Advanced fuelling system for ITER

Abstract

Steady-state high-performance discharges in reactors, such as the Advanced Tokamak (AT) scenarios would rely on optimized density and pressure profiles that must be maintained. This maximizes the bootstrap current fraction, reduces reactor recycling power and reduces thermal stresses. Other than a system for the balance of current drive not provided by bootstrap current drive, no other sources of input power, such as from neutral beams, are allowed. For these systems, a precision fuelling system would be the ideal way to control the fusion burn by controlling and maintaining the required pressure profile. This requires a fuelling system that is capable of depositing fuel at any radial location within the plasma while at the same time not altering the density profile to a level that degrades the required pressure profile. Present fuelling systems are incapable of meeting these requirements. An advanced fuelling system based on Compact Toroid injection has the potential to meet these needs while simultaneously providing a source of toroidal momentum input. Description of a conceptual Compact Toroid fueller for ITER is presented in conjunction with a plan for developing this much needed technology.