Type: EUROfusion

Project duration: 2021 - 2025

Project manager: Dr. Jeļena Butikova, ISSP UL

Total funding: 530 KEUR

Project summary: 

Safe and successful operation of ITER requires accurate determination of the amount of plasma fuel retained in the beryllium (Be), tungsten (W), and their deposits in plasma-facing components (PFC).

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is one of the most promising methods for quantitative in-situ determination of fuel retention in PCF of magnetically confined fusion devices like ITER and JET.

LIBS development for fusion reactors in Europe has the following main goals: a) quantification and detailed investigations of fuel release by assessing W, Be and mixed W-Be deposits, as they are the main retention source in ITER, and b) technological aspects of a remote handling application of LIBS inside a fusion reactor with tungsten first wall and neutrons.

The ISSP UL contribution involves comparison of absolute content and composition of the elements obtained by picosecond vs nanosecond LIBS, as well as application of calibration-free single-pulse picosecond LIBS technique to provide the depth profiling of the elements in the samples from different toroidal devices. A significant emphasis is placed on hydrogen/deuterium differentiation and sensitivity of determination of deuterium content in PFC.