Abstract
When hard plasma disruptions produce melting of a surface layer on first wall components, the melt layer is in general also subject to various forces. Among these, the forces produced by eddy currents and the magnetic fields are the most severe, and they may cause the removal of the melt layer. It appears that one of the most effective mechanisms for removal is by a Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Numerical results are presented for both the most critical wavenumber and its amplification exponent as a function of two parameters which account for the effect of viscosity and surface tension. The results given for the critical amplification exponent allow an easy assessment of the stability of a melt layer when the forces are known. Examples of such an assessment are given, and it is found that within the range of estimated eddy-current forces, the melt layer may or may not be stable. Hydrodynamic instabilities induced by flow and tangential forces appear to be less severe than the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
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