Cooling of plasma-facing components

Abstract

A plasma-facing component for a plasma chamber includes a plasma-facing target surface, an inlet for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, and a plurality of internal cooling channels. Each cooling channel is connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, the feed channels being configured to direct the cooling fluid to a region of a wall of the cooling channel. The openings of each of the feed and return channels to the cooling channel are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel. Each unit includes an opening of at least one feed channel and at least one return channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the cooling of plasma-facing components used in plasma chambers such as tokamak plasma chambers. In particular, but not limited to, the present invention relates to cooling components used in plasma chambers, such as diverters and / or limiters, to remove waste and heat from the plasma. Further, the present invention may be used for a beam dump for absorbing energy from a beam of photons and / or charged particles, or for a rocket engine.

Background Art

[0002] A diverter is a device that enables the removal of waste and heat from plasma confined within a plasma chamber such as a tokamak plasma chamber. In the case of a tokamak, the plasma is typically confined at a very high temperature using a magnetic field. However, during the operation of a tokamak, particles slowly and randomly diffuse out of the plasma and ultimately collide with the walls of the plasma chamber, thereby transferring a significant amount of heat to them and releasing heavier ions from the walls back into the plasma. To minimize this problem, particles that would otherwise escape from the plasma may be intentionally directed towards the plasma-facing surface of the diverter. In this case, a very high heat flux is applied to the diverter. Therefore, it is essential to efficiently cool the diverter.

[0003] Figure 1 shows a poloidal cross-section through one side of a typical tokamak. The tokamak 100 comprises a toroidal plasma chamber 101. Poloidal field coils generate a poloidal magnetic field to confine the plasma, which circulates around the central column of the tokamak. If there are no collisions between plasma particles, turbulence, waves, or other such phenomena, the plasma (made of charged particles) is effectively "constrained" by magnetic field lines, which are represented in Figure 1 as lines of constant poloidal flux 113. Inside the "plasma core," the plasma is said to be confined on lines of constant poloidal flux. This is because lines of constant flux are closed, and this is called a so-called "closed flux surface." However, through collisions and other such processes, particles in the plasma slowly diffuse out of the plasma core. A "final closed flux surface" 111, having a null point 112 at one end (usually the lower end), defines the edge of the confined core. The magnetic flux lines immediately outside the plasma core ("scrape-off layer") 114 intersect with two surfaces: an external (i.e., radially outward) divertor surface 121 (located at the bottom of the channel in the lower part of the plasma chamber in this example) below the null point 112, and an internal (i.e., radially inward) divertor surface 122. Waste particles and thermal energy are deposited on these surfaces, with the majority of that waste particle and thermal energy transferred to the external divertor surface (the precise separation of internal and external surfaces depends on turbulent physics within the scrape-off layer). The divertor surfaces are composed of elements that are metals with relatively low atomic numbers (to avoid contamination of the plasma by ions with high atomic numbers via sputtering and other such erosion processes). Suitable metals include tungsten, molybdenum, beryllium, lead-lithium, or lithium. The highest thermal loads within the tokamak occur on the divertor surfaces 121,122, typically exceeding 10 MW per square meter.

[0004] Previous ideas for cooling the divertor are described in JH You's “A review on two previous divertor target concepts for DEMO: mutual impact between structure design requirements and materials performance” (https: / / doi.org / 10.1088 / 0029-5515 / 55 / 11 / 113026). These include flowing water through cooling tubes made of copper, chromium, and zinc alloys and passing it through a tungsten block, and using helium-cooled “multi-jet impact modular fingers” in which pressurized helium jets are directed at the inner surface of a thimble structure embedded in tungsten tiles.

[0005] Another plasma-facing component used to remove charged particles from the plasma is a so-called limiter, which provides a plasma-facing target surface within the plasma chamber that restricts the range of plasma along a specific (e.g., radial) direction. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plasma-facing component for a plasma chamber is provided. The plasma-facing component comprises a plasma-facing target surface, an inlet for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, and a plurality of internal cooling channels. Each cooling channel is connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels. Each feed channel is configured to guide the cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel. The openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channels are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit including at least one feed channel opening and at least one return channel opening.

