Effect of different system parameters on the design of the EU DEMO Vacuum Vessel Pressure Suppression System

The Vacuum Vessel Pressure Suppression System (VVPSS) is the safety system devoted to the mitigation of in-vessel Loss-Of-Coolant Accidents, which are considered among the Design-Basis Accidents for tokamak fusion reactors. The EUROfusion Consortium is performing the design of this system, as part of the conceptual design phase of the EU DEMO fusion reactor, including in the process its integration in the plant. This work reports the first parametric calculations carried out to evaluate the VVPSS response to a postulated double-ended guillotine rupture of a Breeding Blanket coolant feeder. The aim of the study is to characterize the role that key parameters play on the multiple systems involved in such an accidental event. Assessments scanned a broad range of design variables, some closely related to the suppression system itself, and others dependent on Primary Heat Transfer System features. The parameter space is mapped identifying the regions where the accident consequences are fully mitigated, in terms of peak pressure in the Vacuum Vessel (VV) and equilibrium pressure of both VV and VVPSS, providing a design tool to rapidly adapt the VVPSS to the evolving plant design.