Impurity Deposition Research Articles

Effect of oxygen or copper impurities on the work function of cesiated surfaces under co-existence with hydrogen: A study about negative hydrogen ion sources for neutral beam injection systems

This study investigates the effect of oxygen and copper impurities on the work function of the Cs/H/Mo (001) surface based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. First, the deposition of 2/16 θ impurities on the Cs0.5/H0.5/Mo (001) surface (the subscript 0.5 represents 8/16 θ coverage) is studied. It is found that the deposition of impurities beneath the cesium layer and oxygen impurities as atoms, and in a high-symmetry configuration, both lower the surface system energy. As the impurity coverage increases, it is observed that impurity deposition with a coverage of less than or equal to 8/16 θ effectively reduces the work function of the Cs0.5/H0.5/Mo (001) surface. However, as the cesium and hydrogen coverage increases, the impurities are no longer effective at reducing the work function. Moreover, when the cesium coverage reaches 16/16 θ, the surface work function approaches that of a cesium metal surface. Another important discovery is that when oxygen impurities are deposited above the cesium layer on the Cs0.5/H0.5/Mo (001) surface, a reduction in the surface work function is observed. This anomalous phenomenon is attributed to significant charge polarization caused by the deposition of oxygen impurities. The migration barriers of impurities traversing the dense cesium layer to the Mo (001) substrate are evaluated using the climbing image nudged elastic band (CI-NEB) method. Oxygen impurities tend to traverse the cesium layer in molecular form, facing a minimum barrier of 0.52 eV, while copper atoms encounter a lower barrier of 0.09 eV when traversing the cesium layer.

Divertor erosion at ASDEX Upgrade during helium plasma operations

The effect of helium plasma operation on the erosion of plasma-facing components at the low-field side divertor of ASDEX Upgrade was investigated during the 2022 helium experimental campaign. A set of tungsten-covered graphite samples with small platinum marker spots was exposed to both L-mode and H-mode plasma discharges. The highest net erosion of over 1.1 nm/s was observed around the H-mode strike point similar to the case in deuterium plasma. Significant helium inventories of about 6 × 1016 He/cm2 were measured in the scrape-off layer region of the divertor. Impurity deposition including boron and deuterium showed a distinct peak up to 2.4 × 1017 B/cm2 and 1.0 × 1016 D/cm2 between the strike points, and significant boron inventories up to 5.9 × 1016 B/cm2 were also measured on the scrape-off layer side of the H-mode strike point. Platinum re-deposition was not detected between the marker spots, suggesting that it occurs only very locally within the markers. Overall erosion was, as expected, higher than in deuterium discharges, and it also remained comparatively high towards the scrape-off layer, unlike with deuterium.

Helium retention feature in the boron deposited layer on tungsten substrate by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and machine learning approach

ITER is designed for a burning plasma operation in which Tungsten (W) tiles are used as the first wall and diverter materials. Studying He dynamics in B-coated W wall is essential to understanding the effect of boronized plasma-facing components in fusion reactors, as these post-conditioning materials significantly influence helium retention and release. Plasma-wall interactions (PWI) are an important issue in ITER fusion reactors. PWI would lead to wall erosion and impurity redeposition. As a product of the D-T burning plasma, helium (He) ash would be retained or co-deposited on plasma-facing components (PFCs), affecting the stable operation of burning plasma. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is proposed as a promising in-situ diagnostic approach for monitoring D/T and He retention and impurity deposition on PFCs of tokamak devices. In this study, the LIBS technique was used to investigate the helium retention feature in the boron (B) layer on tungsten substrate in 10−5 mbar. Five He-retention samples on the boron deposition layer on tungsten substrates were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method at different ambient pressures in our lab. The investigations indicate that the atomic spectral line of helium (He-I 587.56 nm) was observed in the spectra of the first three laser shots. The depth profiles of He, B, and W in the boron-deposited layer on tungsten substrate were performed by LIBS to determine the co-deposition layer thickness. The concentration of He in the co-deposition layer samples measured by TDS is 7 × 1020 He/m2. The plasma parameters, such as plasma electron temperature and electron number density, were calculated to validate the local thermodynamic equilibrium. Machine learning (ML) algorithms are used to classify the co-deposits and substrates. The first three principal components (PC1, PC2 & PC3) of the unsupervised ML algorithm (PCA) give a classification accuracy of 91.7 %. The supervised ML algorithm neural network achieved training and testing accuracy of 100 % and 96.7 %, respectively.

