Numerical analysis of MHD-thermofluid flows considering sandwich structures as applied to liquid breeding blankets for fusion technology

Abstract

Lead lithium flowing inside breeding blanket’s channels in a fusion reactor is subject to a Hartmann number of 104 and a Grashof number 109􀀀12. Since under such conditions buoyancy can be of the same order of magnitude as the electromagnetic force, a deep understanding of the coupled phenomena is required. In the present study, a horizontal channel with dimensions, mean velocity and thermal load taken from HCLL blanket design, and considering a Hartmann number of 3000, is analysed using di erent thermal strategies. The unstable nature of the resulting flow is studied, as well as its influence on relevant thermal parameters.