Simulation of the Antenna-Plasma Coupling Efficiency of the Three-Loop Icr Antenna of the T-15md Tokamak

Currently, the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute" is developing an ion-cyclotron resonance (ICR) heating system for the T-15MD tokamak. The ICRF (ion cyclotron range of frequency) system is to be used to heat the ion component of the plasma and generate a non-inductive current (drag current). The total power of the system is 6 MW with a pulse duration of up to 30 s. Under these parameters, reflected power could lead to failure of the ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) of the system. Therefore, matching the load (plasma) to the generator requires special attention. This work presents a numerical study of the antenna-plasma coupling efficiency for a three-loop antenna developed for ICRF plasma heating in the T-15MD tokamak. The dependence of the antenna impedance on plasma parameters, its position, and the phasing of the antenna excitation currents is studied.