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Since many years KIT is strongly involved in the development of high power gyrotrons for use in ECRH. KIT is pursuing two development lines: (i) the conventional, hollow cavity gyrotron and (ii) the coaxial cavity gyrotron. KIT is pushing conventional cavity gyrotrons from 1 MW to 1.5 MW in a common project with IPP Greifswald. Coaxial cavity technology having the advantage of higher power capability, in particular at higher frequency, is used for the 2 MW 170 GHz short-pulse prototype. This gyrotron is currently being upgraded to allow pulse extension up to approximately 100 ms and up to 1 s in a second step. For a future DEMOnstration fusion power plant two challenging trends with respect to gyrotron features are recognized: (a) the operating frequency will be above 200 GHz and (b) the requested total efficiency of the gyrotron should be higher than 60%. KIT is addressing these requirements by investigating both gyrotron technologies for their performance at a frequency well above 200 GHz. We started careful analysis of multi-staged-depressed collectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ITER electron cyclotron upper port launching system has to provide local current drive in order to stabilize neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) and the sawtooth instability. The mm-wave system is embedded in a rigid upper port plug structure optimized for the rough operating conditions. During regular operation the structure is heated by neutrons and photons which are simulated by the Monte-Carlo method. The structural system has to provide sufficient cooling especially in the front part where high heat loads occur. If the active plasma stabilization fails the worst case scenario for the upper port plugs is the upward vertical displacement event (VDE) followed by a fast current quench. The fast plasma disruption occurs close to the plugs; eddy currents are induced and interact with the strong static magnetic field. The resulting mechanical forces and torque moments stress the structural system to its physical limits; a detailed numerical analysis, prototype crosschecks and design optimization is required to obtain a working system for ITER. Numerical structural, thermal and fluid dynamic analyses are presented as well as prototype tests and finally the effect of plasma disruptions on the structural design is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• ECRH system at Wendelstein 7-X with 10, 1 MW, 140 GHz, continuous wave gyrotrons. • Upgrade to 1.5 MW to achieve regimes with high plasma beta and low collisionality. • 1.8 mm thick diamond disk in gyrotron output windows directly cooled by silicon oil. • Diamond window performance at 1.5 MW verified by CFD and FEM analyses. • Sensitivity analyses for absorbed power in disk and beam radius at window location. The 10 MW electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system at the stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) currently relies on the successful operation of continuous wave (CW) 1 MW, 140 GHz gyrotrons which have chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond output windows cooled by the industrial silicon oil Dow Corning 200(R) 5 cSt. The window features a 1.8 mm thick diamond disk brazed to two copper cuffs with an aperture of 88 mm, which are then integrated in a steel housing. In the context of the upgrade of the ECRH system towards higher microwave power, this gyrotron design has been significantly advanced to fulfill the requirement of 1.5 MW CW operation, still at 140 GHz. A prototype of this new gyrotron is under development at Thales, France. This paper reports the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) conjugated heat transfer and structural analyses of the diamond window performed using the commercial code ANSYS V19.2 to investigate its performance at 1.5 MW operation. Furthermore, sensitivity studies were also carried out with respect to the absorbed power in the disk and the mm-wave beam radius at the window location. These analyses showed that the window design of the existing 1 MW gyrotrons still works quite well at higher power operation, thus verifying the performance of the window. Even in the worst case scenario of 1.5 kW absorbed power, the maximum temperature of 215 °C at the disk center can be safely accepted, being below the conservative limit of 250 °C for CVD diamond. In addition, the non-axial symmetric thermal gradients due to the geometry of the cooling channels lead to thermal stresses in the disk and the cuffs. However, they are much lower than the limits. The copper cuffs experience plasticity deformation in the region of the interface with the diamond disk up to a value of about 1.5 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Status of the experiments with the EU 170 GHz, 1 MW CW industrial prototype gyrotron for ITER. • Possible upgrades of the EU 170 GHz, 1 MW SP prototype gyrotron for the enhancement of the tube's efficiency. • First experimental results with a fully metallic beam tunnel. The European Gyrotron Consortium (EGYC) is developing the European 1 MW, 170 GHz Continuous Wave (CW) industrial prototype gyrotron for ITER in cooperation with Thales Electron Devices (TED) and Fusion for Energy (F4E). This conventional, hollow-cavity gyrotron, is based on the 1 MW, 170 GHz Short-Pulse (SP) modular gyrotron that has been designed and manufactured