Outline of the report • Relevance of the topic • Experimental limitations and our solutions • Results on permeation measurements of Be coated Eurofer samples • Conclusions and further plans
Mar 27, 2015
Outline of the report
• Relevance of the topic
• Experimental limitations and our solutions
• Results on permeation measurements of Be coated
Eurofer samples
• Conclusions and further plans
Activities of the Vacuum lab in relation to hydrogen /
deuterium gas interaction on ITER grade: stainelss
steel, Be and W
Study of hydrogen diffusivity, solubility and surface
parameters which deteremine the kinetics, by using:
1) infusion / outgassing techniques (until 2009)
or (and)
2) membrane techniques (from late 2009)
Any of them requires a careful selection of all experimental
details to get reliable results. Measurements consist of
time consumtion, failures, non-reproducible runs etc...
Processes involved in the hydrogen isotope retention and recycling in fusion reactor plasma-facing materials.
R. A. CAUSEY, J. Nucl. Mater., 300, p.91 (2002).
Relevance of permeation of H/D/T in fusion reactors
Experimental setup
permeation method using H2 or D2 (3 UHV chambers)
kovar glass and alumina thimbles:
infusion / outgassing techniques
(2 UHV chambers)
Instead of applying the more common
dynamic method, where the ion current of a characteristic
mass number applying mass spectrometer is recorded
we improved
the static method (gas accumulation), pressure recorded by
non-ionizing gauges in a small volume followed by
precise mass spectrometry
Classical permeation experiment using hydrogen or deuterium
2 CM heads:
1 mbar &
0.05 mbar FS pmin = 310-11 mbar
inverted
magnetron
All metal UHV system:- pressure rise measurement (vol. 0.5L)
- inert gauges
- post MS1 bar CM head
Vacuum system for permeation measurements using gas accumulation method
Membrane technique [permeation]• determine coefficients like
– permeability (P), solubility (S), diffusivity (D) etc.– what is the limiting step for hydrogen migration
• samples investigated in 2010:– Eurofer steel (40mm diam, 0.5mm thick) dr.R.Lindau, IMF-FZK
– Be coated Eurofer by TVA at NILPRP (dr.Lungu)– W coated Eurofer at NILPRP (dr.Ruset) High-Z
Conventional permeation cell to test a membrane in the
form of a disc
Vacuum side
High pressure side
Au gasket
40 mm O.D. membrane
Massive flanges guarantee uniform load of the seal and seems obvious
Thin-walled permeation cell low background H contribution
Vacuum side – pLO
High pressure side – pHI, H2
Au gasket
40 mm O.D. membrane
Thin-walled inset ~ 0.3 mm,
A ~ 66 cm2
Flanges are
not a part of
the UHV
All permeation measurements have been performed at 400°C.
Be / W coated surface is facing the high pressure (upstream) side.
External outlook of the permeation cell
Thin-walled inset – downstream side
Upstream side
Results on the cell testing A comparative test was done by two identical AISI316
membranes, 2 h to 400 °C and further heating at 400 °C for 72
hours. QMS analysis of accumulated gases done occasionally.
Conventional cell with massive flangesd = 12 mm thick area & A1 15 cm2;
d = 0.3 mm thin area & A2 20 cm2,
d = 0.5 mm membrane & A2 8.5 cm2
Thin-walled celld = 0.3 mm thin area & A2 66 cm2,
d = 0.5 mm membrane & A2 8.5 cm2
0.E+00
1.E-05
2.E-05
3.E-05
4.E-05
5.E-05
6.E-05
0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000
t / s
mb
ar L
/s
thick wall
thin wall
Comparison of the conventional with the thin-walled cell
Outgassing rate at 400°C in the first 24 h
Comparison of the conventional with the thin-walled cell
Outgassing rate at 400°C in 5 - 24 h
30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 900001E-8
1E-7
1E-6
1E-5
30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 900001E-8
1E-7
1E-6
1E-5
thick wall cell
thin wall cell
q / m
ba
r L
/s
t / s
Comparison between conventional and improved cell
• Sensitivity of the setup increased, approx. 380 times
much lower permeation fluxes could be recorded.• Preparation time of the cell to achieve this value was
substantially shorter, 3 days instead of several weeks.
• Error due to the permeation of H2 to the air not observed
even at p = 0.1 mbar.• Minimum detectable flux j = 1.7×10-9 mbar L/(s cm2) or
4×1010 H2/(s cm2)
V.Nemanic, B.Zajec, M. Zumer, JVST A, 28(4) (2010) 578
Permeation measurements through Be coated
Eurofer membranes prepared by TVAIdea and motivation• Bulk Be sample tiles tested at JET successfully • Inconel coated Be tiles tested successfully • Similar tiles may be applied at ITER
What is the permeation rate of hydrogen H2/D2/T2 through such
Be films? Published bulk data scattered!
