Surface preparation of the S-1 Spheromak flux core liner

Different methods of preparing the S-1 Spheromak flux core liner for exposure to plasma (i.e. cleaning and polishing techniques) were studied with the goal of reducing the net impurity resources available for contaminating the plasma during Spheromak formation. The S-1 Inconel 601 liner is described together with an analysis of topography and surface and/or near-surface composition of various Inconel samples subjected to mechanical, electrochemical and chemical preparation techniques. The general conclusion based on the analysis of the samples is that the different techniques are roughly competitive on the basis of surface composition, while less preparation tends to give better results in terms of the criteria mentioned above. This has helped to simplify the liner preparation.