AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Wednesday Sessions
       Session PS1-WeM

Paper PS1-WeM1
Carbon Exposed to Hydrogen Plasma of ITER Relevant Conditions in Pilot-PSI

Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 8:00 am, Room 2009

Session: Plasma-Surface Interactions II
Presenter: G.J. van Rooij, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
Authors: G.J. van Rooij, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
W.A.J. Vijvers, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
J. Westerhout, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
H.J.N. van Eck, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
W.R. Koppers, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
V. Veremiyenko, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
W.J. Goedheer, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
B. de Groot, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
P. Smeets, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
R. Engeln, Eindhoven Univ. of Tech., The Netherlands
D.C. Schram, Eindhoven Univ. of Tech., The Netherlands
H.J. van der Meiden, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
N.J. Lopes Cardozo, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
A.W. Kleyn, FOM-Inst. for Plasma Phys., The Netherlands
Correspondent: Click to Email
Plasma surface interaction (PSI) in the divertor of ITER and fusion reactors beyond ITER, is a critical research area in the development of fusion power. For ITER, power and particle flux densities of 10 MW/m@super 2@ and 1E24 m@super -2@s@super -1@ respectively are foreseen, at ne < 1E21 m@super -3@ and Te in the few eV range. Pilot-PSI is a linear plasma generator that studies the production of such plasma conditions with a cascaded arc in magnetic fields up to 1.6 T. These studies are required for the design of the larger linear plasma generator Magnum-psi (Magnetized Plasma Generator and Numerical Modelling for Plasma-Surface Interactions Studies), which is being build by FOM in collaboration with ist TEC partners to address the physics of PSI in this extreme regime. In this contribution, we show on the basis of Thomson scattering and optical emission spectroscopy results that the specified plasma parameters have been realized in Pilot-PSI. We demonstrate how the geometrical details and the operation parameters of the cascaded arc can be optimized for high hydrogen plasma yields in strong magnetic fields. This knowledge is used to produce the record numers of ne = 5E21 m@super -3@ and Te = 5 eV. Pilot-PSI is already a unique experiment for the field of PSI-studies on the basis of these numbers. In preparation for detailed PSI studies on the hydrogen plasma and carbon surface system, we have performed preliminary experiments by exposing carbon targets to the Pilot-PSI plasma jet. The carbon content in the plasma was monitored in these experiments with optical emission spectroscopy on the CH band and the Balmer @gamma@ line. In addition, Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy was installed for characterisation of the plasma close to the surface. Results will be shown on the detection of CH (around 431 nm) and C2 (around 517 nm). The effect of the exposure on the target was analysed off line by means of the XPS instrument that is available within our PSI-lab.