The Physical and Technological Problems of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion
The lines of scientific activity and the results of investigations carried out at the MPEI Department of General Physics and Nuclear Fusion are briefly reviewed. The conducted activities are mainly focused on the problems of controlled thermonuclear fusion and plasma technologies. Efforts are taken to study heat transfer and hydrodynamics in the plasma-facing structural components of thermonuclear reactors, one-sided heating of which results in essentially nonuniform distributions of heat flux density and wall temperature over the pipe inner perimeter. Another line of research activities is concerned with experimental investigations of nucleate boiling and heat transfer in essentially subcooled flow, of enhanced heat transfer in annular channels and models of pebble fuel element beds, and of heat transfer enhancement as applied to the problems concerned with cooling the International thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER). A large-scale test bench for studying thermal-hydraulic processes in the models of advanced nuclear fuel assemblies operating with the parameters of a VVER-type reactor has been constructed. Activities are underway on studying the resistance of refractory metals to the effect of powerful plasma and heat fluxes expected to take place in a tokamak-type thermonuclear reactor. A plasma installation equipped with a linear multicusp magnetic system featuring uniquely high parameters has been constructed, which is used to perform tests of materials exposed to megawatt-scale hot plasma. The unique plasma installation has been constructed for studying plasma-to-surface interaction and high-temperature plasma testing of refractory materials like tungsten, molybdenum, steel, etc. The experiments to be performed on the installation are aimed at developing a new technology for producing a highly porous surface nanostructure of refractory metal, including tungsten “fuzz”. Such investigations are topical for inventing new materials that are of considerable interest for nuclear, chemical, power, and biomedical technologies. The main lines of activities on nanotechnologies include obtaining, studying and using carbon nanostructures such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and their derivatives. Within the framework of studying the strengthening phenomenon, the extent of steel surface strengthening as a function of the type and intensity of incident radiation, and the type of nanocarbon material is considered. The interaction of charged particles and radiation with structural materials is investigated. Experimental and theoretical investigations of the interaction of electrons and light ions with inhomogeneous solid bodies are continued to solve the problems concerned with scattering ion beams in inhomogeneous media. Innovative methods for destructive and non-destructive analysis of thin films are developed, including layer-wise analysis techniques. Unique plasma installations have been constructed at the department, such as a high-frequency induction plasmatron for carrying out chemical spectral analysis, an arc plasmatron for studying the free plasma burning processes, a high-voltage installation for studying streamer and arc discharges with electrolysis, and a cold plasma installation for studying the effect of discharge on biological tissues. All these installations are successfully used for carrying out both research activities and student training laboratory works.