Origin of extracted negative ions by 3D PIC-MCC modeling. Surface vs Volume comparison

Abstract

The development of a high performance negative ion (NI) source constitutes a crucial step in the construction of Neutral Beam Injector (NBI) of the future fusion reactor ITER. NI source should deliver 40 A of H− (or D−), which is a technical and scientific challenge, and requires a deeper understanding of the underlying physics of the source and its magnetic filter. The present knowledge of the ion extraction mechanism from the negative ion source is limited and concerns magnetized plasma sheaths used to avoid electrons being co‐extracted from the plasma together with the NI. Moreover, due to the asymmetry induced by the ITER crossed magnetic configuration used to filter the electrons, any realistic study of this problem must consider the three spatial dimensions. To address this problem, a 3D Particles‐in‐Cell electrostatic collisional code was developed, specifically designed for this system. Binary collisions between the particles are introduced using Monte Carlo Collision scheme. The complex orthogonal magnetic field that is applied to deflect electrons is also taken into account. This code, called ONIX (Orsay Negative Ion eXtraction), was used to investigate the plasma properties and the transport of the charged particles close to a typical extraction aperture [1]. This contribution focuses on the limits for the extracted NI current from both, plasma volume and aperture wall. Results of production, destruction, and transport of H− in the extraction region are presented. The extraction efficiency of H− from the volume is compared to the one of H− coming from the wall.