FEASIBILITY STUDY OF A NEW FABRICATION METHOD FOR THE LI_4SIO_4 PEBBLES

摘要

In the past decades many R&D efforts have been spent in the development of a suitable Li_4SiO_4 fabrication method (e.g., melt spray process, graphite bed method, capillary-based microfluidic wet method etc.), nevertheless we are still far from an "industrial standard solution". The aim of the paper is to develop a new fabrication method capable to produce stable and well-sized pebbles of lithium orthosilicate (Li_4SiO_4) based on the drip casting. This method is mainly based on the dripping at room temperature, which is novel in the framework of available fabrication processes requiring high temperature: this latter is demonstrated to affect the final product characteristics. It is worthy to remark that the Li_4SiO_4 is a candidate material for the breeding blanket material of the fusion power reactor. In the paper we will describe the experimental apparatus, designed and built at DICI- University of Pisa with the collaboration of Bitossi Industries, and the procedure adopted in order to produce pebbles of Li_4SiO_4.