PFMC – Plasma Facing Materials and Components

Within the project Plasma Facing Materials and Components the areas of plasma wall interaction studies, material modification under plasma exposure, development of new plasma facing materials and their characterisation are being merged together to form a widened field of competence at IPP. The work supports the exploration and the further development of the fusion devices of IPP and also generates basic expertise with regard to the PFC related questions in ITER and fusion reactors.
Starting from the analysis of loading and exposure conditions of plasma facing materials in the IPP devices, materials and model systems of plasma facing material surfaces will be tested under equivalent laboratory conditions. They are subjected to particle fluxes and to thermal exposure in laboratory experiments to quantitatively determine erosion, hydrogen desorption, and thermally induced chemical and physical surface processes.

Based on this knowledge, new materials are being developed for experiments in ASDEX Upgrade and in Wendelstein 7-X. These materials which are firstly being synthesized on laboratory scale will be characterised with regard to their properties and may subsequently be further developed within an industrial environment. Results gained from the operation of these materials in ASDEX Upgrade and – later – in W7-X are of direct relevance also for ITER. Plasma material interaction processes in ASDEX Upgrade can be scaled to ITER conditions and the issues of stationary heat fluxes to plasma facing surfaces are a fundamental aspect of the stationary plasma operation of W7-X.