Abstract. The ITER electron cyclotron (EC) upper port antenna (or launcher) is nearing completion of the detailed design stage and will soon be starting the final build to print design. The main objective of this launcher is to drive current locally to stabilise the NTMs (depositing ECCD inside of the island that forms on either the q=3/2 or 2 rational magnetic flux surfaces) and control the sawtooth instability (deposit ECCD near the q=1 surface). The launcher should be capable of steering the focused beam deposition location to the resonant flux surface over the range in which the q=1, 3/2 and 2 surfaces are expected to be found, for the various plasma equilibria susceptible to the onset of NTMs and sawteeth. The aim of this paper is to provide the design status of the principle components that make up the launcher: port plug, mm-wave system and shield block components. The port plug represents the chamber that provides a rigid support structure that houses the mm-wave and shield blocks. The mm-wave system is comprised of the components used to guide the RF beams through the port plug structure and refocus the beams far into the plasma. The shield block components are used to attenuate the nuclear radiation from the burning plasma, protecting the fragile in-port components and reducing the neutron streaming through the port assembly. The design of these three subsystems is described, in addition, the relevant thermo-mechanical and electro-magnetic analysis are reviewed for the critical design issues.

No abstract

In this paper, we present a numerical model which takes into account both the thermal and the electromagnetic aspects of the over-critical current regime for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials. The electromagnetic and thermal equations have been implemented in finite-element method (FEM) software in order to obtain a novel model for investigating the behaviour of the materials when the current exceeds Ic and the superconductor material goes to the normal state. The thermal dependence of the electrical parameters, such as the critical current density Jc, has been introduced. This model has been used to analyse the behaviour of strip lines of a YBCO/Au fault current limiter (FCL) on a sapphire substrate. Simulations with currents exceeding Ic have been performed, showing that the current limitation phase can be correctly reproduced. Such a model can be used to study the influence of the geometry on the performance of the FCL. It can replace experiments with currents exceeding Ic which may damage or destroy HTS samples and devices.

No abstract

We propose an equivalent circuit model that describes the behavior of a superconductor viewed by an external user, for whom the global variables voltage and current are of interest. It is used in time-continuous simulations and it treats well both the subcritical and supercritical current regime. The model is based on Maxwell's equations, measurement results as well as on the physical structure of a superconducting tape. The incorporated circuit elements have been described in mathematical expressions: a nonlinear resistance and a nonlinear inductance (superconducting core) in parallel with a linear resistance and a linear inductance (silver sheath or by-pass material). The simplicity of the model makes it fast and easy to apply compared to existing numerical models of superconductors, based on finite element methods. Furthermore, it is wide-ranging and may represent a superconductor in many different applications depending on parameter values. Examples of applied voltage and current with nonstationary waveforms on a HTS tape are given. Calculated are the hysteresis losses (due to flux pinning) and resistive losses (due to flux creep and flux flow) in the tape in the range 0.1 to 1.8 .