Development of Carbon Materials and Plasma Facing Components for ITER

A significant R&D effort was carried out in EU to develop suitable CFC materials with a three-directional fibre structure. The main goal was to obtain a high thermal conductivity, which is required to remove the expected heat load with a sacrificial thickness of at least 15-20 mm, with a proper balance of the mechanical properties. Two CFC materials have been developed and are both suitable for the ITER divertor construction, namely NB31 by the French company Snecma Propulsion Solide and Concept 2 by the British company Dunlop Aerospace. The main R&D effort is now focussed in developing cheaper grades and optimising the manufacturing process. The development of suitable technologies for the manufacturing of carbon armoured high heat flux components resulted in the construction of a medium-scale divertor prototype, which was successfully tested well above the ITER design requirements. This component was followed by the manufacturing of a full-scale prototype, which is now being high heat flux tested. In parallel to the technology development, suitable non-destructive methods have been developed to inspect the delicate CFC/Cu joint. These techniques include: infrared examinations, lock-in thermography and ultrasonic examinations. An important topic that will be addressed in the near future is the definition of suitable acceptance criteria for carbon armoured components in view of the series production for ITER.