[0007] The arrangement of the feed channel and return channel openings provides fluid flow conditions that enable heat to be efficiently transferred to the cooling fluid. A repeating unit may be a pair of feed channel and return channel openings such that the feed channel and return channel openings open alternately in succession (i.e., feed, return, feed, return, etc.). Any number of repeating units, e.g., more than 10 units, or more than 50 units, or more than 100 units, may be provided along the length of each cooling channel.

[0008] The repeating unit may be a pair of openings for the feed channel and the return channel.

[0009] The spacing between the openings of the continuous feed channels along the length of the cooling channel is 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm, preferably 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm.

[0010] The spacing between the openings of adjacent feed channels and return channels along the length of the cooling channel may be 0.50 mm to 2.00 mm.

[0011] Each of the feed channel and / or the return channel may include a straight portion that is coupled perpendicularly to the cooling channel.

[0012] The cooling fluid may be guided into a region of the wall of each cooling channel from another region of the cooling channel on the opposite side of the region.

[0013] The wall region of each cooling channel through which the cooling fluid is guided may be located on the side of the cooling channel adjacent to the target surface.

[0014] The width or diameter of each cooling channel may be greater than the width or diameter of the corresponding feed and / or return channel.

[0015] Each feed channel or return channel of each cooling channel may be on the same plane as each other.

[0016] The length of each cooling channel may extend parallel to the target surface. The cooling channels may also be parallel to each other.

[0017] The component comprises multiple stacked layers, each cooling channel continuously penetrating the layers, and each layer may comprise its respective feed channel and / or return channel for each cooling channel.

[0018] The plasma-facing target surface may be provided by the edges of the stacked layers. Alternatively, the plasma-facing target surface may be provided as a layer extending across the edges of the stacked layers.

[0019] The feed channels and / or return channels in each layer are provided as grooves extending into the layer, and another layer adjacent to the layer may extend to seal the entire groove.

[0020] The feed channels and / or return channels in each layer are provided as through-holes penetrating the layer, and each other layer on either side of the layer may extend to seal the entire through-hole.

[0021] The inlet and outlet may be provided as channels that penetrate each layer.

[0022] The cooling channels, feed channels, and return channels of each layer may be provided in one of two arrangements that are mirror images of each other.

[0023] The thickness of each plate may be in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 1 mm to 2 mm. The width or diameter of each cooling channel may be in the range of 0.50 mm to 3.00 mm, preferably 1.00 mm to 2.00 mm. The width or diameter of each feed and / or return channel may be in the range of 0.20 mm to 1.50 mm, preferably 0.60 mm to 1.40 mm.

[0024] Each layer may be a plate made of one or more metals or alloys, but preferably, a single metal or a single alloy is used for each plate. In one embodiment, each plate is made of the same metal or alloy, for example, tungsten or molybdenum. The opposing surfaces of the plates may be joined to each other by direct bonding. Alternatively, the component may be provided as a monolithic part made of a metal or an alloy.

[0025] The melting point of the metal or alloy or each metal or alloy exceeds 1850 °C and preferably may exceed 2200 °C.

[0026] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a component for a plasma chamber, the method including the step of controlling a layered manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a component according to the first aspect.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program including computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to control a manufacturing apparatus (for example, a layered manufacturing apparatus) to manufacture a plasma-facing component according to the first aspect.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tokamak plasma chamber including a plasma-facing component according to the first aspect.

[0029] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method for removing heat and / or waste during operation of a plasma chamber according to the fourth aspect is provided. The method includes magnetically confining a plasma within a tokamak plasma chamber, directing ions from the plasma onto a target surface of a plasma-facing component, and cooling the component by flowing a cooling fluid through the plasma-facing component between the inlet and the outlet.

