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Title: Upgrades toward high-heat flux, liquid lithium plasma-facing components in the NSTX-U

Abstract

Liquid metal plasma-facing components (PFCs) provide numerous potential advantages over solid-material components. One critique of the approach is the relatively less developed technologies associated with deploying these components in a fusion plasma-experiment. Exploration of the temperature limits of liquid lithium PFCs in a tokamak divertor and the corresponding consequences on core operation are a high priority informing the possibilities for future liquid lithium PFCs. An all-metal NSTX-U is envisioned to make direct comparison between all high-Z wall operation and liquid lithium PFCs in a single device. By executing the all-metal upgrades incrementally, scientific productivity will be maintained while enabling physics and engineering-science studies to further develop the solid- and liquid-metal components. Six major elements of a flowing liquid-metal divertor system are described and a three-step program for implementing this system is laid out. The upgrade steps involve the first high-Z divertor target upgrade in NSTX-U, pre-filled liquid metal targets and finally, an integrated, flowing liquid metal divertor target. As a result, two example issues are described where the engineering and physics experiments are shown to be closely related in examining the prospects for future liquid metal PFCs.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  2. TU/Eindhoven, Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1335162
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1359139
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-09CH11466
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Fusion Engineering and Design
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 112; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0920-3796
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; liquid metal; divertors; tokamak; liquid lithium; porous materials

Citation Formats

Jaworski, M. A., Brooks, A., Kaita, R., Lopes-Cardozo, N., Menard, J., Ono, M., Rindt, P., and Tresemer, K. Upgrades toward high-heat flux, liquid lithium plasma-facing components in the NSTX-U. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2016.07.009.
Jaworski, M. A., Brooks, A., Kaita, R., Lopes-Cardozo, N., Menard, J., Ono, M., Rindt, P., & Tresemer, K. Upgrades toward high-heat flux, liquid lithium plasma-facing components in the NSTX-U. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2016.07.009
Jaworski, M. A., Brooks, A., Kaita, R., Lopes-Cardozo, N., Menard, J., Ono, M., Rindt, P., and Tresemer, K. Mon . "Upgrades toward high-heat flux, liquid lithium plasma-facing components in the NSTX-U". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2016.07.009. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1335162.
@article{osti_1335162,
title = {Upgrades toward high-heat flux, liquid lithium plasma-facing components in the NSTX-U},
author = {Jaworski, M. A. and Brooks, A. and Kaita, R. and Lopes-Cardozo, N. and Menard, J. and Ono, M. and Rindt, P. and Tresemer, K.},
abstractNote = {Liquid metal plasma-facing components (PFCs) provide numerous potential advantages over solid-material components. One critique of the approach is the relatively less developed technologies associated with deploying these components in a fusion plasma-experiment. Exploration of the temperature limits of liquid lithium PFCs in a tokamak divertor and the corresponding consequences on core operation are a high priority informing the possibilities for future liquid lithium PFCs. An all-metal NSTX-U is envisioned to make direct comparison between all high-Z wall operation and liquid lithium PFCs in a single device. By executing the all-metal upgrades incrementally, scientific productivity will be maintained while enabling physics and engineering-science studies to further develop the solid- and liquid-metal components. Six major elements of a flowing liquid-metal divertor system are described and a three-step program for implementing this system is laid out. The upgrade steps involve the first high-Z divertor target upgrade in NSTX-U, pre-filled liquid metal targets and finally, an integrated, flowing liquid metal divertor target. As a result, two example issues are described where the engineering and physics experiments are shown to be closely related in examining the prospects for future liquid metal PFCs.},
doi = {10.1016/j.fusengdes.2016.07.009},
journal = {Fusion Engineering and Design},
number = C,
volume = 112,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Mon Aug 08 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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Cited by: 12 works
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Potential Impacts of Liquid-Metal Plasma-Facing Components on Heating and Current Drive Actuators for a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility
journal, July 2019