Significant enhancment of the accuracy of impurity determination in vacuums using classification one-point laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a highly promising technique for the in-situ, real-time diagnosis of impurity deposits on the inner walls of tokamak devices. The deposited impurity on plasma-facing materials (PFCs) pose a significant risk to the steady-state operation of the tokamak. Under vacuum conditions, an accurate quantitative analysis of the thin co-deposition layers is a technical challenge. In this study, 30 co-deposited layer samples of tungsten (10.0–92.3 a.t.%), molybdenum (2.0–77.8 a.t.%), iron (2.9–12.1 a.t.%) and copper (1.2–18.7 a.t.%) were prepared to simulate the co-deposition layers found on PFCs in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). A variation of the CF-LIBS algorithm, the so-called One Point Calibrated LIBS (OPC-LIBS), was employed to analyze these co-deposited layer samples under conditions of 5 × 10−5 mbar. It was found that the matrix matching degree among the measured samples and the selection of standard samples play a decisive role in the quantitative analysis capability of OPC-LIBS. In actual situations, the composition of the co-deposited impurity layers at different locations in the Tokamak will be quite different. We addressed this challenge by developing the Classified OPC-LIBS (COPC-LIBS) model, an enhanced version of OPC-LIBS with pre-classification to offset matrix effects in LIBS analysis. For tungsten in the co-deposition layers, the root mean square (RMSE) calculated by the CF-LIBS method was 14.7, the OPC-LIBS method was 11.5, and the newly invented COPC-LIBS was reduced to only 5.1. The COPC-LIBS method is a highly efficient technique that can precisely measure the distribution of co-deposited layers on the surface of inner wall materials. The diagnostic data obtained from this method will provide valuable insights into the interaction between plasma and wall materials during the operation of fusion devices.

Impurity transport in PISCES-RF*

Abstract Linear plasma devices (LPD) utilizing a helicon plasma source, a high density light ion source, can generate impurities due to progressive erosion of the radio frequency (RF) transmission window caused by rectified sheath voltage. These source-born impurities can entrain and be transported by the plasma toward a target, affecting plasma-material interaction studies. Earlier work on material testing in Prototype-Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment at ORNL revealed significant source impurity deposition on downstream targets. However, using a similar RF source, no target impurity deposition is observed in Plasma Interaction Surface Component Experimental Station (PISCES)-RF despite evidence of RF window erosion in the source region, thereby motivating the present work. Experimentally, using various magnetic field configurations upstream of the PISCES-RF plasma source and seeding titanium (Ti) impurities at various axial locations, impurity transport and deposition along the machine axis were investigated. It was found that Ti deposition was localized to the side of the plasma source where the Ti impurity was seeded. In contrast, aluminum (Al) deposition, originating from the sputtering of the helicon window, occurred predominantly upstream of the plasma source, suggesting an asymmetry in the axial transport of eroded RF window material. These observations suggest a stagnation of the parallel plasma flow immediately downstream of the plasma source, with impurity ions remaining unmagnetized near the source upstream. Al deposition in magnetic field-free regions in PISCES-RF indicates that sputtered Al impurities likely remained neutral due to their large ionization mean-free path under PISCES-RF conditions. Plasma modeling and simulation supported this, indicating that Al-neutrals transport toward the helicon source upstream for low electron density cases. It was found that the Larmor radius of the Al ions was greater than the plasma radius towards the source upstream and remained weakly magnetized in PISCES-RF, meaning that plasma source-born impurities are not efficiently entrained in the plasma flow. These findings provide critical insights into impurity transport in helicon plasma-based LPDs.

Multi-staged ERO2.0 simulation of material erosion and deposition in recessed mirror assemblies in JET and ITER

The deposition/erosion on optical diagnostic components—mirrors—is a critical issue in reactor class devices with long-pulsed high fluence plasma operation. The paper presents results of the three-dimensional Monte–Carlo code ERO2.0 for two diagnostic aperture and first mirror geometries to be deployed in ITER, along with a separate simulation study that aims to replicate results from an experimental first-mirror study carried out on JET. Promisingly, very little plasma and impurity deposition on mirrors for the anticipated plasma durations is found in the ERO2.0 modelling taking into account the current ITER Research Plan and a material mix with beryllium first wall and a tungsten divertor. The post-mortem analysis of mirrors exposed during the experiment and the initial benchmarking efforts on the JET mirror experiment are also broadly consistent, increasing the confidence in predictions for ITER.

Lithography-Free Nanofabrication on Various Semiconductors by the Codeposition Etching Technique.

