Hydrogen isotope inventory in the graphite divertor tiles of ASDEX Upgrade as measured by thermal desorption spectroscopy

Abstract

The hydrogen and deuterium inventories of the ASDEX Upgrade divertor tiles were measured after the experimental period from December 1994 to July 1995 by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) of samples cut out of the divertor tiles. The samples were heated by electron bombardment up to 2100 K; the released gases were measured by means of a calibrated quadrupole mass spectrometer. The measured hydrogen or deuterium inventories are of the order of 1023 m-2. They are larger for samples of the inner divertor than of the outer divertor by a factor of about 2. The largest inventory was found at the separatrix position of the inner divertor. Most of the released hydrogen (H) can be attributed to water adsorbed in the near surface region during the air exposure prior to the TDS measurements. The total inventories measured by TDS exceed the inventories in the near surface region (<25 mu m) measured by ion beam analysis methods by a factor of up to 10. Hence, the total hydrogen retention is governed by the diffusion out of the near surface region deep into the material. The hydrogen and deuterium inventories decrease with increasing surface temperature