Gyrotron Research and Development in Europe to Advance Microwave Plasma Heating of Nuclear Fusion Devices

Energy is at the heart of the climate challenge – and key to the solution. It calls for the development of renewable and sustainable, non-carbon-dioxide emitting energy supplies. Nuclear fusion is seen as a possible long-term option. Recently, it has become a megatrend. Numerous start-ups around the globe are shifting the focus in research and development from plasma science to fusion technology. In parallel, in France, 35 nations collaborate together to build ITER, the world's largest tokamak experiment, a magnetic confinement fusion device. ITER will rely on all three major plasma heating systems, namely the negative Ion Neutral Beam Injection (NBI), the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) and the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH). Instead, the today’s concept of the European DEMOnstration power plant (DEMO) relies completely on the capabilities of the ECRH as it allows for plasma heating and localized plasma stabilization. Gyrotrons are the microwave sources which provide the necessary continuous wave output power at megawatt-levels with sufficient efficiencies and at the required frequencies ranging from below 100 GHz to above 200 GHz. ... mehrSignificant R&D effort is ongoing in Europe to develop gyrotrons for the European fusion plasma experiments and the future DEMOnstration fusion power plant. It is driven by the European GYrotron Consortium (EGYC), which consists of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC) at EPFL, Switzerland, the Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece, and the National Research Council in Italy (ISTP-CNR). IPP Greifswald, Germany is collaborating in the improvement of gyrotrons for the stellarator W7-X. Polytechnic of Turin (PoliTO) and the Polytechnic of Milan (PoliMI) are contributing to the R&D on cooling circuits and cathode temperature control systems, respectively. Finally, the industrial design and manufacturing are performed by the European industrial partner THALES, France. This presentation focuses on the advances in gyrotron research and development in Europe.