THERMAL CYCLING EXPERIMENTS OF MONOBLOCK DIVERTOR MODULES FOR FUSION EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS

JAERI has been intensively developing plasma facing components for next step large fusion machines, such as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). It is one of the most important issues to develop divertor plates in the engineering design activity of ITER. The divertor plates are exposed severe heat loads and particle fluxes from fusion plasma. In the operation condition of ITER, the divertor plates are required to withstand a peak heat flux of 15 approximately 30 MW/m2. In the present study, monoblock divertor modules have been manufactured and tested in an electron beam test facility in JAERI, which consist of carbon reinforced carbon composite (CFC) materials brazed on an OFHC copper tube directly. Thermal cycling experiments have been carried out with a peak heat flux of 15 MW/m2. It has successfully been demonstrated that the present design of the ITER divertor plate can endure a stationary heat load of 15 MW/m2 for more than 1000 cycles.