ICRF Antenna Modeling and Coupling Analysis for CFEDR

¹ Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 23001, China
² University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

^* Corresponding author: yuhao.jiang@ipp.ac.cn
^** Corresponding author: chmq@ipp.ac.cn
^*** Corresponding author: wei.zhang@ipp.ac.cn

Published online: 7 January 2026

Abstract

The Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) is an important auxiliary plasma heating method in the Chinese Fusion Engineering DEMO Reactor (CFEDR). A coupled ICRF power P_c of 10 MW during the ramp-up phase and 20 MW during the flat-top phase is required, launched from an ICRF antenna located at an equatorial port, to obtain or sustain conventional H-mode in CFEDR. Using the CFETR-ICRF antenna model by Zhang et al [10], we use RAPLICASOL code to evaluate ICRF wave coupling across various plasma conditions and toroidal phasings. The analysis of the antenna coupling resistance R_c, power spectrum, parallel wavenumber k∥, surface current distribution on the straps J_s, and parallel electric field E∥ under different edge electron density n_e profiles and toroidal phasings [(0, π, 0, π, 0, π), (0, π, π, 0, 0, π), and (0, 0, π, π, 0, 0)], for frequencies between 40 MHz and 90 MHz, are presented.