Normal Flow Heat Exchanger for Divertor Panel Cooling

Helium cooling offers safety advantages for fusion reactors because helium is single-phase and chemically inert. The Normal Flow Heat Exchanger (NFHX) enables highly efficient heat transfer to helium with low pressure drops at high heat fluxes. Thus, the NFHX enables helium cooling of divertor panels in Tokamak reactors and potentially enhances the safety of fusion power production. This paper explains the NFHX concept, presents the current status of the technology, and shows how the NFHX can be used to cool divertor panels in Tokamak reactors.