Examination of W7-X target elements after high heat flux testing

Full text of publication follows: The target elements of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) divertor are designed to sustain a stationary heat flux of 10 MW/m2 and to remove a maximum power load up to 100 kW. The plasma-facing material is made of CFC NB31 flat tiles bonded to a CuCrZr copper alloy water-cooled heat sink. Before launching the serial fabrication, pre-series activities aimed at qualifying the design, the manufacturing route, the relevant non-destructive examination (NDE) methods, and at defining the acceptance criteria for the serial production. High heat flux (HHF) testing is the central activity of this qualification phase and represents a fundamental tool to predict 'critical' defects assembling. Within the framework of this qualification activity, the reception tests performed in the transient infrared thermography test bed SATIR at CEA-Cadarache and HHF testing carried out in the ion beam facility GLADIS at IPP-Garching, exhibited some tiles with thermal inhomogeneities, which initiated and developed during high heat flux testing. Hence, studies were launched in order to better understand this behaviour during cyclic heat loading. This post testing examination was mainly focused on the interface between CFC flat tiles and CuCrZr heat sink to improve if necessary the current design. HHF thermal cycling tests at ∼10 MW/m2 for 10 s pulse duration each, allowed to assess the performances of target elements and showed some tiles with hot spots close to the edge (stable or progressing). Finally, after the HHF experimental campaign, a comprehensive analysis of some tested elements was carried out by means of infrared thermography inspection SATIR and metallographic examinations. Afterwards correlations between the non destructive SATIR inspection, HHF testing GLADIS and metallographic observation were investigated to assess damage detection, to analyse defect propagation, and to adjust the acceptance criteria valuable for the serial production. This paper will discuss the obtained results of these different examinations performed after HHF testing in order to understand the behaviour during heat loading of the bond between the CFC tiles and the heat sink structure. (authors)