Optimized divertorlets design for application into fusion facilities

The divertorlets concept is an innovative liquid metal divertor design that divides the divertor region into multiple smaller recirculating sections to minimize liquid metal exposure to plasma and avoid overheating. This design combines the benefits of fast and slow liquid metal flows by operating in a slow-speed regime to reduce magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drag and maintaining a short exposure time to prevent evaporation. Experiments conducted with a toroidal divertorlets prototype at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have demonstrated agreement between analytical models, experimental results, and MHD simulations. The next thrust is focused on refining the design and testing it in fusion reactors to further validate its efficacy. The first step involves investigating the shape and dimensions to optimize the flow pattern and reduce surface oscillations. The second development is the integration of a cooling system and heat transfer analysis to manage the impinging heat flux and potential thermoelectric MHD effects. Lastly, the divertorlets design is to be produced with additive manufacturing of tungsten to replace a tile in a currently operating fusion facility such as ST-40 or NSTX-U. There will be experimental tests using LMX-U and iterations with simulations using FreeMHD. The optimized divertorlets design, with its continuous flow mixing and directional-alternating channels driven by Lorentz forces, promises improved heat exhaust capabilities for application in fusion reactors.