139 research outputs found
Modeling and design of a BES diagnostic for the negative ion source NIO1
Consorzio RFX and INFN-LNL are building a flexible small ion source (NIO1)
capable of producing about 130 mA of H- ions accelerated at 60 KeV. Aim of the
experiment is to test and develop the instrumentation for SPIDER and MITICA,
the prototypes respectively of the negative ion sources and of the whole
neutral beam injectors which will operate in the ITER experiment. As SPIDER and
MITICA, NIO1 will be monitored with Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES), a
non-invasive diagnostic based on the analysis of the spectrum of the
emission produced by the interaction of the energetic ions with the background
gas. Aim of BES is to monitor direction, divergence and uniformity of the ion
beam. The precision of these measurements depends on a number of factors
related to the physics of production and acceleration of the negative ions, to
the geometry of the beam and to the collection optics. These elements were
considered in a set of codes developed to identify the configuration of the
diagnostic which minimizes the measurement errors. The model was already used
to design the BES diagnostic for SPIDER and MITICA. The paper presents the
model and describes its application to design the BES diagnostic in NIO1.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures. Contributed paper for the ICIS 2013 conference.
Accepted manuscrip
First Beam Characterization by Means of Emission Spectroscopy in the NIO1 Experiment
The NIO1 experiment hosts a flexible RF H- ion source, developed by INFN-LNL
and Consorzio RFX to improve the present concepts for the production and
acceleration of negative ions. The source is also used to benchmark the
instrumentation dedicated to the ITER neutral beam test facility. Many
diagnostics are installed in NIO1 to characterize the source and the extracted
negative ion beam. Among them, Beam Emission Spectroscopy (BES) has been used
in NIO1 to measure the divergence and the uniformity of the beam, together with
the fraction of beam ions which was neutralized inside the acceleration system.
The diagnostic method is based on the analysis of the Doppler shifted
photons emitted by the fast beam particles and collected along a
line of sight. The article presents the experimental setup and the analysis
algorithms of the BES diagnostic, together with a discussion of the first
measurements and of their correlation with the operational parameters.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Contributed paper for the ICIS 2017 conference.
Accepted manuscript of a published pape
Electron Density and Temperature in NIO1 RF Source Operated in Oxygen and Argon
The NIO1 experiment, built and operated at Consorzio RFX, hosts an RF
negative ion source, from which it is possible to produce a beam of maximum 130
mA in H- ions, accelerated up to 60 kV. For the preliminary tests of the
extraction system the source has been operated in oxygen, whose high
electronegativity allows to reach useful levels of extracted beam current. The
efficiency of negative ions extraction is strongly influenced by the electron
density and temperature close to the Plasma Grid, i.e. the grid of the
acceleration system which faces the source. To support the tests, these
parameters have been measured by means of the Optical Emission Spectroscopy
diagnostic. This technique has involved the use of an oxygen-argon mixture to
produce the plasma in the source. The intensities of specific Ar I and Ar II
lines have been measured along lines of sight close to the Plasma Grid, and
have been interpreted with the ADAS package to get the desired information.
This work will describe the diagnostic hardware, the analysis method and the
measured values of electron density and temperature, as function of the main
source parameters (RF power, pressure, bias voltage and magnetic filter field).
The main results show that not only electron density but also electron
temperature increase with RF power; both decrease with increasing magnetic
filter field. Variations of source pressure and plasma grid bias voltage appear
to affect only electron temperature and electron density, respectively.Comment: 7 pages 4 figures. Contributed paper for the NIBS 2016 conference.
Accepted manuscrip
First hydrogen operation of NIO1: characterization of the source plasma by means of an optical emission spectroscopy diagnostic
NIO1 is a compact and flexible radiofrequency H- ion source, developed by
Consorzio RFX and INFN-LNL. Aim of the experimentation on NIO1 is the
optimization of both the production of negative ions and their extraction and
beam optics. In the initial phase of its commissioning, NIO1 was operated with
nitrogen, but now the source is regularly operated also with hydrogen. To
evaluate the source performances an optical emission spectroscopy diagnostic
was installed. The system includes a low resolution spectrometer in the
spectral range of 300-850 nm and a high resolution (50 pm) one, to study
respectively the atomic and the molecular emissions in the visible range. The
spectroscopic data have been interpreted also by means of a
collisional-radiative model developed at IPP Garching. Besides the diagnostic
hardware and the data analysis methods, the paper presents the first plasma
measurements across a transition to the full H mode, in a hydrogen discharge.
The characteristic signatures of this transition in the plasma parameters are
described, in particular the sudden increase of the light emitted from the
plasma above a certain power threshold.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Contributed paper for the ICIS 2015 conference.
