Initial assessment of an EC heating scenario and system for a compact stellarator power plant

The ARIES Advanced System Group has initiated a three-year study of compact stellarators as fusion power plants. Initial assessment was carried out of an external electron cyclotron heating system used to bring the plasma to its nominal operating conditions. For an NCSX-based CS reactor, core accessibility and strong single-pass absorption are found for the O-mode at the fundamental resonance. Survey of the EC source and window technologies indicates that their present performances approach those required for a CS reactor. A preliminary study concludes that an EC system based on the ITER-FEAT design should fit into the complex modular coil geometry of the device.