MHD Mock-Up Experiments for Studying Pressure Distribution in a Helium-Cooled Liquid-Metal Blanket

One of the blanket concepts that will be tested and validated in the experimental fusion reactor ITER is the helium-cooled lead lithium (HCLL) blanket. Experiments have been performed to investigate magnetohydrodynamic liquid metal flows in a scaled mock-up of an HCLL blanket with the aim of determining the pressure distribution in the module and estimating the total pressure head. This knowledge is important for a further improvement of this type of blanket and to ensure its operational capability. Parametric studies have been carried out to assess the influence of flow rate and magnetic-field intensity on the pressure distribution.