Speaker
Description
The wetted surfaces of water-cooled loops in nuclear reactors release corrosion products (CP) which, under neutron irradiation, become activated corrosion products (ACP), representing a major radiological concern. Their behavior is governed by complex multi-physics interactions involving neutronics, activation, corrosion, chemistry, and thermo-fluid dynamics. While ACP assessment in fission systems relies on well-established and extensively validated computational tools (e.g., OSCAR), fusion devices, such as ITER and fusion pilot plants, present new challenges due to different neutron spectra and operating scenarios, the presence of magnetic fields, the use of advanced materials (e.g., CuCrZr, Eurofer) and novel design of the cooling system. Therefore, dedicated analyses and validation are required to ensure accurate source-term evaluation, optimize occupational radiation exposure, and support waste management and maintenance strategies. Within the EUROfusion programme, several activities are currently ongoing to support the analyses, development and validation of computational tools for ACP assessment. A key objective is the validation of the OSCAR-Fusion code as well as other modelling approaches under ITER and pilot plants-relevant conditions. This work provides an overview of the ongoing activities within this research framework, focusing on the enhancement of the ACP calculation methodology mainly based on the MCNP, FISPACT-II and OSCAR-Fusion codes; the validation and modelling of ACP simulation tools and work-flow; and the support provided to dedicated experimental campaigns. These include the development of experimental water loops for fusion ACP studies (i.e., the ACP ENEA-FNG loop and the UKAEA corrosion loop), as well as corrosion experiments and measurements on ITER-grade CuCrZr samples carried out in the RINA testing loop. The main advances arising from these studies, as well as the key critical issues and the remaining open points affecting the uncertainty in ACP quantification, will be highlighted and critically discussed.
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