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The divertor plasma performance and the power handling are studied for 8 m class DEMO reactor with the fusion power of 1.5 GW. Due to the high impurity radiation power (80% of the exhausted power), the full detachment at the inner target and the partial detachment at the outer target are obtained for a relatively low electron density of 1.8 × 1019 m−3 at the outer mid-plane separatrix. The SONIC simulation shows the target heat load less than 8 MW/m2, which can be handled by the ITER-like divertor target, for both target. However, at the outer target, the ion temperature is still high which may cause the target erosion. For the divertor power handling and suppression of the target erosion, the divertor design study have to be further proceeded as well as the core plasma design. Dependence of the mid-plane separatrix density and the impurity concentration on the fuel gas puff is also studied. With increasing fuel gas puff rate, the mid-plane separatrix density increases and the Ar impurity concentration at the outer mid-plane decreases to 0.5%.

Erosion reduction of tungsten (W) divertor target is one of the most important research subjects for the DEMO fusion reactor design, because the divertor target has to sustain large fluence of incident particles, composed mainly of fuel ions and seeded impurities, during year-long operation period. Rate of net erosion and deposition on outer divertor target has been studied by using the integrated SOL/divertor plasma code SONIC and the kinetic full-orbit impurity transport code IMPGYRO. Two background plasmas have been used: one is lower density ni and higher temperature case and the other is higher ni and lower temperature case. Net erosion has been seen in the lower ni case. But in the higher ni case, the net erosion has been almost suppressed due to increased return rate and reduced self-sputtering yield. Following two factors are important to understand the net erosion formation: (i) ratio of the 1st ionization length of sputtered W atom to the Larmor gyro radius of W+ ion, (ii) balance between the friction force and the thermal force exerted on W ions. DEMO divertor design should take into account these factors to prevent target erosion. Keywords: DEMO, Divertor, Erosion, Ionization length, Thermal force

In the DEMO divertor, the neutral density becomes high to produce the full detachment and therefore the photon trapping can become important. In this paper, effects of the photon trapping on the DEMO divertor plasma has been studied. The pre-evaluation of the photon trapping effects on the fixed background plasma profile was carried out by using an iterative self-consistent collisional radiative model. The recombining plasma near the inner target and the private region changed to the ionizing plasma by the photon-excitation. Based on the preevaluation result, the database of the effective ionization rate coefficient including the photon transport inside a 2 mm sphere. Advantage of the 2 mm sphere approximation is that the extra calculation cost is not necessary. Iterative calculation of the SONIC including the photon trapping effects was carried out. While the electron density increased and the neutral density decreased in the wide region, the electron density decreases close to the inner strike point. This may be due to decrease in the ionization rate by decrease in the neutral density. (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In order to realize a feasible DEMO, we designed an in-vessel component including the conducting shell. The project is affiliated with the broader approach DEMO design activities and is conceptualized from a plasma vertical stability and engineering viewpoint. The dependence of the plasma vertical stability on the conducing shell parameters and the electromagnetic force at plasma disruption were investigated in numerical simulations (programmed in the 3D eddy current analysis code and a plasma position control code). The simulations assumed the actual shape and position of the vacuum vessel and in-vessel components. The plasma vertical stability was most effectively maintained by the double-loop shell.

The blanket modules in DEMO are made of reduced-activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel F82H. This material is ferromagnetic and it drags the magnetic field lines into the first wall (FW). Because of this, the heat load by the plasma heat flux, which goes along the magnetic field line will become higher. In this research, the first analysis of such effect has been done. The extra magnetic field Bm made by RAFM wall becomes higher at inner midplane, and the heat load at the module front surface becomes 1.3 MW/m2 to 5 MW/m2. Additionally, near the toroidal gaps, BM becomes high. Thus, at the top of the FW, magnetic field lines are dragged into the toroidal gaps directly because, the magnetic flux surface is not closed. This makes high (about 10MW/m2) heat load concentration at the moduel edge. The effect of the NBI port is also analyzed. Also near the port, Bm becomes high and the orbit of the magnetic field lines are changed. The effect of this doesn't occur near the port, but far region such as inner midplane or top of the FW. The heat load becomes 6 MW/m2 at inner midplane. These results indicate that the effect of RAFM steel on the FW heat load is not negligible, and more detailed analysis is necessary.

