Plasma-surface interaction during iter transient events: simulation with QSPA Kh-50 AND GOL-3 facilities

The paper presents experimental investigations of plasma-surface interaction (PSI) and materials behavior under plasma loads relevant to giant ELMs in ITER. The experiments were performed with QSPA Kh-50 and GOL-3 devices located in Kharkov, (Ukraine) and Novosibirsk (Russia) respectively. QSPA provided repetitive plasma pulses of the duration of 0.25 ms and the energy density up to 2.5 MJ/m². In GOL-3 multimirror trap the impacting plasma was heated up to 2…4 keV temperature by a high power relativistic electron beam (0.8 MeV, ~30 kA, ~12 µs, ~120 kJ). Surface morphology of the targets exposed to QSPA and GOL-3 plasma is analyzed. Development of cracking on the tungsten surface and droplets splashing are discussed.Представлені результати досліджень взаємодії плазми з поверхнею й поведінки матеріалів при плазмових навантаженнях, відповідних граничним локалізованим модам в ІТЕРі. Експерименти проводились на установках КСПП Х-50 (Харків) й ГОЛ-3 (Новосибірськ). Опромінення на КСПП проводилось повторюваними імпульсами тривалістю 0,25 мс та густиною енергії до 2,5 МДж/м². У гофрованій багатопробочній пастці ГОЛ-3 плазма, яка взаємодіє з матеріалами, нагрівалась до температури 2…4 кеВ потужним релятивістським електронним пучком (0.8 MеВ, ~30 кA, ~12 мкс, ~120 кДж). Аналізується морфологія поверхні мішеней, що опромінені на КСПП та ГОЛ-3. Обговорюється розвиток тріщин й крапельна ерозія вольфраму.Представлены результаты исследований взаимодействия плазмы с поверхностью и поведения материалов при плазменных нагрузках, соответствующих граничным локализованным модам в ИТЭРе. Эксперименты проводились на установках КСПУ Х-50 (Харьков) и ГОЛ-3 (Новосибирск). Облучение на КСПУ проводилось повторяющимися импульсами длительностью 0,25 мс и плотностью энергии до 2,5 МДж/м². В гофрированной многопробочной ловушке ГОЛ-3 взаимодействующая с материалами плазма нагревалась до температуры 2…4 кэВ мощным релятивистским электронным пучком (0.8 MэВ, ~30 кA, ~12 мкс, ~120 кДж). Анализируется морфология поверхности мишеней, облученных на КСПУ и ГОЛ-3. Обсуждается развитие трещин и капельная эрозия вольфрама

In situ study of thermal shock damage to high-temperature ceramics

New generations of fusion devices need alternative plasma-facing materials. The currently approved material composition for the first wall and divertor of the ITER tokamak has a number of disadvantages: insufficient resistance to thermal shock, sputtering of microparticles into plasma and high atomic number Z of the armor material. A promising but largely untested idea is the proposal to use high-temperature ceramics as armor materials for the most heat-loaded plasma-facing components of new-generation fusion devices. Among the advantages of ceramics are the low Z and high enough resistance to intense heating. More research is needed that would help to understand how the material withstands high heat fluxes during transient plasma events. This work is devoted to the description of an experimental method that makes it possible to estimate the critical temperature at which the damage of ceramics begins as a result of a thermal shock of submillisecond duration. As a demonstration of the efficiency of the method, the critical temperature for hot pressed B4C under thermal shock was determined: its value was about 1200–1400 K

O-80: Different polarity NLC alignment on organosilicon films of varying molecular structure

LC pretilt angle has been measured by using of optical methods for LC cells with organosilicon (OS) aligning films of different molecular structure. The effect depends on mesogens polarity. An opportunity of LC pretilt angle in wide range from 0 to 90° by varying the OS chemical structure is demonstrated

O-80: Different polarity NLC alignment on organosilicon films of varying molecular structure

