Deuterium retention in tungsten after heavy ion damage and hydrogen isotope exchange in PISCES

The effect of H isotope exchange and radiation damage on the retention of D in W was examined in the PISCES linear plasma device. W samples were treated with D plasma at low sample temperatures (473 K), with a fluence of 1026 ions/m2 and ion energies of 150 eV. Each sample was then exposed to varying doses of H plasma with similar sample temperature and plasma conditions to fluences ranging from 0 to 1026 ions/m2, to examine the effectiveness of isotope exchange as a means of tritium removal. The D(3He, p)4He nuclear reaction was used to measure D concentration profiles up to a depth of 7.7 μm. Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) was used to determine the D retained throughout the bulk of the sample. Isotope exchange allows for a unique study of atomic migration by separately examining the diffusion of implanted atoms from those bombarding the surface. D atoms are exchanged out of traps as a result of H plasma bombardment and diffuse until either falling into another trap or reaching the surface to recombine and escape. Radiation damage at levels of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 displacements per atom (dpa) was carried out before plasma exposure on some samples with 2 MeV Cu ions as a surrogate for damage caused by fusion neutrons. The Cu ion damage was compared to damage induced by 6 MeV W ions to see if there is an effect of Cu contamination on retention. We saw little difference in Cu versus W ion damage at low dpa, but at 1 dpa, where Cu content reached 65 appm, contamination seems to be significant. Retention measurements showed that ion damage has little effectiveness on isotope removal at these sample temperatures; however, there is evidence to suggest that the trapping mechanisms in W change as damage is increased.