Jiří Matějíček

The Role of Spraying Parameters and Inert Gas Shrouding in Hybrid Water-Argon Plasma Spraying of Tungsten and Copper for Nuclear Fusion Applications

Tungsten-based coatings have potential application in the plasma-facing components in future nuclear fusion reactors. By the combination of refractory tungsten with highly thermal conducting copper, or steel as a construction material, functionally graded coatings can be easily obtained by plasma spraying, and may result in the development of a material with favorable properties. During plasma spraying of these materials in the open atmosphere, oxidation is an important issue, which could have adverse effects on their properties. Among the means to control it is the application of inert gas shrouding, which forms the subject of this study and represents a lower-cost alternative to vacuum or low-pressure plasma spraying, potentially applicable also for spraying of large surfaces or spacious components. It is a continuation of recent studies focused on the effects of various parameters of the hybrid water-argon torch on the in-flight behavior of copper and tungsten powders and the resultant coatings. In the current study, argon shrouding with various configurations of the shroud was applied. The effects of torch parameters, such as power and argon flow rate, and powder morphology were also investigated. Their influence on the particle in-flight behavior as well as the structure, composition and properties of the coatings were quantified. With the help of auxiliary calculations, the mass changes of the powder particles, associated with oxidation and evaporation, were assessed.

Overview of processing technologies for tungsten-steel composites and FGMs for fusion applications

Abstract Tungsten is a prime candidate material for the plasma-facing components in future fusion devices, e.g. ITER and DEMO. Because of the harsh and complex loading conditions and the differences in material properties, joining of the tungsten armor to the underlying construction and/or cooling parts is a complicated issue. To alleviate the thermal stresses at the joint, a sharp interface may be replaced by a gradual one with a smoothly varying composition. In this paper, several techniques for the formation of tungsten-steel composites and graded layers are reviewed. These include plasma spraying, laser cladding, hot pressing and spark plasma sintering. Structure, composition and selected thermal and mechanical properties of representative layers produced by each of these techniques are presented. A summary of advantages and disadvantages of the techniques and an assessment of their suitability for the production of plasma-facing components is provided.

Application of Structure-Based Models of Mechanical and Thermal Properties on Plasma Sprayed Coatings

Mechanical and thermal properties of thermal sprayed coatings, especially ceramics, are strongly influenced by cracks and pores that are present in the coating microstructure. In the recent past, there have been efforts to find an analytical model describing the coating properties based on the microstructural characteristics. Various analytical models were developed and published in the literature. In this study, several major models were applied to ceramic and metal coatings to describe their elastic modulus and thermal conductivity. The sensitivity of the models to the variations in the microstructure and relevancy of their use in specific cases were examined. The results were compared with those obtained by FEM modeling and experimentally measured values.

Processing and temperature-dependent properties of plasma-sprayed tungsten–stainless steel composites

Tungsten–stainless steel (W+SS) composites and functionally graded materials (FGMs) have a potential application as joining material in plasma facing components for nuclear fusion devices. Here, tungsten provides the heat-resistant plasma facing armor, while stainless steel is the main structural material. The composite or FGM can reduce the stress concentration at the interface by providing a gradual transition. In this study, W+SS composites of various compositions were produced by water-stabilized plasma spraying. With the help of in-flight particle and plume diagnostics, powder injection was optimized for each material, and the feed rates were adjusted to account for different deposition efficiencies. The composition, structure, and thermal and mechanical properties of the coatings were characterized. As these materials are expected to function at elevated temperatures, the evolution of their properties with temperature was also studied.

Plasma sprayed coatings for RF wave absorption

Abstract High requirements for fusion reactor materials and for experimental fusion devices have led within the fusion community to the development and testing of various coatings of the surfaces of in-vessel components and biological shields for microwave heating systems. Based on contacts with ITER, W7X and the Spanish Stellarator TJ-II, IPP Prague has initiated a development, production and test program on various low- Z materials. This paper reports on the production, development and properties of B 4 C, Si and Al 2 O 3 coatings sprayed by water stabilized plasma. Main focus is on their radio frequency wave reflection properties. Further characterization includes the coating structure by microscopy, phase composition by X-ray diffraction and oxygen content measurement by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results are discussed with respect to processing conditions as well as potential application.