If porous, they may increase the tritium retention in Inconel
since both neutral gas and plasma enter its surface easier
JET ITER-like wall experiment
ITER
100m2 Tungsten • Low erosion • high melting T • Negligible T retention
Optimise lifetime & T- retentionBut high Z & melting
700m2 Beryllium first wall• low Z• Oxygen getter
Optimise plasma performanceBut large erosion & melting
50 m2 Graphite CFC • Lowish Z• No melting in transients• Superior heat shock behaviour
Optimise heat flux resistanceBut large erosion & T retention
W
CFC
JET
Published data on solubility and diffusivityfor hydrogen (H,D,T) in beryllium
• published data on diffusivity and solubility very
scattered and almost useless for prediction of results
(A.A. Pisarev, Fusion Techn., 28, (1995) 1262)
• no data about hydrogen amount in our samples available
• a few reports on the same Be quality found as a rough
guidance for scheduled measurements
Published data on solubility and diffusivity
A. Nikroo, H.W. et al, Fusion Science and Technology, 51, 4 (2007) 553-555
The only report we could
find on Be films
reveals that Be shells
are porous
Permeation of Be/Eurofer prepared by TVA (SEM)
As received Slightly polished by alumina
(1 m, 300 nm, 60 nm grains)
Be thickness 8 m, Eurofer 500 m
Permeation of Be/Eurofer prepared by TVA (AFM)
As received
RMS = 140 nm
Polished by alumina
RMS = 2 nm – 6 nm
Permeation of Be/Eurofer - fluxes
Sample flux, q PRF
H2/(s cm2)
1 3.21012 140
2 2.11011 2184 ?
3 2.81013 16
4 3.11013 15
5 9.01012 50
Results at 1 bar upstream pressure and 400 °C obtained
a short period after hydrogen was introduced
(5 of 8 samples displayed, 3 were too rough or failed)
Is there any reason for great scattering of the flux values?
Additional 2 samples with Ag interlayer below Be:
• Be coated membranes troublesome for permeation measurements:– Au gasket did not tightly seal the membrane fine polishing
– Sealing improved but not leak-tight (~10-5 mbarL/s) Be film is porous
for He between Be and Au. Is it porous for H2 too?
UHV [high pressure side]
UHV UHV
UHV [high pressure side]
Ag film
much better, but still leak
Permeation of 2 additional samples Ag film+Be
Sample flux, q PRF
H2/(s cm2)
6 9.01012 50
7 5.11012 83
Results at 1 bar upstream pressure and 400 °C
Is there any general reason for scattering of the flux values
for 8 µm Be prepared by TVA at the same bias?
The behaviour also different from bare membranes!?
Eurofer coated with Be:
at t = 0
pHI 0 1 bar
time / s
j /
10
-7 m
bar
H2 c
m-2 s
-1
Permeation reductionfactor (PRF) of steadyfluxes
coated
bare
j
jPRF
Permeation rate vs. time for 4 Be coated membranes (first exposure to 1 bar H2)
PRF=13
PRF=22
PRF=42
PRF=110
• Large scatter in kinetics (shape of curves) & PRF among identical samples.
• Subsequent H2 exposures more consistent but still large variations among samples. Steady flux for bare membrane achieved in 10s
Eurofer coated with Be:
10 20 30 400
1x10-7
2x10-7
3x10-7
4x10-7
92
188
437
724
1086
1294
pHI
0.5 / mbar0.5
j /
mol
H2 c
m-2 s
-1
permeation is limited by diffusionDiffusion limited regime (DLR)
HIpj mbar
mbar
Eurofer coated with Be:
porosity leak cannot be completely eliminated small air leak always present air could oxidize Be layer
Intentional oxidation by 1 bar of air (10min) increases the permeation rate for 2-5 times.
XPS profile of polished & oxidized Be sample
Eurofer coated with Be: could there be small holes (pinholes) in Be film ?
Low-angle (2°)polishing wedge
Imperfections doexist, but difficultto find.
Sample has ~cm2
TC29
Non-loaded
SEM by FZJ-IEF sent by dr.Lungu
Eurofer coated with Be: what can be deduced from permeation meas.?
PRF = ~10 - 100
Assume Be film is homogenous and dense (no holes) & DLR:
d1
P1
d2
P2
H
Pd
dPPRF
dddP
d
P
d
P
d
2
2
212
2
1
1 ,
P-1 R from electr.Similar to parallel resistorsand parallel insulation layers.However: H conc. is not continious
Permeation coef. P:
Time lag L:
0 500 1000 1500times0
10
20
30
40
50
60
pOL
Single layer:
Two layers:
Ash, Barrer, Palmer; Brit. J. Appl. Phys., 1965, VOL. 16, p.873
L
j must monotonically increase tothe steady state value
Eurofer coated with Be: what can be deduced from permeation meas.?
