Hydrogen and deuterium distribution in tungsten foils irradiated with high-temperature deuterium plasma in H2O- or D2O-filled hermetic chambers

Abstract

Processes of deuterium and hydrogen accumulation and redistribution are studied via the elastic recoil detection method with the help of a Plasma Focus (PF-4) setup. These processes proceed when high-temperature pulsed deuterium plasma acts on two external tungsten foils used as the main elements of hermetic chambers filled with distilled or heavy water and one internal tungsten foil inserted into an aqueous medium. It is established that, under the action of pulsed deuterium plasma on the heavy water-filled chamber, implanted deuterium atoms and those existing in the heavy water, as well as hydrogen contained in the tungsten foils, are redistributed over the entire thicknesses of the three foils. When the distilled water-filled chamber is irradiated with pulsed deuterium plasma, implanted hydrogen is observed across the whole thickness of the external tungsten foils with a depth distribution maximum. Hydrogen and deuterium reach their maxima on the foil surface immersed in liquid. The revealed phenomenon can be explained by the fact that chemical bonds in the heavy and distilled water are broken and, afterward, free hydrogen and deuterium atoms are transferred to tungsten foils under the action of intense shock waves excited in the chamber.