Multidisciplinary fusion engineering

The dissertation entails the modelling and analytical work, performed by the PhD candidate under the umbrella of the balance of plant workpackage of the EUROfusion Consortium. In order to tackle present and future multiphysics challenges of the European DEMO, a calculation chain has been developed in which annexed modules resolve plasma physics, particle transport and thermal-hydraulic problems. The ASCOT suite of codes was used to generate burn-phase distribution of fusion product neutrons in a 2D (R, z) domain. The derived source rate profile was utilized by the Serpent Monte Carlo code in subsequent neutron-photon transport simulations with a hybrid geometry, combining homogeneous and CAD-based heterogeneous cells. Complementary sensitivity studies were carried out, investigating scalability and various optimisation strategies concerning the Serpent simulations. Results of previous transient analyses, obtained with the Apros thermal-hydraulic system code, were discussed with respect to the two main plant candidates, namely the helium-cooled pebble bed (HCPB) and the water-cooled lithium-lead (WCLL) configurations. Analytical and operational uncertainties were itemized referring to completed, ongoing and planned verification and validation activities, aiming to assess the reliability of the toolkit.