[0030] The plasma-facing component of any of the above aspects may be, for example, a divertor or a limiter. For example, the limiter may extend into the plasma chamber from the wall of the plasma chamber so as to limit the extent of the plasma along a particular direction (such as the radial direction). The component of any of the above aspects may be (or may form part of) a plasma-facing first wall structure (or "blanket") for covering the inner surface of the plasma chamber. For example, the component may be a tile or panel (preferably a combination of a plurality of similar tiles or panels for forming the plasma-facing first wall) forming part of the plasma-facing first wall.

[0031] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a beam dump is provided for absorbing energy from a beam of photons (e.g., a laser beam) and / or a beam of charged particles (e.g., a beam generated by a charged particle accelerator such as a LINAC or synchrotron). The beam dump comprises a beam-facing target surface for receiving the beam, an inlet for receiving a cooling fluid, and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid. The beam dump also comprises a plurality of internal cooling channels, each cooling channel connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and connected to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, wherein the feed channels are configured to guide the cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel, and the openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channels are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit comprising at least one feed channel and at least one return channel opening.

[0032] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a rocket engine comprising an inner wall defining a combustion chamber for the combustion of a propellant, and a nozzle for discharging exhaust gases from the combustion chamber. The rocket engine comprises an inlet for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, and a plurality of internal cooling channels for cooling the wall defining the combustion chamber and / or the nozzle, each cooling channel being connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, the feed channels being configured to guide the cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel, and the respective openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channel being arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit including at least one opening of a feed channel and at least one opening of a return channel.

[0033] The sixth and seventh embodiments may include the selective functions described above with respect to the first embodiment, using a beam dump or rocket engine instead of a plasma-facing component. For example, the beam dump or rocket engine may comprise a plurality of stacked layers, each cooling channel continuously penetrating the layers, and each layer may comprise its respective feed channel and / or return channel for each cooling channel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] [Figure 1] This is a schematic poloidal cross-section of a tokamak with a single null diverter. [Figure 2A] This is a schematic isometric view of a cross-section of the diverter according to the present invention. [Figure 2B] This is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the diverter taken along the line A-A' in Figure 2A. [Figure 2D] Figures 2A and 2B are schematic perspective views of metal plates that can be joined together to form the cross-section of the diverter shown. [Figure 2E] Figures 2A and 2B are schematic perspective views of metal plates that can be joined together to form the cross-section of the diverter shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] When a cooling fluid flows too far over a surface, the flow velocity very close to the surface is extremely low, and therefore the fluid flow toward the surface is generally described as having a “no-slip” boundary condition (i.e., virtually zero flow velocity at the surface). The fluid moving adjacent to the surface forms a slowly moving “boundary layer.” Laminar flow within the boundary layer reduces the efficiency by which heat can be removed from the surface by the cooling fluid. In some cases, more effective heat transfer from the surface can be achieved by “jet impact,” where a high-pressure jet of cooling fluid is directed toward the surface being cooled. This disclosure provides an arrangement for cooling a very large surface area within a diverter using jet impact in combination with flow along a cooling channel. In particular, multiple “microchannels” are formed within the body of the diverter, and along the length of each microchannel, an array of feed channels opening into the microchannels is provided, which are used to direct a jet of cooling fluid toward the inner wall of the microchannel. The cooling fluid, heated by contact with the (multiple) inner walls of the microchannels, is then removed from the microchannels by an array of return channels. Feed channels and return channels are arranged in an alternating pattern or sequence along the length of the microchannel, for example, in a sequence of alternating feed channel and return channel openings along the length of the microchannel. Such an arrangement can provide fluid flow conditions that allow high-density jets to form within each microchannel, thereby enabling efficient heat transfer to the cooling fluid. Fluid flow conditions may include bulk fluid flow along the channel in combination with fluid flow generated by jet impacts. In some situations, jet impacts can disrupt the boundary layer associated with the flow of cooling fluid along the microchannel, thereby improving cooling efficiency.

