1 MV power supplies integration issues in MITICA experiment, the ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector prototype

Abstract

Abstract MITICA, the full scale prototype of ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector required to heat up ITER plasma with 16.5 MW injected power, is under realization at the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) in Padova (Italy) with the contributions of JApanese and EUropean Domestic Agencies (JADA and EUDA, respectively). The objective of MITICA is to produce a 16.5 MW neutral beam, obtained by accelerating negative Deuterium ions up to 1 MeV for a total ion current of 40 A and then neutralized. MITICA Power Supply (PS), installed from 2016 to 2019, includes several non-standard equipment, with ratings well beyond the present industrial standard for insulation voltage level (-1 MVdc) and dimensions: • the Acceleration Grid Power Supply (AGPS), composed of five DC Generators (DCG) rated for -200 kVdc each, connected in series to produce -1 MVdc acceleration voltage; • the Ion Source and Extraction Power Supply system (ISEPS); • the large air insulated Faraday cage (High Voltage Deck1, HVD1) hosting ISEPS and connected to the Transmission Line (TL) through an air-to-SF6 Bushing (High Voltage Bushing Assembly, HVBA); • a 100 m gas (SF6) insulated TL, connecting AGPS and ISEPS to the beam source installed inside the vacuum vessel through • the SF6-to-vacuum HV Bushing (HVB). The definition of the interfaces both between components supplied by the different DA’s and towards the buildings has been studied and finalized as far as possible during the design phase. Nevertheless, during the installation phase some issues emerged and had to be solved, minimizing modifications of the components already manufactured. The paper deals with the experience gained during the installation activities, focusing on solutions to interface the aforementioned equipment with NBTF buildings according to the stringent dimensional requirements and to the electrical insulation issues of the TL from the buildings. In particular, the solutions adopted to realize the electrical and mechanical interfaces between the TL and the HVBA are described in detail.