Neutron measurement instrumentation development at KIT for the EU ITER TBM

Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be installed in ITER with the aim to investigate the nuclear performance of different breeding blanket concepts. Currently there is no fully qualified nuclear instrumentation available for the measurement of neutron fluxes and tritium production rates which would be able to withstand the harsh environment conditions in the TBM such as high temperature (up to 650 oC) and, depending on the operation scenario, intense radiation levels.
As partner of the European Consortium on Nuclear Data and Measurement Techniques in the framework of several F4E specific grants and contracts, KIT and ENEA have jointly studied the possibility to develop and test detectors suitable to operate in the EU ITER-TBMs. Here we present an overview of ongoing work on three types of neutron flux monitors under development for the TBMs with focus on the KIT activities.
A neutron activation system (NAS) with pneumatic sample transport could provide absolute neutron flux measurements in selected positions. A test system for investigating activation materials with short half-lives was constructed at the DT neutron generator laboratory of Technical University of Dresden to investigate the neutronics aspects. ... mehrSeveral irradiations have been performed with focus on the simultaneous measurement of the extracted activated probes. An engineering assessment of a TBM NAS in the conceptual design phase has been done which considered issues of design requirements and integration.
Within the I_SMART project, funded by KIC InnoEnergy, KIT is developing an online detector based on silicon carbide electronics for the TBMs. The operation of such detectors at TBM relevant temperatures is expected to incur lower accumulated radiation damage to them than at room temperature due to annealing effects. Detectors of several designs have been already irradiated with DT neutrons. Irradiation tests at elevated temperatures have been done and further tests are currently underway.
Self-powered neutron detectors (SPND) are widely applied in fission reactor monitoring, and the commercially available SPNDs are sensitive to thermal neutrons. We are investigating novel materials for SPND which would be sensitive also to the fast neutron flux expected in the TBMs.