Nano-/microstructures can be formed with the aid of small amounts of impurities during deposition with noble gas plasma irradiation, which is referred to as codeposition etching. This can be a new method for lithography-free semiconductor nanofabrication. Here, the codeposition etching method was employed with argon plasma and molybdenum (Mo) impurities on various semiconductors. Structures can be formed only on substrates that have a lower sputtering yield than the seed impurity. The density, area, and height of structures are related to both the impurity deposition rate and the substrate material. Moreover, two mechanisms of impurity nucleation are proposed according to time dependence results for the formation of the structures.

Co-deposited layers on gap surfaces of bulk tungsten divertor tiles in JET ITER-like wall: Directional effects and nanostructures

Co-deposited layers on surfaces of bulk tungsten divertor tiles (W lamellae) from the first campaign of JET with the ITER-Like Wall (JET-ILW, 2011–2012) were examined by means of a cross-sectional transmission electron microscope observation. The focus was on geometrical effects in impurity deposition, mainly beryllium (Be), on surfaces located in the poloidal gap separating adjacent lamellae. The study was carried out on the sides (gap surfaces) of two W lamellae from Stack C (located on the outboard part of the horizontal section of the lower divertor), from the region most exposed to the plasma (lamella C23) and in the magnetic shadow of the upstream divertor module (lamella C3). The tile manufacturing process (cold rolling) left shallow grooves, i.e. structures classified as convex (hill) and concave (valley) regions. These regions are decisive for the deposition structure. The main results were: (i) two kinds of impurity deposition features, “homogeneous” and “directional”, have been distinguished; (ii) the directional ones were characterized by nanoscale inclined vertical stripes in the deposition layer; (iii) homogeneous deposition without directional features were in the valley region. The results clearly indicate the impact of the surface finish, even in the tile gaps, on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of deposition.

Mathematical modelling of impurity deposition during evaporation of dirty liquid in a porous material

When a contaminated liquid evaporates from within a porous material, the impurities or dirt accumulate and deposit within the pore space. This occurs during the cleaning of filters and fouling of textiles, and is related to the ‘coffee-ring’ problem. To investigate how and where dirt is deposited in the pore space, we present a model for the motion of an evaporation front through a porous material, and the related accumulation, transport, and deposition of dirt, assuming that the liquid remains stationary. For physically relevant parameters, vapour transport out of the porous material is quasi-steady and we derive a single ordinary differential equation describing the motion of the evaporation front in time. Model solutions exhibit spatially non-uniform profiles of the deposited dirt-layer thickness through the porous material. The dirt accumulation and evaporation problems are coupled: deposited dirt hinders vapour transport through the porous material, slowing the evaporation. We identify two scenarios in which the porous material becomes clogged with dirt. Accumulation of suspended dirt at the evaporating interface along with slow dirt diffusion results in the deposited dirt layers clogging the pores at the evaporating interface, halting the drying and trapping liquid in the porous material. Alternatively, slow dirt deposition results in the suspended dirt being pushed far into the porous material by the evaporation, eventually leaving only dirt (with no liquid) in the pore space. We investigate the dynamics of both clogging scenarios, characterising the parameter regimes for which each occurs. Both clogging scenarios must be avoided in practice since they may be detrimental to future filter efficacy or textile breathability.

The role of temperature and drying cycles on impurity deposition in drying porous media

We consider a liquid containing impurities saturating a porous material; when the liquid evaporates, the impurities are deposited within the material. Applications include filtration and waterproof textiles. We present a mathematical model incorporating coupling between evaporation, accumulation and transport of the impurities, and the impact of the deposited impurities on the transport of both the suspended impurities and the liquid vapour. By simulating our model numerically, we investigate the role of temperature and repeated drying cycles on the location of the deposited impurities. Higher temperatures increase the evaporation rate so that impurities are transported further into porous material before depositing than for lower temperatures. We quantify two distinct parameter regimes in which the material clogs: i) the dry-clogging (high-temperature) regime, in which impurities are pushed far into the material before clogging, and ii) the wet-clogging (high-impurity) regime, in which liquid becomes trapped by the clogging. Clogging restricts the extent to which drying time can be reduced by increasing the temperature.