by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with TED. Both gyrotrons have been tested successfully in multiple experiments. In this work we briefly report on the results with the CW gyrotron at KIT and we focus at the experiments at the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC). In addition, we present preliminary results from various upgrades of the SP tube that are currently tested at KIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The refrigeration of a gyrotron coaxial cavity is investigated. • Annular cooling channel allows operation below T limit for ∼150 ms. • Steady state condition reached in the simulation after ∼ 3 s. • Mini-channels cooling configuration reduces T peak by ∼ 150 °C. Continuous Wave gyrotrons are the key elements for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating and Current Drive (ECRH&CD) in present fusion experiments and future fusion reactors. In the frame of the EUROfusion activities, a 170 GHz, 2 MW short-pulse (∼ 1 ms), water-cooled coaxial gyrotron, already tested at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is being upgraded for operation at longer pulses (∼ 100–1000 ms). Here we use the MUlti-physiCs tool for the integrated simulation of the CAvity (MUCCA), recently developed in collaboration between Politecnico di Torino and KIT, to analyze the evolution of the operating condition of the coaxial gyrotron cavity, self-consistently coupling thermal-hydraulic, thermo-mechanical and electro-dynamic models. The main results are presented in terms of evolution of temperature, heat load and deformation of the heated surface of the resonator and of the coaxial insert during the first few seconds of operation. We show that the system evolves towards stable operating conditions (no beam loss), with a peak temperature strongly dependent on the cooling configuration, where a large room for the improvement of the current cavity cooling design is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The future EC systems will consist of several gyrotron sources providing MW-level millimeter wave power at a frequency around or above 170 GHz. The development of matched loads is necessary to test the new sources, the components for the transmission lines and the launchers, and must ensure high qualification for compatibility with the nuclear environment. The development at IFP-CNR and LTC of several compact high-power prototypes during the last decade led to a refinement of the overall design, resulting in the present low-reflectivity vacuum-compatible loads. The activity on loads is supported by F4E in view of the development of the EU gyrotron for ITER and required high-power tests at QST (Naka, Japan). Qualification is now supported by new tests at SPC (Lausanne, Switzerland) using the FALCON test-bed designed to test components and the EU gyrotron prototype for the EC system of ITER. These high-power tests, performed on the first CW prototype load (provided with 16 + 16 cooling channels in parallel) and shown in this paper, highlighted the need to improve the mechanical, vacuum and hydraulic design to reach the final goal of 1000s at ∼1 MW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, a 174 GHz Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic will be implemented. One of the 140 GHz Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) gyrotrons will be operated at around 174 GHz in a higher cavity mode, using it as source for the CTS mm-wave probing beam. To prevent any damage to the CTS receiver, a notch filter cuts out the high-power gyrotron signal at the entrance of the receiver. The bandwidth of the gyrotron signal determines the notch filter bandwidth. First proof-of-principle experiments on frequency stabilization were conducted on W7-X ECRH gyrotrons employing Phase-Locked Loop techniques. The gyrotron output frequency was controlled with the accelerating voltage, which is applied between the anode and cathode of the gyrotron diode-type Magnetron Injection Gun. Frequency stabilization experiments with 10 ms pulses were conducted at the gyrotron nominal frequency of 140 GHz as well as at 174 GHz. It is concluded that the gyrotron frequency could be stabilized for at least 3 ms at 140 GHz and 8 ms at 174 GHz. In the frequency spectrum, a clear main peak of the gyrotron frequency at 140 GHz with a full -15 dB linewidth of below 500 Hz was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term options for a steady-state DEMOnstration power plant may require the availability of gyrotrons with an operating frequency significantly above 200 GHz together with an RF output power of more than 1 MW and a total gyrotron efficiency of better than 60%. Frequency tuning in steps of around 2–3 GHz might be needed for control of plasma stability. Multi-purpose operation at frequencies with leaps of about 30 GHz might be considered for plasma start-up, heating and current drive at different operation scenarios. The combination of those requirements clearly challenges present-day technological limits. The R&D work within the EUROfusion WP HCD EC Gyrotron R&D and Advanced Developments is focusing on named targets. In particular, a centre frequency of around 240 GHz is under investigation. The coaxial-cavity gyrotron technology, and, as a possible fallback solution, the conventional hollow-cavity are under investigation. Both options are studied with regards to maximum achievable output power versus