Modification and final alignment of the TFTR bumper limiter
- McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, St. Louis, MO (United States)
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab., NJ (United States)
During the past three Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) vacuum vessel machine openings, an extensive effort was undertaken to optimize the distribution of heating of the bumper limiter tiles. The optimization was achieved by locating the limiter tiles relative to the toroidal magnetic field and adjusting their position relative to the magnetic field rather than to fixed points in the vacuum vessel walls. This paper will discuss the results of these alignments as measured during operation with the limiter thermocouple system and subsequent visual inspection during this past TFTR vacuum vessel opening. During the most recent in-vessel inspection (January 1993), damage to the top and bottom rows of the bumper limiter tiles was noted. More tiles were damaged on the lower row than the upper row. Tiles on the right side of the bottom row and to a lesser extent tiles on the left side of the top row were damaged. The location of the damage corresponds to the plasma power flux direction. Theories explaining the asymmetric damage (bottom versus top) are summarized. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPL) began a program to replace 223 of the originally installed tiles made from POCO AFX-5Q graphite. Of these 223 tiles, 151 were replaced with tiles made from carbon-fiber-composite (CFC) and 158 of these tiles were re-designed for installation on the top or bottom rows. The re-designed tiles have a tapered edge that reduces the angle of incidence of the power flux on the edge surface that was over-heating. This paper will review the in-vessel work and discuss the final modification of the TFTR bumper limiter to alleviate further damage at these locations prior to DT operation of TFTR.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH03073
- OSTI ID:
- 41446
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940630-; ISSN 0748-1896; TRN: 95:002923-0031
- Journal Information:
- Fusion Technology, Vol. 26, Issue 3; Conference: 11. topical meeting on the technology of fusion energy, New Orleans, LA (United States), 19-24 Jun 1994; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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