Plasma wall interaction and energy fluxes in RFX

The graphite first wall of the Reversed Field Pinch (RFP) experiment RFX has been inspected after one year of operation. Arc tracks and thermal erosion have been observed in particular around the two poloidal gaps of the shell. The ionization lengths calculated from the experimental edge profiles of electron temperature and density show that most of the carbon atoms released by thermal erosion, arcing and Radiation Enhanced Sublimation (RES) are locally redeposited, whereas physical sputtering, including self sputtering, results as the most important source of carbon impurity.