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Divertor inner target

Qualification milestone in Europe

8 Feb 2021
A qualification program is underway in Europe to ensure the performance and manufacturability of the divertor inner vertical target—a plasma-facing component located at the intersection of magnetic field lines at the bottom of the ITER machine where particle bombardment is particularly intense. Research Instruments (Germany) is the second European manufacturer to complete a full-scale prototype.
F4E_inner-vertical-target-prototype-ResearchInstruments.jpg
Representatives of Fusion for Energy, Research Instruments (Germany), and Metromecanica during dimensional checks on the inner vertical target performed at Research Instruments in December 2020.
This challenging component, one of three distinct divertor "targets," will sustain the highest head loads of the ITER machine—approximately 1000 °C in normal operating conditions and 2000 °C in off-normal conditions. As the high-energy plasma particles strike the tungsten surface of the inner vertical targets, their kinetic energy will be transformed into heat and the heat removed by active water-cooling.

The European Domestic Agency is contracting with different suppliers for the manufacturing qualification phase of its procurement program in order to ensure competition and mitigate technical risks through the development of different technologies. Among the challenge for manufacturers is the procurement of tungsten monoblocks, the bonding of the monoblocks to the copper alloy cooling tubes, the fabrication of the steel support structure, and strict dimensional requirements.

The full-scale prototype produced by Research Instruments is the second to be completed as part of the qualification program. The prototype, which measures approximately 1.5 metres and weighs 0.5 tonnes, will now be shipped to the ITER Divertor Test Facility at the Efremov Institute (Saint Petersburg) for high heat flux testing.

Read the full story on the European Domestic Agency website.

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