Development of an experimental facility for a liquid breeder in Korea

In order to develop a Li-based test blank module (TBM) in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an Experimental Loop for Liquid breeder (ELLI) was constructed and its test operation was completed. The ELLI consists of a sump tank, an electromagnetic (EM) pump, a direct current (DC) magnet, and measurement devices such as a flow meter, pressure transmitters, a differential pressure transmitter, and thermocouples. The magnet used in magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) tests was prepared with a maximum magnetic field of 2.2 T, and the magnetic field was measured. The EM pump was designed and fabricated to circulate a liquid breeder such as PbLi up to a maximum flow rate of 60 lpm, and measured up to a maximum rate of 10.4 lpm of a mass flow meter. For filling and draining the PbLi before and after experiments more easily, the entire loop was located on a tilting plate, which can incline the loop up to 15°. Jacket-type heaters were installed throughout the entire loop including the sump tank for heating up to 550 °C. The EM pump tests in the ELLI loop were performed using varying pump voltages.