Integration of a dog-leg beam routing for the remote steering upper port launcher for ITER

In the course of the development of a remote steering ECRH upper port launcher for ITER, it became clear that a modification could be introduced in the conceptual design in order to solve a number of structural weaknesses. Up to that point, all conceptual layouts were based on each remote steering beamline having a single front mirror placed in front of the square waveguide to aim the beam towards its resonance surface in the plasma. By placing an additional mirror per line inside the front shield of the upper port plug - effectively creating a dogleg routing - a number of structural issues were solved. This modification allows for a decrease of the heat load on the front mirrors and a shift downwards of the launching point. Additionally, through correct placement and focusing of the mirrors, the front shield penetration could be reduced by a factor of 4 and the cut in the blanket module below the upper port could be reduced significantly, while the level of overall performance could be increased as well. In order to visualise this new concept accurately, a more detailed design of the beam propagation was required. Through concerted effort within our institute, two different approaches were made to come to this new design; further advancements of the 3D-model and an Excel-based 2D simulation. This dual approach, together with beam tracing calculations done by affiliated institutes have indicated that the dogleg can prove to be a reliable design for a RS upper port launcher.