P. Veltri

Physics design of the HNB accelerator for ITER

The physics design of the accelerator for the heating neutral beamline on ITER is now finished and this paper describes the considerations and choices which constitute the basis of this design. Equal acceleration gaps of 88 mm have been chosen to improve the voltage holding capability while keeping the beam divergence low. Kerbs (metallic plates around groups of apertures, attached to the downstream surface of the grids) are used to compensate for the beamlet–beamlet interaction and to point the beamlets in the right direction. A novel magnetic configuration is employed to compensate for the beamlet deflection caused by the electron suppression magnets in the extraction grid. A combination of long-range and short-range magnetic fields is used to reduce electron leakage between the grids and limit the transmitted electron power to below 800 kW.

Physics design of the injector source for ITER neutral beam injector (invited).

Two Neutral Beam Injectors (NBI) are foreseen to provide a substantial fraction of the heating power necessary to ignite thermonuclear fusion reactions in ITER. The development of the NBI system at unprecedented parameters (40 A of negative ion current accelerated up to 1 MV) requires the realization of a full scale prototype, to be tested and optimized at the Test Facility under construction in Padova (Italy). The beam source is the key component of the system and the design of the multi-grid accelerator is the goal of a multi-national collaborative effort. In particular, beam steering is a challenging aspect, being a tradeoff between requirements of the optics and real grids with finite thickness and thermo-mechanical constraints due to the cooling needs and the presence of permanent magnets. In the paper, a review of the accelerator physics and an overview of the whole R&D physics program aimed to the development of the injector source are presented.

Voltage holding prediction in multi electrode-multi voltage systems insulated in vacuum

The voltage holding in the 1 MV ITER Neutral Beam Accelerator is recognized to be one of the most critical issues for long lasting beam operation, due to the complex electrostatic structure formed by differently shaped electrodes biased at different potentials. At present, no model is available to predict the breakdown probability of electrostatic system with a comparable complexity degree. This paper is aimed at proposing an innovative modelling for the voltage breakdown prediction of such complex systems, based on the implementation of the micro particle (clump) induced breakdown Cranberg-Slivkov theory into a statistical approach. After a detailed description, the model is applied to simple geometries and the results are compared to the experiments found in literature; finally, the model is applied to an electrostatic mock-up of the real ITER Neutral Beam accelerator, showing a good agreement with the experiment.

First experiments with the negative ion source NIO1

Neutral Beam Injectors (NBIs), which need to be strongly optimized in the perspective of DEMO reactor, request a thorough understanding of the negative ion source used and of the multi-beamlet optics. A relatively compact radio frequency (rf) ion source, named NIO1 (Negative Ion Optimization 1), with 9 beam apertures for a total H(-) current of 130 mA, 60 kV acceleration voltage, was installed at Consorzio RFX, including a high voltage deck and an X-ray shield, to provide a test bench for source optimizations for activities in support to the ITER NBI test facility. NIO1 status and plasma experiments both with air and with hydrogen as filling gas are described. Transition from a weak plasma to an inductively coupled plasma is clearly evident for the former gas and may be triggered by rising the rf power (over 0.5 kW) at low pressure (equal or below 2 Pa). Transition in hydrogen plasma requires more rf power (over 1.5 kW).

Design of a low voltage, high current extraction system for the ITER Ion Source

A Test Facility is planned to be built in Padova to assemble and test the Neutral Beam Injector for ITER. In the same Test Facility the Ion Source will be tested in a dedicated facility planned to operate in parallel to the main 1 MV facility. Purpose of the full size Ion Source is to optimize the Ion Source performance by maximizing the extracted negative ion current density and its spatial uniformity and by minimizing the ratio of co‐extracted electrons. In this contribution the design of the extractor and accelerator grids for a 100 kV, 60 A system is presented. The trajectories of the negative ions, calculated with the SLACCAD code [1], have been benchmarked by a new 2D code (BYPO [2]) which solves in a self consistent way the electric fields in presence of electric charge and magnetic fields. The energy flux intercepted by the grids is estimated by using the Montecarlo code EAMCC [3] and the grids designed according to the constraints set by the permanent magnets and by the cooling channels. The inte...

