Comprehensive research facility for negative ion source neutral beam injection at CRAFT: design and first operation
Jianglong Wei, Yahong Xie, Yuanlai Xie, Caichao Jiang, Yuanzhe Zhao, Yongjian Xu, Yuming Gu, Wei Yi, Wei Liu, Lu-Lu Bu, Der-Chung Yan, Zhimin Liu, Sheng Liu, Junjun Pan, Shiyong Chen, Ling Yu, Qinglong Cui, Shihua Song, Yuqing Chen, Ji Wang, Ling Liu, Shengmin Pan, Bin Guo, Zhigang Zhu, Na Wang, Junwei Xie, Yuwen Yang, Tingting Zhu, L. Yang, Yufan Li, Ning Tang, Qianxu Wang, Huihui Hong, Бо Лю, Yuqian Li, Yang Lee, Yu Gu, Xufeng Peng, Shanhu Liu, Yong Wu, Xiancai Meng, Chundong Hu, Lizhen Liang
Abstract
Abstract Neutral beam injection (NBI) has been proven as a reliable heating and current drive method for fusion plasma. For the high-energy NBI system (particle energy > 150 keV) of large-scale fusion devices, the negative ion source neutral beam injection (NNBI) system is inevitable, which can obtain an acceptable neutralization efficiency (> 55%). But the NNBI system is very complex and challengeable. To explore and master the key NNBI technology for future fusion reactor in China, an NNBI test facility is under development in the framework of the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT). The initial goal of CRAFT NNBI facility is to achieve a 2 MW hydrogen neutral beam at the energy of 200–400 keV for lasting 100 s. In the first operation of the CRAFT NNBI facility, a negative ion source with dual RF drivers was developed and tested. By using the 50 keV accelerator, the long-pulse and high-current extractions of negative hydrogen ions have been achieved and the typical values were 55.4 keV, 7.3 A (~ 123 A/m 2 ), 105 s and 55.0 keV, 14.7 A (~ 248 A/m 2 ), 30 s, respectively. By using the 200 keV accelerator, the megawatt-class negative hydrogen beam has also been achieved (135.9 keV, 8.9 A, 8 s). The whole process of the gas neutralization of negative ion beam, electric removal of residual ions, and beam transport have been demonstrated experimentally.