Evolution of Concepts of the Resistance of the First Wall to Pulsed Thermal Loads in ITER

Abstract

The history of assessments of the lifetime of ITER divertor components under intense plasma loads is considered, from the conceptual-design stage in the 1990s to the present. The properties of various materials considered as candidates for the first wall are compared. Mechanisms of material erosion under plasma exposure are examined. The main methods for studying material resistance to intense plasma fluxes are described, with references to experimental results in this area. Problems arising from ITER’s transition to an all-tungsten first wall are outlined.