Development of a versatile multiaperture negative ion source

A 60 kV ion source (9 beamlets of 15 mA each of H(-)) and plasma generators are being developed at Consorzio RFX and INFN-LNL, for their versatility in experimental campaigns and for training. Unlike most experimental sources, the design aimed at continuous operation. Magnetic configuration can achieve a minimum ∣B∣ trap, smoothly merged with the extraction filter. Modular design allows for quick substitution and upgrading of parts such as the extraction and postacceleration grids or the electrodes in contact with plasma. Experiments with a radio frequency plasma generator and Faraday cage inside the plasma are also described.

Comparative study of beam losses and heat loads reduction methods in MITICA beam source.

In negative ion electrostatic accelerators a considerable fraction of extracted ions is lost by collision processes causing efficiency loss and heat deposition over the components. Stripping is proportional to the local density of gas, which is steadily injected in the plasma source; its pumping from the extraction and acceleration stages is a key functionality for the prototype of the ITER Neutral Beam Injector, and it can be simulated with the 3D code AVOCADO. Different geometric solutions were tested aiming at the reduction of the gas density. The parameter space considered is limited by constraints given by optics, aiming, voltage holding, beam uniformity, and mechanical feasibility. The guidelines of the optimization process are presented together with the proposed solutions and the results of numerical simulations.

Simulation of space charge compensation in a multibeamlet negative ion beam

Ion beam space charge compensation occurs by cumulating in the beam potential well charges having opposite polarity, usually generated by collisional processes. In this paper we investigate the case of a H(-) ion beam drift, in a bi-dimensional approximation of the NIO1 (Negative Ion Optimization phase 1) negative ion source. H(-) beam ion transport and plasma formation are studied via particle-in-cell simulations. Differential cross sections are sampled to determine the velocity distribution of secondary particles generated by ionization of the residual gas (electrons and slow H2 (+) ions) or by stripping of the beam ions (electrons, H, and H(+)). The simulations include three beamlets of a horizontal section, so that multibeamlet space charge and secondary particle diffusion between separate generation regions are considered, and include a repeller grid biased at various potentials. Results show that after the beam space charge is effectively screened by the secondary plasma in about 3 μs (in agreement with theoretical expectations), a plasma grows across the beamlets with a characteristic time three times longer, and a slight overcompensation of the electric potential is verified as expected in the case of negative ions.

Installation of a versatile multiaperture negative ion sourcea)

Neutral Beam Injectors (NBI), which need to be strongly optimized in the perspective of DEMO reactor, request a thorough understanding of the negative ion source used and of the multi-beamlet optics. A relatively compact RF ion source, named NIO1 (Negative Ion Optimization 1), with 9 beam apertures for a total H(-) current of 130 mA, 60 kV acceleration voltage, is being installed at Padua, in Consorzio RFX, to provide a test bench for source optimizations in the framework of the accompanying activities in support to the ITER NBI test facility. NIO1 construction and status of the overall installation, including a high voltage deck and an optical cavity ring down spectrometer are here summarized and reported. Plasma and low voltage beam operations are discussed. Development of a sampling beam calorimeter (with small sampling holes, and a segmented cooling circuit) is also discussed.

Modeling of Beam Transport, Secondary Emission and Interactions With Beam-Line Components in the ITER Neutral Beam Injector

The injection of high energy beams of neutral particles is a fundamental method for plasma heating to ignition in the advanced fusion devices. The requirements of the heating neutral beam to be installed on ITER Tokamak and of the full scale prototype megavolt ITER injector and concept advancement represent a large extrapolation from existing devices. An extensive work on numerical modeling is required to optimize the final design and the injector performances. As the power and charge deposition onto components originates from several sources (primary beam, co-accelerated electrons, and secondary production by beam-gas, beam-surface, and electron-surface interaction), the beam propagation along the beam line is simulated by a comprehensive 3-D model of the beam transport and power deposition phenomena along the injector. The code calculates the particle motion in electromagnetic fields, including the secondary production, the reionization of the beam, and the interactions with the surfaces. The preliminary calculations here reported are focused on the phenomena occurring in the residual ion dump.