The Full-Voltage Operation of the Acceleration Grid Power Supply for SPIDER Experiment

In SPIDER, the full-scale prototype of the negative ion source of the ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injectors, negative ions of hydrogen or deuterium are extracted and accelerated by a set of grids. This article describes the process and the technical solutions that allowed achieving the asseveration to operate the Acceleration Grid Power Supply of SPIDER at full voltage (-96 kV), reports the first experimental results, and discusses some possible enhancements that have been identified.