Simulation of ion cyclotron wave heating in the EXL-50U spherical tokamak based on dispersion relations

This study investigates the single-pass absorption (SPA) of ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating in hydrogen plasma of the EXL-50U spherical tokamak, which is an upgraded device of the EXL-50 with a central solenoid and a stronger magnetic field. The reliability of the kinetic dispersion equation is confirmed by the one-dimensional full-wave code, and the applicability of Porkolab’s simplified theoretical SPA model is discussed based on the kinetic dispersion equation. Simulations are conducted to investigate the heating effects of the fundamental and second harmonic frequencies. The results indicate that with the design parameters of the EXL-50U device, the SPA for second harmonic heating is 63%, while the SPA for fundamental heating is 13%. Additionally, the optimal injection frequencies are 23 MHz at 0.9 T and 31 MHz at 1.2 T. The wave vector of the antenna parallel to the magnetic field, with a value of k∥ = 7.5 m−1, falls within the optimal heating region. Simulations reveal that the ICRF heating system can play an important role in the ion heating of the EXL-50U.