Changes in the structure and substructure of tungsten during irradiation by hydrogen plasma flows at the specific energy close to the heat loads on the ITER surface

Abstract

The changes in the structure, the substructure, and the state of stress in the surface layers of tungsten targets and the cracking processes in them are studied in model experiments on irradiation by a hydrogen plasma in a quasi-stationary plasma accelerator QSPA Kh-50, which adequately reproduces the energy density and the edge localized mode (ELM) time in ITER. The plasma heat load is up to 1 MJ m−2, the pulse duration is 0.25 ms, and the maximum number of irradiating pulses of 150. The development of residual macrostresses from compression to tension is analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and their relation to cracking is shown. Irradiation is found to increase the lattice parameter of tungsten in the undeformable section from a 0 ≈ 0.31642 ± 0.00001 (initial state) to 0.31645 ± 0.00001 nm. The changes in the coherent scattering region and microstrains are estimated. The role of point defects and their complexes in the irradiation-assisted processes is established. A qualitative model is proposed to explain these changes.