efficiency, operation stability and tolerances. Concerning the coaxial-cavity technology, an additional experimental investigation shall verify the predicted operation capabilities. Various promising concepts for multi-stage depressed collectors (MSDC) are under investigation. The research and development are completed by advancing the simulation and test tools capabilities significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU 1 MW, 170 GHz gyrotron with hollow cylindrical cavity have been designed within the European GYrotron Consortium (EGYC) in collaboration with the industrial partner Thales Electron Devices (TED) and under the coordination of Fusion for Energy (F4E). In the frame of the EU program, the short-pulse (SP) version of this tube was designed and manufactured by KIT in collaboration with TED. The experimental verification of the SP gyrotron prototype was successfully completed in 2015. The achieved experimental results show a very stable gyrotron operation with RF output power above 1 MW at good cavity interaction efficiency around 35%. The gyrotron was operated up to 10 ms pulse length; the nominal cavity mode TE 32,9 has been excited at the frequency 170.1 GHz in agreement with the corresponding ITER specification. The Gaussian mode content of the output RF beam was about 98% and the total level of internal stray radiation was in the range of 2–3%. The manufacturing of the first industrial continuous-wave (CW) prototype gyrotron, based on the SP gyrotron design, was completed in November 2015 at TED. The tube was delivered to KIT and the experimental verification started in February 2016. Operation of the gyrotron with ms pulse duration resulted in stable excitation of the nominal mode at 170.22 GHz for a wide range of operating parameters and with a level of stray radiation comparable with the SP version. The maximum RF power achieved up to now in short-pulse operation at a level of 1 MW. The measured Gaussian mode content of the RF beam is 97%. Currently, further preparation for the CW operation of the gyrotron is in progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) has become the prime heating system on most fusion machines, due to the availability of gyrotrons and transmission systems as reliable high power microwave sources. The Institute of Pulsed Power and Microwave Heating (IHM) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is at the center of European efforts in developing such gyrotrons, in collaboration with European industry and other research institutions. Two years ago, KIT has started the construction of a new gyrotron test facility FULGOR (Fusion Long Pulse Laboratory), which should satisfy the demands gyrotron testing poses over the next 2–3 decades. The paper describes the capabilities of FULGOR and the progress made in its construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), theoretical and experimental foundations for the development of future gyrotrons for fusion applications are being laid down. This includes the construction of the new Fusion Long Pulse Gyrotron Laboratory (FULGOR) test facility as well as physical design studies towards DEMO-compatible gyrotrons. Initially FULGOR will comprise of a 10 MW CW power supply, a 5 MW water cooling system (upgradeable to 10 MW), a superconducting 10 T magnet, one or two 2 MW ECRH test loads and a new control and data acquisition system for all these elements. The test facility will then be equipped to test the conventional 1 MW or coaxial 2 MW gyrotrons for DEMO, currently under design, as well as possible upgraded gyrotrons for W7-X and ITER. The design of the new high voltage DC power supply (HVDCPS) is flexible enough to handle gyrotrons with 4 MW CW output power (conceivably up to 170 GHz), but also test gyrotrons with higher frequencies (>250 GHz) which, due to physical limitations in the gyrotron design, will require less power but have more stringent demands on voltage stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physics requirements of the heating and current (H&CD) systems in a Demonstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO) are often beyond the actual level of design maturity and technology readiness required. The recent EU fusion roadmap advocates a pragmatic approach and favours, for the initial design integration studies, systems to be as much as possible, extrapolated from the ITER experience. To reach the goal of demonstrating the production of electricity in DEMO with a closed fuel cycle by 2050, one must ensure reliability, availability, maintainability, inspectability (RAMI) as well as performance, efficiency and optimized design for the H&CD systems. In the recent Power Plant Physics & Technology (PPP&T) Work Programme, a number of H&CD studies were performed. The four H&CD systems Neutral Beam (NB) Injection, Electron Cyclotron (EC), Ion Cyclotron (IC) and Lower Hybrid (LH) were considered. First, a physics optimization study was made assuming all technologies are available and identifying which parameters are needed to optimize the performance for given plasma parameters. Separately, the (i) technological maturity was considered (e.g. 240 GHz gyrotrons for EC) and (ii) technologies were adapted (e.g. multi-stage depressed collector for EC) or (iii) novel solutions (e.g. photo-neutralization for NB or new antennae concepts for IC) were studied to overcome the limitations of the present H&CD systems with respect to DEMO requirements. Further constraints imposed by remote maintenance or breeding blanket interactions were considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Front steering mirror design. [•] Plasma facing blanket shield module/first wall panel design. [•] Fixed frequency torus CVD diamond window serving as first tritium barrier. [•] Prototypes and tests of the above key components in the Launcher Handling and Testing Facility. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the electron cyclotron frequency range the handling of high power is critical. In some cases an unpredictable amount of stray radiation can reach some components or accumulate in localized regions, with risk of damages caused by thermal overloads, and any uncontrolled reflection represents a danger for the sources. A possibility to mitigate the problem consists in covering some regions exposed to radiation with absorbers. Enhanced absorption of stray radiation lowers requirements on active protection systems in microwave diagnostics. The released heat can be extracted by dedicated cooling systems. The chromium oxide (Cr2O3), largely tested at IFP-CNR, has been routinely used as internal coating for matched loads. The performances of a variable thickness coating has been tested at high power at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), with a 140GHz gyrotron of the W7-X ECRH system and an averaged power density absorbed at the coating surface higher than 1MW/m2 for 3min. Also boron carbide (B4C) has been tested at low power and patented as a millimeter-wave absorber. In the paper, the results of some tests performed on these coatings are given, together with some simulations of the absorption capability based on low power measurements on samples. Finally, some calculations are presented for a coating obtained combining together Cr2O3 and B4C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Parasitic beam tunnel oscillations have been hampering the series production of gyrotrons for W7-X. This problem has now been overcome thanks to the introduction of a specially corrugated beam tunnel. Two gyrotrons equipped with the new beam tunnel have fully passed the acceptance tests. Despite excellent power capability, the expected efficiency has not yet been achieved, possibly due to the presence of parasitic oscillations suspected to be dynamic after-cavity-oscillations (ACI's) or due to insufficient electron beam quality. Both theoretical and experimental investigations on these topics are ongoing. On previous W7-X gyrotrons collector fatigue has been observed, not (yet) leading to any failures so far. The plastic deformation occurring on the collector has now been eliminated due to the strict use (on all gyrotrons) of a sweeping method which combines the conventional 7Hz solenoid sweeping technique with a 50Hz transverse-field sweep system. Starting in 2013, the gyrotron test facility at KIT will be enhanced, chiefly with a new 10MW DC modulator, capable of testing gyrotrons up to 4 MW CW output power with multi-stage-depressed collectors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The challenge of developing the conceptual design of the ECH Upper Launcher system for MHD control in the ITER plasmas has been tackled by team of European Associations together with the European Domestic Agency (“F4E”). The launcher system has to meet the following requirements: (a) a mm-wave system extending from the interface to the transmission line up to the target absorption zone in the plasma and performing as an intelligent antenna; (b) a structural system integrating the mm-wave system and ensuring sufficient thermal and nuclear shielding; (c) port plug remote handling and testing capability ensuring high port plug system availability. The paper describes the reference launcher design. The mm-wave system is composed of waveguide and quasi-optical sections with a front steering system. An automated feedback control system is developed as a concept based on an assimilation procedure between predicted and diagnosed absorption location. The structural system consists of the blanket shield module, the port plug frame, and the internal shield for appropriate neutron shielding towards the launcher back-end. The specific advantages of a double walled structure are discussed with respect to adequate baking, to rigidity towards launcher deflection under plasma-generated loads and to removal of thermal loads, including nuclear ones. Basic studies of remote handling (RH) to validate design development are initiated using a virtual reality simulation backed by experimental validation, for which a launcher handling test facility (LHT) is set up as a full scale experimental site allowing furthermore thermohydraulic studies with ITER blanket water parameters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The design work for the ITER ECRH remote-steering upper-port launcher is described. The goal of the system is the stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs). The required scanning range in the plasma (more than 20°) is achieved remotely, far away from the hostile plasma environment. This is done behind a diamond window in a separate vacuum environment. Scanning of the beam is done by a mirror that both rotates and translates to steer the beam in the proper way through the window and an isolation valve into a square corrugated waveguide. At the output of this 4.4m long waveguide, the beam comes