l metals or g r a p h i t e .
Compatibility w i t h Steam, A i r , and Liquid Metals
I n any system of heat-exchangers and h o t flowing l i q u i d s , t h e r e
e x i s t s a r e a l and f i n i t e p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t l e a k s w i l l occur.
In this
s e c t i o n we examine t h e consequences of l e a k s and intermixing of o t h e r
f l u i d s and Li2BeF4.
The r e a c t i o n of steam with Li2BeF4 y i e l d s HF and Be0
HzO(g) + BeF2 ( a )
BeO(c)
+ 2HJ?(g)
though t h e r e a c t i o n i s n o t p a r t i c u l a r l y exothermic.
Both H2O and HF a r e
l i k e l y t o corrode t h e metal i n c o n t a c t with t h e salt; corrosion-product
f l u o r i d e s w i l l d i s s o l v e or be otherwise c a r r i e d by t h e s a l t .
Since Be0
i s only very s l i g h t l y s o l u b l e (125 ppm a t 5OO0C) i n Li2BeF4 (28), a
l a r g e in-leakage o f steam would soon l e a d t o t h e p r e c i p i t a t i o n of Be0 i n
the salt c i r c u i t .
Leakage of a i r i n t o LiF or LizBeF4 w i l l have t r o u b l e -
some, b u t n o t hazardous, consequences,
D r y a i r w i l l not react directly
with e i t h e r s a l t ; however, a i r o x i d a t i o n of s u r f a c e s i n c o n t a c t w i t h t h e
s a l t w i l l result i n d i s s o l u t i o n by t h e s a l t and, i f continued, i n
u l t i m a t e p r e c i p i t a t i o n of BeO.
does steam, w i t h Li2BeFq.
Moisture i n t h e a i r w i l l a l s o r e a c t , as
The molten Li2BeF4 can, i f necessary, be
f r e e d of oxide by t r e a t m e n t a t e l e v a t e d temperatures w i t h anhydrous
HF (29)
I n some CTR d e s i g n s suggested i n a subsequent s e c t i o n of t h i s paper,
LizEieF4 ( o r o t h e r s a l t ) could i n a d v e r t e n t l y be mixed w i t h l i q u i d a l k a l i
metals.
From Li2E!eFq, m e t a l l i c L i , N a , or K r e a c t t o p r e c i p i t a t e Be
metal, b u t t h e r e a c t i o n i s not h i g h l y exothermic.
I n general, although i n a d v e r t e n t mixing of Li,BeF4 (or most o t h e r
molten s a l t s ) with o t h e r CTR f l u i d s would prove troublesome, such mixing
would not l e a d t o v i o l e n t or explosive r e a c t i o n s .
CHOICE OF MOST PROMISING SALTS
I n t h i s s e c t i o n we attempt t o answer two q u e s t i o n s .
These a r e :
(a> i f tritium must be bred i n t h e blanket-coolant which lithium-bearing
s a l t i s b e s t , and (b) i f t h e coolant and breeding f u n c t i o n of t h e blanket
can be separated which a r e t h e most promising molten s a l t c o o l a n t s ?
I n answer t o t h e f i r s t question, it must be conceded t h a t o b t a i n i n g
breeding r a t i o s g r e a t e r than u n i t y with molten s a l t s alone may pose a
real d i f f i c u l t y .
Table 2 above suggests t h a t LiCl and L i ~ C 0 3show, i n
reasonable (though n o t optimized) b l a n k e t c o n f i g u r a t i o n s , breeding
r a t i o s t h a t are unsatisfactory.
Breeding r a t i o s have a l s o been c a l c u l a t e d
f o r LiNO2 (13) and L i N O 3 (15); t h e r e s u l t s tend t o be q u i t e unfavorable.
Impink (131, for example, obtained t h e value 0.82 f o r LiN02.'
No c a l c u -
l a t i o n s appear t o have been made f o r Li2SO4, but t h e high c r o s s s e c t i o n s
f o r S ( n , d and S(n,p) r e a c t i o n s almost c e r t a i n l y w i l l reduce t h e breedi n g r a t i o below t h a t f o r L i 2 C O 3 .
