R&D activities on manufacturing plasma-facing unit for prototype of ITER divertor outer target in JADA

Japan Domestic Agency (JADA) carried out R&Ds activities to improve joining CFC monoblocks onto a CuCrZr cooling tube in PFUs to boost the success rate of joint and to confirm load carrying capability of the monoblock attachments to Steel Support Structure (SSS) against tensile force simulating electromagnetic load to pull PFUs from SSS. In joining the CFC monoblocks to the cooling tube, JADA has adopted brazing by using noble-metal-free filler with the following improvements; (1) metalizing joint surface of CFC using Ti-coating with accurate thickness controlling, (2) Changing buffer layer material from soft pure copper to Cu–W alloy. By using the present improved joint, JADA has manufactured three mock-ups with 5 CFC monoblocks and tested against repetitive high heat loads more than 20 MW/m². All of CFC monoblocks of each mockup can survive the high heat loads throughout 1000 cycles with no degradation of heat removal capability. Regarding the load carrying capability of monoblock attachments to SSS, tensile experiments were carried out using the same geometries of CFC and tungsten monoblocks in PFUs and the results show that both geometries and joints meet the ITER requirements, that is, 3 kN and 8 kN, respectively.