The bubble problem of the plasma facing material: A finite element study

Abstract

The damage of first wall material in fusion reactor due to the bubbles caused by plasma has been studied by introducing a relation between the von Mises equivalent stress and the temperature field. The locations and shapes of the bubbles and the synergetic effect between the different bubbles under steady operational conditions have been studied using the finite elements method. Under transient heat loads, plastic deformations have been found to occur, and are significantly enhanced by the presence of the bubbles. The calculated concentration locations of von Mises equivalent stress are well consistent with the observed crack positions of the tungsten surface in many test experiments. Our simulations show that the damage of the bubbles is not severe enough to lead to catastrophic failure of the tungsten armor; however, it can cause local and gradual detachment of tungsten surface, which provides a reasonable explanation for the observed pits and rough or hairy surface morphology etc. Considering the transient heat loads, the lower bound of the security thickness of the tungsten tile is estimated to be greater than 2 mm.