skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Deuterium pumping and erosion behavior of selected graphite materials under high flux plasma bombardment in PISCES

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6988008

Deuterium plasma recycling and chemical erosion behavior of selected graphite materials have been investigated using the PISCES-A facility. These materials include: Pyro-graphite; 2D-graphite weave; 4D-graphite weave; and POCO-graphite. Deuterium plasma bombardment conditions are: fluxes around 7 /times/ 10/sup 17/ ions s/sup /minus/1/cm/sup /minus/2/; exposure time in the range from 10 to 100 s; bombarding energy of 300 eV; and graphite temperatures between 20 and 120/degree/C. To reduce deuterium plasma recycling, several approaches have been investigated. Erosion due to high-fluence helium plasma conditioning significantly increases the surface porosity of POCO-graphite and 4D-graphite weave whereas little change for 2D-graphite weave and Pyro-graphite. The increased pore openings and refreshed in-pore surface sites are found to reduce the deuterium plasma recycling and chemical erosion rates at transient stages. The steady state recycling rates for these graphite materials can be also correlated to the surface porosity. Surface topographical modification by machined-grooves noticeably reduces the steady state deuterium recycling rate and the impurity emission from the surface. These surface topography effects are attributed to co-deposition of remitted deuterium, chemically sputtered hydrocarbon and physically sputtered carbon under deuterium plasma bombardment. The co-deposited film is found to have a characteristic surface morphology with dendritic microstructures. 18 ref., 4 figs., 1 tab.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Inst. for Plasma and Fusion Research
DOE Contract Number:
AS03-84ER52104
OSTI ID:
6988008
Report Number(s):
UCLA/PPG-1159; CONF-880512-8; ON: DE88012408
Resource Relation:
Conference: 8. international conference on plasma surface interactions in controlled fusion devices, Julich, F.R. Germany, 2 May 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English