Effects of a liquid lithium curtain as the first wall in the Fusion Experimental Breeder (FEB-E) reactor plasma

We study the effects of a liquid lithium curtain used as the first wall for the engineering outline design of the Fusion Experimental Breeder (FEB-E). Relationships were obtained between the surface temperature of a liquid lithium curtain and the effective plasma charge, fuel dilution, and fusion power production. Results indicate that, under normal operation, the evaporation of liquid lithium does not seriously affect the effective plasma but that the effects on fuel dilution and fusion power are more sensitive. As an example, we investigated the relationships between the flow velocity of the liquid lithium curtain and the rise of surface temperature based on operation option II of the FEB-E design with reversed shear configuration and high power density. Our studies show that even if the flow velocity of the liquid lithium curtain is as low as 0.5 m/s, the effects of evaporation from the liquid lithium curtain on plasma are negligible. In the present design, the sputtering of liquid lithium curtain and the particle removal effects of the divertor are not considered in detail. Further studies are in progress, and in this work the implications of lithium erosion and divertor physics on the fusion reactor operation are discussed.