Tungsten Erosion Research Articles

Experimental validation of a model for particle recycling and tungsten erosion during ELMs in the DIII-D divertor

A refined version of the Fundamenksi-Moulton 'free-streaming' model (FSM) for the dynamics of divertor density, particle flux, and heat flux during edge localized modes (ELMs) is presented. This model depends only on inter-ELM pedestal and divertor conditions and, crucially, incorporates particle recycling: a FSM with recycling model, FSRM. The effective particle recycling coefficient, Reff, is the only empirical fitting parameter in the FSRM. The predictions of the FSRM are systematically tested against a DIII-D database of ELM ion and energy fluence measurements and are shown to be consistent with the model across a wide range of pedestal and divertor conditions using a constant value of 0.96 for Reff . Predictions for W sputtering during ELMs are developed based on the FSRM. It is concluded that energetic free-streaming D+ ions and C6+ impurities are the dominant contributors to the intra-ELM gross erosion of W in the DIII-D divertor, i.e., recycling ions and impurities have relatively little impact on the total W sputtering rate. These calculations are also shown to be consistent with spectroscopic measurements of W gross erosion for three different pedestal conditions after incorporating the strong electron density dependence of the WI 400.8 nm ionizations/photon (S/XB) coefficient.

Effect of ELM pacing on morphology evolution and erosion of tungsten as a plasma-facing material in a fusion environment

Mitigation of transient plasma events in a future fusion device is necessary to minimize thermal damage on surrounding plasma facing components (PFCs). Intense heat loading caused by an edge-localized mode (ELM) can lead to melting and splashing of the PFC surface. ELM mitigation involves triggering these events at higher frequencies, which lowers the effective heat flux imparted on the material. Unfortunately, concurrent, high-flux He+ ion irradiation on tungsten (W), which is the leading candidate material for future PFCs, has been shown to drive the development of an arborescent nanostructure, known as fuzz. Large drops in thermal conductivity and mechanical strength with fuzz formation necessitate a reconsideration of the impact of ELM mitigation on material damage and erosion. Three different types of experiments designed to characterize the synergistic effect between He+ ion irradiation and pulsed heat loading (replicated with a pulsed millisecond laser) were conducted in the UHFI-II facility at CMUXE.W samples exposed to pulsed heat loading underwent roughening in the form of a shale-like surface morphology, regardless of frequency. The addition of simultaneous He+ ion irradiation with pulsed heat loading promoted splashing of molten material and caused significant pore formation. Increasing the frequency to 10 Hz produced a smoother W surface. However, when the total average laser power was held constant, increasing the frequency decreased the laser energy density, which significantly decreased surface melting and enhanced early stage fuzz formation. Results obtained raise an important question of whether ELM mitigation parameters can be tuned to anneal out any He-induced surface structuring without causing unsustainable splashing of molten material.

Modelling of plasma-wall interaction and impurity transport in fusion devices and prompt deposition of tungsten as application

Main processes of plasma-wall interaction and impurity transport in fusion devices and their impact on the availability of the devices are presented and modelling tools, in particular the three-dimensional Monte-Carlo code ERO, are introduced. The capability of ERO is demonstrated on the example of tungsten erosion and deposition modelling. The dependence of tungsten deposition on plasma temperature and density is studied by simulations with a simplified geometry assuming (almost) constant plasma parameters. The amount of deposition increases with increasing electron temperature and density. Up to 100% of eroded tungsten can be promptly deposited near to the location of erosion at very high densities (∼1 × 1014 cm−3 expected e.g. in the divertor of ITER). The effect of the sheath characteristics on tungsten prompt deposition is investigated by using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to spatially resolve the plasma parameters inside the sheath. Applying PIC data instead of non-resolved sheath leads in general to smaller tungsten deposition, which is mainly due to a density and temperature decrease towards the surface within the sheath. Two-dimensional tungsten erosion/deposition simulations, assuming symmetry in toroidal direction but poloidally spatially varying plasma parameter profiles, have been carried out for the JET divertor. The simulations reveal, similar to experimental findings, that tungsten gross erosion is dominated in H-mode plasmas by the intra-ELM phases. However, due to deposition, the net tungsten erosion can be similar within intra- and inter-ELM phases if the inter-ELM electron temperature is high enough. Also, the simulated deposition fraction of about 84% in between ELMs is in line with spectroscopic observations from which a lower limit of 50% has been estimated.