out at the same angle and is reflected by a fixed front mirror into the plasma [A.G.A. Verhoeven, et al., The ITER remote-steering ECW upper-port launcher, in: N. Hiromoto (Ed.), The 28th International Conference on Infrared and MM Waves, Otsu, Japan, September 29–October 3, 2003 (JSAP Catalog No. 031231)]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) has proven to be one of the most attractive heating schemes for stellarators. Therefore, ECRH was chosen to be the main heating method for the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator (W7-X) now under construction at IPP Greifswald, Germany. A 10MW ECRH system with continuous wave (CW) possibilities, operating at 140GHz will be built up to meet the scientific goals of the stellarator. Two prototype gyrotrons with an output power of 1MW were developed in collaboration between European research laboratories and European industry (Thales Electron Devices, France). The gyrotrons are equipped with a single-stage depressed collector, an optimised quasi-optical mode converter and a CVD-diamond window. The prototypes have been successfully tested at FZK. With the second one, an output power of 0.89MW at a pulse duration of 3min and an output power of 0.54MW for about 15min have been obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new ECRH system is currently being constructed at ASDEX Upgrade with a total power of 4MW and pulse length of 10s. The power will be generated by four gyrotrons which can work either at two frequencies (2f-gyrotron), 105 or 140GHz, or step-tunable at many frequencies within this range (mf-gyrotron). The transmission line and its components are especially designed to cope with the wide frequency range. A fast poloidal mirror steering will be used for feedback controlled power deposition, particularly in experiments on suppression of neoclassical tearing modes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The stellarator W7-X, which is currently under construction at IPP Greifswald, Germany, will be equipped with a 10MW ECRH system working at 140GHz in CW regime. The microwave power will be generated by 10 gyrotrons delivering 1MW each and will be transmitted from the gyrotron hall to the W7-X stellarator ports via a fully optical system. The status of the construction of the transmission lines and the design of the launchers is reported. Low-power tests of a prototype system at IPF Stuttgart are reviewed. Now, the first two gyrotrons are operating at IPP Greifswald, and high-power long-pulse tests have started. Measurements on transmission performance, behaviour of the water-cooled mirrors under thermal and microwave loads as well as alignment issues, characteristics of directional couplers, calorimetric loads, and other diagnostics are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

For the future stellarator W7-X in Greifswald, a powerful electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) system at 140 GHz with a total RF power of 10 MW CW is under construction. The transmission of the radiation from the gyrotron hall to the machine will be realized via a fully optical system consisting of more than 160 water cooled mirrors. This paper describes the design of the mirrors and presents results of calculations of the thermo–mechanical properties. Experimental verification of the calculations showed that mirror deformation under application of a heat load equivalent to the absorbed power from a 1 MW mm-wave beam is in the tolerable range. Water cooled mirrors of the single-beam type have been used successfully during conditioning of a prototype gyrotron with a mm-wave power of 850 kW and a pulse length of up to 180 s. To test and optimize in-situ measurements of beam parameters and power of the CW ECRH system on W7-X, these mirrors are equipped with different diagnostics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new ECRH system is being constructed for ASDEX Upgrade with a total power of 4 MW, generated by four gyrotrons, and a pulse duration of 10 s. Particular features are the use of gyrotrons which can work at various frequencies in the range 104–140 GHz and correspondingly broad band transmission components. The transmission will be at normal air pressure, and at the torus we will have a tunable double disk vacuum window. A further aim is the installation of fast moveable mirrors for a feedback controlled localized power deposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The pre-conceptual layout for an electron cyclotron system (ECS) in DEMO is described. The present DEMO ECS considers only equatorial ports for both plasma heating and neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) control. This differs from ITER, where four launchers in upper oblique ports are dedicated to NTM control and one equatorial EC port for heating and current drive (H&CD) purposes as basic configuration. Rather than upper oblique ports, DEMO has upper vertical ports to allow the vertical removal of the large breeding blanket segments. While ITER is using front steering antennas for NTM control, in DEMO the antennas are recessed behind the breeding blanket and called mid-steering antennas, referred to the radially recessed position to the breeding blanket. In the DEMO pre-conceptual design phase two variants are studied to integrate the ECS in equatorial ports. The first option integrates waveguide bundles at four vertical levels inside EC port plugs with