| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1566928 | Journal of Nuclear Materials | 2011 | 5 Pages |
Lithium, owing to its many advantages, is of immense interest to the fusion community for its use as plasma facing component (PFC) material. Various experiments are under progress in the Center for Plasma Material Interactions (CPMI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) aimed at understanding the plasma–lithium interactions. In one such experiment called Solid/Liquid Lithium Divertor Experiment (SLiDE), it was recently observed that the flow of liquid lithium in the presence of magnetic fields is dominated by thermoelectric Magnetohydrodynamic (TEMHD) effects. To describe these results accurately, a knowledge of the thermoelectric properties of lithium is essential. For this purpose, an apparatus to measure the Seebeck coefficient of lithium was developed. Using this apparatus, the Seebeck coefficient of lithium as a function of temperature has been obtained. The Seebeck coefficient of lithium-7 is found to gradually increase from 11 μV/K to 25 μV/K, as the temperature is raised from 25 °C to 240 °C. These measurements are in good agreement with Kendall’s thermoelectric measurements on natural Li. Furthermore, using the same apparatus, the thermoelectric curve of lithium-6 is obtained and for the first time are reported in this paper.
► An apparatus for measuring the Seebeck coefficient of lithium and similar metals has been developed. ► The apparatus is validated by comparing the measurements of 7Li to the reported values for 7Li in the literature. ► The Seebeck coefficient of 6Li and 7Li as a function of temperature has been measured. ► This study reports the first measurements of Seebeck coefficient of 6Li as a function of temperature ever reported. ► Within the experimental error, there is no statistical significant difference of the Seebeck coefficient between the two isotopes of lithium.
