8–12 Jun 2026
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north
Europe/Berlin timezone

Neutronics analyses of the VNS divertor and lower port

10 Jun 2026, 10:00
20m
FTU (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north)

FTU

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Campus north

Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Facility nuclear design challenges Fusion Reactor Design and Safety

Speaker

Aljaž Čufar (Jožef Stefan Institute)

Description

In recent years, a Volumetric Neutron Source (VNS) has been developed within EUROfusion with the aim of first demonstrating feasibility and then designing a machine that would reduce risk for the successful operation of teh demonstration fusion power plant DEMO. This would be achieved by designing and constructing a facility where crucial nuclear technologies, such as the tritium breeding blanket, can be tested and validated. The VNS is envisaged as a beam-driven, modestly sized tokamak which, due to its limited size, would be relatively quick to build, reasonably priced, and have tritium consumption low enough that it can be supplied by external sources, while still providing test conditions close to those expected in fusion power plants.

One of the challenges in integrating various systems is the lower port, where multiple functions must be consolidated into a design that meets all design requirements and limits. In this presentation, we describe our work on neutronics analyses in the area of the divertor and lower port. The focus was on reducing neutron-induced helium production in the divertor cooling pipes and investigating nuclear loads in the vacuum vessel below the divertor. The effect of introducing different shielding materials into the divertor and neighboring components was examined, and the impact of openings and gaps was quantified.

Formatted abstract uploaded? Done.

Author

Aljaž Čufar (Jožef Stefan Institute)

Co-authors

Christian Bachmann (EUROfusion Consortium) Curt Gliss (EUROfusion Consortium) Domenico Marzullo (University of Trieste) Jean Boscary (EUROfusion Consortium) Paolo Gallina (University of Trieste) Pavel Pereslavtsev (EUROfusion Consortium) Pietro Vinoni (University of Trieste) Primož Lesjak (Jožef Stefan Institute) Sebastien Renard (EUROfusion Consortium)

Presentation materials