Nitrogen removal from plasma-facing components by ion cyclotron wall conditioning in TEXTOR

Abstract The efficiency of ion cyclotron wall conditioning (ICWC) in the removal of nitrogen from plasma-facing components in TEXTOR was assessed. In two experiments the wall was loaded with nitrogen and subsequently cleaned by ICWC in deuterium and helium. The retention and removal of nitrogen was studied in-situ by means of mass spectrometry, and ex-situ by surface analysis of a set of graphite, tungsten and TZM plates installed on test limiter systems. 15 N rare isotope was used as a marker. The results from the gas balance showed that about 25% of the retained nitrogen was removed after ICWC cleaning, whereas surface analysis of the plates based on ToF-HIERDA showed an increase of the deposited species after the cleaning. This indicates that during ICWC operation on carbon devices, nitrogen is not only pumped out but also transported to other locations on the wall. Additionally, deuterium surface content was studied before and after ICWC cleaning.