Plasma-facing components in fusion reactors are exposed to high temperature/high heat flux environments. The development of cooling structures, capable of operating reliably for extended periods in these harsh environments, is a major technical challenge to fusion reactor development. Microchannel cooling systems offer excellent thermal performance in high strength structures, but have traditionally been restricted to small geometries. This project will demonstrate a practical means of incorporating micro-impingement cooling channels in large structures. The approach will also allow the armor and heatsink to be integrated, eliminating the vulnerable joint between them. Phase I will develop two heatsink models with micro-impingement cooling designs. The first is a small thermal bench test model; the second is a large panel to demonstrate the scale-up potential. Tungsten processing studies will also be conducted to facilitate future fabrication of monolithic tungsten armor/heatsink designs.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The cooled panel concept is an enabling technology for commercial fusion reactor development. The same technology also should be well suited to a variety of aerospace and electronic cooling applications, including cooling of hypersonic vehicles and high speed aircraft, and cooling of radar components.
