Interaction of a Powerful Hydrogen Plasma Flow with a Supersonic Gas Jet and a Tungsten Target

Abstract

The results of a study of the interaction of a powerful flow of hydrogen plasma with a supersonic gas jet in front of a tungsten target are presented. Nitrogen or neon injected in front of the target surface provides a reliable method of shielding tungsten from direct exposure to hydrogen plasma. It has been experimentally shown that the resulting plasma of the gas jet is a powerful source of short-wave line radiation. Energy density absorbed by a tungsten target ≈25 J/cm² is half the energy absorbed by tungsten during pulsed action of a hydrogen plasma flow without a gas jet ≈50 J/cm². The maximum temperature achieved by the tungsten surface is ≈3700 K with the use of a gas jet and ≈5800 K without a gas jet. The presence of a gas jet-screen in front of the tungsten leads to the localization of evaporated tungsten near the target at distances of up to 1 cm from the surface.