Plasma heat flux in the peripheral plasma reaches the first wall (FW) along a magnetic field line, and it sometimes causes several MW/m2 orders of magnitude high heat flux concentration at narrow region, such as the edge of the blanket module. Thus, to assess and to reduce the heat load is key issue in the DEMO design activity. In this research, a new heat load analysis code is introduced based on the e-folding model. In this code, the decay length λ is changed depending on wall connection length of magnetic field line (defined as the length of magnetic field line from the wall to the wall), and parallel heat flux q / / is calculated in each flux tube. This code can calculate the FW heat load simulating actual blanket module shapes. The 0.23 MW/m2 peak heat load at inner midplane in the case of the ideal FW (without gaps between blanket modules) is increased to 22 MW/m2 at toroidal module edge in the case of box shaped module. To shadow the edge and reduce such peak heat load, toroidal, and poloidal roof shaping is applied. Required roof height is analyzed from this code calculation. After shaping, peak heat load is reduced to 1.2 MW/m2. This value is under the allowable value 1.5 MW/m2, and in this case, surface temperature is also less than allowable temperature.

A short super-X divertor (SXD) is proposed as an option for the Demo divertor, where the field line length from the divertor null to the outer target was largely increased compared to a similar-size conventional divertor. Physics and engineering design studies for a 3 GW-level fusion power Demo reactor (SlimCS) (Tobita et al., 2009) have recently progressed. Minimal number of the divertor coils were installed inside the toroidal field coil, i.e. interlink-winding. Arrangement of the poloidal field coils and their currents were determined, taking into account of the engineering design such as vacuum vessel and the neutron shield structures, and the divertor maintenance scenario. Divertor plasma simulation showed that significant radiation region is produced between the super-X null and the target. Radiation loss in the divertor was increased, producing fully detached plasmas efficiently. Advantages of the short SXD were demonstrated, but the total peak heat load was a marginal level (10 MW m −2 ) for the engineering design.

Vertical instability of an elongated plasma and its stabilized concepts by in-vessel components and vacuum vessel (VV) design have been studied intensely in JA and EU Broader Approach, DEMO Design Activity. The vertical stabilization of the plasma represents one of the key issues for EU and JA DEMO, due to the large distance of the active control coils for the presence of thick breeding blanket system. A feasible DEMO reactor that maintains plasma vertical stability was proposed from an engineering viewpoint. The vertical stability performances are acceptable, without considering a passive stabilizer, if a maximum elongation of κ95 = 1.6 is chosen. For the higher-elongated plasmas (κ95 > 1.70), additional inboard passive stabilizer is effective.

Relations between a net electrical output power and dimensions of components in radial build are investigated based on the ITER plasma performance to develop a conceptual design of DEMO with the net electrical output power of several hundred MW. Reducing the dimensions of in-vessel components and increasing the thickness of the toroidal field coil contribute to strengthen the toroidal magnetic field at plasma, which brings about increase in a net electrical output power. The relation between the minimum plasma major radius and the maximum net electrical output power is clarified. Furthermore effects of improvements in the ITER plasma performance on the net electricity are also analyzed; indicating the increase of normalized beta could have advantage from the viewpoint of the divertor heat load because the increase of synchrotron radiation loss power contributes to reduce the divertor heat load, though the higher energy confinement is required.

