Tritium plasma experiment: parameters and potentials for fusion plasma-wall interaction studies

Area of Science:

• Fusion energy research
• Plasma physics
• Materials science

Background:

• The Tritium Plasma Experiment (TPE) facility investigates deuterium/tritium behavior in materials relevant to fusion energy.
• Understanding plasma-wall interactions is critical for fusion reactor development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize plasma conditions within the TPE using a newly installed Langmuir probe.
• To assess the TPE's capability in simulating ITER's plasma-facing component (PFC) operational environment.

Main Methods:

• Installation and utilization of a Langmuir probe diagnostic in the TPE.
• Measurement of electron temperature, electron density, and ion flux density.
• Comparison of TPE plasma parameters with expected ITER PFC conditions.

Main Results:

• Electron temperature in TPE ranges from 5.0 to 10.0 eV.
• Electron density varies from 5.0 × 10^16 to 2.5 × 10^18 m^-3.
• Ion flux density ranges from 5.0 × 10^20 to 2.5 × 10^22 m^-2 s^-1.
• TPE achieves approximately 800 m^2 of ITER's 850 m^2 total PFC area for ion and electron density conditions.

Conclusions:

• The Langmuir probe provides essential characterization of TPE plasma conditions.
• TPE is a valuable experimental facility capable of simulating a significant portion of ITER's PFC operational conditions.
• These findings support TPE's role in advancing fusion plasma-wall interaction studies.