Comparison of RF Heating in ASDEX Upgrade and ITER

Abstract: The increased effects of global warming have been a driving force to further research and develop sustainable energy sources, such as fusion. In this study, two different fusion devices are compared in terms of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH)of plasma. The two devices are the tokamaks ASDEX Upgrade and not yet built ITER. To make the comparison, ICRH was simulated in the two tokamaks using the FEMIC code. ASDEXUpgrade was simulated with a deuterium plasma and ITER was simulated both with a deuterium and a deuterium-tritium plasma. In all scenarios a 3% minority species concentration,consisting of helium-3, was introduced. The obtained results showa higher and more centered wave absorption in ITER, compared to ASDEX Upgrade. This is mainly due to the size difference of the tokamaks. The smaller plasma radius of ASDEX Upgrade allowed for more wave reflection in the plasma, resulting in standing waves that formed eigenmode patterns. For simulationsin ITER, the waves were absorbed before they could be reflected in the plasma. Instead of standing waves and eigenmode patterns,the waves behaved as beams, propagating in a narrow region of the plasma. This indicates that ITER is more effective in terms of ICRH, as the absorption is greater and more focused to the center, minimizing power losses to the surroundings.