Observations of liquid lithium uptake in a porous molybdenum foam
- Resource Type
- Authors
- T.K. Gray; M. B. Malfa; David N. Ruzic; M. J. Neumann; David L. Urbansky; Michael Jaworski; C. Y. Lau
- Source
- Journal of Nuclear Materials. 378:105-109
- Subject
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Materials science
Divertor
Composite number
chemistry.chemical_element
Fusion power
Nuclear Energy and Engineering
chemistry
Molybdenum
General Materials Science
Lithium
Wetting
Composite material
Porosity
Material properties
Nuclear chemistry
- Language
- ISSN
- 0022-3115
Recent experiments with liquid lithium in magnetically confined plasmas have demonstrated improved plasma performance. These results have led researchers working on the National Spherical Torus Experiment to consider using a porous molybdenum foam and liquid lithium composite as a future liquid lithium divertor. In order to better understand the properties of this composite material, a small experimental apparatus was constructed at the University of Illinois to test lithium wetting uptake into the porous material. We report here results of the wetting behavior of a porous molybdenum foam with liquid lithium. Based on these observations, a simple model was used to estimate the thermal properties of the lithium infused porous material. Finally, the results of water-bath cleaning tests of the porous metal after lithium exposure are shown.