Title: The materials irradiation experiment for testing plasma facing materials at fusion relevant conditions

Abstract

The Materials Irradiation Experiment (MITE-E) was constructed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Inertial Electrostatic Confinement Laboratory to test materials for potential use as plasma-facing materials (PFMs) in fusion reactors. PFMs in fusion reactors will be bombarded with x-rays, neutrons, and ions of hydrogen and helium. More needs to be understood about the interactions between the plasma and the materials to validate their use for fusion reactors. The MITE-E simulates some of the fusion reactor conditions by holding samples at temperatures up to 1000°C while irradiating them with helium or deuterium ions with energies from 10 to 150 keV. The ion gun can irradiate the samples with ion currents of 20 μA–500 μA; the typical current used is 72 μA, which is an average flux of 9 × 10¹⁴ ions/(cm² s). The ion gun uses electrostatic lenses to extract and shape the ion beam. A variable power (1-20 W), steady-state, Nd:YAG laser provides additional heating to maintain a constant sample temperature during irradiations. The ion beam current reaching the sample is directly measured and monitored in real-time during irradiations. The ion beam profile has been investigated using a copper sample sputtering experiment. In conclusion, the MITE-E has successfully been used tomore » irradiate polycrystalline and single crystal tungsten samples with helium ions and will continue to be a source of important data for plasma interactions with materials.« less

Authors:

Garrison, L. M. ^[1]; Zenobia, Samuel J. ^[2]; Egle, Brian J. ^[1]; Kulcinski, Gerald L.  ^[2];

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Kulcinski, Gerald L."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-5635-4906"

Santarius, John F. ^[2]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Fusion Technology Institute
2. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Fusion Technology Institute

Publication Date:

Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

OSTI Identifier:

1319184

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1420616

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Review of Scientific Instruments

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 87; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 0034-6748

Publisher:

American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY