Evolution of tungsten degradation under different cyclic ELM-like high heat flux plasma

Jiang, Shi; Chen, Li; Li, Weihao; Hao, Shiyu; Shi, Huangtong; Li, Xingwen

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2023.154762

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…As the divertor material in fusion reactors, tungsten (W) [2,3] will be subjected to continuous bombardment by steady-state high heat and energetic particles such as hydrogen isotopes (HIs) and helium (He). Moreover, W will also experience transient events [4][5][6][7][8], such as edge localized mode events (ELMs) [9], which are of particular concern due to the significant damage they cause and are inevitable in fusion devices. A large temperature gradient and high thermal stress will be induced by ELMs which power densities up to 1 GW m −2 for 0.2-0.5 ms [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deuterium retention in cyclic transient heat loaded tungsten with increasing cycle numbers

Ren,

Yuan,

Feng

et al. 2024

Nucl. Fusion

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Surface damage and microscopic defect evolution of tungsten (W) armor under transient heat loads are key factors for fuel retention in fusion reactors. In this work, experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of cyclic thermal shocks on deuterium (D) retention and surface blistering in W. Thermal shock experiments were conducted on recrystallized W using an electron beam with a power density of 0.15 GW m-2 across 100-1500 cycles, followed by D plasma exposure with high-fluence (~ 1 × 1026 D m-2). The results demonstrate that samples subjected to 500 and 1500 cycles exhibit a significant presence of sub-grains within 90 μm. Notably, the inhibition of blistering induced by thermal shock leads to a substantial reduction in D retention (5.45 × 1019 D m-2) at lower cycle numbers (100 cycles) compared to the reference sample (2.35 × 1020 D m-2) which was only exposed to D plasma. When cycle numbers increase to 500 and 1500, D retention reaches 1.98 × 1020 D m-2 and 4.56 × 1020 D m-2, respectively. Based on the Tritium Migration Analysis Program, we propose that total D retention is a consequence of the competition between defects reduced by thermal shock-induced suppression of blistering and defects generated by plastic deformation induced by thermal stress. D retention initially decreases with the increase in cycle numbers, followed by a subsequent rise, with the inflection point slightly higher than 500 cycles. Additionally, due to the extensive scope of thermal stress, an escalated exposure period will result in substantial D captured by heat-induced defects, consequently intensifying the D retention. Whether there exists an upper limit to D retention induced by the increasing thermal shock cycles necessitates further experimental analysis. Nonetheless, it is evident that thermal shock significantly contributes to D retention within a profoundly deep bulk region under high cycles.

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