In spite of being highly suited for advanced plasma performance operation of tokamaks, as demonstrated over at least two decades of fusion plasma research, carbon is not currently considered as an integrating element of the plasma-facing components (PFCs) for the active phase of ITER. The main reason preventing its use under the very challenging scenarios foreseen in this phase, with edge-localized modes delivering several tens of MW m−2 to the divertor target every second or less, is the existing concern about reaching the tritium inventory value of 1000 g used in safety assessments in a time shorter than the projected lifetime of the divertor materials eroded by the plasma, set at 3000 shots. Although several mechanisms of tritium trapping in carbon components have been identified, co-deposition of the carbon radicals arising from chemically eroded chlorofluorocarbons in remote areas appears to play a dominant role. Several possible ways to keep control of the tritium build-up during the full operation of ITER have been put forward, mostly based on the periodic removal of the co-deposits by chemical (thermo-oxidation, plasma chemistry) or physical (laser, flash lamps) methods. In this work, we review the techniques for the inhibition and removal of tritium-rich co-deposits based on the strong chemical reactivity of some N-bearing molecules with carbon. The integration of these techniques into a possible scheme for tritium inventory control in the active phase of ITER under carbon-based PFCs with minimum down-time is discussed and the existing caveats are addressed.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0963-0252/22/3/033001/pdf

Tritium inventory control during ITER operation under carbon plasma-facing components by nitrogen-based plasma chemistry: a review

Growth of tungsten nano-tendrils (?fuzz?) has been observed for the first time in the divertor region of a high-power density tokamak experiment. After 14 consecutive helium L-mode discharges in Alcator C-Mod, the tip of a tungsten Langmuir probe at the outer strike point was fully covered with a layer of nano-tendrils. The thickness of the individual nano-tendrils (50?100?nm) and the depth of the layer (600???150?nm) are consistent with observations from experiments on linear plasma devices. The observation of tungsten fuzz in a tokamak may have important implications for material erosion, dust formation, divertor lifetime and tokamak operations in next-step devices.

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Tungsten nano-tendril growth in the Alcator C-Mod divertor

A highly sensitive imaging Thomson scattering system was developed for low temperature (0.1-10 eV) plasma applications at the Pilot-PSI linear plasma generator. The essential parts of the diagnostic are a neodymium doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser operating at the second harmonic (532 nm), a laser beam line with a unique stray light suppression system and a detection branch consisting of a Littrow spectrometer equipped with an efficient detector based on a "Generation III" image intensifier combined with an intensified charged coupled device camera. The system is capable of measuring electron density and temperature profiles of a plasma column of 30 mm in diameter with a spatial resolution of 0.6 mm and an observational error of 3% in the electron density (n(e)) and 6% in the electron temperature (T(e)) at n(e) = 4 x 10(19) m(-3). This is achievable at an accumulated laser input energy of 11 J (from 30 laser pulses at 10 Hz repetition frequency). The stray light contribution is below 9 x 10(17) m(-3) in electron density equivalents by the application of a unique stray light suppression system. The amount of laser energy that is required for a n(e) and T(e) measurement is 7 x 10(20)n(e) J, which means that single shot measurements are possible for n(e)>2 x 10(21) m(-3).

/pdf/high-sensitivity-imaging-thomson-scattering-for-low-2mfmwj6w3w.pdf

High sensitivity imaging Thomson scattering for low temperature plasma

The formation of metallic nanostructures by exposure of molybdenum and tungsten surfaces to high fluxes of low energy helium ions is studied as a function of the ion energy, plasma exposure time, and surface temperature. Helium plasma exposure leads to the formation of nanoscopic filaments on the surface of both metals. The size of the helium-induced nanostructure increases with increasing surface temperature while the thickness of the modified layer increases with time. In addition, the growth rate of the nanostructured layer also depends on the surface temperature. The size of the nanostructure appears linked with the size of the near-surface voids induced by the low energy ions. The results presented here thus demonstrate that surface processing by low-energy helium ions provides an efficient route for the formation of porous metallic nanostructures.

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Nanostructuring of molybdenum and tungsten surfaces by low-energy helium ions

A new experimental setup has been developed for edge localized mode (ELM) simulation experiments with relevant steady-state plasma conditions and transient heat/particle source. The setup is based on the Pilot-PSI linear plasma device and allows the superimposition of a transient heat/particle pulse to the steady-state heat flux plasma. Energy densities as high as 1?MJ?m?2 have been reached for a pulse duration of about 1.5?ms, and for a variety of gases (H, He, Ar). In this contribution, we report on the first experiments investigating the effect of the combined steady-state/pulsed plasma on polycrystalline tungsten targets. Under such conditions the threshold for tungsten release and surface roughening is found to be much lower than in previously reported experiments. This suggests that the combination of the high flux plasma and transient heat/particle source leads to strong synergistic effects.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0029-5515/51/7/073008/pdf

ELM simulation experiments on Pilot-PSI using simultaneous high flux plasma and transient heat/particle source

A magnetized hydrogen plasma beam was generated with a cascaded arc, expanding in a vacuum vessel at an axial magnetic field of up to 1.6T. Its characteristics were measured at a distance of 4cm from the nozzle: up to a 2cm beam diameter, 7.5×1020m−3 electron density, ∼2eV electron and ion temperatures, and 3.5km∕s axial plasma velocity. This gives a 2.6×1024H+m−2s−1 peak ion flux density, which is unprecedented in linear plasma generators. The high efficiency of the source is obtained by the combined action of the magnetic field and an optimized nozzle geometry. This is interpreted as a cross-field return current that leads to power dissipation in the beam just outside the source.

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Extreme hydrogen plasma densities achieved in a linear plasma generator

FOM-Rijnhuizen is building, in cooperation with its Trilateral Euregio Cluster (TEC) partners, a PSI-laboratory to study plasma surface interaction (PSI) under extreme, ITER relevant plasma conditions. The largest linear plasma generator of PSI-lab is Magnum-PSI, and is designed to deliver up to 10 MW m−2 power over a 10 cm diameter hydrogen plasma beam with an electron density (ne) up to 1021 m−3 and electron-temperature (Te) between 1–5 eV. Magnum-PSI is presently under construction and its predesign is presented. Its forerunner is Pilot-PSI, in which record plasma parameters of ne=4×1021 m−3 at Te=2 eV in a ~1 cm wide hydrogen beam confined by a magnetic field (B) ≤1.6 T were measured at 40 mm downstream the source nozzle. At 17 mm in front of a target (located at 0.56 m distance from the source nozzle), ne>1021 m−3 and Te≤ 4 eV have been demonstrated. Initial experiments on exposing fine-grain carbon samples are presented that showed up to 20 μm s−1 erosion as a demonstration of the extreme plasma conditions. Spectroscopy was applied to compare chemical erosion yields for flux densities up to 5.0×1024 m−2 s−1.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-8949/2007/T128/004/pdf

D.G. Whyte

Papers

Extreme hydrogen plasma densities achieved in a linear plasma generator

PSI research in the ITER divertor parameter range at the FOM PSI-lab