HELOKA-LP
HELOKA-LP is the facility dedicated for testing irradiation devices destined for the IFMIF-DONES neutron source. Such devices will have to endure high energy (14MeV) neutron irradiation up to 50 displacements per atom combined with loads from the coolant pressure and temperatures between 20 - 550°C, dictated by their functions. Tests in HELOKA-LP at near-to-application conditions (high TRL) assure the reliable function of the irradiation devices in DONES to assure a successful irradiation program of DONES.
Foundation of a reliable progress of the fusion materials irradiation program at IFMIF-DONES.
Technical description
HELOKA-LP is a closed gas loop of DN100/150 316Ti pipes driven by a 350kW screw-type helium compressor that can generate a mass flow rate of up to 180 g/s, with controllable 3 - 6 bar and RT to 250 °C inlet conditions for the tested device. The mass flow rate can be divided to 8 individually controlled parallel strands. The facility is controlled by a Simatic S7-400 system and provides 350 channels for measurements on the test section, like thermocouples, electric power, strain, mechanical displacement and pressures. There are 36 individually controlled DC circuits each 1.5kW to operate electrical heaters on the test section. The helium gas purity can be monitored. Additional measurement techniques like IR thermography, flow field measurements, a liquid metal handling glovebox, microscopy/LIBS for sample characterization etc. are on-site.
Representative Projects
HELOKA-LP was used successfully to validate the mechanical and thermal-hydraulic behavior of the first prototype of the IFMIF High Flux Test Module and provided feedback that was applied in the subsequent development phases.
Furthermore, HELOKA-LP served as blueprint for the low pressure helium cooling system that is planned to be built in the IFMIF-DONES facility in Granada.
Representative publications
EUROfusion WPENS Team, F. Arbeiter, U. Wiącek, B., Brañas, S. Gordeev, A. Kupferschmitt, Y. Qiu, A. Serikov, G. Zhou, J. Kotula, F. Arranz, F. Mota, M. Ortiz, D. Rapisarda, P. Araya, S. Becerril, T. Dézsi, J. Castellanos, A. Ibarra, The IFMIF-DONES Irradiation Modules, Nucl. Fusion 65 125001, 2025, http://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/add172
B. Brañas, J. Maestre, D. Bernardi, A. Ibarra, F. Arbeiter, P. Arena, F. Arranz, S. Becerril, M. Cappelli, S. Chel, J. Castellanos, P. Favuzza, D. Jiménez-Rey, W. Krolas, F. Martin-Fuertes, G. Micciché, F.S. Nitti, I. Podadera, Y. Qiu, D. Regidor, B. Renard, T. Tadic, R. Varela, M. Weber, TRL analysis of IFMIF-DONES, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 202, 2024, 114328, ISSN 0920-3796, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2024.114328
Christine Klein, Frederik Arbeiter, Georg Schlindwein, Florian Schwab, Steady state and transient thermal-hydraulic performance of the IFMIF-HFTM irradiation rigs and container with modeling of nuclear heating, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 124, 2017, Pages 969-974, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2017.06.023
Florian Schwab, Frederik Arbeiter, Christine Klein, Georg Schlindwein, Manufacturing of the IFMIF HFTM double compartment prototype, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 124, 2017, Pages 1068-1072, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2017.03.155
Georg Schlindwein, Frederik Arbeiter, Bernhard Dolensky, Christine Klein, Florian Schwab, Kevin Zinn, Mechanical testing of the IFMIF HFTM-DC prototype during operation in the HELOKA-LP helium loop, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 124, 2017, Pages 1077-1081, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2017.03.138
F. Arbeiter, A. Abou-Sena, J. Averhals, T. Böttcher, Y. Chen, B. Dolensky, U. Fischer, A. Heinzel, V. Heinzel, T. Heupel, P. Jacquet, Ch. Klein, A. Klix, K. Kondo, J. Konrad, R. Lindau, A. Möslang, A. Muche, H. Piecha, R. Rolli, G. Schlindwein, P. Schubert, F. Schwab, K. Zinn, Design description and validation results for the IFMIF High Flux Test Module as outcome of the EVEDA phase, Nuclear Materials and Energy, Volume 9, 2016, Pages 59-65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2016.04.013.
Georg Schlindwein, Frederik Arbeiter, Jana Freund, Start-up phase of the HELOKA-LP low pressure helium test facility for IFMIF irradiation modules, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 87, Issues 5-6, 2012, Pages 737-741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2012.02.020.
Xue Zhou Jin, Georg Schlindwein, Markus Schlenker, Bradut-Eugen Ghidersa, Yuming Chen, Frederik Arbeiter, Thermal-hydraulic system study of the HELOKA-LP helium loop using RELAP5-3D code, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 88, Issues 9-10, 2013, Pages 2560-2564, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2013.05.035.