[0036] Figures 2A and 2B show cross-sections of the diverter 200 formed from a stack of plates 202 and 204. Although only the first plate 200 and the second plate 204 are shown in the drawings, the diverter 200 comprises multiple such plates stacked opposite each other in succession. That is, the first and second plates 200 and 204 together form a "unit cell" that repeats along the Z direction shown in Figure 2A. The first and second plates 202 and 204 are shown separately in Figures 2D and 2E for clarity.

[0037] The uppermost surface of the divertor 200 in Figure 2A is the target surface 206 that receives ions and heat flux 208 escaping from the plasma (along the Y direction) when the divertor 200 is in use. Below the target surface 206 are several cooling channels 210A-H, in this case eight cooling channels 210A-H, which extend through the divertor 200 in a direction perpendicular to the target surface 206, i.e., parallel to the direction in which the plates 202 and 204 are stacked, in this case along the Z direction. The cooling channels 210A-H are arranged in a row parallel to the target surface 206, equally spaced from one another, and each is located at the same depth relative to the target surface 206. This arrangement makes it possible to provide a high density of cooling channels 210A-H close to the target surface 206. Other arrangements of the cooling channels 210A-H may be used. For example, to increase the density of the cooling channels 210A-H located near the surface 206, the cooling channels may be arranged at different depths relative to the target surface 210A-H, such as in a close-packed or honeycomb configuration including multiple layers of cooling channels 210A-H.

[0038] The diverter 200 also includes an inlet channel 212 and an outlet channel 214 that penetrate each of the stacked plates 202, 204. During use, a cooling fluid (e.g., helium gas) is supplied under pressure to the inlet channel 212 and then transferred to each of the multiple feed channels 216A-H, each extending from the inlet channel 212 to one of the multiple cooling channels 210A-H within the first plate 202. Since the size (e.g., diameter) of the inlet channel 212 is larger than the size of each feed channel 216A-H, the inlet channel 212 can supply cooling fluid to a large number of feed channels 216A-H simultaneously. The feed channels 216A-H are angularly spaced around the inlet channel 212 (i.e., "spread out in a fan shape" from the inlet channel 212) in order to reach cooling channels 210A-H further away from the inlet channel 212. In this case, the feed channels 216A-H are generally spaced apart from each other to maximize the wall thickness between them. However, other arrangements may be used depending on the situation. For example, one or more feed channels 216A-H may branch off from another channel of feed channels 216A-H. In this case, the feed channels 216A-H have straight sections extending perpendicularly from each cooling channel 210A-H, and the straight sections of each channel 216A-H are aligned parallel to each other. The cooling gas is directed to pass through the cooling channels 210A-H and collides with the side of the cooling channel 210A-H closest to the target surface 206, as this is generally the hottest side of the cooling channel 210A-H. The pressure of the cooling fluid supplied to the inlet channel 212 is generally selected so that the cooling fluid is guided into the cooling channels 210A-H as a jet. Figures 2A and 2B show that each cooling channel 210A-H has a single feed channel 216A-H and a return channel 218A-H; however, in reality, two or more plates 202,204 are used, and therefore each cooling channel 210A-H has multiple pairs of feed channels 216A-H and return channels 218A-H along its length.

[0039] As shown in Figures 2D and 2E, the second plate 204 (Figure 2E) is a mirror image of the first plate (Figure 2D) in the YZ plane, thereby simplifying the manufacturing of the diverter 200. The second plate 204 includes a plurality of return channels 218 configured to return the cooling fluid from each of the cooling channels 210A-H to the outlet channel 214, which is at a lower pressure than the inlet channel 212, so that there is a pure flow of cooling fluid from the inlet channel 212 to the cooling channels 210A-H via feed channels 216A-H, and from the cooling channels 210A-H to the outlet channel 214 via return channels 218A-H.

