Thickness distribution of high-speed free-surface lithium flow simulating IFMIF target

Kondo, Hiroo*; Kanemura, Takuji*; Sugiura, Hirokazu*; Yamaoka, Nobuo*; Miyamoto, Seiji*; Ida, Mizuho; Nakamura, Hiroo; Matsushita, Izuru*; Muroga, Takeo*; Horiike, Hiroshi*

A liquid lithium(Li) target of International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is formed as flat plane free-surface flow by a nozzle and flows at high speed around 15 m/s. This paper focuses on flatness of the liquid Li target. A Li flow experiment was conducted in Osaka University Li Loop with a test section which was 1/2.5 scaled model of IFMIF. A thickness of the Li flow was measured and obtained by a contact method which was developed for the measurement. Analytical study on Kelvin wake and numerical calculation on wakes near side walls of the flow channel were also conducted and compared with the experimental results. As the results, positions of wake crest obtained from both of the experiment and numerical calculation assuming contact angle 140 agreed well with an iso-phase line of the analytical model. Generation of the wake are likely depends on wettability between Li and a structural material which is 304SS in the present study.