Fireball interaction with lithium mist in light ion beam driven fusion reactor cavities

The EAGLE (Energy Absorbing Gas, Lithium Ejector) concept has been developed as a method of first wall protection and energy recovery in light ion beam fusion reactors. This concept uses a mist of liquid lithium to cool the target chamber gas between target shots and to protect the first wall from target X-rays and the shock and heat flux of the target generated fireball. The wall protecting nature of this mist is investigated with a one-dimensional Lagrangian multigroup radiation transport hydrodynamics code. Modifications to this code have been made to include the effects of condensation and evaporation of the mist during the propagation of the fireball. Simulations with this code of fireball propagation in EAGLE type reactor cavities have shown that phenomena which may be important to first wall survival are the reflection of the shock off of the mist, the absorption of fireball radiation by the mist and acceleration of mist droplets by the shock. (orig.)