Upgrades to the NSTX HHFW antenna

Abstract

The High Harmonic Fast Wave (HHFW) antenna for the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) at PPPL will be upgraded as part of the NSTX upgrade project. Higher magnetic fields and plasma current result in disruption forces on the current straps that can be up to four times the original design values. The current straps on the HHFW antenna are presently fed by coaxial feedthroughs with rigid center conductors. The additional forces on the current straps require a compliant section in the center conductor in order to minimize the forces on the feedthrough. The design of this compliant section has been an integrated effort involving electrostatic calculations in parallel with mechanical and thermal analyses, in order to arrive at a design that is optimized for mechanical, thermal and electrical considerations. The voltage standoff obtained from this design will be verified when a prototype antenna is evaluated on our RF test stand. This paper describes the design of the compliant section of the center conductor, mechanical, thermal and electrostatic calculations, and plans for full implementation of the upgrade on NSTX.