Porous alumina and zirconia ceramics with tailored thermal conductivity

The thermal conductivity of porous ceramics can be tailored by slip casting and uniaxial dry pressing, using either fugitive pore formers (saccharides) or partial sintering. Porous alumina and zirconia ceramics have been prepared using appropriate powder types (ungranulated for casting, granulated for pressing) and identical firing regimes (but different maximum temperatures in the case of partial sintering). Thermal diffusivities have been measured by the laser- and xenon-flash method and transformed into relative thermal conductivities, which enable a temperature-independent comparison between different materials. While the porosity can be controlled in a similar way for both materials when using pore formers, partial sintering exhibits characteristic differences between alumina and zirconia (for alumina porosities below 45 %, full density above 1600 °C, for zirconia porosities below 60 %, full density above 1300 °C). The different compaction behavior of alumina and zirconia (porosity after pressing 0.465 and 0.597, respectively) is reflected in the fact that for alumina the relative conductivity data of partially sintered materials are below the exponential prediction, while for zirconia they coincide with the latter. Notwithstanding these characteristic differences, for both alumina and zirconia it is possible to tailor the thermal conductivity from 100 % down to approx. 15 % of the solid phase value.

Laser Remelting of Plasma-Sprayed Tungsten Coatings

Laser surface melting was applied on plasma-sprayed tungsten coatings, with the aim to eliminate intersplat voids and improve thermal conductivity. A variety of laser parameters was tested and the morphology and melt depth were evaluated. With the most promising conditions, 2D areas were remelted and thermal conductivity was determined. Improvements in conductivity were observed, but the depth of the remelted layer was quite limited under current conditions. Advantages and limitations of this method, as well as possible directions for improvement are discussed.

Spraying of Metallic Powders by Hybrid Gas/Water Torch and the Effects of Inert Gas Shrouding

A hybrid DC arc plasma torch, combining water and gas stabilization, offers a high flexibility in plasma characteristics. These can be controlled in a wide range by the torch operational parameters, such as arc current and secondary gas flow rate. In this study, their influence on plasma spraying of tungsten and copper was investigated. To suppress the in-flight oxidation of the metals, inert gas shrouding was applied. In-flight particle diagnostics and analysis of free-flight particles and coatings was performed for spraying experiments in the open atmosphere and with argon shrouding. Both in-flight particle behavior and coating properties were found to be sensitive to the torch parameters. The application of shrouding was found to affect particle in-flight parameters, reduce the oxide content in the coatings and generally improve their properties, such as thermal conductivity. However, a different degree of these effects was observed for copper and tungsten.

Multiple-Approach Evaluation of WSP Coatings Adhesion/Cohesion Strength

Adhesion/cohesion testing represents one of the most common methods for benchmarking and optimization of thermal spray coatings. However, owing to the inhomogeneous coating microstructure, such testing may be quite troublesome. In this study, adhesion/cohesion strength of representative metallic and ceramic coatings deposited by water-stabilized plasma (WSP) spraying was evaluated by four different methods: tensile adhesion test, pin test, tubular coating tensile test, and shear test. Combination of various methods enabled the evaluation of the coating adhesion/cohesion strength under different loading conditions. Limitations and benefits of each method for testing of WSP coatings are demonstrated. Dominating failure micromechanisms were determined by supplementary fractographic analysis.

Measurement of residual stress in plasma-sprayed composite coatings with graded and uniform compositions

Residual stresses in plasma sprayed composite coatings were studied experimentally by both curvature and neutron diffraction measurements. Graded and uniform composite coatings, consisting of nickel + alumina and NiCrAlY + yttria-stabilized zirconia, were investigated. This paper briefly summarizes out recent work dealing with the effects of coating thickness, composition, and material properties on the evolution of residual stresses in coatings. Analysis of the results allowed in some cases the separation of the quenching stress and thermal stress contributions to the final residual stress, as well as the determination of the through-thickness stress profile from measurements of different thickness specimens. In the ceramic-metal composites, it was found that the thermal mismatch stress plays a dominant role in the ceramic phase, whereas the stress in the metallic phase is mostly dominated by quenching stress. The residual stress measurement methods employed here were found to be complementary, in that each can provide unique information about the stress state. Through-thickness stress profiles in graded coatings were determined with high spatial resolution by the curvature method, and determination of the stress in each separate phase of a composite was made by neutron diffraction.