Experimental characterization of leading edge cracking on bulk tungsten divertor components during 2017–2019 WEST operation
Résumé
During the 2017-2019 WEST operation, a set of ITER-like plasma-facing units consisting of tungsten monoblocks was installed on the lower divertor. Despite modest heating power, 27 % of these monoblocks had cracks on their poloidal leading edges, which were not protected by a toroidal bevel. A comprehensive experimental characterization of the 133 cracked monoblocks indicates that damage occurs near the plasma strike point areas where neat cracks separated by 0.15-0.5 mm in the poloidal direction were observed. Cracks are up to 1 mm long and 1 mm deep and did not affect the lower divertor ability to sustain long pulses. The most important parameter affecting crack formation is the relative vertical misalignment between components.
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