Current drive and heating systems for an ITER hard option

A conceptual design was developed for a reference current drive and heating system for a HARD (high aspect ratio design) onion for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor). Twelve neutral beam modules, each rated at 1.3 MeV and 9.2 MW, perform plasma heating and current drive. An electron cyclotron system is used for initiating the plasma and for disruption control. An alternate system was defined, comprising a lower hybrid and ion cyclotron system for heating system for heating and current drive, augmented by the same electron cyclotron system proposed for the reference system. The neutral beam modules have been arranged in groups of three, two in a vertical array and one nested to the side. Four groups, and thus four ports, are required. Since a lower hybrid system is not needed for the HARD option, the two ports allocated for lower hybrid system in the CDA (conceptual design activity) are available. Therefore, the number of ports required for current drive and heating for the HARD option is five (4 neutral beams, 1 electron cyclotron) versus six (3 neutral beams, 2 lower hybrid, and 1 electron cyclotron) for the CDA. The neutral beam modules have been configured in sets of three, 2 in a vertical array, which has significantly reduced the overall height of the system