Load-tolerant external matching unit based on a wideband hybrid coupler for the ICRH system of DTT

Abstract

In the first phase of the Divertor Tokamak Test Facility (DTT), the goal of coupling a RF power of 3 MW to the plasma will be reached with a single ICRH module constituted by 4 generators, 2 or 4 External Matching Units (EMU) and 2 antennas. The operation with high levels of RF power into ELMy H-mode plasmas requires a robust and reliable Load-Tolerant EMU. Currently the most appropriate solution, ensuring a VSWR at the generators under the safety threshold of 1.5:1, will be based on a Wideband 2-section coaxial Hybrid Coupler operating in the frequency range of 60−90 MHz. HFSS and CST-MS simulation software was used for the optimization of the characteristic impedances and lengths of the transversal and longitudinal branches aimed to achieve excellent performance (amplitude and phase balance at the output ports, and low reflection at the input port) over the entire frequency range. The analysis has been carried out for Zo = 50 Ω and 30 Ω coaxial transmission lines in terms of S-parameters and electric field. Several good solutions with an amplitude imbalance about ±0.25 dB and a return loss lower than −20 dB in a large part of the frequency range will be presented. Then a simulation of the overall (end-to-end) EMU (Wideband Hybrid Coupler with shifter, stub and service stub in each of the 2 output branches) exploiting a suitable circuital solver of Ansys Electronics tool of HFSS, has been implemented. The resilience of the EMU has been tested determining the VSWR in input and the amplitude balance at the outputs for a typical resistive and reactive loading variation occurring during ELMs at f = 75 MHz and compared with the results at 65 MHz and 85 MHz.