Study on divertor materials using KAERI plasma beam irradiation facility (PBIF) based on AF-MPD thrusters: status and future plans

A divertor particle flux irradiation facility was developed at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) using Applied-Field MagnetoPlasmaDynamic (AF-MPD) thruster to study divertor materials. At present, our facility can provide a deuterium particle flux up to 1.7x10²³ m^-2s^-1 and a total fluence up to 10²⁷ m^-2. Besides the deuterium particle flux, our facility can provide a heat flux up to 10 MWm^-2 when the electron beam of plasma is selectively irradiated onto the target. Using our facility, we have tested a SiC first mirror for the ITER VUV spectrometer, measured D retention on the ITER grade tungsten, and studied the sputtering yield of 3D printed tungsten. The results will be introduced in the paper.

In 2025, the Korean government established a Strategic Research Group on divertor engineering. Our team have participated in this Research Group and will upgrade our facility as follows: First, we will increase the deuterium particle flux by adding in-vessel solenoid coils to provide stronger B-fields at the target area. We will introduce automated operation system to increase the operation time and the total deuterium fluence. The material target will also be upgraded to control the sample temperature and position in real time. The electron heating system based on the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) will be installed in the future. Using the upgraded facility, we will compare K-doped tungsten produced by the Korea Institute of Materials Science team in our Research Center with ITER grade tungsten.