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Abstract Disruption mitigation by shattered Ne pellet injection (SPI) has been simulated for an H-mode ITER D-T discharge of 280 MJ stored energy using the 3D TOKES code. Heating of the first wall from the radiation flash during the thermal quench of the disruption initiated by the injected pellets has been assessed. The dynamics of Ne plasma expansion in the core with radiation from this plasma have been simulated for the series of pellet sizes from 5.4 × 1024 to 8.6 × 1022 Ne atoms. The threshold pellet size for irradiation of the core energy has been found. The results of SPI and massive gas injection simulations are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of tungsten (W) plasma shield dynamics have been performed in the 2MK-200 facility under ITER relevant disruptive plasma heat flux densities of ∼100 GW/m 2 . Plasma temperature profiles at two time instants and time dependent electron density profiles are available from these experiments. These data have been used to validate TOKES code simulations of the W plasma shield which is computed to form in front of the ITER W divertor targets during disruptions. The experimental and simulated temperature profiles are in a good agreement for the measurement points at distances of 1–5 cm from the target. An important feature of the W plasma shield seen in the code simulations is the sharp electron temperature drop very close to the target. This region is not resolved in the 2MK-200 facility because of unacceptably low signal/noise ratio. Further experiments in a new, larger plasma gun are planned for experimental validation of this feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The integrated tokamak simulation code TOKES is proposed for estimation of the ITER first wall radiation damage during massive injection of noble gas inside the core for mitigation of the disruptions. Simulations of MGI processes ab initio are almost impossible because of complexity of the problem, but one can get reliable results elaborating the TOKES scenario from JET experiments and applying it for ITER conditions. With this aim the TOKES code is used for simulation of JET shots disrupted with MGI. The TOKES scenario for the thermal quench of MGI at JET and its extrapolation to ITER have been developed basing on analysis of the available JET database and on comparison with the simulations performed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Brittle destruction of tungsten armour under action of edge localised modes of plasma instabilities (ELMs) in ITER is an important issue determining the lifetime of the divertor. Besides, cracking of the armour produces tungsten dust with characteristic size of 1–10μm flying from the armour surface with velocities up to 10m/s. Influx of the tungsten dust into the ITER confinement decreases the temperature of the plasma, reduces the thermonuclear gain and even may run the confinement into disruption. This paper describes experiments in QSPA-Kh50 plasma gun and modeling, which has been performed for providing more insight into the physics of tungsten cracking under action of ELMs and for confirmation of the important result on stabilization of the crack development at the tungsten armour surface, predicted in our previous paper – the same authors, 2010. The threshold value of energy density deposition for start of tungsten cracking has been measured as 0.3MJ/m2 after 5–10 shots. From analytical considerations three times smaller threshold value has been predicted with increasing number of shots. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Simulations of tungsten armour cracking under small ELM-like plasma heat load, which does not cause surface melting, have been performed using the PEGASUS-3D code. A dedicated series of experiments have been performed in the QSPA-Kh50 facility for measurements of the unknown tungsten thermophysical properties and for verification of the PEGASUS-3D simulation results. The simulations revealed that a cellular crack network with average mesh size Λ ∼0.5mm formed after first ELMs and the pattern does not change further. With increasing number of repetitive ELMs loads, the average crack width Δ(n) has a maximum value Δ m . The ratio of Δ m /Λ is equal to the tungsten thermal expansion at the maximum surface temperature. Δ(n) tends to this value exponentially. The number of ELMs n m needed for Δ stabilization depends on the ELMs energy density and time duration, n m ∼300 for the simulated ELMs of 0.45MJ/m2 and 0.25ms duration. The PEGASUS-3D code is prepared for simulations of tungsten armour damage under action of ELMs of various energy deposition and time duration. These parameters of ELMs depend on ITER regimes of operation and on how successful will be the efforts on ELMs mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Analysis of experiments in the MK-200UG facility dedicated to verify the FOREV-2D simulations of ITER core contamination with carbon vaporized during ELMs has been performed. In these experiments the carbon fibre composite (CFC) of NB31 grade have been treated with plasma heat fluxes relevant for ITER ELMs. The analysis revealed that thin layer of few hundred microns on CFC surface is damaged and its thermoconductivity effectively reduced approximately three times, but the CFC bulk has the reference thermoconductivity. Good agreement between the measured and the calculated profiles for carbon plasma electron density at various hydrogen plasma heat loads as well as the agreement between the measured and the simulated dependences of the absorbed energy density on the applied heat load provide reliable validation of the carbon plasma shields simulated with the FOREV-2D code. High carbon plasma shield densities of 1023–1024 m−3 predicted in the simulations for ELM-produced shields has been proved in these MK-200UG experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Exposure of the carbon fibre composites (CFC) NB31 and NS31 by multiple plasma pulses has been performed at the plasma guns MK-200UG and QSPA. Numerical simulation for the same CFCs under ITER type I ELM typical heat load has been carried out using the code PEGASUS-3D. Comparative analysis of the numerical and experimental results allowed understanding the erosion mechanism of CFC based on the simulation results. A modification of CFC structure has been proposed in order to decrease the armour erosion rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The behavior of a preheated at 650°C tungsten targets under repetitive ELM-like plasma pulses is studied in simulation experiments with the quasi-stationary plasma accelerator QSPA Kh-50. The targets have been exposed up to 350 pulses of the duration 0.25ms and the surface heat loads either 0.45MJ/m2 or 0.75MJ/m2, which is below and above the melting threshold, respectively. The development of surface morphology of the exposed targets as well as cracking and swelling at the surface is discussed. First comparisons of obtained experimental results with corresponding numerical simulations of the code PEGASUS-3D are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The beryllium is foreseen as plasma facing armour for the first wall in the ITER in form of Be-clad blanket modules in macrobrush design with brush size about 8–10cm. In ITER significant heat loads during transient events (TE) are expected at the main chamber wall that may leads to the essential damage of the Be armour. The main mechanisms of metallic target damage remain surface melting and melt motion erosion, which determines the lifetime of the plasma facing components. Melting thresholds and melt layer depth of the Be armour under transient loads are estimated for different temperatures of the bulk Be and different shapes of transient loads. The melt motion damages of Be macrobrush armour caused by the tangential friction force and the Lorentz force are analyzed for bulk Be and different sizes of Be-brushes. The damage of FW under radiative loads arising during mitigated disruptions is numerically simulated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent tokamak simulation experiments with the QSPA Kh-50 facility several mechanisms of dust generation from tungsten surfaces under ITER ELM-like energy loads have been identified. Here cracking and melting are reported. The brittle destruction dominates after a few transient impacts when a network of major cracks forms on the surface. Bifurcation of major cracks results in ejection of dust particles with sizes up to ∼30μm. Dust generation occurs also after surface melting and following resolidification when fine crack networks along the grain boundaries develop. In this process the destruction is accompanied by bridge formation due to capillary tension across the fine cracks. Next impacts (even weak melt-free ones) can destroy those bridges, which produces considerable amounts of dust particles of nm-size dust. Surface modification after the repetitive plasma pulses also results in creation of nm-size dust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]