High heat flux components with beryllium armour: From the small-scale mock-ups to the full-scale prototype of the ITER first wall panel

Abstract

The Russian Federation shall supply 179 enhanced heat flux First Wall Panels (FWP) to the ITER construction site. These panels have about 30 types and consist of a steel supporting structure (FW Beam) with multilayer plasma-facing units (PFU) attached onto it. To start the production of the panels, the manufacturing readiness must be confirmed by the ITER Organization (IO). The JSC “NIIEFA” responsible for manufacturing of a part of the components, final assembly and testing of the panels has come a long way from the experimental work on small-scale mock-ups, through the development of the design and key manufacturing technologies to the production and testing of the full-scale prototype (FSP) which is the final step before the confirmation for the manufacture. The manufactured FSP has successfully passed most of the acceptance tests including hydraulic pressure and leak tightness tests. The high heat flux tests have been successfully carried out on the PFUs with beryllium armour. In parallel to the tests of the beryllium prototype, the tungsten armour has been analyzed and tested which is due to the IO's intention to change the armour material.