Controlled ablation of impurity deposition in fusion devices by using variable laser fluence within depth-of-focus of focusing lens

Controlled ablation of impurity deposition in fusion devices by using variable laser fluence within depth-of-focus of focusing lens

Collector probe analysis of tungsten transport to the far-SOL from the DIII-D SAS-VW divertor experiment

Experimental results from the 2022 tungsten (W)-coated Small Angle Slot (SAS-VW) divertor campaign at DIII-D coupled with interpretive 3DLIM modelling show opposing trends for core impurity content when compared to impurity deposition on far-Scrape Off Layer (SOL) Collector Probes (CPs) with increasing main ion density. SAS-VW is a closed, W-coated divertor designed to more easily facilitate divertor detachment while reducing impurity leakage. An experiment performed a series of upper-single-null L-mode discharges in each toroidal magnetic field (BT) direction, with increasing main ion density (line-averaged density = 3.15–4.35e19 m−3) that approaches and slightly exceeds the divertor detachment threshold. The results indicate: a) increased radial W transport with decreasing peak Te,tLP; and b) negligible change in W content in the far-SOL at the outer mid-plane with the onset of divertor detachment.Preliminary W deposition measurements using double-sided, graphite CPs inserted at the Midplane Materials Evaluation System (MiMES) reveal a 75% decrease over the density scan when operating in the unfavorable (ion B×∇B out of the divertor) BT direction. In contrast, soft X-ray (SXR) radiation from the same discharges is used as a proxy for W core contamination, showing core W content that increases by 77% with increasing line-averaged density. Similar L-mode discharges conducted in the favorable BT direction result in significantly less deposition on CPs.Using an interpretive modeling workflow following Zamperini 2022 [1] for assessing the transport of W sputtered from the SAS-VW divertor, the analysis suggests that W migration to the main chamber surfaces during the campaign may also contribute to far-SOL deposition.

Numerical simulation of clogging of two types of emitters with similar properties

AbstractThe benefits of drip irrigation are numerous and include water savings, control of fertilizer applications, and improved water and energy use efficiency of irrigation. In these systems, the emitter is the most vulnerable component to clogging, which in critical states can cause a reduction in performance and shorten the life of the distribution system. It can also have several impacts on water, its economy, and its wastage. In the absence of adequate filtration and when the flow is through the narrow labyrinth channel of the emitter, clogging can be created by continuous deposition of solid particles, organic matter, dissolved salts, chemical precipitates, bacteria, and other impurities. It is obvious that it is impossible to physically visualize the hydraulic behavior of the flowing water in the labyrinths. However, due to the increasing performance of computational tools and simulation software, it is possible to simulate this flow through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which has become one of the main techniques for describing the flow and deposition of the solid phase inside the emitter. This study aims to numerically simulate the behavior and the flow of the fluid inside two emitters, widely used in the industry, with different types but approximately identical flow rates. The fluid takes in its flow an inert solid suspension of fixed concentration. One of the emitters is compensating‐pressure, and the other is non‐compensating‐pressure; the numerical simulation model used is the RNG κ‐ε two‐phase model. The results showed that the regions affected by clogging are mainly the corners of the labyrinth channel and the recirculation vortex zones. The trajectory field plot reveals that as the clogging increases, the serpentine fluid threads become thinner.

Ex-situ quantification of impurity deposition depth on HL-2A divertor graphite tile by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

During tokamak discharges, the Plasma Wall Interaction (PWI) would lead to impurity deposition and fuel retention on the surface of the Plasma Facing Materials (PFMs). Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has emerged as a promising technique to facilitate in-situ, real-time, online characterization of the impurity deposition and fuel retention on the wall of tokamaks for PWI studies. The purpose of this investigation is to quantify the impurity deposition layer on the graphite tile removed from the dome region of the HL-2A tokamak lower divertor by using the ex-situ LIBS approach. The investigations indicate that the primarily deposited impurity elements are Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Ca, Al, Cu, Si, C, which may originate from the stainless steel first wall, divertor, limiter or the siliconized wall conditioning due to the PWI process in HL-2A tokamak. This has been further supported by observing a significantly positive correlation between the Cr, Ni, Mn, Al and Fe elements by spectral cumulative intensity linear regression analysis. The 3D morphology of the laser-ablated craters is reconstructed using a confocal microscope, revealing the laser ablation rates for the deposition layer and the substrate graphite tile to be 348 nm/pulse and 220 nm/pulse, respectively, under the laser fluence of 10 J/cm2. Then the thickness of the deposition layer is determined by using the correlation coefficient method. Along the poloidal direction of HL-2A tokamak, the deposited impurity shows an inhomogeneous pattern, with the thickness of the deposition layer varying from 1.74 μm to 5.92 μm. Finally, the absolute depth distribution of each element is also quantitatively measured.

