Design, manufacture and initial operation of the beryllium components of the JET ITER-like wall

The aim of the JET ITER-like wall project was to provide JET with the plasma facing material combination now selected for the DT phase of ITER (bulk beryllium main chamber limiters and a full tungsten divertor) and, in conjunction with the upgraded neutral beam heating system, to achieve ITER relevant conditions.The design of the bulk Be plasma facing components had to be compatible with increased heating power and pulse length, as well as to reuse the existing tile supports originally designed to cope with disruption loads from carbon based tiles and be installed by remote handling. Risk reduction measures (prototypes, jigs, etc.) were implemented to maximize efficiency during the shutdown. However, a large number of clashes with existing components not fully captured by the configuration model occurred.Restarting the plasma on the ITER-like Wall proved much easier than for the carbon wall and no deconditioning by disruptions was observed. Disruptions have been more threatening than expected due to the reduced radiative losses compared to carbon, leaving most of the plasma magnetic energy to be conducted to the wall and requiring routine disruption mitigation. The main chamber power handling has achieved and possibly exceeded the design targets.

► 40 m2 of plasma facing surface covered with bulk Be re-using existing supports, designed for C-based tiles (hence for much lower disruption loads). ► Optimization of power handling to allow compatibility with higher (×1.5) and longer (×2) neutral beam power. ► Beryllium re-cycling. ► Machining and cleaning to ultra high vacuum standards of <350 μm thin castellations in Be. ► Quality control to minimize installation problems (proto-types, full scale jigs, inspections).