Dissolved oxygen reduction in the DIII-D neutral beam ion source cooling system

Neutral beam ion sources (NBIS) are critical components for the neutral beam injection system supporting the DIII-D tokamak. The NBIS must be cooled with 3028 l/m (800 gpm) of de-ionized and de-oxygenated water to protect the sources from overheating and failure. These ion sources are currently irreplaceable. Since the water cooled molybdenum components will oxidize in water almost instantaneously in the presence of dissolved oxygen (DO), de-oxygenation is extremely important in the NBIS water system. Under normal beam operation the DO level is kept below 5 ppb. However, during weeknights and weekends when neutral beam is not in operation, the average DO level is maintained below 10 ppb by periodic circulation with a 74.6 kW (100 hp) pump, which consumes significant power. Experimental data indicated evidence of continuous oxygen diffusion through non-metallic hoses in the proximity of the NBIS. Because of the intermittent flow of the cooling water, the DO concentration at the ion source(s) could be even higher than measured downstream, and hence the concern of significant localized oxidation/corrosion. A new 3.73 kW (5 hp) auxiliary system, installed in the summer of 2003, is designed to significantly reduce the peak and the time-average DO levels in the water system and to consume only a fraction of the power.