Nuclear Materials and Energy (Dec 2018)
Interaction of adhered beryllium proxy dust with transient and stationary plasmas
Abstract
Tungsten (W) substrates with adhered beryllium (Be) proxy dust - copper, chromium, aluminium - have been exposed in the Magnum-PSI linear device. Their interaction with transient and stationary plasmas has been systematically studied under varying heat fluxes and magnetic field topologies. The dust remobilization activities, macro-morphological changes and chemical modifications induced by the plasma incidence are documented. Aluminium is identified to be the most suitable surrogate material due to the similar binary phase diagram and nearly identical evaporation rates. Extrapolation suggests that Be dust cannot survive on hot W surfaces but it can trigger mixed Be/W effects prior to its plasma removal. Keywords: Transient heat loads, Dust remobilization, Dust survivability, Dust adhesion, Mixed material effects