Neutronics experiment on a helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) breeder blanket mock-up

Batistoni, P.*; Angelone, M.*; Bettinali, L.*; Carconi, P.*; Fischer, U.*; Kodeli, I.*; Leichtle, D.*; Ochiai, Kentaro; Perel, R.*; Pillon, M.*; Schfer, I.*; Seidel, K.*; Verzilov, Y.*; Villari, R.*; Zappa, G.*

A neutronics experiment has been performed in the frame of European Fusion Technology Program on a mock-up of the EU Test Blanket Module (TBM), Helium Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) concept, with the objective to validate the capability of nuclear data to predict nuclear responses, such as the tritium production rate (TPR), with qualified uncertainties. In the experiment, the TPR has been measured using LiCO pellets at various depths at two symmetrical positions at each depth, one in the upper and one in the lower breeder cassette. Three independent measurements were performed by ENEA, TUD/VKTA and JAEA. The neutron flux in the beryllium layer was measured as well using activation foils.