Hydrogen recycle and isotope exchange from dense carbon films

Dense carbon films were prepared by deposition from hydrogen plasmas to which methane was added. The initial hydrogen recycle coefficient from the films ranges from more than two to less than one. The films contain large amounts of hydrogen (up to 50 at. %). They adjust themselves to provide recycling coefficients near unity. Isotope changeover times tend to be long. The reservoir of hydrogen instantly available to the plasma to maintain or stabilize the recycle coefficient and isotopic composition of the plasma is 1015 cm-2 or greater depending on film preparation, temperature, and prior plasma exposure conditions. Simulator observations tend to support and improve the understanding of the observations in TEXTOR and JET; however, they also point out the need for control of film deposition and operating parameters to provide desirable and reproducible properties. The films and the hydrogen isotopes they contain can be removed easily by plasma processes. Since the hydrogen in these films is relatively immobile except in the zone reached by energetic particles, or at temperatures above 4000C, dense carbon films may be useful in managing the tritium recovery from near-term fusion experiments