Study on melting behavior of tungsten under high heat load including verification of simulation code using other metals

Abstract

ABSTRACT A tungsten divertor used in Tokamak-type fusion reactor will repetitively undergo high heat flux due to plasma disruption and edge localized mode. Because the surface condition of it after or during such repetitive heat load has the strong influence on the lifetime, it is significant to examine the various material behavior under such condition. We have been developed the simulation code which could reproduce the material behavior with phase change under high heat load for evaluating the lifecycle of the divertor and the design modification. In this paper, firstly, for the validation of the basic function of our simulation code, simulations of the behaviors of aluminum and nickel loaded by high heat flux are conducted and the results are compared with the experimental results. Next, for predicting the convection characteristics inside the molten tungsten in the heating condition of the actual fusion reactor, the surface fluctuation patterns in various heating conditions are evaluated and the interaction between the surface behavior of molten tungsten and heating conditions is clarified.