ADRANOS: A numerical tool developed to analyse coolant operating conditions of the EU-DEMO divertor

Abstract

In the context of the activities of the EUROfusion action, the University of Palermo has carried out a research campaign to evaluate the thermal-hydraulic performance of the EU-DEMO divertor Single-Circuit Cooling (SCC) option. Given the exceptional geometric complexity of this divertor design, the search for coolant operating conditions that comply with the applicable design constraints cannot be performed by relying on detailed 3D computational fluid-dynamic calculations. For this purpose, the Advanced Divertor paRametric Analysis for coolaNt Operating Scenarios (ADRANOS) code has been developed. It is a novel numerical tool capable of quickly assessing the thermofluid-dynamic behaviour of the divertor cooling circuit with reduced computational cost, predicting the divertor performance map at different coolant inlet conditions and mass flow rates, and allowing for the effortless study of different circuit topologies. This study introduces the ADRANOS modelling approach, describes its validation process, and demonstrates its application to various configurations of the SCC divertor option. The results obtained showed that it is possible to find suitable coolant operating conditions characterized by low temperature and high pressure, posing a challenge for the adoption of Eurofer as a structural material.