The ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF), called PRIMA (Padova Research on ITER Megavolt Accelerator), is hosted in Padova, Italy and includes two experiments: MITICA, the full-scale prototype of the ITER heating neutral beam injector, and SPIDER, the full-size radio frequency negative-ions source. The NBTF realization and the exploitation of SPIDER and MITICA have been recognized as necessary to make the future operation of the ITER heating neutral beam injectors efficient and reliable, fundamental to the achievement of thermonuclear-relevant plasma parameters in ITER. This paper reports on design and R&D carried out to construct PRIMA, SPIDER and MITICA, and highlights the huge progress made in just a few years, from the signature of the agreement for the NBTF realization in 2011, up to now-when the buildings and relevant infrastructures have been completed, SPIDER is entering the integrated commissioning phase and the procurements of several MITICA components are at a well advanced stage.

SPIDER is one of the two projects of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) under construction in Padova, Italy, at Consorzio RFX premises; it will have a 100 keV beam source with a full-size prototype of the radiofrequency (RF) ion source for the ITER Neutral Beam Injector (NBI), designed to operate with pulse length up to 3600 s, featuring ITER-like filter field configuration, caesium oven layout and a wide set of diagnostics. These features will allow reproducing the ion source operation like in ITER as cannot be done in any other existing test facility. SPIDER realization is well advanced and the first operation is expected at the beginning of 2018, with the mission to prove the possibility of achieving the ITER heating and diagnostic NBI ion source requirements and of improving its performance in terms of reliability and availability. This paper mainly focuses on the preparation of the first SPIDER operations: integration and testing of SPIDER components, completion and implementation of diagnostics and control and workout of operation and research plan, based on a staged strategy.

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ITER plasma. The supply of full DNB lines and the associated power supplies is a part of the nine procurement packages that the Indian Domestic Agency (INDA) shall provide as an inkind contribution to ITER.The design of the neutral beam injectors of the kind planned for ITER is based on RF drive negative beam sources (BS) and beam line components (BLCs) consisting of the neutralizer, Nuclear Fusion