• Energy Research
• physical sciences close
• Nuclear Materials and Energy close

The 2D simulations of edge plasma transport show that unlike some earlier publications, the impurity radiation loss per se does not cause the bifurcation-like transition to detached divertor regime. However, for the case where anomalous plasma transport is increasing with advancement to detachment, like it was recently observed experimentally, the transition to detachment exhibit the bifurcation-like character. Some other plausible reasons for similar bifurcation-like evolution to detachment are discussed. It is demonstrated that the current convective instability can be triggered in detached inner divertor plasma for the condition when outer divertor is still attached. This can explain the fluctuations of radiation loss observed recently experimentally for similar conditions. The self-sustained oscillations observed recently in numerical simulations and related to the interplay of the thermal force effects in impurity transport and impurity radiation loss are further investigated. It is shown that for some conditions these oscillations are ubiquitous, since no stable solutions possible. Keywords: Divertor detachment, Stability, Bifurcation, Impurity, Anomalous transport, Recycling

Abstract Accurate dose rate models for UO2 based materials in contact with water are important in the modeling of the radiolytically promoted dissolution of spent fuel. Dose rates of α-doped UO2 and un-irradiated MOX fuel were modelled using the ASTAR and SRIM stopping power databases. Dose rates were calculated as a function of distance from the active surface. Comparisons with common dose rate calculation models and the combined Bethe-Bloch and Lindhard–Scharff (LS) equation were performed. It was shown that the ASTAR and SRIM databases could more accurately simulate an α-spectrum compared to the Bethe-Bloch-LS equation. A comparison between the continuous slowing down approximation (CSDA) and the radial projection algorithm in the SRIM program was performed, and it was shown that CSDA overestimates the range of the α-particles by a few percent. This leads to an overestimation of the α-dose rate at distances close to the maximum range of the α-particle in water. A relationship between the average dose rate to specific α-activity ratio as a function of α-energy was obtained from the calculations, which can easily be implemented in alpha dose rate calculations of a UO2 based materials.

The reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel EUROFER is one of the foreseen structural materials for future fusion reactors. The exposure to energetic fusion neutrons will generate displacement damage in the steel which acts as trapping sites for hydrogen isotopes (HIs). For predictive simulations of HI retention the concentration of the trap sites and HI trap-binding energies are needed. In this work the potential influence of HIs present during displacement damage on the resulting trap site concentration is investigated. EUROFER samples are exposed to multiple sequences of displacement damage by MeV W-ions and subsequent loading by D-ions from a low temperature plasma. After each of these damage/loading sequences the D depth profile in the surfaces is measured by nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) using a 3He beam. These depth profiles show a clear increase in the trap site concentration when the displacement damaging step is performed on a sample already containing trapped D. The presence of 3He in analysis spots from previous NRA-depth profiling also results in a strong increase of local retention due to traps formed by the implanted 3He. Thermal desorption spectra show that in EUROFER retention is dominated by the bulk, even in the presence of displacement damage in the near surface. These results suggest that the presence of D and He in EUROFER will result in increased retention compared to pure EUROFER under displacement damage.

DIII-D L-mode experiments with local boron powder injection for real-time wall conditioning have been interpreted for the first time with the 3D plasma edge transport Monte Carlo code EMC3-EIRENE. Local B sourcing in plasma scenarios with upstream densities 1.5⋅1019m−3 and 2.2 MW heating results in a non-axisymmetric B distribution in the scrape-off layer (SOL) and on the divertor. The SOL frictional flows at high plasma density cause a strong inboard drag of injected impurities (≈90%), while lower background plasma densities tend to result in a more uniform distribution. The thermal forces prevent B deposition in the near SOL while the frictional force causes B fluxes to cover the divertor plasma-facing components in a region 7–10 cm beyond the strike line. Radiative dissipation occurs for B influxes above 1⋅1020s−1 and causes a moderate, non-axisymmetric reduction of the far SOL divertor heat fluxes. A comparison of top and midplane B injection shows no substantial difference in inboard vs. outboard asymmetries of the B distribution. On the other hand, erosion or recycling at the strike line may distribute the boron more uniformly in the SOL.