Study of the impact of resonant magnetic perturbation fields on gross tungsten erosion using DiMES samples in DIII-D

An experiment was conducted in DIII-D to compare gross tungsten (W) erosion on samples exposed to outer strike point (OSP) sweeps in L-mode plasmas for three conditions. These included two phases of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs), and a set with no perturbations. Upon RMP application, lobe structures indicative of strike point splitting of the OSP were evident in divertor camera data and on Langmuir probes. Gross W erosion flux, inferred spectroscopically using the S/XB method applied to the 400.9 nm W-I line, was generally in the range referenced to incident deuterium ion flux and was increased in the RMP cases by no more than 30% of the level observed in unperturbed discharges. A large reduction in gross erosion (50%) was observed in the private flux region at the W sample for one specific toroidal phase of the RMP field.

Tungsten erosion by unipolar arcing in DIII-D

Unipolar arcing was an important mechanism of metal surface erosion during the recently conducted Metal Rings Campaign in DIII-D when two toroidally continuous tile rings with 5 cm wide W-coated TZM inserts were installed in graphite tiles in the lower divertor, one on the floor and one on the shelf. Most of the arc damage occurred on the shelf ring. The total amount of W removed by arcing from the affected ∼4% of the shelf ring area was estimated ∼0.8 × 1021 at., about half of the total amount of W eroded and redeposited outside the inserts (1.8 ± 0.9)×1021 at. The rings were exposed for a total of ∼480 discharges, an equivalent of plasma time on W surfaces (with MA) ∼103 s. Arcing was monitored in situ with WI (400.9 nm) filtered camera and photomultipliers and showed that: (i) arcing only occurred during ELMs and disruptions, (ii) arcing rate was much lower on the floor than on the shelf ring, and (iii) arcing had a low cut off power flux density about 2 MW m−2. About half of arc tracks had large pitch angle and probably were produced during disruptions. Such tracks were only found on the shelf. Moderate toroidal variation of the arc track density and W erosion with nearly n = 1 pattern has been measured.

Comparison of heat flux measurement techniques during the DIII-D metal ring campaign

The heat fluxes expected in the ITER divertor raise concerns about the damage tolerances of tungsten, especially due to thermal transients caused by edge localized modes (ELMs) as well as frequent temperature cycling from high to low extremes. Therefore we are motivated to understand the heat flux conditions that can cause not only enhanced erosion but also bulk thermo-mechanical damage to a tungsten divertor. For the metal ring campaign in DIII-D, tungsten-coated TZM tile inserts were installed making two toroidal arrays of metal tile inserts in the lower divertor. This study examines the deposited heat flux on these rings with embedded thermocouples (TCs) sampling at 10 kHz and compares them to Langmuir probe (LP) and infrared thermography (IRTV) heat flux measurements. We see agreement of the TC, LP, and IRTV data within 20% of the heat flux averaged over the entire discharge, and that all three diagnostics suggest parallel heat flux at the OSP location increases linearly with input heating power. The TC and LP heat flux time traces during the discharge trend together during large changes to the average heat flux. By subtracting the LP measured inter-ELM heat flux from TC data, using a rectangular ELM energy pulse shape, and taking the relative size and duration of each ELM from measurements, we extract the ELM heat fluxes from TC data. This over-estimates the IRTV measured ELM heat fluxes by a factor of 1.9, and could be due to the simplicity of the TC heat flux model and the assumed ELM energy pulse shape. ELM heat fluxes deposited on the inserts are used to model tungsten erosion in this campaign. These TC ELM heat flux estimates are used in addition to IRTV, especially in cases where the IRTV view to the metal ring is obstructed. We observe that some metal inserts were deformed due to exposed leading edges. The thermal conditions on these inserts are investigated with the thermal modeling code ABAQUS using our heat flux measurements when these edges were exposed. We discuss how the thermal cycling on the ends of the inserts caused this deformation.