PRF = ~10 - 100
Assume Be film is homogenous and dense (no holes) & DLR:
PRF=10 PBe = 3.0x10-14 mol H2 / m2 s Pa0.5
PRF=100 PBe = 2.7x10-15 mol H2 / m2 s Pa0.5
P = D × SD = ?, S = ?
Measured time-lag not reliable to obtain D.
Take solubility S from published data:
400°C
SBe ~ 0.002 mol H2 / cm3 Pa0.5
, DBe = 1.5x10-7 cm2/s, L2= 26s
, DBe = 1.4x10-8 cm2/s, L2= 96s
400°C
DB
e /
cm
2s
-1
1000/T / K-1
Permeation results – conclusions and plans
• Permeation flux was measured on 10 samples
• Porosity on the microscopic scale was expressed as
intight seal (He) on Be/Au interface or in the bulk Be below Au
• The SEM evidence on porosity (pinholes) given (FZJ and JSI),
but confirmation that a low number of pinholes is indeed
responsible for the scattering in permeation flux could not be
given at this moment • W / Be films will be tested and compared to Be and W films • comparison to various models is already in progress
Eurofer coated with Be: what can be deduced from permeation meas.?
PRF = ~10 - 100
Assume Be film is homogenous and dense (no holes) & DLR:
• Measured PRF are in agreement with published range of Be D and S
• Observed time lag is considerably longer than predicted (26-96 s)
Eurofer coated with Be: what can be deduced from permeation meas.?
PRF = ~10 - 100
Assume Be film is impermeable, permeation occurs only through pinholes
H
d
,)18.11(
1
rdFPRF
r – pinhole radius
d – substrate thickness (500μm)F – fraction of free surface
W. Prins and J.J. Hermans, J. Phys. Chem., 63 (1959) p. 716
1
3.0/
F
rdpinhole
pinhole
pinhole
With known PRF we cannotdecouple r and pinhole area density n.
Pinholes with smaller radius coverlesser fraction of the membrane surface.
Equilibrium H concentration in the substrate at the bottom of the pinhole.
10-5 10-4 10-3 10-21
10
100
1000
small pinholes
PR
F
F
d/r = 100 d/r = 1000 d/r = 10000
large pinholes
Permeation through clean Eurofer
Could the air leak, Be porosity and permeation results be related?
Eurofer membrane was oxidized in water vapor and subsequently
also in the air. Tested at 1 bar (air) & 400 °C.
Duration, conditions PRF
Clean Eurofer well outgassed 1
Oxid. H2O, 400°C ~25 mbar, satur. at 25°C,18h 13.6
Oxid.air 400°C 1 bar, 18 h 0.75
Porous iron oxide even increases the permeation flux,
but Cr rich oxide seems to suppress it.
Permeation Be/Eurofer - searching for explanation
• A few Be coated Eurofer membranes were also oxidized in the air
at 1 bar and 400 °C.
• Results do not express so evident influence of the air, since all
samples have been previously (inevitably) exposed to air leaks
when a thin but dense oxides could be formed.
• The expected suppressing of hydrogen flux was not achieved as
expected since BeO should be even less permeable than Be
• It seems that Eurofer is exposed to the air in pinholes or voids in Be• Some facts should be verified by a new experiment.
01002003004005006000
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Binding Energy (eV)
Nor
mal
ized
Inte
nsity
-C
1s
-A
r2p
-B
e1s
-O
1s
-O
2s
-B
e1s
Surface
After sputtering,subsurface region
-O
1s
XPS survey spectra on polished Be sample
104106108110112114116118120122124
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
x 104
Binding Energy (eV)
Inte
nsity
(c/s
)
dept
h
Be-oxide Be-metal
Be 1s
XPS depth profile of polished Be sample
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Estimated depth (nm)
Co
nce
ntr
atio
n (
at.
%)
O
C
Be
Oxide film
non-zero O conc.:influence of roughness
XPS spectra Be 1s as a function of depth
X-ray photoelectron analysis -XPS• XPS: very surface sensitive technique
• XPS depth profiling (by Ar ion sputtering) => in-depth distribution of elements
Be covered by Be-oxide layer Be-oxide layer thickness ~ (35 ± 10) nm, native only 2-3 nm
Permeation of oxidized Be/Eurofer (SEM)
Polished oxidized Be heavily oxidized Eurofer