Evidence of formation of lithium compounds on FTU tiles and dust

As in all deposition processes, even for the lithization, the presence of impurities in plasma phase strongly affects the properties of the deposited film. During the 2008 campaigns of FTU it was observed a strong release of carbon dioxide (during disruptions), resulting in successive serious difficulty of operation. In order to find the possible reactions occurred, we have analyzed the surface of two tiles of the toroidal limiter close to the Liquid Lithium Limiter (LLL). The presence of molybdenum oxides and carbides suggested that the surface temperatures could have exceeded 1000 K, likely during disruptions. lithium oxides and hydroxides have been found on the tiles and in the dust collected in the vessel, confirming the presence of LiO and LiOH and a not negligible concentration of Li2CO3 especially at the LLL location.

Since 2006 lithium as an advanced plasma facing material has been tested on the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU). Lithium in the liquid phase acts both as plasma facing component, i.e. limiter, and plays also a role in plasma operation because by depositing a lithium film on the walls (lithization) oxygen is gettered.