Manufacturing and testing of actively cooled test limiters for TEXTOR made of the brazed joint SEPCARB-N11/TZM

To investigate the erosion and redepositon phenomena of fusion-related materials under stationary conditions, actively cooled test limiters were developed for TEXTOR (Tokamak Experiment for Technology Orientated Research). They allow experiments under stationary conditions within the plasma pulse length of 10 s. Heat loads of typically 10 MW m−2 are removed by pressurised water: volume flow is 10 m3 h−1, pressure 15 bar and the minimum coefficient of heat transfer is about 75 000 W m−2 K. Prototype limiters were built as brazed composites of a C/C material (SEPCARB-N11) and a TZM substrate. The samples were successfully tested in screening tests in the ion beam facility MARION (Material Research Ion Beam Test Facility) with hydrogen beams. Maximum heat loads of up to 22 MW m−2 were applied without any failure of the cooling system. Steady state of the surface temperature was measured within 5 s. An advanced brazing technique enabled the joining of hemispherically shaped C/C shells to a TZM heat sink without failure. An optimised test limiter was tested in TEXTOR. Analytical and numerical models describing the effects of the heat load distribution, spatial temperatures and stresses were experimentally verified.