Tolerable Stationary Heat Loads to Liquid Lithium Divertor Targets

Abstract

An 0D model is proposed that makes it possible to estimate the limiting stationary heat loads to the targets covered with liquid lithium (LL) layer, taking into account the effects of vapor shielding by sputtered and evaporated LL and hydrogen recycling. Several models of cooled target substrates are considered in which the LL layer facing the plasma is placed. For the considered substrate models, a parametric analysis of the tolerable stationary heat loads to the target on the substrate thickness, the effective cooling energy per particle of sputtered lithium, and the lithium prompt redeposition factor was carried out. It is shown that, at a small substrate thickness, the choice of the substrate model has a significant impact on the tolerable heat loads. It is also shown that even at unrealistically large values of the effective cooling energy, the dissipation of lithium remains modest. This means that in regimes with a high power coming from the core plasma to the edge, the injection of an additional radiator is required. Finally, it is shown that one of the most effective ways to increase the tolerable stationary heat loads would be to reduce the thickness of the target substrate.

Keywords

• plasma
• tokamak divertor
• divertor targets
• liquid lithium
• heat loads