Safety assessment of the lithium target of the international fusion materials irradiation facility

This article presents the international fusion materials irradiation facility lithium target safety and thermal transient analysis, to evaluate the most important risk factors related to the system operation and to verify the fulfillment of the safety criteria. Main conclusions are that target safety is accomplished: hazards associated with lithium operation are confined within the IFMIF security boundaries and environmental impact is negligible, and the plant well answers to the simulated transients, being able to reach steady conditions in a condition of safety. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.