A Validation Roadmap of Multi-Physics Simulators of the Resonator of MW-Class CW Gyrotrons for Fusion Applications

For a few years the multi-physics modelling of the resonance cavity (resonator) of MW-class continuous-wave gyrotrons, to be employed for electron cyclotron heating and current drive in magnetic confinement fusion machines, has gained increasing interest. The rising target power of the gyrotrons, which drives progressively higher Ohmic losses to be removed from the resonator, together with the need for limiting the resonator deformation as much as possible, has put more emphasis on the thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanic modeling of the cavity. To cope with that, a multi-physics simulator has been developed in recent years in a shared effort between several European institutions (the Karlsruher Institut für Technologie and Politecnico di Torino, supported by Fusion for Energy). In this paper the current status of the tool calibration and validation is addressed, aiming at highlighting where any direct or indirect comparisons with experimental data are missing and suggesting a possible roadmap to fill that gap, taking advantage of forthcoming tests in Europe.

Effect of Sunflower, Almond, and Rapeseed Oils as Additives on Thermal Properties of a Machinery Oil

Vegetable oils are considered to be eco-friendly and to offer good lubricant properties; however, their low thermo-oxidative stability makes their use as a lubricant base challenging. In this research, sunflower, almond, and rapeseed vegetable oils were added in volumes of 5, 10, 15, and 20% to a machinery oil, and the thermal properties of the resulting fluids were studied. Sunflower, almond, and rapeseed oils were chosen considering their fatty acid composition and the tocopherol content. During this investigation, thermal diffusivity was measured by using the thermal wave resonance cavity technique, while thermal effusivity was determined by the inverse photopyroelectric method, and the obtained values ranged from 4.63 to 5.75 Ws1/2m−2K−1 × 102. The thermal conductivity was calculated by obtaining a complete thermal characterization. The results showed a linear relationship between the percentage of vegetable oil and the thermal diffusivity. It was also noted that the thermal properties of diffusivity and effusivity could be tuned when using almond, sunflower, and rapeseed oils in the appropriate percentages. Hence, the influence of vegetable oils on the thermal properties of lubricating oil were closely related to the number of fatty acids.

Small-Angle Ultra-Narrowband Tunable Mid-Infrared Absorber Composing from Graphene and Dielectric Metamaterials

We report a small-angle ultra-narrowband mid-infrared tunable absorber that uses graphene and dielectric metamaterials. The absorption bandwidth of the absorber at the graphene Fermi level of 0.2 eV is 0.055 nm, and the absorption peaks can be tuned from 5.14803 to 5.1411 μm by changing the graphene Fermi level. Furthermore, the resonance absorption only occurs in the angle range of several degrees. The simulation field distributions show the magnetic resonance and Fabry–Pérot resonance at the resonance absorption peak. The one-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPCs) in this absorber act as a Bragg mirror to efficiently reflect the incidence light. The simulation results also show that the bandwidth can be further narrowed by increasing the resonance cavity length. As a tunable mid-infrared thermal source, this absorber can possess both high temporal coherence and near-collimated angle characteristics, thus providing it with potential applications.

Design and Simulation of an Electrically Pumped SPASER

In this investigation, a novel SPASER is designed and simulated which uses a forward biased pn junction to induce population inversion condition. Simulations are performed by means of SILVACO software. In the proposed structure, the active region is considered as a direct bandgap material (InGaAs) and a larger bandgap material (InP) is used for p and n regions to form heterojunctions. This pn junction is in contact with gold and surface plasmons propagate along their interface. Free space wavelength of the oscillations of surface plasmons is 1550nm that is used in photonic devices, frequently. To form the resonance cavity of the SPASER, two high reflective mirrors are placed at the ends of the plasmonic waveguide. Applied forward voltage and absorption coefficient of the SPASER are 1.2V and − 0.33cm− 1, respectively. Thus, the optical gain for a 50 microns cavity length is 1cm− 1. Moreover, the power consumption of the proposed device at these conditions is 1.2mW. The output plasmonic power is 0.6mW which yields 50% power efficiency.