[0040] As is most clearly visible in Figure 2B, the feed channels 216A-H are provided as channels (i.e., trenches or grooves) open on the surface of the second plate 204 and closed (i.e., covered) by the surface of the first plate 202 which is in contact with the surface of the second plate 204. This arrangement makes it easier to manufacture the diverter 200 by providing the feed channels and return channels 216A-H, 218A-H by removing material from one side of each of the plates 202, 204, for example, by etching or milling. Furthermore, since the return channels 218A-H are spaced slightly apart from the feed channels 216A-H in a direction parallel to the cooling channels 218A-H (in this case, the Z direction), the cooling fluid entering the cooling channels 210A-H from the feed channels 216A-H only needs to travel a short distance along the cooling channels 210A-H before being removed from the cooling channels 210A-H via the return channels 218A-H, thereby ensuring a rapid turnover of the cooling fluid in the cooling channels 210A-H after the jet impact. In this example, the spacing between the feed channels 216A-H and the return channels 218A-H in each of the cooling channels 210A-H may range from 0.50 mm to 2.00 mm.

[0041] The spacing between the openings of the consecutive feed channels 216A-H in each of the cooling channels 210A-H may be 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm, more preferably 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm, in this example. This spacing allows for the formation of a high-density jet along the length of the cooling channel, while also providing sufficient space to provide return channels between the feed channels.

[0042] Plates 202 and 204 may each be provided with only feed channels 210A-H or return channels 216A-H, as shown in Figures 2D and 2E. However, in other embodiments, each of plates 202 and 204 may be provided with one or more feed channels 210A-H and one or more return channels 216A-H, which may help reduce the temperature difference between different plates 202 and 204.

[0043] In this example, the diameter of the cooling channel 210A-H is 1 mm, while the diameters of the inlet and outlet channels 212 and 124 are 5 mm; however, the size of any channel can, of course, be changed as needed. The diameters of the feed channel and return channels 216A-H and 218A-H are preferably smaller than the diameter of the cooling channel 210A-H, in this case 0.20 mm, which helps to create a jet of cooling fluid. If the cooling fluid is a gas, the expansion of the gas from the feed channel 216A-H into the cooling channel 210A-H can provide an additional cooling effect. While the various channels generally have a circular cross-section, alternatively, any (or all) of them may have a rectangular or any other arbitrary cross-section.

[0044] The number of first and second plates 202,204 that can be used to form the divertor 200 is basically limited only by the thickness of each plate, the size of the target surface required, and the pressure loss that occurs during distribution in the inlet and outlet channels 212,214. For example, if each plate 202,204 is 1.6 mm thick, a divertor about 30 cm long would require about 188 plates. Generally, the plate thickness may range from 1 mm to 5 mm to ensure that a high-density jet is generated in each cooling channel 210A-H.

[0045] Plates 202,204 may be made from refractory metals such as tungsten, rhenium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, zirconium (or alloys containing one or more of these metals). In this case, the edges of plates 202,204 may provide a plasma-facing target surface. Alternatively, plates 202,204 may be made from a more thermally conductive material such as copper, or a copper-containing alloy containing copper, chromium, and zirconium (CuCrZr). In this case, the plasma-facing target surface may be formed as a separate component or tile made of a refractory metal such as tungsten, bonded to plates 202,204 over the cooling channels 210A-H. Optionally, an intermediate layer containing (e.g.) copper and tungsten may be provided between plates 202,204 and the component or tile containing the target surface to better match the coefficients of thermal expansion across the joint between different materials.

[0046] Various channels within plates 202,204 may be formed in many ways, such as etching or machining. The plates are joined using direct joining techniques, such as diffusion bonding, e.g., hot isostatic pressing. As used herein, direct joining means that no intermediate layer (such as solder) is provided between the plates for joining them together; that is, the metal surfaces of the plates are directly joined to each other. Other techniques, such as brazing or welding (e.g., explosion welding), may also be used. In Figures 2A-2E, the feed channels and return channels 216A-H, 218A-H are shown extending only a portion of the path into each plate 202,204 (i.e., as grooves), but in other examples, they may extend completely through part or all of plates 202,204 (i.e., as through holes) (provided that the feed channels and return channels 216A-H, 218A-H remain separate). This can be achieved, for example, by offsetting the feed channel and return channel 216A-H relative to each other along the Y direction. Offsetting the feed channel and return channel 216A-H in this manner (whether they are grooves or through holes) can also help to prevent the return channel 218A-H from heating the feed channel 216A-H, which would otherwise reduce the ability of the cooling fluid to cool the target surface 206.