LC pretilt angle has been measured by using of optical methods for LC cells with organosilicon (OS) aligning films of different molecular structure. The effect depends on mesogens polarity. An opportunity of LC pretilt angle in wide range from 0 to 90° by varying the OS chemical structure is demonstrated

In-situ study of the processes of damage to the tungsten surface under transient heat loads possible in ITER

Experiments on the effect of fast heat loads on the surface of tungsten were carried out on the BETA facility at the Budker Institute. Tungsten samples were uniformly heated by an electron beam with a heat flux factor below the melting threshold. During and shortly after exposure, the 2D surface temperature distribution was measured, as well as the temperature history on selected surface areas. Active diagnostics using the scattering of CW laser light on a surface exposed by the electron beam allowed us to monitor the damage dynamics. At the heating stage, an increase in the surface roughness occurred, caused by inhomogeneous elastic and plastic deformations of the heated layer. As the cooling progressed, the residual plastic deformations remained. Simultaneously with the modification of the surface, bending of samples with a thickness of 3-4 mm occurred. The bending dynamics of the sample was measured by the intensity of a converging laser beam reflected from the back surface of the sample, polished to a mirror state. The residual sag due to bending increases with the heat load similarly as residual roughness of the front surface of the sample. These data, together with simultaneously measured temperature dynamics and the spatial heating profile, can provide an experimental basis for the numerical calculation of the residual stresses in the sample. The data obtained in situ were compared with those measured outside the vacuum chamber with X-ray diffraction, optical profiler, and optical interferometer. At the stage of cooling, after a sufficient intensity of heating, the second stage of damage took place — the cracking of the surface layer. The time before the start of this relatively fast process usually exceeded the time to achieve a DBTT by 1–4 orders of magnitude. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Observation of dust particles ejected from the tungsten surface by transient heat flux with small-angle scattering of cw laser light

A new test facility for experimental simulation of transient heat load expected in the ITER divertor during unmitigated events is developed. Application of a long-pulse (0.1–0.3ms) wide-aperture (up to 2cm2) electron beam as a heating device provides powerful energy loads at a tungsten target with FHF> 250MJm−2s−0.5. Dynamics of tungsten particles in the ablation plume is investigated with a novel for PSI experiments small-angle laser light scattering technique. The threshold of intense droplet generation and dynamics of particles sizes are estimated

In-situ imaging of tungsten surface modification under ITER-like transient heat loads

Experimental research on behavior of rolled tungsten plates under intense transient heat loads generated by a powerful (a total power of up to 7 MW) long-pulse (0.1–0.3ms) electron beam with full irradiation area of 2 cm2 was carried out. Imaging of the sample by the fast CCD cameras in the NIR range and with illumination by the 532nm continuous-wave laser was applied for in-situ surface diagnostics during exposure. In these experiments tungsten plates were exposed to heat loads 0.5–1MJ/m2 with a heat flux factor (Fhf) close to and above the melting threshold of tungsten at initial room temperature. Crack formation and crack propagation under the surface layer were observed during multiple exposures. Overheated areas with excessive temperature over surrounding surface of about 500K were found on severely damaged samples more than 5ms after beam ending. The application of laser illumination enables to detect areas of intense tungsten melting near crack edges and crack intersections

Calculation of Cracking inTungsten Manufactured According to ITER Specifications Under Pulsed Heat Load

A mathematical model of surface cracking under pulsed heat load was developed. The model correctly describes a smooth brittle–ductile transition. The elastic deformation is described in a thin-heated-layer approximation. The plastic deformation is described with the Hollomon equation. The time dependence of the deformation and stresses is described for one heating–cooling cycle for a material without initial plastic deformation.The model can be applied to tungsten manufactured according to ITER specifications. The model shows that the stability of stress-relieved tungsten deteriorates when the base temperature increases. This proved to be a result of the close ultimate tensile and yield strengths. For a heat load of arbitrary magnitude a stability criterion was obtained in the form of condition on the relation of the ultimate tensile and yield strengths