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Plasma surface interactions - Experimental

Scientific programme

The mission of the PSI-E group is to perform basic plasma-surface interaction research needed for the design validation and performance predictions of the plasma-facing components of future fusion devices.
The central experiment will be the high ion flux (>1024 m-2s-1), high power (10 MW/m2) linear steady-state plasma generator Magnum-PSI, operating in a magnetic field of 3 T (superconducting magnet). This worldwide unique experiment is designed to reach the parameter range of plasma in front of the high-flux plasma facing components of the next step fusion reactor ITER. This will allow the fundamental study of very pressing problems associated with the erosion and migration of materials, fuel retention, dust production and the effects of transient high heat loads.
A pilot experiment, Pilot-PSI, has been set up in which the hydrogen plasma source is developed to the level that it can produce the fluxes given above. A cascaded arc is used as the plasma source. The plasma beam in the Pilot-PSI device can be confined by a magnetic field of up to 1.6 T for short pulses.

 

The programme of the PSI-E group is articulated around the following points:

  • Material migration
  • Effects of transient heat and particle loads on surfaces
  • Change of surface morphology due to helium plasma exposure
  • Deuterium retention in mixed materials

Personnel

 

Name Position E-mail
Gregory De Temmerman Group leader g [dot] c [dot] temmerman [in_the_middle] rijnhuizen [dot] nl
Miranda van den Berg Research engineer M [dot] A [dot] vandenBerg [in_the_middle] rijnhuizen [dot] nl
Jakub Zielinski PhD student j [dot] j [dot] zielinski [in_the_middle] rijnhuizen [dot] nl
Kirill Bystrov PhD student k [dot] bystrov [in_the_middle] rijnhuizen [dot] nl

 

Highlights

A pulsed-plasma source is being developed for the study of the effect of transient heat loads on the plasma-exposed surface, with the aim of simulating what would happen during Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) in ITER. The cascaded arc is coupled to a capacitor bank which produces a transient power increase in the source. This leads to a sudden rise of the plasma density and temperature for duration of about 0.5ms. First experiments have been done with a small capacitor bank allowing discharge current of around 2kA, this results in plasma density higher than 1021m-3 and electron temperatures of around 7 eV. The evolution of the surface temperature during such a pulse is shown in figure 1, together with the peak surface heat flux as a function of the magnetic field. Peak heat fluxes in excess of 200 MW.m-2 have been reached.

 

Figure 1: The left graph shows the evolution of the surface temperature (measured with a fast infrared camera) during a plasma pulse produced with different values of the magnetic field. The right panel shows the peak surface heat flux obtained during the same pulses.

International collaborations

  • Trilateral Euregio Cluster (TEC) with partners Ecole Royale Militaire, Brussels, Belgium and Institut fuer Energieforschung-4, Forschungszentrum Juelich, Juelich, Germany
  • University of Basel, Switzerland
  • Heriot-Watt University, Scotland
  • CCFE Culham, UK
  • CIEMAT, Spain
  • University of California at San Diego, USA