Statistical analysis of blister bursts during temperature-programmed desorption of deuterium-implanted polycrystalline tungsten

During temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of stress-relieved polycrystalline tungsten samples exposed to a deuterium plasma, short, intense bursts of D2 were observed on the low-temperature flank of the main desorption peak. These bursts are attributed to the rupturing of blisters filled with high-pressure D2 gas. A statistical analysis of the size distribution and temporal correlation of the bursts is presented. The influence of different measurement intervals and TPD heating rates on the observed bursts is simulated based on these statistics and compared to the experimental results. The contribution of bursts to the total D inventory in the sample is also estimated.