First Wall & Plasma-Facing Maintenance

Plasma-facing surfaces are inspected and replaced to manage erosion, deposition, and heat handling in the central cell.

The first wall and other plasma-facing surfaces take the direct interaction with the plasma edge and the particle and heat flux it carries. Over time they erode, accumulate deposition, and fatigue. Maintenance inspects these surfaces and replaces components before degradation affects performance or vacuum quality.

Degradation modes

• Erosion from plasma-surface interaction
• Deposition and fuel retention on surfaces
• Thermal fatigue from heat flux and cycling
• Localized damage from off-normal events

Modular replacement

Plasma-facing components are modular so damaged sections can be swapped without replacing the whole wall. Because these surfaces are near the plasma and modestly activated, replacement uses remote handling for the most exposed pieces and hot-cell refurbishment or disposition afterward.

After replacement

New surfaces are conditioned — baked and plasma-scrubbed — before full operation so they do not release gas into the plasma. Inspection and replacement intervals follow the frozen machine's expected fluxes, computed at design stage and refined with operating experience from the first test burner.