Accepted manuscrip
Excitation of the l=2 diocotron mode with a resistive load
The resistive wall instability of the l=2 diocotron mode in a pure electron plasma has been investigated with a systematic variation of the parameters of the external impedance connected to a pair of sectored electrodes. The measured growth rate is well described by a linear perturbation theory of the two-dimensional drift-Poisson system
Continuous pulse advances in the negative ion source NIO1
Consorzio RFX and INFN-LNL have designed, built and operated the compact
radiofrequency negative ion source NIO1 (Negative Ion Optimization phase 1)
with the aim of studying the production and acceleration of H- ions. In
particular, NIO1 was designed to keep plasma generation and beam extraction
continuously active for several hours. Since 2020 the production of negative
ions at the plasma grid (the first grid of the acceleration system) has been
enhanced by a Cs layer, deposited though active Cs evaporation in the source
volume. For the negative ion sources applied to fusion neutral beam injectors,
it is essential to keep the beam current and the fraction of co-extracted
electrons stable for at least 1 h, against the consequences of Cs sputtering
and redistribution operated by the plasma. The paper presents the latest
results of the NIO1 source, in terms of caesiation process and beam
performances during continuous (6{\div}7 h) plasma pulses. Due to the small
dimensions of the NIO1 source (20 x (diam.)10 cm), the Cs density in the volume
is high (10^15 \div 10^16 m^-3) and dominated by plasma-wall interaction. The
maximum beam current density and minimum fraction of co-extracted electrons
were respectively about 30 A/m^2 and 2. Similarly to what done in other
negative ion sources, the plasma grid temperature in NIO1 was raised for the
first time, up to 80 {\deg}C, although this led to a minimal improvement of the
beam current and to an increase of the co-extracted electron current.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. Contributed paper for the 8th International
symposium on Negative Ions, Beams and Sources - NIBS'22. Revision 1 of the
preprint under evaluation at Journal of Instrumentation (JINST
Start of SPIDER operation towards ITER neutral beams
Heating Neutral Beam (HNB) Injectors will constitute the main plasma heating and current drive tool both in ITER and JT60-SA, which are the next major experimental steps for demonstrating nuclear fusion as viable energy source. In ITER, in order to achieve the required thermonuclear fusion power gain Q=10 for short pulse operation and Q=5 for long pulse operation (up to 3600s), two HNB injectors will be needed [1], each delivering a total power of about 16.5 MW into the magnetically-confined plasma, by means of neutral hydrogen or deuterium particles having a specific energy of about 1 MeV. Since only negatively charged particles can be efficiently neutralized at such energy, the ITER HNB injectors [2] will be based on negative ions, generated by caesium-catalysed surface conversion of atoms in a radio-frequency driven plasma source. A negative deuterium ion current of more than 40 A will be extracted, accelerated and focused in a multi-aperture, multi-stage electrostatic accelerator, having 1280 apertures (~ 14 mm diam.) and 5 acceleration stages (~200 kV each) [3]. After passing through a narrow gas-cell neutralizer, the residual ions will be deflected and discarded, whereas the neutralized particles will continue their trajectory through a duct into the tokamak vessels to deliver the required heating power to the ITER plasma for a pulse duration of about 3600 s. Although the operating principles and the implementation of the most critical parts of the injector have been tested in different experiments, the ITER NBI requirements have never been simultaneously attained. In order to reduce the risks and to optimize the design and operating procedures of the HNB for ITER, a dedicated Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) [4] has been promoted by the ITER Organization with the contribution of the European Union\u2019s Joint Undertaking for ITER and of the Italian Government, with the participation of the Japanese and Indian Domestic Agencies (JADA and INDA) and of several European laboratories, such as IPP-Garching, KIT-Karlsruhe, CCFE-Culham, CEA-Cadarache. The NBTF, nicknamed PRIMA, has been set up at Consorzio RFX in Padova, Italy [5]. The planned experiments will verify continuous HNB operation for one hour, under stringent requirements for beam divergence (< 7 mrad) and aiming (within 2 mrad). To study and optimise HNB performances, the NBTF includes two experiments: MITICA, full-scale NBI prototype with 1 MeV particle energy and SPIDER, with 100 keV particle energy and 40 A current, aiming at testing and optimizing the full-scale ion source. SPIDER will focus on source uniformity, negative ion current density and beam optics. In June 2018 the experimental operation of SPIDER has started
Crystalline phases involved in the hydration of calcium silicate-based cements: Semi-quantitative Rietveld X-ray diffraction analysis
Chemical comparisons of powder and hydrated forms of calcium silicate cements (CSCs) and calculation of alterations in tricalcium silicate (Ca3SiO5) calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) are essential for understanding their hydration processes. This study aimed to evaluate and compare these changes in ProRoot MTA, Biodentine and CEM cement. Powder and hydrated forms of tooth coloured ProRoot MTA, Biodentine and CEM cement were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis with Rietveld refinement to semi-quantitatively identify and quantify the main phases involved in their hydration process. Data were reported descriptively. Reduction in Ca3SiO5 and formation of Ca(OH)2 were seen after the hydration of ProRoot MTA and Biodentine; however, in the case of CEM cement, no reduction of Ca3SiO5 and no formation of Ca(OH)2 were detected. The highest percentages of amorphous phases were seen in Biodentine samples. Ettringite was detected in the hydrated forms of ProRoot MTA and CEM cement but not in Biodentine
- âŠ