Energy dissipation in the plasma edge is key for future tokamaks. The potential of neon as radiating seeding species in disconnected double null (DDN) configuration is assessed in EAST discharges in high confinement mode (H-mode). As the separation between the two separatrices in the studied DDN discharges is minimum 1.5 cm, the configuration is effectively a single null configuration, and the benefits of the double null topology are minimal. Neon seeding, on the other hand, has a favourable effect: both the target heat flux and the divertor temperature decrease more than five-fold with increased seeding rate in high-recycling conditions. Interpretive edge plasma simulations with SOLPS-ITER in support of ongoing transport analysis are presented. For the unseeded case the numerical results agree with the experimental data within a factor two for the target temperature conditions and measured neutral pressures in the active divertor. The key for achieving good agreement is a suitable selection of coefficients for anomalous transport and neutral conductances between the upper cryopump and the main chamber.

Nitrogen used to reduce the power load onto the divertor in tokamak fusion devices (JET, AUG) has the drawback of ammonia formation. Non-negligible quantity of tritiated ammonia could be a serious concern for ITER, since it cannot be reduced through the presently designed fuel cycle loop. In this paper we report a study of the production of ND 3 as a function of the electron temperature (T e ) and neutral pressure in a N 2 /D 2 plasma mixture in the linear machine GyM. The nitrogenized compounds were monitored by Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) and Mass Spectrometry (MS). Measurements were performed at different values of T e ranging from 3 eV to 6 eV by varying the microwave power (2.45 GHz, up to 0.6 kW cw) that sustains the plasma, and for different neutral pressure at a constant ratio of nitrogen and deuterium partial pressures. The effect of introduction of He or Ar in the N 2 /D 2 mixtures has been also investigated. The ND 3 produced during plasma experiments has been quantified with a dedicated setup based on an in-line LN 2 trap and Liquid Ion Chromatography (LIC). Mass-spectrometry results showed that ND 3 is formed only during the plasma phase of the experi- ment while LIC showed that ammonia production increases with T e and with the total neutral pressure. Optical Emission Spectroscopy confirms the presence of ND species in all the cases studied. The addition of He and Ar in the N 2 /D 2 plasma, not modifing T e and n e , causes a reduction of ammonia formation, that is negligible in the case of Ar addition, while in the case of He reaches 80%. This suggests that He modifies the physical chemical process occurring at the wall, where the adsorbed He inhibits the reac- tions leading to ammonia formation at the metallic surface of the vessel. These results confirm the active role of a metallic surface in ammonia production and indicate He injection as a promising solution to limit the formation of the tritiated ammonia in the N seeded plasma of ITER. ©2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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. Keywords: Tungsten sputtering, Tungsten Erosion, WI spectroscopy, Edge Localized Modes, Recycling

The SOLPS-ITER code has been applied to the analysis of the scrape-off layer (SOL) plasma associated with the fast flow Lithium (Li) divertor design for Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF). Two divertor configurations are investigated to determine puff levels that provide robust operational windows that meet the FNSF design requirements on upstream density and divertor flux with a flat divertor for flowing liquid metal (LM). Neon (Ne) is introduced to control the heat flux to the divertors while Deuterium (D2) puffing is performed to maintain sufficiently high upstream density. We found that a simplified open geometry presents challenges for neutral control and impurity retention, but a balanced geometry with baffling is found to have acceptable puff operational windows. Lithium (Li) is sourced into the balanced configuration uniformly along the divertor surfaces and scanning over a large range to understand what level of Li emission is needed to influence the divertor and upstream plasma conditions. At low sourcing level (ϕLi≤1×1023/s), the Li shows a minor effect on the plasma and is well confined in the private flux region (PFR) and divertor surfaces. At moderate sourcing level (1×10231×1024/s), the Li strongly affects the upstream and divertor plasma conditions and leads to strong detachment by increasing momentum and power losses. At high sourcing level, Li reaches above the x-point that can result in a substantial Li radiation in the core and sufficient dissipation to strongly affect the divertor and upstream plasmas.