AbstractThe possibility of a fusion reactor blanket concept in which gas-solid suspension flows are used as coolant, depends crucially on the degree of erosion of the walls of the coolant channels. This paper presents an experimental study on the erosion of a stainless steel target surface on which a gas-solid suspension flow impinges vertically. Vertical impingement of the suspension flow is considered to be a promising flow configuration for first-wall cooling. Three kinds of material (glass beads, alumina and graphite) were used as the suspended particles and the effects of each of the flow parameters are examined separately. Based on the experimental results, the erosion depth per year is estimated for several conditions and discussions are presented on the selection of the advisable flow conditions that lead to minimize the erosion.