Moreover, L i N O 2 and LiN03 l a c k t h e
thermal s t a b i l i t y required of t r u l y high temperature coolants, and
Li2CO-j and L ~ ~ S OwCi ,l l o x i d i z e many CTR s t r u c t u r a l m a t e r i a l s .
Lithium hydroxide seems t o be eliminated, even i f ( a s i s u n l i k e l y )
i t s p r o p e r t i e s a r e otherwise s a t i s f a c t o r y , because i t s hydrogen would
e x c e s s i v e l y d i l u t e t h e bred tritium.
Lithium oxide (Liz01 has a l i t h i u m
d e n s i t y n e a r l y 50% above t h a t of m e t a l l i c l i t h i u m , b u t i t s melting p o i n t
of n e a r l y 1470OC (6) e l i m i n a t e s it as a major c o n s t i t u e n t of a blanket
fluid.
Lithium c h l o r i d e melts a t 61OoC (6) and should be reasonably
compatible with C T R metals, but i t s breeding r a t i o (see Table 2) appears
inferior.
The s a l t w i t h t h e most favorable breeding r a t i o i s LiF.
This s a l t
i s i n e r t toward g r a p h i t e and t o metals under c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r t h e b l a n k e t
structure.
The major drawback of LiF i s i t s melting p o i n t of 848OC.
'In t h e same c o n f i g u r a t i o n he c a l c u l a t e d 1.15 f o r LizBeF4.
19
Because of t h i s high melting temperature, LiF cannot be used t o t r a n s f e r
h e a t t o t h e steam system of t h e r e a c t o r .
If t h e blanket region were oper-
a t e d a t very high temperatures (>9OO0C), then LiF could be used i n conjunct i o n with an intermediate heat-exchange medium--liquid Na, a lower melting
s a l t , or perhaps a b o i l i n g a l k a l i metal system.
The melting p o i n t o f LiF
can be s u b s t a n t i a l l y lowered by many s o l u t e s ; t h e i d e a l s o l u t e should lower
t h e melting p o i n t below 374°C'0
without a f f e c t i n g e i t h e r t h e breeding gain
or t h e g e n e r a l l y favorable heat-removal and chemical p r o p e r t i e s of LiF.
We know of no such s o l u t e .
Dissolved Liz0 should i n c r e a s e t h e breeding
r a t i o s l i g h t l y , b u t considering t h e probable l i m i t e d solubili-by of L i z Q ,
t h e melting temperature (more a c c u r a t e l y , l i q u i d u s temperature) of LiF w i l l
n o t drop below 800°C.
Using AlF3 and/or another a l k a l i f l u o r i d e t o lower
t h e melting temperature t o -1700°C should n o t have d i r e chemical consequences,
b u t t h e breeding r a t i o w i l l almost c e r t a i n l y s u f f e r .
mation t o an i d e a l s o l u t e i n LiF i s probably EkF2.
The n e a r e s t approxiThe phase diagram f o r
LiF-BeF2 ( 3 0 ) , presented i n Fig. 1, shows t h a t a melting temperature as low
as 363OC i s a v a i l a b l e i n t h i s system.
Unfortunately, t h e v i s c o s i t y of t h e
melt i n c r e a s e s with BeF2 concentration, and mixtures with >40 mole
have v i s c o s i t i e s g r e a t e r than 50 c e n t i p o i s e a t 45OoC (31).
%
BeF2
The optimum
s a l t mixture of low melting temperature and acceptable v i s c o s i t y , and w i t h
a reasonably good tritium breeding r a t i o i s a t -33 mole
%
BeF2, correspond-
i n g t o t h e LizBeF4 used f o r i l l u s t r a t i v e purposes i n e a r l i e r s e c t i o n s of
t h i s report.
