Work

Comparison of Travelling Wave Array and Classical ICRH Launchers: Spectral and Absorption Characteristics on WEST

Year: 2026

Type: conference-paper

Abstract: Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) plays a central role in plasma heating and current drive in tokamaks, making the optimization of antenna systems essential for maximizing performance. In this context, a comparative analysis of classical and Travelling Wave Array (TWA) launchers is carried out to assess potential improvements in absorption efficiency and spatial localization of deposited power. Simulations using the EVE code focus on Hydrogen minority heating in a Deuterium plasma under a magnetic field of 3.657 T in WEST. The results show that Hydrogen absorbs the most power for parallel wavenumbers k∥ max between 8 and 10 rad/m. Peak absorption occurs near the plasma core at 55.5 MHz with a poloidal phasing angle of 45◦ between rows. Moreover, changing the sign of the TWA’s toroidal spectrum i.e., launching waves in the opposite toroidal direction has a small impact on power absorption by Hydrogen.

Source: EPJ Web of Conferences

DOI: 10.1051/epjconf/202634602016

Authors: Lara Kassem Hijazi, Julien Hillairet, Rémi Dumont, Vincent Maquet, Riccardo Ragona

Institutions: Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, Technical University of Denmark

Language: English

Topic: Magnetic confinement fusion research

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: EUROfusion, European Commission, Euratom Research and Training Programme

Awards: G115085052, Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon Europe through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium, G2293481551, G3562821882, G5172252545