100 kV solid-state switch for fusion heating systems

Abstract

Power switching in RF heating systems is a delicate function as it is often linked to high power tube protection. In most RF systems, the end stage power tube is fed by a high voltage power supply (HVPS), which connection to the tube has to be interrupted in case of arc suspicion. The amount of energy that is allowable to be dissipated in the arc is in the range of 10–50 J, to limit the degradations observed on the tube structures. The protection function is usually performed by a crowbar. Furthermore, the HVPS is often shared by several power tubes, and the loss of all the power from the group of tubes is to be avoided to minimize the perturbation on the plasma experiment. A description of a 40 kV thyristor based crowbar and a 100 kV, 25 A MOSFET switch is given, as well as the contours of the existing components for high power switching applications. By combining small components, such as thyristors or MOSFET, in matrix, highly compact and reliable units have been built and implemented in Tore Supra RF systems.