Multi-design innovative cooling research & optimization (MICRO): A novel proposal for enhanced heat transfer in DEMO

Several novel design solutions for high performance cooling systems have been developed by Consorzio RFX, permitting to simulate the challenging heat transfer conditions foreseen in the future fusion devices. The project, called Multi-design Innovative Cooling Research & Optimization (MICRO), aims, on one hand, to verify the present solution applied inside the NBI accelerator grids (i.e. MITICA experiment) and, on the other, to perform further improvements in the heat transfer process with an acceptable pressure drop and reliable manufacturing process. The main advantages rely on the possibility to extend the fatigue life-cycle of different high thermal stress components and to investigate the possibility to employ alternative dielectric fluids instead of water. Such design solutions would in fact allow the exploitation of less performing fluids in terms of cooling capability. This is particularly relevant in view of DEMO and future power plants characterized by higher efficiency and reliability. The paper gives a description of the Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and the samples manufacturing process.