Decreasing t h e BeF2 concentration below 33 mole
% may
have a
modest b e n e f i c i a l e f f e c t upon breeding r a t i o ; t h i s i n c r e a s e might, possibly,
o f f s e t disadvantages posed by t h e increased l i q u i d u s temperature and l i k e l y
changes i n chemical behavior.
I n summary, t h e answer t o t h e f i r s t question posed above--the b e s t
b l a n k e t coolant s a l t i n which t o breed tritium i s LiF, b u t i t s melting
p o i n t of 848OC l i m i t s i t s u s e f u l n e s s only f o r cooling a b l a n k e t t h a t
o p e r a t e s above t h i s temperature,
If t h e b l a n k e t coolant must a l s o t r a n s -
f e r h e a t t o t h e steam system, Li2BeF4, or some modest v a r i a n t of t h i s
composition, appears t o be t h e b e s t choice,
A p a r t i a l s e p a r a t i o n of breeding and cooling f u n c t i o n s , posed i n t h e
second question above, has been approached by S t e i n e r (12).
"The
c r i t i c a l temperature of H20.
He c a l c u l a t e d
20
ORNL-DWG 71-5:
I
I
I
I
I
R2
I
500
900
X (EUTECTIC) =0.$280+0.0004
/
= 459.1 ? 0.2
800
-tJ"
X (EUTECTIC=
TIC=
0.531f0.002
002
700
Li28e&
LlOUlO
400
-P
I
I I
W
5
600
0.30
ri.
W
a
5
500
458.9
f0 . 2 T
400
0.35
+
I
I
I
I
0.40
0.45
0.50
0.55
"r-
r r
3
:
8eF2 (p-QUARTZ TYPE1
t LlOUlD
1
363.5 f 0 . 5 T
300
200
0
I
I
0.1
0.2
LI28eF4 t
LiEeF3
I
0.3
0.4
L!
LiEeF,
f
EeF, (8-OUARTZ TYPE1
227OC
2
0.5
1
1
0.6
0.7
/I
u
0.8
0.9
XeeF, (mole fraction)
F i g . 1. Phase Diagram of t h e System LiF-EkF2.
1.0
21
t h e tritium breeding r a t i o f o r a b l a n k e t design i n which Li2BeF4 cooled
t h e vacuum w a l l and l i t h i u m metal assumed t h e r e s t of t h e h e a t - t r a n s f e r
f u n c t i o n , and showed t h a t t h e breeding r a t i o (1.22) was 8.3% l e s s than
t h a t (1-33) f o r t h e same blanket with l i t h i u m as t h e s o l e c o o l a n t .
This
small l o s s i n breeding r a t i o suggests t h a t o t h e r s a l t s , e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e
0
melting below 374 C, might a l s o serve as vacuum-wall c o o l a n t s .
Moreover,
t h e h e a t c a r r i e d by t h e l i t h i u m might then be t r a n s f e r r e d o u t s i d e of t h e
b l a n k e t t o a molten s a l t o f t h e same composition as t h e vacuwn-wall c o o l a n t .
The s a l t streams from t h e vacuum w a l l and t h e l i t h i u m heat-exchanger would
t h e n be combined and pumped t o t h e steam-raising system.
mixture of L i C l and KC1, which m e l t s a t 354'C
such s e r v i c e .
The e u t e c t i c
(321, might be s u i t a b l e f o r
The a u t h o r s a r e p r e s e n t l y a s s e s s i n g t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s o f
t h i s "double-coolant" concept
I n p r i n c i p l e , a complete s e p a r a t i o n of breeding and cooling f u n c t i o n s
might be embodied i n a b l a n k e t design i n which a molten s a l t c o o l s t h e
vacuum w a l l , a moderately t h i c k r e g i o n o f quiescent l i t h i u m metal, and a
graphite moderator-reflector
.
The c o o l a n t s a l t f o r t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n
must have g r e a t chemical s t a b i l i t y ( t o avoid d e l e t e r i o u s d e s t a b i l i z a t i o n
a
i n t h e magnetic f i e l d and t o avoid c o r r o s i o n of t h e CTR m e t a l ) , sound
h e a t t r a n s f e r p r o p e r t i e s , and, p r e f e r a b l y , a low f r e e z i n g p o i n t .
