A Validation Roadmap of Multi-Physics Simulators of the Resonator of MW-Class CW Gyrotrons for Fusion Applications

Abstract

For a few years the multi-physics modelling of the resonance cavity (resonator) of MW-class continuous-wave gyrotrons, to be employed for electron cyclotron heating and current drive in magnetic confinement fusion machines, has gained increasing interest. The rising target power of the gyrotrons, which drives progressively higher Ohmic losses to be removed from the resonator, together with the need for limiting the resonator deformation as much as possible, has put more emphasis on the thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanic modeling of the cavity. To cope with that, a multi-physics simulator has been developed in recent years in a shared effort between several European institutions (the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie and Politecnico di Torino, supported by Fusion for Energy). In this paper the current status of the tool calibration and validation is addressed, aiming at highlighting where any direct or indirect comparisons with experimental data are missing and suggesting a possible roadmap to fill that gap, taking advantage of forthcoming tests in Europe.