Y. Ohara

3D computer simulation of the primary electron orbits in a magnetic multipole plasma source

Performance characteristics of the magnetic multipole plasma source depend strongly on the structure of the line‐cusp magnetic fields and the behavior of the primary electrons. In order to design and improve the plasma source efficiently, we developed a computer code which can simulate primary electron orbits in the three‐dimensional magnetic field generated in the source. Using this code, we compared the orbits of the primary electrons in the arc discharges with and without the mode‐flip phenomenon. The result indicates that the trapping of the primary electrons in a local magnetic mirror fields causes the mode flip due to the reduction of the effective anode area. Trapping also degrades the spatial uniformity of the source plasma density, due to local arc discharge. The structure of the magnetic field can be optimized so that the primary electrons fill the center region of the source. The 3D simulation of the electron orbits turned out to be effective and useful in designing a multipole source.

High energy negative-ion based neutral beam injection system for JT-60U

Abstract On the basis of recent progress in the research and development of a high current and high energy negative-ion source, the construction of a 500 keV negative-ion based neutral beam injection (NBI) system for JT-60U has begun to demonstrate a mega-amp level NB current drive at high plasma density and to study high energy beam heating in reactor-grade plasmas. The specification of the NBI system is as follows: a beam energy of 500 keV, an injection power of 10 MW, a beam duration time of 10 s, beam species of deuterium or hydrogen. The neutral beam of 10 MW is injected in a tangential codirection with a single beamline that has two negative ion sources. The construction of the negative-ion based NBI system will be completed in 1996, and NB current drive and plasma core heating experiments will start immediately in JT-60U.

Cesium mixing in the multi‐ampere volume H− ion source

A 7.8 A, 50 keV H− ion beam was produced by a cesium seeded volume negative ion source. The source consists of a 25 cm×46 cm rectangular multicusp plasma generator and a 14 cm×36 cm multiaperture extractor. Without cesium, the source produced 3.4 A, 75 keV H− ion beams. By seeding a small amount of cesium, we observed a big enhancement of H− production efficiency by a factor of four, and a reduction of optimum operating pressure. Extracted electron current decreased to almost zero when we biased the plasma grid positive with respect to the anode. The effect lasted for more than a week once the cesium was injected for several seconds at an oven temperature of 280–300 °C.

A 14 cm×36 cm volume negative ion source producing multi-ampere H− ion beams

A large volume negative ion source, which has a newly devised magnetic filter called a PG filter, was designed and tested. The PG filter produces a uniform magnetic filter field over a large extraction area of 14×36 cm2 by flowing a high current through the plasma grid itself. By optimizing the filter strength, we succeeded to produce 3.4‐A 75‐keV negative hydrogen ion beams for 50 ms from 253 apertures of 11.3 mm diam with an average current H− density of 13 mA/cm2.

High power negative ion sources for fusion at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (invited)

Technologies producing high power negative ion beams have been highly developed over the years at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute for use in neutral beam injectors for heating the thermonuclear fusion plasmas. At present, it is possible to produce multiampere H−/D− ion beams quasicontinuously at energies of more than a few hundred keV with a good beam optics of beamlet divergence of a few mrad. Based on these technologies, two research and development projects have been initiated; one is to develop a 22 A/500 keV/10 s D− ion source for the neutral beam injector for JT‐60U, and the other is to develop a 1 A/1 MeV/60 s H− ion source to demonstrate high current negative ion acceleration up to the energy of 1 MeV, the energy required for the neutral beam injector for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.

Burnout experiments on the externally-finned swirl tube for steady-state and high-heat flux beam stops

An experimental study to develop beam stops for the next generation of neutral beam injectors was started, using an ion source developed for the JT-60 neutral beam injector. A swirl tube is one of the most promising candidates for a beam stop element which can handle steady-state and high-heat flux beams. In the present experiments, a modified swirl tube, namely an externally-finned swirl tube, was tested together with a simple smooth tube, an externally finned tube, and an internally finned tube. The major dimensions of the tubes are 10 mm in outer-diameter, 1.5 mm in wall thickness, 15 mm in external fin width, and 700 mm in length. The burnout heat flux (CHF) normal to the externally finned swirl tube was 4.1 ± 0.1 kW/cm2, where the Gaussian e-folding half-width of the beam intensity distribution was about 90 mm, the flow rate of the cooling water was 30 l/min, inlet and outlet gauge pressures were about 1 MPa and 0.2 MPa, respectively, and the temperature of the inlet water was kept to 20 °C during a pulse. A burnout heat flux ratio, which is defined by the ratio of the CHF value of the externally-finned swirl tube to that of the externally-finned tube, turned out to be about 1.5. Burnout heat fluxes of the tubes with a swirl tape or internal fins increase linearly with an increase of the flow rate. It was found that the tube with external fins has effects that not only reduce the thermal stress but also improve the characteristics of boiling heat transfer.

dc voltage holding experiments of vacuum gap for high‐energy ion sources

dc voltage holding characteristics were investigated to obtain a data base for designing high‐energy and high‐power ion sources of neutral beam injectors. We confirmed that the voltage holding characteristics almost obey the clump theory in the experimental gap length of up to 50 mm. The magnetic field in the gap lowered the breakdown voltage in a gas discharge region higher than a pressure of 10−3 Torr. The breakdown voltage of 30% was reduced by seeding cesium on the electrode with one order higher density than that of actual ion source at the pressure region of lower than several mTorr.

Development of a 500 keV, 22 A D− ion source for the neutral beam injector for JT‐60U

The first results of the performance test of the large negative ion source for a JT‐60U negative‐ion‐based neutral beam injector (N‐NBI) are presented. The ion source consists of a cesium seeded multicusp plasma generator, where negative ions are produced via volume and surface processes, a 110 cm×45 cm multiaperture extractor, and a three‐stage electrostatic accelerator. After negative ion production and voltage holding tests in test stands, the ion source was installed in the N‐NBI system and the full power test began. Up to now, the ion source has produced 400 keV, 5.9 A (2.4 MW) D− ion beams, the world highest D− current and beam power, with a pulse duration of 0.1 s.

Operation of the negative-ion based NBI for JT-60U

Abstract A beam injection experiment with the negative-ion based NBI system (N-NBI) started in March 1996 on JT-60U. After achieving the first neutral beam injection of 180 keV, ∼0.1 MW for 0.4 s into the JT-60U plasmas, the operation parameters of the ion source and power supply had been optimized for increasing the beam energy and beam current. In September 1996, a deuterium neutral beam of 2.5 MW at 350 keV was injected into JT-60U using two ion sources. In the operation with hydrogen at the beginning of 1997, a negative ion beam current of 18.4 A at 350 keV has been obtained, and a neutral beam of 3.2 MW at 350 keV for 1 s has been injected into the plasma with one ion source. A neutralization efficiency of negative ion beam has been confirmed to be about 60% at the beam energies of 250–385 keV as predicted theoretically.

Long pulse operation of a cesium‐seeded multicusp H− ion source

It is demonstrated that a cesium‐seeded volume H− ion source can be operated very stably for long pulse durations of up to 24 h. The source consists of a 20 cm cylindrical multicusp plasma generator and a 9 cm × 10 cm multiaperture extractor. By seeding a small amount of cesium, the source has produced 50 keV, 0.5 A, 1000 s H− ion beams with a current density of 14 mA/cm2. The cesium effect lasted for more than 24 h once 100 mg cesium was seeded before operation. Power flow measurement revealed that the heat loading of the ion source was low enough to operate the source in the dc mode.