Development, installation, and initial operation of DIII-D graphite armor tiles

Conference · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6734683

Anderson, P M; Baxi, C B; Reis, E E; Smith, J P; Smith, P D

An upgrade of the DIII-D vacuum vessel protection system has been completed. The ceiling, floor, and inner wall have been armored to enable operation of CIT-relevant doublenull diverted plasmas and to enable the use of the inner wall as a limiting surface. The all- graphite tiles replace the earlier partial coverage armor configuration which consisted of a combination of Inconel tiles and graphite brazed to Inconel tiles. A new all-graphite design concept was chosen for cost and reliability reasons. The 10 minute duration between plasma discharges required the tiles to be cooled by conduction to the water-cooled vessel wall. Using two and three- dimensional analyses, the tile design was optimized to minimize thermal stresses with uniform thermal loading on the plasma-facing surface. Minimizing the stresses around the tile hold-down feature and eliminating stress concentrators were emphasized in the design. The design of the tile fastener system resulted in sufficient hold-down forces for good thermal conductance to the vessel and for securing the tile against eddy current forces. The tiles are made of graphite, and a program to select a suitable grade of graphite was undertaken. Initially, graphites were compared based on published technical data. Graphite samples were then tested for thermal shock capacity in an electron beam test facility at the Sandia National Laboratory (SNLA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. 4 refs., 6 figs.

• Research Organization: General Atomics Co., San Diego, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-84ER51044
• OSTI ID: 6734683
• Report Number(s): GA-A-19202; CONF-880417-24; ON: DE89001439
• Resource Relation: Conference: International symposium on nuclear fusion technology, Tokyo, Japan, 10 Apr 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ARMOR
INSTALLATION
DOUBLET-3 DEVICE
MODIFICATIONS
DESIGN
DIVERTORS
GRAPHITE
HEAT FLUX
OPERATION
PHYSICAL PROTECTION DEVICES
PRESSURE VESSELS
CARBON
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONTAINERS
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
700209* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Component Development & Materials Testing