[0047] The divertor may be manufactured, for example, as a monolithic component made from a refractory metal or alloy using additive manufacturing technology. For example, the divertor may be manufactured by selectively melting tungsten powder using a high-power laser and building the required geometric structure layer by layer. Such a technique is described by Muller et al., 2019, “Additive manufacturing of pure tungsten by means of selective laser beam melting with substrate preheating temperatures up to 1000 °C” (https: / / doi.org / 10.1016 / j.nme.2019.02.034). Manufacturing the divertor as a single unit of refractory metal (such as tungsten) is particularly advantageous because it eliminates the need to form a joint between the plasma-facing portion of the divertor and the rest of the divertor (i.e., the portion of the divertor containing various channels) (and thus reduces problems related to stress caused by the joint). Furthermore, the relatively small channel size means that the mechanical stress resulting from the internal pressure of the divertor is kept low, which helps reduce the possibility of damage or deterioration during use, and is particularly important for applications where divertor maintenance or repair could lead to significant downtime and pose a risk to operators. It will be understood that other plasma-facing components besides the divertor, such as limiters, can also be manufactured in a similar manner as monolithic parts made from refractory metals or alloys.

[0048] The structure of a diverter (or other plasma-facing components such as a limiter) may be represented digitally in the form of a design file. A design file or computer-aided design (CAD) file is a configuration file that encodes one or more surface or volumetric configurations of the shape of a product. In this case, the design file represents the geometric arrangement or shape of the diverter (or other plasma-facing component). Once acquired, the design file may be converted by a processor into a set of computer-executable instructions that the processor uses to control a manufacturing device (e.g., an additive manufacturing device) to produce a diverter according to the geometric arrangement specified in the design file. Thus, by controlling the manufacturing device according to these computer-executable instructions, the manufacturing device can be instructed to "print out" the diverter (or other plasma-facing component).

[0049] Referring again to Figure 1, the tokamak 100 may comprise one or more of the above-mentioned divertors, such as the divertor 200, whose target surface 206 provides one or both of the divertor surfaces 121, 122 shown in the drawing. In use, the supply of cooling fluid is connected to the inlet 212 of the divertor 200, and the outlet 214 is preferably connected to a separate cooling unit, which cools the cooling fluid after it has been heated by the divertor 200 and returns the cooled cooling fluid to the inlet 212. That is, a closed-loop cooling circuit is created. The cooling fluid may be a liquid or a gas, preferably an inert gas such as helium. In many cases, a gas is preferred to avoid safety problems that may arise from leakage of liquid (e.g., water). In one example, helium is supplied to the inlet of the divertor at a pressure of 10 MPa and a temperature of 100°C to 600°C.

[0050] While this disclosure focuses on the cooling of a divertor, the cooling methods and various channel arrangements within the components described can also be applied to cooling other plasma-facing components within a tokamak (or other type of plasma chamber), such as limiters or first wall tiles (or panels). Furthermore, the methods can be applied to components that are not part of a plasma chamber or tokamak, such as rocket engines or beam dumps, for example, beam dumps of high-power lasers or charged particle beams. Here, the beam-facing surface of the beam dump corresponds to the plasma-facing surface of the divertor. Therefore, the divertor described herein can also be used as an accelerator beam dump or a laser beam dump.

[0051] While the disclosure illustrated by the above considerations focuses on the use of divertors in tokamaks, it can also be used in other types of plasma chambers, such as stellarators.

[0052] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that these are presented as examples only and not as limitations. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the form and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Plasma-facing target surface and, An inlet for receiving the cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, Multiple internal cooling channels and Equipped with, A plasma-facing component for a plasma chamber, wherein each cooling channel is connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, the feed channels configured to guide cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel, and the respective openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channel are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit including the opening of at least one feed channel and at least one return channel.

2. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the repeating unit is a pair of openings for the feed channel and the return channel.

3. The plasma-facing component according to claim 2, wherein the spacing between openings of a continuous feed channel along the length of the cooling channel is 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm.

4. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the spacing along the length of the cooling channel between the openings of adjacent feed channels and return channels is 0.50 mm to 2.00 mm.

5. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein each of the feed channel and / or the return channel includes a linear portion coupled perpendicularly to the cooling channel.

6. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid is introduced into the wall region of each cooling channel from another region of the cooling channel on the opposite side of the region.

7. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the region of the wall of each cooling channel through which the cooling fluid is guided is provided on the side of the cooling channel adjacent to the target surface.

8. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the width or diameter of each cooling channel is greater than the width or diameter of the corresponding feed channel and / or return channel.

9. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein each feed channel or each return channel of each cooling channel lies on the same plane as the others.

10. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of stacked layers, each cooling channel continuously penetrating the layers, and each layer comprising its respective feed channel and / or return channel for each cooling channel.

11. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the plasma-facing target surface is provided by the edges of the stacked layers.

12. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the plasma-facing target surface is provided as a layer extending across the edges of the stacked layers.

13. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the feed channels and / or return channels of each layer are provided as grooves extending into the layer, and another layer adjacent to the layer extends to seal the entire groove.

14. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the feed channels and / or return channels of each layer are provided as through-holes penetrating the layer, and each other layer on either side of the layer extends to seal the entire through-hole.

15. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the inlet and outlet are provided as channels penetrating each layer.

16. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein the cooling channels and feed and return channels of each layer are provided in one of two arrangements that are mirror images of each other.

17. The plasma-facing component according to claim 10, wherein each layer is a plate made of one or more metals or alloys.

18. The plasma opposing component according to claim 17, wherein the opposing surfaces of the plates are joined to each other by direct bonding.

19. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, provided as a monolithic component made of metal or alloy.

20. The plasma-facing component according to claim 17, wherein the melting point of the aforementioned metal or alloy, or each of the metals or alloys, is greater than 1850°C.

21. The plasma-facing component according to claim 1, wherein the component is a diverter, a limiter, and one of the plasma-facing first wall structures such as a first wall tile or panel.

22. A method for manufacturing a plasma-facing component for a plasma chamber, comprising the step of controlling a manufacturing apparatus to manufacture the component according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A computer program that, when executed by a processor, includes computer-executable instructions causing the processor to control a manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a plasma-facing component according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A tokamak plasma chamber comprising a plasma-facing component according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

25. A method for removing heat and / or waste during operation of a plasma chamber according to claim 24, The steps include magnetically confining the plasma within the tokamak plasma chamber, The steps include directing ions from the plasma towards the target surface of the plasma-facing component, The steps include: cooling the plasma-facing component by flowing a cooling fluid between the inlet and outlet so that it passes through the plasma-facing component; Methods that include...

26. A beam dump for absorbing energy from a beam of photons and / or charged particles, A beam-facing target surface for receiving the beam, An inlet for receiving the cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, Multiple internal cooling channels and Equipped with, Each cooling channel is connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, the feed channels configured to guide cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel, and the respective openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channel are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit including an opening of at least one feed channel and at least one return channel, a beam dump.

27. An inner wall defining the combustion chamber for the combustion of the propellant, A nozzle for discharging exhaust gas from the combustion chamber, An inlet for receiving the cooling fluid and an outlet for discharging the cooling fluid, A plurality of internal cooling channels for cooling the walls defining the combustion chamber and / or the nozzle, Equipped with, A rocket engine in which each cooling channel is connected to the inlet by a plurality of feed channels and to the outlet by a plurality of return channels, the feed channels configured to guide a cooling fluid into a region of the wall of the cooling channel, and the respective openings of the feed channels and return channels to the cooling channel are arranged in non-overlapping repeating units along the length of the cooling channel, each unit including the opening of at least one feed channel and at least one return channel.

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