Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 17, 2405073 (2022)

Regular Articles

Computational Investigation of 2-D Temperature Distribution in Static Liquid Metals Exposed to Steady State Plasmas
Nopparit SOMBOONKITTICHAI
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
(Received 10 January 2022 / Accepted 24 April 2022 / Published 6 June 2022)

Abstract

Understanding the temperature distribution in a liquid metal under plasma bombardment is required for characterizing and controlling their own impurity releases and heat transfer. To achieve this, a 2-D heat conduction inside a static liquid bombarded by a plasma is numerically solved in this study. Thin layers consist of Al, Li, In, Sn and Ga. Plasma constituents are D and Ar. The liquid temperature is initialized by melting temperature. The upper surface is heated by ions and electrons but cooled by evaporation and thermal radiation. The lower surface is in contact with the boundary conditions: the fixed melting temperature for characterizing the temperature spread influenced by different thermal diffusivities and ion masses; and the floating temperature governed by convective cooling and thermal radiation for characterizing the heat transfer across the liquid provided by the implementation of a coolant. It appears that Al conducts heat well so the temperature distribution is smoothed out, probably a choice for excessive heat flushing during abnormal events. Sn and In may be good undesirable impurity collectors because of low evaporation with less coolant concern, but not for Li and Ga.

Keywords

plasma facing component, plasma surface interaction, liquid metal, Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, floating potential, heat conduction, thermal radiation, convective cooling, Hertz-Knudsen-Langmuir (HKL) equation, Forward Time Central Space (FTCS) difference

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.17.2405073

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