A new plasma-surface interactions research facility: PISCES-B and first materials erosion experiments on boronized graphite
A new plasma-surface interactions research facility: PISCES-B has been designed and constructed at University of California, Los Angeles. The entire vacuum chamber is bakable and a base pressure of the order of 10{sup {minus}8} Torr is attainable using two turbo molecular pumps with a total pumping speed of 6000 l/s. The PISCES-B facility can generate continuous plasmas of argon, helium, hydrogen, deuterium and nitrogen. The density of these plasmas ranges from 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}11} to 3 {times} 10{sup {minus}13} cm{sup {minus}3} and the electron temperature ranges from 3 to 51 eV. The plasma bombardment flux to a target surface inserted in the plasma column can be varied from 1 {times} 10{sup 17} to 8 {times} 10{sup 18} ions cm{sup {minus}2} s{sup {minus}1}. Due to the high pumping speed, the neutral pressure of the working gas during plasma generation is controllable in the wide range from 3 {times} 10{sup -5} to 1 {times} 10{sup -3} Torr. These conditions are similar to those seen at the limiter and divertor areas in toroidal fusion devices. Using the PISCES-B facility, first materials erosion experiments have been conducted on 3% boronized graphites and iso-graphites as the reference materials. The chemical sputtering yield due to hydrogen plasma bombardment at 300 eV for 3% boronized graphite has been found to be about 30% smaller than that for iso-graphites at temperatures from room temperature to 900{degree}C. Also, radiation enhanced sublimation due to hydrogen plasma bombardment at 400 eV is found to be suppressed by 20-30% for 3% boronized graphite at temperatures up to 1300{degree}C. No significant surface composition change is observed after hydrogen plasma bombardment to a fluence of the order of 10{sup 22} ions cm{sup {minus}2}. 30 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Los Angeles, CA (USA). Inst. of Plasma and Fusion Research
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/ER
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG03-86ER52130
- OSTI ID:
- 7271732
- Report Number(s):
- UCLA/PPG-1253; ON: DE90006336; TRN: 90-006522
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GRAPHITE
EROSION
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
SPUTTERING
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TEST FACILITIES
CARBON
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
TESTING
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