Changes in glacier albedo and the driving factors in the Western Nyainqentanglha Mountains from 2001 to 2020

AbstractGlacier surface albedo dominates glacier energy balance, thus strongly affecting the glacier mass balance. Glaciers in the Western Nyainqentanglha Mountains (WNM) experienced large mass losses in the past two decades, but long-term changes of glacier albedo and its drivers are less understood. In this study, we retrieved glacier albedo with MODIS reflectance data to characterize the spatiotemporal variability of albedo from 2001 to 2020. Air temperature, rainfall, snowfall and deposition of light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) were evaluated as potential drivers of the observed variability in glacier albedo. The results showed that: (1) the glacier albedo experienced large inter-annual fluctuations, with the mean albedo being 0.552 ± 0.002 and a clear decreasing trend of 0.0443 ± 2 × 10−4 dec−1 in the WNM. The fastest decline was observed in autumn and in the vicinity of the equilibrium line altitude, indicating an extended melt season and an expansion of the ablation region to higher elevation; (2) local meteorology and LAIs deposition are the main drivers of glacier albedo change, but their effects on seasonal albedos are different due to different glacier processes. Both air temperature and the balance between liquid and solid precipitation affect summer and autumn albedos due to glacier ablation. Air temperature is the main driver of spring and winter albedos due to sublimation and metamorphism of snow, while snowfall carried by westerlies has limited influence on these two seasonal albedos due to less snowfall. LAIs mainly affect spring albedo due to high concentration coupled with the southerly wind in spring. These findings highlight the significance of changes in glacier albedo and the key role of local meteorology and LAIs deposition in determining such changes, which play an important role in glaciological and cryosphere processes.

Development of a high-speed small-angle infrared thermography system in EAST.

A high-speed infrared small-angle infrared thermography system (SATS) has been developed and installed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) for measuring the surface temperature of the divertor target to calculate the high heat flux induced by Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) and providing observation means for the further physical study of some key parameters, such as power decay length λq and the characteristic time of different types of ELMs. An endoscopic optical system is applied to realize the SATS for clear imaging of the divertor plate area and protection from the harm of impurity deposition and latent tungsten ablation during discharge. The field of view (FOV) of the endoscopic optical system is designed to be 13° in the horizontal direction and 9° in the vertical direction. As a consequence, ∼35° of coverage of the lower-outer divertor and a small part of the lower-inner divertor in toroidal are covered by the FOV with a spatial resolution of around 2 mm/pixel. This paper presents a detailed description of the new SATS and the preliminary experimental diagnostic results. The radial distribution of heat flux induced by an ELM crash was demonstrated.

‘Cliff edge effects’ in safety justification and operation of NPP units

The authors consider phenomena that have signs of ‘cliff edge effects’ according to the definitions of the IAEA and NP-001-15: (1) degradation of the protective barrier (fuel rod claddings in surface boiling mode with the deposition of impurities and borates on their surface and heating of the claddings) and (2) departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) on the fuel rod claddings. Despite the fact that the first phenomenon was previously unknown, the safety of the power unit is ensured by the decisions adopted in the project. The DNB was studied and measures were taken in the project to prevent it under normal operating conditions and anticipated operational occurrences. The protection against the DNB is also obviously ensured by reducing the reactor power due to the control systems and reactor scram. These phenomena do not reach the state of ‘cliff edge effects’ (according to the terminology of the IAEA and federal NPs of the Russian Federation) and are prevented at the initial stages. For a small-size reactor using dispersive fuel, it is possible to provide self-protection against the DNB, namely, due to partial washout of the fuel with the insertion of negative reactivity, followed by a decrease in power and termination of the crisis.

Effect of Deposition of Mechanical Impurities on Temperature Distribution Over the Bore of Producing Well

Effect of Deposition of Mechanical Impurities on Temperature Distribution Over the Bore of Producing Well

Depth-resolved analysis of multi-element impurity deposition on test tiles in EAST tokamak by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Depth-resolved analysis of multi-element impurity deposition on test tiles in EAST tokamak by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Corrosion of alloy 690 in simulated steam generator chemistry with boiling-effect of chloride and sulfate impurities

Enrichment of impurities occurs in steam generators of nuclear plants due to intense boiling conditions prevailing within them. In this work, deposition and release of chloride and sulfate impurities were studied using a dedicated water circulation loop with Alloy 690 as steam generator tubing. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was employed to follow in-situ the corrosion behavior in non-boiling, boiling and after-boiling conditions. Deposition/release of impurities is quasi-first-order vs. concentration. Interpretation of electrochemical impedance data using an updated version of the Mixed-Conduction Model allows to obtain reaction orders of oxide growth and corrosion release with respect to chloride and sulfate additives.