A geometrical approach to evaluating the heat flux peaking factor on first wall components

TL;DR

This paper introduces a geometrical method to evaluate the heat flux peaking factor on first wall components in magnetic fusion devices, enabling simple and accurate assessments during plasma-wall interactions.

Contribution

It presents a straightforward geometrical approach to calculate the heat flux peaking factor using basic derivations and standard software, applicable to various experimental scenarios.

Findings

Peaking factors often exceed 10.

Peak heat load remains moderate at a few MW/m².

Method applicable during startup phases with different wall alignments.

Abstract

In magnetic fusion experiments, a simple technique to evaluate the heat flux on first wall components is a key to controlled plasma surface interaction. The heat flux can be characterized by the peaking factor which is the ratio of the peak heat flux to the average heat flux. The peaking factor can be calculated exactly using simple derivations and standard software tools. This analysis is applied to an Iter class experiment for plasma wall contact during start up phases at 15 MW, in idealised, realistic and misaligned situations. Even though the peaking factors are usually above 10, the peak heat load on the wall remains moderate at a few MW/m${}^2$.