These
s p e c i f i c a t i o n s narrow t h e choice of major component t o f l u o r i d e s , c h l o r i d e s ,
and oxides, of l i g h t e r a l k a l i and a l k a l i n e e a r t h metals which melt below
12OO0C.
The l i s t seems t o c o n t a i n LiF, L i C 1 , NaF, N a C l , Na20, KF, KC1,
BeFz? MgC12, and CaC12 with, perhaps, o t h e r compounds o f t h e s e f a m i l i e s
as p o s s i b l e minor c o n s t i t u e n t s of mixtures.
When one adds t h e f u r t h e r
requirement t h a t t h e c o o l a n t n o t lower t h e breeding r a t i o below u n i t y ,
t h e l i s t of u s e f u l major components becomes s m a l l e r .
The h i g h i n e l a s t i c
s c a t t e r i n g c r o s s s e c t i o n s f o r Mg, f o r example, probably e l i m i n a t e s any
s u b s t a n t i a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n of MgCl2 from t h e c o o l a n t .
From c o n s i d e r a t i o n
of t h i s l i s t o f m a t e r i a l s it would appear t h a t LiF i s b e s t except f o r i t s
h i g h m e l t i n g p o i n t , t h a t Li2BeF4 may w e l l be t h e b e s t o v e r a l l choice, and
IIA p o s s i b l e r a t i o n a l e f o r such a design i s t h a t l i t h i u m , though providing
a comfortable breeding r a t i o , cannot be made t o flow t u r b u l e n t l y w i t h i n
the blanket and may r e q u i r e excessive power i n being pumped through t h e
major magnetic f i e l d .
22
t h a t , i f subsequent c a l c u l a t i o n s show t h a t t h e breeding r a t i o does n o t
s u f f e r unduly, t h e t e r n a r y e u t e c t i c LiF-NaF-KF (melting p o i n t 4 5 4 O C ) and
t h e b i n a r y e u t e c t i c L i C 1 - K C 1 may be s u i t a b l e c o o l a n t s .
P r a c t i c a l problems with t h e s e m a t e r i a l s w i l l d i f f e r i n d e t a i l from
t h o s e described e a r l i e r f o r LizBeF4.
S u p e r f i c i a l examination of t h e s e
problems r e v e a l none t h a t seem insuperable, b u t much experimental study
would be necessary before use of t h e s e m a t e r i a l s could be a s s u r e d .
MOLTEN SALTS I N LASER-INDUCED FUSION REACTORS
Two major u n c e r t a i n t i e s i n use o f LizEkF4 i n CTRs such as our hypot h e t i c a l device stem from (a) p o t e n t a i l l y troublesome i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h
t h e l a r g e magnetic f i e l d and (b) t h e f a c t t h a t t h e f i r s t (plasma-containi n g ) w a l l and b l a n k e t s t r u c t u r e degrade t h e neutron spectrum so t h a t t h e
7 L i (n,
a n ' ) T r e a c t i o n i s reduced and tritium breeding becomes marginal.
It i s , accordingly, a m a t t e r o f some i n t e r e s t t o examine b r i e f l y t h e
p o t e n t i a l of molten s a l t s i n a CTR device which possesses n e i t h e r a
magnetic f i e l d nor a f i r s t w a l l .
Lubin and Fraas (33) have described a device i n which p e l l e t s o f
deuterium and tritium produce a plasma upon i g n i t i o n by an energy p u l s e
from a s u i t a b l e l a s e r .
The blanket-coolant f l u i d (Lubin and Fraas pro-
posed m e t a l l i c l i t h i u m ) i s pumped through t h e r e a c t i o n v e s s e l and through
e x t e r n a l power generation equipment.
