Integrated design and analysis of RF heating and current drive systems

The design, analysis, and performance evaluation of rf power systems ultimately requires accurate modeling of a chain of subsystems starting with the rf transmitter and ending with the power absorption in the plasma. A collection of computer codes is used at ORNL to calculate the plasma loading and wave spectrum for a three-dimensional rf antenna, the transmission/reflection properties of the Faraday shield and its effect on the electrical characteristics and phase velocity of the antenna, the internal coupling among antenna array components and the incorporation of the antenna array into a transmission line model of the phase control, tuning, matching, and power distribution system. Some codes and techniques are more suited for the rapid evaluation of system design progressions, while others are more applicable to the detailed analysis of final designs or existing hardware. The interaction of codes and the accuracy of calculations will be illustrated by the process of determining the plasma loading as a function of phasing and density profiles for the TFTR ICRH antennas and comparing the results to measurements. An example of modeling a complex antenna geometry will be the comparison of calculations with the measured electrical response of a four-strap mockup of the JET A2 antenna array which was loaned to ORNL by the JET ICRH team. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics