Benchmark of numerical tools simulating beam propagation and secondary particles in ITER NBI

Injection of high energy beams of neutral particles is a method for plasma heating in fusion devices. The ITER injector, and its prototype MITICA (Megavolt ITER Injector and Concept Advancement), are large extrapolations from existing devices: therefore numerical modeling is needed to set thermo-mechanical requirements for all beam-facing components. As the power and charge deposition originates from several sources (primary beam, co-accelerated electrons, and secondary production by beam-gas, beam-surface, and electron-surface interaction), the beam propagation along the beam line is simulated by comprehensive 3D models. This paper presents a comparative study between two codes: BTR has been used for several years in the design of the ITER HNB/DNB components; SAMANTHA code was independently developed and includes additional phenomena, such as secondary particles generated by collision of beam particles with the background gas. The code comparison is valuable in the perspective of the upcoming experimenta...