Examination of high heat flux components for the ITER divertor after thermal fatigue testing

An extensive development programme has been carried out in the EU on high heat flux components within the ITER project. In this framework, a full-scale vertical target (VTFS) prototype was manufactured with all the main features of the corresponding ITER divertor design. The fatigue cycling campaign on CFC and W armoured regions, proved the capability of such a component to meet the ITER requirements in terms of heat flux performances for the vertical target. This paper discusses metallographic observations performed on both CFC and W part after this intensive thermal fatigue testing campaign for a better understanding of thermally induced mechanical stress within the component, especially close to the armour–heat sink interface.