ERO modelling of tungsten erosion and re-deposition in EAST L mode discharges

Tungsten erosion and re-deposition at the upper outer divertor of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak has been modelled using the 3D Monte Carlo code ERO. The measured divertor plasma condition in attached L mode discharges with upper single null configuration has been used to build the background plasma in the simulations. The tungsten gross erosion rate is mainly determined by carbon impurity in the background plasma. Increasing carbon concentration can first increase and afterwards suppress the tungsten erosion rate. Taking into account the material mixing surface model, the influence of eroded particles returning to the surface on sputtering has been studied. Sputtering by eroded particles returning to the surface can significantly enhance the gross erosion by reduction of the carbon ratio within the surface interaction layer and by increasing the erosion rate due to sputtering by both eroded tungsten and carbon particles. Modelling indicates that carbon deposition occurs on the dome pla...

Tungsten erosion in tokamak at current disruption

A theoretical description is suggested for the process of tungsten erosion under current disruption in tokamak with lacking screening plasma layer. Experimental observations of substantial melting, formation of multiple small craters and erosion of a tungsten diaphragm in T-10 tokamak after current disruption are presented. Experimental observations were compared to estimates based on the model suggested. The results are used for forecasting erosion of the tungsten ITER diverter.

Tungsten Surface Erosion by Hydrogen Plasma Irradiation

Changes in the structure and the tungsten surface erosion by hydrogen plasma irradiation are studied in the article. It is shown that the change in the surface topography as a result of the development of the non-homogeneous surface etching is observed after surface irradiation. Metallographic analysis showed that the degree of relief is low in comparison with tungsten sample irradiated at T=700°C by tungsten samples irradiation at T=1000°C and 1500°C. However, these samples have small cracks, while the temperature increases the size and number of cracks also increases. It is determined, that the surface roughness varies depending on the irradiation temperature after hydrogen plasma exposure. The greatest increase in the roughness occurs in samples irradiated at T=1500°C, which is associated with the formation of small cracks in the surface layer. It is shown that a degree of surface erosion is increased with increase of the target temperature and the ion energy. Appreciable tungsten erosion due to irradiation of the plasma flow, plasma simulating stationary mode occurs only at relatively high temperatures of the target.

Dynamic control of low-Z material deposition and tungsten erosion by strike point sweeping on DIII-D

Carbon deposition on tungsten between ELMs was investigated in DIII-D in semi-attached/detached H-mode plasma conditions using fixed outer strike point (OSP) positions. Carbon deposition during plasma exposure of tungsten was monitored in-situ by measuring the reflectivity of the tungsten sample surface. No significant carbon deposition, i.e., without strong variations of the reflectivity, was observed during these experiments including discharges at high densities. In contrast, ERO modeling predicts a significant carbon deposition on the tungsten surface for those high density plasma conditions. The surface reflectivity decreases with methane injection, consistent with increased carbon coverage, as expected. The sweeping of OSP leads to a pronounced increase of the surface reflectivity, suggesting that the strike point sweeping may provide an effective means to remove carbon coating from tungsten surface. The ERO modeling however predicts again a regime of carbon deposition for these experiments. The discrepancies between carbon deposition regime predicted by the ERO model and the experimental observations suggest that carbon erosion during ELMs may significantly affect carbon deposition on tungsten.

Numerical analysis of tungsten erosion and deposition processes under a DEMO divertor plasma

Erosion reduction of tungsten (W) divertor target is one of the most important research subjects for the DEMO fusion reactor design, because the divertor target has to sustain large fluence of incident particles, composed mainly of fuel ions and seeded impurities, during year-long operation period. Rate of net erosion and deposition on outer divertor target has been studied by using the integrated SOL/divertor plasma code SONIC and the kinetic full-orbit impurity transport code IMPGYRO. Two background plasmas have been used: one is lower density ni and higher temperature case and the other is higher ni and lower temperature case. Net erosion has been seen in the lower ni case. But in the higher ni case, the net erosion has been almost suppressed due to increased return rate and reduced self-sputtering yield. Following two factors are important to understand the net erosion formation: (i) ratio of the 1st ionization length of sputtered W atom to the Larmor gyro radius of W+ ion, (ii) balance between the friction force and the thermal force exerted on W ions. DEMO divertor design should take into account these factors to prevent target erosion.

