Performance of a multi-section ICRF array for a RTO/RC ITER

In an RTO/RC ITER, the Ion Cyclotron (IC) Heating and Current Drive System would need to operate at a power density of 6.5 MW/m(2), (or about twice the design value adopted in the ITER Final Design Report), in order to provide the required total power output of 40 MW of RF power from two equatorial ports. A significant upgrade of the original IC array design is necessary,in order to keep the operating RF voltage at the plasma interface within acceptable limits. This is in principle possible by increasing the number of array elements and by operating them in parallel. In the paper the prospects of this modifications and the implications on the array layout are discussed.