The l i q u i d i s pumped i n t o t h e
( e s s e n t i a l l y s p h e r i c a l ) r e a c t i o n v e s s e l t a n g e n t i a l l y t o provide
a very r a p i d s w i r l ; i g n i t i o n of t h e p e l l e t occurs i n t h e v o r t e x so
formed on t h e v e r t i c a l c e n t e r - l i n e of t h e v e s s e l .
The plasma generated
i n t h i s pulsed device r e q u i r e s no magnetic containment, and t h e b l a n k e t
coolant l i q u i d i s exposed d i r e c t l y t o r a d i a t i o n from t h e plasma.
I n a d d i t i o n t o i t s c o o l a n t and breeding f u n c t i o n s such a l i q u i d must
a l s o provide a t t e n u a t i o n of t h e severe shock waves s u f f i c i e n t t o a s s u r e
f e a s i b i l i t y of t h e r e a c t o r v e s s e l .
Lubin and Fraas proposed t o a s s i s t
t h i s f u n c t i o n by i n t r o d u c t i o r of (compressible) gas bubbles i n t o t h e
swirling liquid
These shock waves a r e caused by (a) p a r t i a l conversion of n e u t r o n i c
energy i n t o mechanical energy w i t h i n t h e l i q u i d , and (b) d e p o s i t i o n of
x-ray energy i n t h e l i q u i d a t t h e v o r t e x s u r f a c e .
The former i s by f a r
23
t h e dominant p e r t u r b i n g f o r c e ( 3 4 ) .
According t o an a n a l y s i s by
Dresner ( 3 4 ) , t h e impulse t o t h e v e s s e l w a l l due t o t h e n e u t r o n i c a l l y
induced shock i s p r o p o r t i o n a l t o
CXpCP-l R1
a
i s t h e volume e x p a n s i v i t y , p i s t h e s o n i c v e l o c i t y , C i s t h e
P
s p e c i f i c h e a t , and R, i s a neutron a t t e n u a t i o n d i s t a n c e which depends
where
upon neutron s c a t t e r i n g and a b s o r p t i o n r e a c t i o n s .
The values of t h e s e
f o u r q u a n t i t i e s f o r Li.2BeF4 and f o r L i are:
a
(Oc-1)
LipBeF,: (6OOOC)
L i (6OOOC)
2.4
2.1
p (cm sec-1)
3.0
c
2.4
P
(erg g - l 0 c - l )
(11)
io5“
io7 (11)
23 ( 3 4 )
R, (cm)
4.3 x
4.2 x
(35)
io5
io7
(36)
(35)
33 (34)
“Estimated.
This a n a l y s i s suggests t h a t t h e walls of a v e s s e l f i l l e d with molten
LizBeF4 w i l l s u f f e r an impulse almost twice t h a t of an i d e n t i c a l v e s s e l
f i l l e d with l i t h i u m metal.
This conclusion, coupled w i t h t h e f a c t t h a t
enhanced c e n t r i f u g a l f o r c e s (Li2BeF4 i s n e a r l y f o u r t i m e s as dense as L i )
w i l l make suspension of gas bubbles more d i f f i c u l t i n t h e s a l t , would
seem t o p l a c e LizBeFq a t some disadvantage. l 2
It seems apparent, however, t h a t design and c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h i s
v e s s e l t o withstand r e p e a t e d shocks over a long l i f e will pose formidable
problems.
M e t a l l i c l i t h i u m a t temperatures of 5OO0C and above i s l i k e l y
t o prove compatible w i t h r e l a t i v e l y few (and g e n e r a l l y expensive and
exotic) materials.
It i s p o s s i b l e t h a t Li2BeF4 (or o t h e r s a l t s ) , which
a r e compatible w i t h a much wider spectrum of metals may have r e a l
advantages i n e a s i n g t h i s d i f f i c u l t design problem.
Problems with chemical transmutations and with recovery and management of tritium seem g e n e r a l l y similar t o , and should be handled by methods
l i k e , t h o s e described above f o r t h e h y p o t h e t i c a l t o r o i d a l device.
