A. Terra

Materials for DEMO and reactor applications-boundary conditions and new concepts

DEMO is the name for the first stage prototype fusion reactor considered to be the next step after ITER towards realizing fusion. For the realization of fusion energy especially, materials questions pose a significant challenge already today. Heat, particle and neutron loads are a significant problem to material lifetime when extrapolating to DEMO. For many of the issues faced, advanced materials solutions are under discussion or already under development. In particular, components such as the first wall and the divertor of the reactor can benefit from introducing new approaches such as composites or new alloys into the discussion. Cracking, oxidation as well as fuel management are driving issues when deciding for new materials. Here composites as well as strengthened CuCrZr components together with oxidation resilient tungsten alloys allow the step towards a fusion reactor. In addition, neutron induced effects such as transmutation, embrittlement and after-heat and activation are essential. Therefore, when designing a component an approach taking into account all aspects is required.

Development of a mirror-based endoscope for divertor spectroscopy on JET with the new ITER-like wall (invited) a)

A new endoscope with optimised divertor view has been developed in order to survey and monitor the emission of specific impurities such as tungsten and the remaining carbon as well as beryllium in the tungsten divertor of JET after the implementation of the ITER-like wall in 2011. The endoscope is a prototype for testing an ITER relevant design concept based on reflective optics only. It may be subject to high neutron fluxes as expected in ITER. The operating wavelength range, from 390 nm to 2500 nm, allows the measurements of the emission of all expected impurities (W I, Be II, C I, C II, C III) with high optical transmittance (≥ 30% in the designed wavelength range) as well as high spatial resolution that is ≤ 2 mm at the object plane and ≤ 3 mm for the full depth of field (± 0.7 m). The new optical design includes options for in situ calibration of the endoscope transmittance during the experimental campaign, which allows the continuous tracing of possible transmittance degradation with time due to impurity deposition and erosion by fast neutral particles. In parallel to the new optical design, a new type of possibly ITER relevant shutter system based on pneumatic techniques has been developed and integrated into the endoscope head. The endoscope is equipped with four digital CCD cameras, each combined with two filter wheels for narrow band interference and neutral density filters. Additionally, two protection cameras in the λ > 0.95 μm range have been integrated in the optical design for the real time wall protection during the plasma operation of JET.

Impact on the deuterium retention of simultaneous exposure of tungsten to a steady state plasma and transient heat cycling loads

The impact on the deuterium retention of simultaneous exposure of tungsten to a steady-state plasma and transient cyclic heat loads has been studied in the linear PSI-2 facility with the main objective of qualifying tungsten (W) as plasma-facing material. The transient heat loads were applied by a high-energy laser, a Nd:YAG laser (λ = 1064 nm) with an energy per pulse of up to 32 J and a duration of 1 ms. A pronounced increase in the D retention by a factor of 13 has been observed during the simultaneous transient heat loads and plasma exposure. These data indicate that the hydrogen clustering is enhanced by the thermal shock exposures, as seen on the increased blister size due to mobilization and thermal production of defects during transients. In addition, the significant increase of the D retention during the simultaneous loads could be explained by an increased diffusion of D atoms into the W material due to strong temperature gradients during the laser pulse exposure and to an increased mobility of D atoms along the shock-induced cracks. Only 24% of the retained deuterium is located inside the near-surface layer (d<4 μm). Enhanced blister formation has been observed under combined loading conditions at power densities close to the threshold for damaging. Blisters are not mainly responsible for the pronounced increase of the D retention.

Development and characterization of powder metallurgically produced discontinuous tungsten fiber reinforced tungsten composites

In future fusion reactors, tungsten is the prime candidate material for the plasma facing components. Nevertheless, tungsten is prone to develop cracks due to its intrinsic brittleness—a major concern under the extreme conditions of fusion environment. To overcome this drawback, tungsten fiber reinforced tungsten (Wf/W) composites are being developed. These composite materials rely on an extrinsic toughing principle, similar to those in ceramic matrix composite, using internal energy dissipation mechanisms, such as crack bridging and fiber pull-out, during crack propagation. This can help Wf/W to facilitate a pseudo-ductile behavior and allows an elevated damage resilience compared to pure W. For pseudo-ductility mechanisms to occur, the interface between the fiber and matrix is crucial. Recent developments in the area of powder-metallurgical Wf/W are presented. Two consolidation methods are compared. Field assisted sintering technology and hot isostatic pressing are chosen to manufacture the Wf/W composites. Initial mechanical tests and microstructural analyses are performed on the Wf/W composites with a 30% fiber volume fraction. The samples produced by both processes can give pseudo-ductile behavior at room temperature.