The European breeding blankets development and the test strategy in ITER

Abstract In Europe, two breeding blankets are currently developed for DEMO reactor specifications, corresponding to two different research lines, one using a liquid breeder, the Helium-Cooled Lithium-Lead (HCLL) blanket, and one using lithiated solid breeder, the Helium-Cooled Pebble-Bed (HCPB) blanket. Referring to the so called “fast-track” EU strategy, those concepts are intended to be tested in ITER, getting the maximum of information required for launching the DEMO blanket design and construction after the first 10 years of ITER operation. For that, the EU has adopted a blanket testing strategy based on the development of Test Blanket Modules (TBM) that are expected to use DEMO relevant technologies and are designed for each ITER plasma phase to optimize the added value of results and to avoid any impact on ITER availability. Prior to their insertion in ITER, EU is running a significant R&D program for the development and qualification of HCLL and HCPB Test Blanket Modules, including at a later stage functional tests of integrated TBM mock-ups.