Power exhaust to the divertor and the conceptual design have been investigated for a steady-state DEMO in Japan with 1.5 GW-level fusion power and the major radius of 8.5 m, where the plasma parameters were revised appropriate for the impurity seeding scenario. A system code survey for the Ar impurity seeding suggested the volume-averaged density, impurity concentration and exhaust power from the main plasma of = 205–285 MW. The divertor plasma simulation (SONIC) was performed in the divertor leg length of 1.6 m with the fixed exhaust power to the edge of = 250 MW and the total radiation fraction at the edge, SOL and divertor ( = 0.8), as a first step to investigate appropriate design of the divertor size and geometry. At the outer target, partial detachment was produced near the strike-point, and the peak heat load () at the attached region was reduced to ~5 MW m−2 with appropriate fuel and impurity puff rates. At the inner divertor target, full detachment of ion flux was produced and the peak was less than 10 MW m−2 mostly due to the surface-recombination. These results showed a power exhaust scenario and the divertor design concept. An integrated design of the water-cooling heat sink for the long leg divertor was proposed. Cu-ally (CuCrZr) cooling pipe was applicable as the heat sink to handle the high heat flux near the strike-point, where displacements per atom rate was estimated to be 0.5–1.5 per year by neutronics calculation. An arrangement of the coolant rooting for Cu-alloy and Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic (RAFM) steel (F82H) pipes in a divertor cassette was investigated, and the heat transport analysis of the W-monoblock and Cu-alloy pipe under the peak of 10 MWm−2 and nuclear heating was performed. The maximum temperatures on the W-surface and Cu-alloy pipe were 1021 and 331 °C. Heat flux of 16 MW m−2 was distributed in the major part of the coolant pipe. These results were acceptable for the plasma facing and structural materials.

Power exhaust for a 3?GW class fusion reactor with an ITER-sized plasma was investigated by enhancing the radiation loss from seeding impurity. The impurity transport and plasma detachment were simulated under the Demo divertor condition using an integrated divertor code SONIC, in which the impurity Monte-Carlo code, IMPMC, can handle most kinetic effects on the impurity ions in the original formula. The simulation results of impurity species from low Z (neon) to high Z (krypton) and divertor length with a plasma exhausted power of 500?MW and radiation loss of 460?MW, and a fixed core?edge boundary of 7???1019?m?3 were investigated at the first stage for the Demo divertor operation scenario and the geometry design. Results for the different seeding impurities showed that the total heat load, including the plasma transport and radiation , was reduced from 15?16?MW?m?2 (Ne and Ar) to 11?MW?m?2 for the higher Z (Kr), and extended over a wide area accompanied by increasing impurity recycling. The geometry effect of the long-leg divertor showed that full detachment was obtained, and the peak qtarget value was decreased to 12?MW?m?2, where neutral heat load became comparable to and due to smaller flux expansion. Fuel dilution was reduced but was still at a high level. These results showed that a divertor design with a long leg with higher Z seeding such as Ar and Kr is not fulfilled, but will be appropriate to obtain the divertor scenario for the Demo divertor. Finally, influences of ? and D? enhancement were seen significantly in the divertor, i.e. the radiation and density profiles became wider, leading to full detachment. Both qtarget near the separatrix and Te at the outer flux surfaces were decreased to a level for the conventional technology design. On the other hand, the problem of fuel dilution became worse. Extrapolation of the plasma transport coefficients to ITER and Demo, where density and temperature will be higher than ITER and edge-localized modes are mitigated, is a key issue for the divertor design.

Power exhaust scenario and divertor design for a steady-state Japan (JA) DEMO and a pulse Europe (EU) DEMO1 have been investigated as one of the most important common issues in Broader Approach DEMO Design Activity. Radiative cooling is a common approach for the power exhaust scenario. For the JA DEMO, development of the divertor design appropriate for high P-sep/R-p similar to 30 MW m(-1) is required, while the radiation fraction in the main plasma (f(rad)(main) = P-rad(main)/P-heat) is ITER-level (0.40-0.45) and the exhaust power above the L- to H-mode power threshold (f(LH) = P-sep/P-th(LH)) is large margin (similar to 2). For the EU DEMO1, larger f(rad)(main) (=0.67) and smaller f(LH) (= 1.2) plasma is required, using higher-Z impurity seeding, in order to apply ITER-level divertor (P-sep/R-P = 17 MW m(-1)). ITER technology, i.e. water cooling with W-monoblock and Cu-alloy (CuCrZr) heat sink, is a baseline for JA and EU to handle the peak heat load of 10 MW m(-2)-level, and neutron flux and irradiation dose are comparable. For the JA DEMO, two different water-cooling pipes, i.e. CuCrZr and F82H steel, are proposed. For the EU DEMO1, the heat sink consists of all Cu-alloy pipe, and the divertor size is reduced with replacing the baffles by the breeding blankets. Choices of the heat sink components have been developed appropriate to the high irradiation dose condition. These JA and EU approaches of the power exhaust scenario will provide important case studies for the future decision of the DEMO divertor design.