Facilities, testing program and modeling needs for studying liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic flows in fusion blankets

Since many years, liquid metal flows for applications in fusion blankets have been investigated worldwide. A review is given about modeling requirements and existing experimental facilities for investigations of liquid metal related issues in blankets with the focus on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Most of the performed theoretical and experimental works were dedicated to fundamental aspects of MHD flows under very strong magnetic fields as they may occur in generic elements of fusion blankets like pipes, ducts, bends, expansions and contractions. Those experiments are required to progressively validate numerical tools with the purpose of obtaining codes capable to predict MHD flows at fusion relevant parameters in complex blanket geometries, taking into account electrical and thermal coupling between fluid and structural materials. Scaled mock-up experiments support the theoretical activities and help deriving engineering correlations for cases which cannot be calculated with required accuracy up to now.