Progress of the RF negative hydrogen ion source for fusion at HUST

Abstract

Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) has developed an experimental setup of a radio frequency (RF) driven negative hydrogen ion source, aimed to investigate the physics of production and extraction of the H− ions for neutral beam injection in nuclear fusion reactors. The main design parameters of the ion source are: RF power ≤40 kW; extraction voltage ≤10 kV; accelerator voltage ≤20 kV. This paper gives an overview of the progress of the ion source with particular emphasis on some issues. The RF driver and source plasma are analyzed and optimized in terms of impedance matching, plasma characteristics and power coupling. In regard of simulation analysis, a plasma model based on particle-in-cell (PIC) method and a beam trajectory model considerd with beam stripping lose are developed to investigate the plasma and negative ions transport inside ion source. Furthermore, a collisional radiative (CR) model of H and H2 is built for plasma optical diagnosis.

Beam extraction under Cs-free conditions in HUST negative ion source

“…been developing an RF driven negative hydrogen ion source experimental setup since 2011 [7]. In HUST negative ion source setup, the RF power needed to ignite the source plasma is possible up to 40 kW (the maximum RF power is 20 kW in the present experimental campaign).…”

3D modeling of a double-driver ion source considering ion magnetization: an investigation of plasma symmetry modulation methods

“…Nocentini et al utilized the finite element method to design the PG and magnetic configuration, aiming to achieve a more uniform magnetic filter field distribution and thus a homogeneous plasma beam [22]. Yang et al developed a 1D particlein-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) model, in which the plasma loss at the sidewall was estimated by a loss estimation model to reduce the computational cost, to study the plasma transport through a Gaussian profile magnetic field [23,24]. By using a 2D PIC model, Hatayama et al investigated the impact of magnetic field strength, and they revealed the optimal value for H − extraction [25].…”