Performance analysis of a full graphite armor for RFX

A summary is presented of the reasons that led to the choice of covering the whole RFX vacuum vessel with solid graphite tiles, and a short description is given of the armor design. The thermal behaviour of the first wall under heat fluxes coming from plasma particle transport is analysed; 1-D and 2-D finite element models give accurate predictions of the temperature within the tiles during the pulses and on the full wall during the dead times. The radiative and conductive contribution to the heat exchanges are analysed and compared. Finally, eddy currents and forces acting on the tiles and their supports during fast plasma current terminations are calculated. (author)