MHD mixed convection around curved pipes in water-cooled breeding blankets

The magneto-convection regime established in a variant of the Water-Cooled Lead- Lithium blanket is analysed through numerical simulations with Ansys CFX code. This variant foreseen a poloidal-upward flow of the breeder, where the cooling is carried out by nested double-walled tube U-pipes inserted horizontally from the back plate. Fusion-relevant magnetic field intensity and volumetric power source are considered in the study, which combination produces a weak inertial magneto-convection flow regime. The simulations are performed considering the equatorial, the apical and the near-divertor elementary cell. The flow regime is slightly altered by different gravity orientations, confirming in all the case the suppression of advection in favour of conduction as dominant heat transfer mechanism.