High heat flux testing of plasma facing materials and components – Status and perspectives for ITER related activities

A broad spectrum of high heat flux test facilities are being used worldwide to investigate the thermal response of plasma facing materials and components to fusion relevant thermal loads. These tests cover both normal operation scenarios with cyclic thermal loads and power densities in the range of several MW m−2 and transient heat load tests to simulate short events such as edge localized modes, plasma disruptions and vertical displacement events. There is an urgent need for reliable quality control methods and non-destructive analyses during the procurement phase of ITER; most of these techniques are based on heat flux methods. To quantify irradiation induced property changes and to evaluate the overall performance of neutron irradiated components, miniaturized plasma facing components have been irradiated in fission reactors and post-irradiation tested. Furthermore, in-pile tests have been carried out in order to study the synergetic effects of heat loads and neutron loads.