C
It
l 2 D i f f e r e n c e s i n l i q u i d p r o p e r t i e s w i l l probably be r e l a t i v e l y unimportant
i n a t t e n u a t i n g t h e shock waves. The e n t r a i n e d bubbles almost c e r t a i n l y
w i l l be t h e p r i n c i p a l shock-absorbers.
seems l i k e l y t h a t t h e e a s e of tritium recovery may g i v e t h e molten s a l t s
an a d d i t i o n a l advantage.
F i n a l l y , it should be noted t h a t t h e absence of t h e f i r s t w a l l l e a d s
t o decidedly improved breeding.
M e t a l l i c l i t h i u m w i l l s t i l l prove t o
possess t h e h i g h e s t r a t i o s , b u t it seems c e r t a i n t h a t Li2BeF4 w i l l have
v a l u e s markedly above u n i t y .
Indeed, it i s l i k e l y t h a t s e v e r a l l i t h i u m -
b e a r i n g s a l t compositions would be p o s s i b l e b r e e d e r s i n t h i s s o r t of
laser-powered CTR.
SUMMARY: GENERAL COMPARISON OF
MOLTEN SALTS W I T H LITHIUM I N FUSION REACTORS
I n summary, and t o supplement t h e s e v e r a l preceding d i s c u s s i o n s , we
b r i e f l y compare l i q u i d l i t h i u m w i t h s a l t s ( e s p e c i a l l y LizEkF4) i n s e v e r a l
regards.
L i t h i u m m e t a l i s c l e a r l y s u p e r i o r t o any molten s a l t i n breeding of
tritium; t h i s seems c e r t a i n l y t r u e i n any CTR embodiment.
C e r t a i n pro-
posed d e s i g n s , of which t h e laser-powered devices a r e t h e b e s t examples,
can c e r t a i n l y breed s u f f i c i e n t tritium using molten s a l t s a l o n e .
However,
t h e i n d i c a t i o n t h a t tritium breeding i s marginal f o r t h e s a l t s i n some
( i f n o t most) designs r e p r e s e n t s t h e worst drawback t o t h e i r use.
Fluo-
r i d e s a l t s are a l s o i n f e r i o r t o l i t h i u m i n t h a t , p r i m a r i l y because of
f l u o r i n e ' s r e l a t i v e l y h i g h c r o s s - s e c t i o n for i n e l e a s t i c neutron s c a t t e r i n g , t h e salts a r e more i n t e n s e gamma s o u r c e s and cause i n c r e a s e d gamma
h e a t i n g of t h e vacuum w a l l (12).
T r i t i u m recovery should prove considerably simpler i f molten s a l t s
a r e used; t h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y t r u e i f t h e tritium can be maintained as
TF t o minimize d i f f u s i o n through m e t a l l i c walls.
S e v e r a l of t h e p h y s i c a l p r o p e r t i e s of l i t h i u m (thermal c o n d u c t i v i t y ,
s p e c i f i c h e a t , v i s c o s i t y and m e l t i n g p o i n t , f o r example) a r e s u p e r i o r t o
t h o s e of t h e molten s a l t .
However, s i n c e t h e magnetic f i e l d w i l l prevent
t u r b u l e n t flow i n t h e b l a n k e t f o r l i t h i u m , b u t n o t for t h e s a l t , it may
be t h a t t h e molten s a l t i s a b e t t e r h e a t t r a n s f e r medium f o r such a CTR.
Lithium i s compatible with r e l a t i v e l y few s t r u c t u r a l m e t a l s , niobium
a l l o y e d with 1% zirconium appears t o be a s u i t a b l e c o n t a i n e r ( 3 5 ) .
More-
over, l i t h i u m r e a c t s w i t h g r a p h i t e , and t h i s m a t e r i a l must c e r t a i n l y be
25
c l a d i f it i s t o serve i n a lithium-cooled b l a n k e t assembly.
Molten
LizBeFA i s compatible w i t h g r a p h i t e and with a wide v a r i e t y of s t r u c t u r a l
metals.
