Using the Tritium Plasma Experiment to evaluate ITER PFC safety. [Plasma-Facing Components]

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:7368738

Longhurst, G R; Anderl, R A ^[1]; Bartlit, J R ^[2]; Causey, R A ^[3]; Haines, J R ^[4]

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1. EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
3. Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
4. MDC Aerospace, St. Louis, MO (United States)

The Tritium Plasma Experiment was assembled at Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore to investigate interactions between dense plasmas at low energies and plasma-facing component materials. This apparatus has the unique capability of replicating plasma conditions in a tokamak divertor with particle flux densities of 2 [times] 10[sup 19] ions/cm[sup 2] [center dot] s and a plasma temperature of about 15 eV using a plasma that includes tritium. With the closure of the Tritium Research Laboratory at Livermore, the experiment was moved to the Tritium Systems Test Assembly facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. An experimental program has been initiated there using the Tritium Plasma Experiment to examine safety issues related to tritium in plasma-facing components, particularly the ITER divertor. Those issues include tritium retention and release characteristics, tritium permeation rates and transient times to coolant streams, surface modification and erosion by the plasma, the effects of thermal loads and cycling, and particulate production. A considerable lack of data exists in these areas for many of the materials, especially beryllium, being considered for use in ITER. Not only will basic material behavior with respect to safety issues in the divertor environment be examined, but innovative techniques for optimizing performance with respect to tritium safety by material modification and process control will be investigated. Supplementary experiments will be carried out at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory to expand and clarify results obtained on the Tritium Plasma Experiment.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36; AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 7368738
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-93-2148; CONF-9306191--1; ON: DE93016614
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700420* -- Fusion Technology-- Plasma-Facing Components-- (1992-)
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
COOLING SYSTEMS
DIFFUSION
DIVERTORS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EROSION
EVALUATION
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
ITER TOKAMAK
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PERFORMANCE
PERMEABILITY
PLASMA
RADIOISOTOPES
SAFETY
SAFETY ANALYSIS
TEST FACILITIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TOKAMAK DEVICES
TRITIUM
TRITIUM SYSTEMS TEST ASSEMBLY
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES