Electromagnetic and mechanical analyses of the ITER electron cyclotron Upper launcher steering M4 mirrors for the vertical displacement event

The mm-wave power exiting the eight In-Vessel waveguides inside the ITER Electron Cyclotron Upper Launcher is reflected by three fixed mirror sets and finally aimed by two independent steering mirrors to specific plasma locations. A design solution for both Upper and Lower Steering M4 Mirrors capable to withstand the loads taking place during normal operation was already proposed. This design is now assessed against the Vertical Displacement Event Category III (VDEIII) linear decay (36 ms) scenario, which was identified as one of the most stringent load combinations for the steering M4 mirrors. This paper reports the analyses performed to quantify the mechanical loads induced in the steering M4 mirrors during the VDEIII scenario as well as the structural integrity assessment to validate the design against these loads. The transient electromagnetic simulations show that the highest forces are induced in the reflecting surfaces, which produce a bending moment that tends to rotate upwards the mirrors. The comparison between the categorized stresses obtained from the transient mechanical analyses and the allowable design limits according to the ASME code shows that the design of the steering M4 mirrors is widely capable of withstanding the expected loads taking place during the VDEIII scenario.