ESTIMATION OF PLASMA ELECTRON DENSITY INSIDE THE RADIO FREQUENCY INDUCTIVELY COUPLED DRIVER OF SPIDE

SPIDER radio-frequency (RF) inductively coupled ion source is a full-size prototype of ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector ion source,equipped with 100 keV accelerator system for the particles. It is in operation since June 2018 in the premises of Neutral Beam Test Facility located in Padova, Italy. The ion source includes a plasma source where plasma is generated and heated by8 RF drivers operating with Hydrogen/Deuterium at a gas pressure of ~ 0.3 Pa and maximum RF power of 100 kW per driver at 1 MHz frequency. There are 4RF circuits present in SPIDER, each comprises of a RF generator and a RF load. The RF load is defined bya transmission line:a capacitor-basedmatching network and two driver coils connected in series. To qualify the performance of the driver, an estimation of the power transfer efficiency (PTE) to the plasma is important. It is defined as the ratio between the power absorbed by the plasma and the total RF input power. The power absorbed by the plasma cannot be measured experimentally and is found to be dependent on several parameters coupled together. Previously, a methodology has been developed based on the integration of various input parameters, plasma heating mechanisms and an electrical model which can provide an estimation of PTE to the plasma. One of the essential input parameters is the plasma electron density.It is possible to experimentally measure this parameter and currently different methods are being explored,but usually they also require a detailed and time consuming data analyses. In this perspective, are liable and a fast model will be beneficial for the estimation of electron density. This work will focus on the description, application,and comparison of different ways to estimate the electron density.Based on the available literature, two main approaches are highlighted for the estimation of electron density1) from the power balance equation and 2) through the measurements of the electrical parameters in the RF power circuits.The results in terms of electron density will be compared to the first experimental results obtained from spectroscopic and/or electrostatic probe measurements.