Innovative powerful pulsed technique, based on a plasma accelerator, for simulation of radiation damage and testing of materials for nuclear systems

Innovative technology of a plasma accelerator of the Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) type based on modern elements of high-current nanosecond electronics is presented. This technology ensures operation of the devices having capacitor bank energy 1 through 10 kJ with a high repetition rate (up to tens cps) and a long life-time (on the level of 106 'shots'). These devices can operate with different gases, including deuterium-tritium mixture. They may produce plasma streams having velocity 1 - 5 x 107 cm/s and density about 1018 cm-3, fast ion and electron beams with particle's energy about 100 keV, soft and hard X-Rays, and 2.5 and 14.0 MeV neutrons during 0.1 - 1.0 μs pulse durations. DPF phenomenon been discovered in 50's is the most well diagnosed observable fact. It is usually characterized by a number of diagnostics with nanosecond temporal, micrometer spatial and very high spectral resolution. The same statement can be applied to the secondary plasma parameters' measurements as well as to the transient events appeared on the surface and inside the specimens' bulk under tests. A number of such diagnostics used in the simulation and test experiments together with the results received will be described. Power flux density of plasma and fast ion/electron streams on the sample's surface during the experiments simulating conditions on plasma-facing components inside thermonuclear fusion reactors may reach as much as 1010 W/cm2. It is about those expected in the reactors with the inertial (IPC) plasma confinement and much higher than those with the magnetic plasma confinement (MPC). Pulse durations of primary irradiating streams are in the limits from 10-7 s up to a few microseconds. It is quite similar to those expected in the IPC reactors. Discussion of a so-called 'damage factor' will be presented in the connection with MPC reactors. However the life-time of secondary plasmas produced by the above streams on the sample's surface and by current flowing during 4 - 5 cycles of the oscillating discharge is 30-100 μs, which simulate heat loads appeared in tokamaks during transient events (ELMs, disruption instability, etc.) in a perfect way also by the pulse's durations. (author)