Topological manifold microchannel cooling for thermal management of divertor in fusion reactor

Jianhong Zhou, Mingxiang Lu, Le Han, Qi Zhao, Qiang Li and Xuemei Chen

Energy, 2025, vol. 315, issue C

Abstract: This study presents a topological manifold microchannel cooling method for the divertor target plate in fusion reactors. Using this method, a flat-type cooling unit module with a topological manifold microchannel heat sink (FCUM-TMMCHS) was designed. The effects of volumetric flow rate and heat flux on the flow characteristics, heat transfer characteristics, operational stability, and reliability of the FCUM-TMMCHS were investigated. The results indicate that the flow distribution within the adjacent microchannels in the heated region of the FCUM-TMMCHS is uniformly excellent, with flow rate discrepancies ranging from −6 % to +8 % and corresponding pressure drops ranging from 34.6 kPa to 133.3 kPa. The FCUM-TMMCHS effectively dissipated heat fluxes up to 20 MW/m2, with maximum temperatures on the tungsten (W) tile (the surface for high-temperature plasma) not exceeding 1314 K, which is below the recrystallization temperature of W at 1473 K. Additionally, the FCUM-TMMCHS exhibited high stability and reliability, as no signs of interface failure or module detachment were observed after 1000 cycles of testing at a heat flux of 20 MW/m2. Consequently, this topological manifold microchannel cooling method is expected to significantly contribute to the development of international magnetic confinement fusion energy technology.

Keywords: Manifold microchannel; High heat flux; Thermal management; Divertor; Fusion energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:315:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224039239

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134145

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