Abstract
The design of antenna arrays for fast wave current drive (FWCD) involves several issues and trade-offs in addition to the usual considerations in the design of fast wave antennas for plasma heating. One feature of a well-designed FWCD antenna is that it will function efficiently for plasma heating when phased symmetrically. Most of the antennas in use today on major fusion experiments were designed solely for heating and are generally not suitable for current drive. New RF systems capable of addressing FWCD are being installed on a number of machines, including DIII-D and the Joint European Torus (JET).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 91-102 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Fusion Engineering and Design |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 1994 |
Funding
Fast wave current drive (FWCD) in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) is attractive for long-pulse fusion devices, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), for several reasons. (1) Theoretical calculations \[1,2\] of FWCD efficiency for ITER show that this technique is comparable to other, more developed, current drive schemes, and bootstrap current is expected to enhance the total efficiency greatly. (2) The RF waves can penetrate to drive current near the magnetic axis even at high density. (3) FWCD in conjunction with * Research sponsored by the Office of Fusion Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, under contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Energy | DE-AC05-84OR21400 |
| Fusion for Energy |
