An in-pile experimental loop for the irradiation of tritium breeding ceramics in China Mianyang research reactor (CMRR)

Abstract A new in-pile experimental loop has been established in CMRR for ceramic tritium breeder irradiation. The most typical of this loop is the capability of online reloading of irradiated samples. The irradiation temperature in the pellets bed can be controlled within the range of 300～750 °C, with a spatial inhomogeneity of ±10 °C. Up to now, a series of irradiation experiments have been carried out on three different breeder materials, i.e. Li4SiO4 (7.5 % 6Li), Li4SiO4 (93 % 6Li) and Li2TiO3 (7.5 % 6Li) pellets, indicating the stability of the facility.