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Title: Experiments of continuously and stably flowing lithium limiter in EAST towards a solution for the power exhaust of future fusion devices

Abstract

Liquid lithium (Li) can partly ameliorate lifetime and power-exhaust issues of plasma facing components (PFCs) by enabling a self-healing, self-replenishing surface with a reduced susceptibility to neutron damage in future fusion devices. To assess operational stability and heat-exhaust capability under tokamak exposure, two generations of continuously flowing liquid Li (FLiLi) limiters on the concept of a thin flowing Li film have been successfully designed and tested in high performance discharges in EAST. The design uses a circulating Li layer with a thickness of <0.1 mm and a flow rate ~2 cm3s–1. In addition, the limiter employs a novel electro-magnetic pump to drive liquid Li flow from a collector at the bottom of the limiter into a distributor at its top. Free surface gravitational flow closes the loop for a continuously flowing liquid Li film on the wetted PFC. Here we summarize key FLiLi limiter development and experimental results in H-mode plasmas.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Electricity (OE), Advanced Grid Research & Development. Power Systems Engineering Research
Contributing Org.:
This research is funded by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0402500), National Nature Science Foundation of China (11625524, 11775261,11605246, 11075185 and 11021565) and as well as the US Department of Energy contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.
OSTI Identifier:
1487163
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1512478
Grant/Contract Number:  
2017YFA0402500; 11625524; 11775261; 11605246; 11075185; 11021565; AC02-09CH11466
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Nuclear Materials and Energy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nuclear Materials and Energy Journal Volume: 18 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 2352-1791
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Limiter; Lithium; Plasma facing component; EAST

Citation Formats

Hu, J. S., Zuo, G. Z., Maingi, R., Sun, Z., Tritz, K., Xu, W., Yang, Q. X., Andruczyk, D., Huang, M., Meng, X. C., Gong, X. Z., Ruzic, D. N., Ni, M. J., Wan, B. N., and Li, J. G. Experiments of continuously and stably flowing lithium limiter in EAST towards a solution for the power exhaust of future fusion devices. Netherlands: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.nme.2018.12.017.
Hu, J. S., Zuo, G. Z., Maingi, R., Sun, Z., Tritz, K., Xu, W., Yang, Q. X., Andruczyk, D., Huang, M., Meng, X. C., Gong, X. Z., Ruzic, D. N., Ni, M. J., Wan, B. N., & Li, J. G. Experiments of continuously and stably flowing lithium limiter in EAST towards a solution for the power exhaust of future fusion devices. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2018.12.017
Hu, J. S., Zuo, G. Z., Maingi, R., Sun, Z., Tritz, K., Xu, W., Yang, Q. X., Andruczyk, D., Huang, M., Meng, X. C., Gong, X. Z., Ruzic, D. N., Ni, M. J., Wan, B. N., and Li, J. G. Tue . "Experiments of continuously and stably flowing lithium limiter in EAST towards a solution for the power exhaust of future fusion devices". Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2018.12.017.
@article{osti_1487163,
title = {Experiments of continuously and stably flowing lithium limiter in EAST towards a solution for the power exhaust of future fusion devices},
author = {Hu, J. S. and Zuo, G. Z. and Maingi, R. and Sun, Z. and Tritz, K. and Xu, W. and Yang, Q. X. and Andruczyk, D. and Huang, M. and Meng, X. C. and Gong, X. Z. and Ruzic, D. N. and Ni, M. J. and Wan, B. N. and Li, J. G.},
abstractNote = {Liquid lithium (Li) can partly ameliorate lifetime and power-exhaust issues of plasma facing components (PFCs) by enabling a self-healing, self-replenishing surface with a reduced susceptibility to neutron damage in future fusion devices. To assess operational stability and heat-exhaust capability under tokamak exposure, two generations of continuously flowing liquid Li (FLiLi) limiters on the concept of a thin flowing Li film have been successfully designed and tested in high performance discharges in EAST. The design uses a circulating Li layer with a thickness of <0.1 mm and a flow rate ~2 cm3s–1. In addition, the limiter employs a novel electro-magnetic pump to drive liquid Li flow from a collector at the bottom of the limiter into a distributor at its top. Free surface gravitational flow closes the loop for a continuously flowing liquid Li film on the wetted PFC. Here we summarize key FLiLi limiter development and experimental results in H-mode plasmas.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nme.2018.12.017},
journal = {Nuclear Materials and Energy},
number = C,
volume = 18,
place = {Netherlands},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nme.2018.12.017

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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Sketch of the FLiLi limiter in EAST tokamak

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Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.