Experimental validation of 3D simulations of tungsten melt erosion under ITER-like transient loads

Tungsten in form of a macrobrush structure is foreseen as one of two candidate materials for the ITER divertor. The main mechanisms of metallic target damage are surface melting and melt motion erosion, which determines the lifetime of plasma facing components (PFC). The damage to W-macrobrush targets under repetitive ELM-like heat loads corresponding to the conditions of the plasma gun QSPA-T and ITER is numerically investigated with the three-dimensional melt motion code MEMOS. The calculations revealed a significant damage to brush edges caused by the interaction of impacting plasma with the lateral surfaces. In addition, experimentally observed overlapping of brush gaps by molten tungsten was numerically confirmed. These 3D effects of the repetitive transient loads may significantly influence the PFC lifetime.