Corrosion by t h e s a l t i s p o s s i b l e , through i n t e r a c t i o n with
s t r o n g magnetic f i e l d s , but such corrosion can apparently be avoided by
c a r e f u l design.
Transmutations w i t h i n t h e s a l t , which provide p o t e n t i a l
f o r c o r r o s i v e r e a c t i o n s , can be accommodated by r e l a t i v e l y simple means.
Reactions of s a l t s with steam or with a i r produce a c c e l e r a t e d
corrosion b u t , u n l i k e similar r e a c t i o n s of l i t h i u m , l e a d t o no i n h e r e n t l y
hazardous c o n d i t i o n s .
It i s c l e a r l y not p o s s i b l e a t t h i s s t a g e of t h e technology t o p r e d i c t
w i t h confidence how t h e problems i n h e r e n t i n use of molten s a l t s (or of
l i t h i u m ) w i l l be solved.
It i s e n t i r e l y p o s s i b l e t h a t both l i t h i u m and
molten s a l t s w i l l be u s e f u l .
A t any event, and r e g a r d l e s s of t h e u l t i m a t e
choice, it i s c l e a r t h a t many f a s c i n a t i n g chemical r e s e a r c h and development ventures l i e ahead.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The a u t h o r s a r e i n d e b t e d 3 0 Don S t e i n e r for h i s c a l c u l a t i o n of
t r i t i u m - b r e e d i n g r a t i o s , t o Lawrence Dresner f o r h i s a n a l y s i s of shock
a t t e n u a t i o n , and t o R . A. Strehlow and W. K. S a r t o r y f o r much h e l p f u l
discussion.
26
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29
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Ave., Boston, Mass. 02139
Geoffrey Long, A.E.R.E.,
Harwell, Didcot, Berks, England
R. E. McCarly, Ames Laboratory, Iowa S t a t e University, Ames, Iowa
50010
V i c t o r A. Maroni, Argonne National Laboratory, 9'700 S. Cass Ave.,
Argonne, Ill. 60439
E. Mason, MIT, Dept. of fluclear Engineering, '7'7 Mass. Ave., Boston,
Mass. 02139
Bennett M i l l e r , USAEC, Washington, D. C. 20545
R. G . M i l l s , Princeton P l a s m a Physics Laboratory, P r i n c e t o n , N . J .
08540
77. J. M i t c h e l l , UKAEA. Culham Laboratory
78. W. Blake Myers, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Div. of Mechanical
Engineering, P. 0. Box 808, Livermore, Calif. 94550
79. R. S. Pease, UKAEA Culham Laboratory
80. J. P h i l l i p s , Los Alamos S c i e n t i f i c Laboratory, P. 0. Box 1663,
Los Alamos, New Mexico 8'7544
81. R. F. Post, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, P. 0. Box 808,
Livermore, C a l i f . 94550
82. F. Ribe, Los Alamos S c i e n t i f i c Laboratory, P. 0. Box 1663, Los
Alamos, New Mexico 87544
83. D. M. Richman, USAEC, Div. of Research, Washington, D. C. 20545
84. D. Rose, MIT, Nuclear Engineering Dept., '77 Massachusetts Ave.,
Boston, Mass. 02139
85. R. E. Stickney, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, Mass. 02139
86. E. C. Tanner, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratoyy, P r i n c e t o n , N. J.
08540
87. A. W. Travelpiece, Dept. of Physics and Astonow, U n i v e r s i t y of
Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20472
88. A. R. Van Dyken, USAEC, Division of P h y s i c a l Research, Washington,
D. C. 20545
89. R. Vogel, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne,
Ill. 60439
90. R. W. Werner, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a ,
P. 0. Box 808, Livermore, C a l i f . 94550
.C
31
91.
92.
93-111.
L . Wood, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of C a l i f o r n i a ,
P. 0. Box 808, Livermore, C a l i f . 94550
AEC Research and Technical Support Division, OR0
Technical Information Center, P. 0 . Box 62, Oak Ridge, Tenn. 37830
( 1 7 c o p i e s , ACRS)