Status of design and experimental activity on module of lithium divertor for KTM tokamak

• Published in: Fusion engineering and design 2013-10, Vol.88 (9-10), p.1862-1865
• Main Authors: Lyublinski, Igor E., Vertkov, Alexey V., Zharkov, Mikhail Yu, Semenov, Vladimir V., Mirnov, Sergey V., Lazarev, Vladimir B., Tazhibayeva, Irina L., Shapovalov, Gennadiy V., Kulsartov, Timur V., D’yachenko, Alexandr V., Mazzitelli, Giuseppe, Agostini, Pietro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cooling system; Design engineering; Divertor; Ethyl alcohol; Liquid lithium; Lithium; Mathematical models; Modules; Na–K eutectic; PFC; Service life; Tokamak devices
• ISSN: 0920-3796; 1873-7196
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fusengdes.2013.05.103

•Lithium divertor module based on capillary-porous system is created for KTM tokamak.•The hydraulic tests of lithium divertor module were conducted.•The results were compared with the calculation data.•The analysis of results’ discrepancies was conducted.•The lithium divertor module is ready for tests on KTM tokamak. The projects of ITER and DEMO reactors showed that there are serious difficulties with solving the issues of plasma facing elements (PFE) based on the solid materials. Problems of PFE can be overcome by the use of liquid lithium. Application of lithium will allow to create a self-renewal and MHD stable liquid metal surface of the in-vessel devices possessing practically unlimited service life. Realization of these advantages is based on use of so-called lithium capillary-porous system (CPS) – new material, in which liquid lithium fills a solid matrix from porous material. The progress in development of lithium technology and also lithium experiments in the tokamaks TFTR, T-11M, T-10, FTU, NSTX, LTX, HT-7 and stellarator TJ II is a good basis for development of the project of steady-state operating lithium divertor module for Kazakhstan tokamak. At present the lithium divertor module for KTM tokamak is development and manufacturing. The paper describes main design features of the module of lithium divertor (MLD). The first step of the hydraulic tests of MLD with fully assembled external thermo-stabilization system, which was connected to in-vessel lithium unit, were performed using ethanol as a model heat transfer media. Test results of MLD have shown that operating parameters of designed and manufactured system for thermo-stabilization are sufficient for proper operation; basic hydraulic characteristics of the system are close to expected values.