Improved Collectors for High Power Gyrotrons

[摘要] High power gyrotrons are used for electron cyclotron heating, current drive and parasitic mode suppression in tokamaks for fusion energy research. These devices are crucial for successful operation of many research programs around the world, including the ITER program currently being constructed in France. Recent gyrotron failures resulted from cyclic fatigue of the copper material used to fabricated the collectors. The techniques used to collect the spent beam power is common in many gyrotrons produced around the world. There is serious concern that these tubes may also be at risk from cyclic fatigue. This program addresses the cause of the collector failure. The Phase I program successfully demonstrated feasibility of a mode of operation that eliminates the cyclic operation that caused the failure. It also demonstrated that new material can provide increased lifetime under cyclic operation that could increase the lifetime by more than on order of magnitude. The Phase II program will complete that research and develop a collector that eliminates the fatigue failures. Such a design would find application around the world.

[发布日期] 2009-05-20

[学科分类] 原子、分子光学和等离子物理

[关键词] COPPER;CYCLOTRONS;DESIGN;ELECTRONS;FRANCE;HEATING;LIFETIME;MICROWAVE AMPLIFIERS;RESEARCH PROGRAMS;THERMONUCLEAR REACTORS depressed collector;gyrotron;ECH;electron cyclotron heating;tokamak;ITER