Erosion and migration of tungsten employed at the central column heat shield of ASDEX Upgrade

In ASDEX Upgrade, tungsten was employed as plasma facing material at the central column heat shield in the plasma main chamber. The campaign averaged tungsten erosion flux was determined by measuring the difference of the W-layer thickness before and after the experimental campaign using ion beam analysis methods. The observed lateral variation and the total amount of eroded tungsten are attributed to erosion by impact of ions from the scrape-off layer plasma. Migration and redeposition of eroded tungsten were investigated by quantitative analysis of deposited tungsten on collector probes and wall samples. The obtained results, as well as the spectroscopically observed low tungsten plasma penetration probability, indicate that a major fraction of the eroded tungsten migrates predominantly through direct transport channels in the outer plasma scrape-off layer without entering the confined plasma.