antennas with fixed and movable mid-steering mirrors that are powered by gyrotrons, operating at minimum two different multiples of the fundamental resonance frequency of the microwave output window. Alternatively, the second option integrates fixed antenna launchers connected to frequency step-tunable gyrotrons. The first variant is described in this paper, introducing the design and functional requirements, presenting the equatorial port allocation, the port plug design including its maintenance concept, the basic port cell layout, the transmission line system with diamond windows from the tokamak up to the RF building and the gyrotron sources. The ECS design studies are supported by neutronic and tokamak integration studies, quasi-optical and plasma physics studies, which will be summarized. Physics and technological gaps will be discussed and an outlook to future work will be given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The diamond Brewster-angle window is a key component for long pulse step-frequency tuneable gyrotrons in EU DEMO reactor at 2 MW RF tube power. • Large optical grade diamond disks are required with a minimum 180 mm diameter for a waveguide aperture of 63.5 mm. • As a worldwide novelty, a 180 mm, thermal grade, crack-free disk was produced in a microwave plasma reactor with 2 mm average unpolished thickness. • Growth experiments with optical grade diamond started with promising results obtained by loss tangent measurements of the produced large disks. In the frame of the EUROfusion Work Package Heating and Current Drive (WP HCD) of the Power Plant Physics and Technology (PPPT) program, CVD diamond disk Brewster-angle windows for gyrotron operation at multi-megawatt RF power levels and long pulses are under development. These windows allow for frequency step-tuneable operation. The Brewster-angle of 67.2° for diamond leads to an elliptical connection of the disk to the copper waveguides (WGs), requiring an advanced joining process. For proper transmission of the RF power, the disk consists of low loss CVD diamond of optical grade. The current target for the WG aperture of DEMO is 63.5 mm. It allows for an RF power transmission of 2 MW, but it requires a disk diameter of 180 mm for the 67.2° angle. In addition, a thickness of approximately 2 mm is needed to achieve the proper mechanical stability. State of the art microwave plasma reactors are not capable of growing disks of such size. The maximum available diameter of a polycrystalline CVD diamond disk suited to microwave applications is currently 140 mm. Thus, the industrial partner Diamond Materials GmbH (Freiburg, Germany) is doing extensive diamond growth experiments. A first of its kind, 180 mm thermal grade, crack-free, diamond disk was produced in the microwave plasma reactor with an average unpolished thickness of about 2 mm. First loss tangent measurements have been also performed. This paper describes the steps and the first results of this non-straightforward path, a challenging new field for diamond manufacturers and a major breakthrough for future frequency step-tuneable operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An automated mode recovery for gyrotrons has been implemented on a FPGA. • The algorithm exploits the hysteretic gyrotron behaviour. • The nominal mode is recovered in ≤1 ms after a switch to the competing satellite. • The total output power could be increased by at least 500 kW for the same pulse length. • The solution offers a very attractive cost-benefit ratio. The reliability of gyrotron operation is significantly decreased approaching the individual maximum output power of the tube due to loss of the nominal operating mode. For the first time, this paper proposes an algorithm for an automated mode recovery (MORE) for gyrotrons exploiting the hysteretic gyrotron behaviour. The algorithm has been implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) controlling the acceleration voltage and is able to recover the nominal operating mode within ≤1 ms after a mode switch to the competing satellite mode. This allows the gyrotron to be operated closer to its stability limits with extended pulse lengths at potentially higher output power. Dedicated experiments to test MORE were conducted at Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) with two gyrotrons using a beam dump. The nominal mode could be successfully recovered in 99% of 3755 modeloss events during 128 shots up to 20 s. MORE was operational for nine out of ten gyrotrons during the last experimental campaign OP1.2b of W7-X. The overall success rate during W7-X OP1.2b was 91% counting 464 modeloss events in 131 shots performed with seven gyrotrons. Using the mode losses in the working point plane, the cutoff region for the nominal working mode was identified, defining a minimum cathode current for a given acceleration voltage. The total achievable output power of the W7-X ECRH plant could be increased by at least 500 kW for the same pulse length using MORE, assuming a conservative increase of at least 50 kW per gyrotron. Comparing the output power for the same achievable pulse length and reliability level, the output power increase per gyrotron is likely in the order of 100 kW. Since MORE exploits the hysteretic gyrotron behaviour, it could be applied to other gyrotrons of already existing or future ECRH facilities of fusion experiments, like ITER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]