Investigation of the thermo-mechanical properties of electro-deposited copper for ITER

The optimal behaviour of copper as heat sink material makes it suitable for many components of nuclear fusion devices subjected to cyclic heat loads with high power densities. In particular, this material is considered for several water cooled components for the ITER Neutral Beam Injector, like the ion source and the acceleration grids. The electro-deposition technique permits to obtain complex geometric shapes (with small cooling channels and embedded magnets) and to have good mechanical properties at the same time, due to the high purity and to the very small grain size. Consequently, the thermo-mechanical properties of electro-deposited pure copper are considered as a crucial aspect for the design of the new generation fusion experimental devices. This paper presents an exhaustive test campaign aimed at investigating the properties of this material.