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• 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 European 1-MW, 170-GHz continuous wave industrial prototype gyrotron for electron cyclotron resonance heating and current drive on international thermonuclear experimental reactor was during 2016 under test at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) test facility. In order to optimize the gyrotron operation, the tube was at first thoroughly tested in the short-pulse regime, with pulses that did not exceed 10 ms, for a wide range of operational parameters. Then, and after proper conditioning of the tube, the operation was extended to longer pulses with duration up to 180 s, which is the maximum pulselength possible at the KIT test facility. In this paper, we present in detail the achievements of the long-pulse experimental campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]