OEDGE modeling for the planned tungsten ring experiment on DIII-D

The OEDGE code is used to model tungsten erosion and transport for experiments with toroidal rings of high-Z metal tiles in the DIII-D tokamak. Such modeling is needed for both experimental and diagnostic design to have estimates of the expected core and edge tungsten density and to understand the various factors contributing to the uncertainties in these calculations. OEDGE simulations are performed using the planned experimental magnetic geometries and plasma conditions typical of both L-mode and inter-ELM H-mode discharges in DIII-D. OEDGE plasma reconstruction based on specific representative discharges for similar geometries is used to determine the plasma conditions applied to tungsten plasma impurity simulations. A new model for tungsten erosion in OEDGE was developed which imports charge-state resolved carbon impurity fluxes and impact energies from a separate OEDGE run which models the carbon production, transport and deposition for the same plasma conditions as the tungsten simulations. These values are then used to calculate the gross tungsten physical sputtering due to carbon plasma impurities which is then added to any sputtering by deuterium ions; tungsten self-sputtering is also included. The code results are found to be dependent on the following factors: divertor geometry and closure, the choice of cross-field anomalous transport coefficients, divertor plasma conditions (affecting both tungsten source strength and transport), the choice of tungsten atomic physics data used in the model (in particular ionization rate for W-atoms), and the model of the carbon flux and energy used for calculating the tungsten source due to sputtering. Core tungsten density is found to be of order 1015m−3 (excluding effects of any core transport barrier and with significant variability depending on the other factors mentioned) with density decaying into the scrape off layer. For the typical core density in the plasma conditions examined of 2 to 4 ×1019m−3, this represents a concentration on the order of 5 × 10−5.

ERO modelling of tungsten erosion in the linear plasma device PSI-2

Series of experiments on tungsten (W) erosion and transport in Argon (Ar) plasma were conducted at the linear plasma device PSI-2. W erosion was measured with three independent methods: WΙ spectroscopy, mass loss and quartz micro-balance (QMB) deposition sensor. Consistent set of data produced in these experiments was interpreted using the 3D ERO code simulations, which have reproduced all the main trends observed. Influence of the physical model assumptions (e.g. energy and angular distributions of sputtered particles) was demonstrated. The effect of WΙ effective quasi-metastable (MS) state population dynamics on spectroscopy measurements is shown; the characteristic relaxation time is determined. The measured physical sputtering yields for W are close to the simulated data obtained in the binary collision approximation (BCA) approach (SDTrimSP code). The remaining discrepancies between simulations and the experiment, mostly in spectroscopy, are accounted to the uncertainties in the plasma parameters and atomic data.

Erosion of nanostructured tungsten by laser ablation, sputtering and arcing

Mass loss of nanostructured tungsten, which was formed by helium plasma irradiation, due to laser ablation, sputtering, and arcing was investigated. Below the helium sputtering energy threshold (<117eV), sputtering by impurity gases such as nitrogen and oxygen was dominant. Sputtering yield became closer to theoretical value with increasing the incident ion energy, and sputtering by helium ions became the major contribution when the energy was >200eV. Reduction in sputtering on nanostructured surface was observed. Arcing was initiated using laser pulses, and the erosion rate by arcing was measured. The erosion rate increased with arc current, while the erosion per Coulomb was not affected by arc current.

Tungsten erosion by impurities and redeposition: focus on the magnetised sheath

The effect of the magnetised sheath on the gross erosion and redeposition of tungsten is examined with an insight on impurity impact energy and angle. A complete treatment of the impact energy is performed leading to a scaling that differs from the usual formula. It is found that even if the energy distribution at the sheath entrance strongly differs from this approximation, the discrepancy remains under 20% for the impact energy. The average impact angle of a set of impurities is calculated. The difference between models with and without sheath electric field depends strongly on the charge state and mass of the impurity considered. This can lead, for example in the case of gross sputtering due to impinging , to an underestimation of 3–4 times at for very grazing angles. Scalings for high and low density cases, which correspond for fusion relevant magnetic fields () to m−3 and m−3, respectively, are deduced and provide a good estimation of the average impact angle of all impurities. Finally the magnetised sheath is shown to have an effect on the redeposition through two contributions: it increases the prompt redeposition contribution to the total redeposition and constitutes a potential barrier for the ions leaving the surface. A discussion is provided about the optimal width of the simulation domain to capture these effects.

Tungsten melting and erosion under plasma heat load in tokamak discharges with disruptions

Full tungsten poloidal and mushroom limiters were tested in series of experiments with disruptions in the T-10 tokamak. Significant melting, formation of small craters and erosion of the tungsten limiter have been observed after ∼400 discharges with disruption. A theoretical description of the tungsten erosion at disruption in tokamak plasma is presented. The proposed model was verified by comparison with experimental observations in the T-10. The results are used for the erosion prediction of the ITER tungsten divertor.

Assessment of erosion, deposition and fuel retention in the JET-ILW divertor from ion beam analysis data

Post-mortem analyses of individual components provide relevant information on plasma-surface interactions like tungsten erosion, beryllium deposition and plasma fuel retention with divertor tiles via implantation or co-deposition. Ion Beam techniques are ideal tools for such purposes and have been extensively used for post-mortem analyses of selected tiles from JET following each campaign.In this contribution results from tiles removed from the JET ITER-Like Wall (JET-ILW) divertor following the 2013–2014 campaign are presented. The results summarize erosion, deposition and fuel retention along the poloidal cross section of the divertor surface and provide data for comparison with the first JET-ILW campaign, showing a similar pattern of material migration with the exception of Tile 6 where the strike point time on the tile was ∼ 4 times longer in 2013–2014 than in 2011–2012, which is likely to account for more material migration to this region. The W deposition on top of the Mo marker coating of Tile 4 shows that the enrichment takes place at the strike point location.

Diagnostics for molybdenum and tungsten erosion and transport in NSTX-U.

A comprehensive set of spectroscopic diagnostics is planned in the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade to connect measurements of molybdenum and tungsten divertor sources to scrape-off layer (SOL) and core impurity transport, supporting the installation of high-Z plasma facing components which is scheduled to begin with a row of molybdenum tiles. Imaging with narrow-bandpass interference filters and high-resolution spectroscopy will be coupled to estimate divertor impurity influxes. Vacuum ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectrometers will allow connecting high-Z sources to SOL transport and core impurity content. The high-Z diagnostics suite complements the existing measurements for low-Z impurities (carbon and lithium), critical for the characterization of sputtering of high-Z materials.

ERO and PIC simulations of gross and net erosion of tungsten in the outer strike-point region of ASDEX Upgrade

We have modelled net and gross erosion of W in low-density l-mode plasmas in the low-field side strike point region of ASDEX Upgrade by ERO and Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations. The observed net-erosion peak at the strike point was mainly due to the light impurities present in the plasma while the noticeable net-deposition regions surrounding the erosion maximum could be attributed to the strong E ×B drift and the magnetic field bringing eroded particles from a distance of several meters towards the private flux region. Our results also imply that the role of cross-field diffusion is very small in the studied plasmas. The simulations indicate net/gross erosion ratio of 0.2–0.6, which is in line with the literature data and what was determined spectroscopically. The deviations from the estimates extracted from post-exposure ion-beam-analysis data (∼0.6–0.7) are most likely due to the measured re-deposition patterns showing the outcomes of multiple erosion-deposition cycles.

Simulation of tungsten erosion and transport near the divertor plate during ELMs by a kinetic method

Tungsten (W) is fore seen as one of the most important candidates of the plasma-facing materials (PFM) for future fusion devices, due to its beneficial properties. However, the high-Z characteristic makes it a potential contamination to the core plasma. Divertor is the main component that directly contacts the plasma, therefore, it is very important to understand the erosion of W divertor plate and the corresponding transport of the eroded wall impurity, especially during edge localized modes (ELMs). In this work, a one-dimension-in-space and three-dimensions-in-velocity particle-in-cell code (EPPIC1D) is used to simulate the erosion of W divertor plate, and the transport of eroded W impurity near the divertor plate is studied by a Monte Carlo code. Benefiting from the kinetic simulation, energy/particle flux to the target could be calculated accurately, and the erosion of W plate by different species is simulated during ELMs. The trajectories and distributions of eroded W impurity particles are demonstrated, which shows us a basic idea of how these impurity particles are generated and transported. It is found that C3+ plays a dominated role on the erosion of W divertor plate during ELMs even when its concentration is low. Both W atoms and ions distribute mainly near the divertor plate, indicating only a very small fraction of W impurity particles could escape from divertor region and penetrate into the core plasma.