Capabilities of the ITER Electron Cyclotron Equatorial Launcher for Heating and Current Drive

The ITER Electron Cyclotron Equatorial Launcher is designed to be one of the heating systems to assist and sustain the development of various ITER plasma scenarios starting with the very first plasma operation. Here the capabilities for Heating and Current Drive of this system are reviewed. In particular, the optimum launching conditions are investigated for two scenarios at burn, comparing toroidal and poloidal steering options. Then, the EC capabilities are investigated for different plasma parameters corresponding to various phases of the ITER plasma discharge, from current ramp-up up to burn, and for a wide range of magnetic field, focusing in particular on the EC potential for heating and for L to H-mode assist. It is found that the EC system can contribute to a wide range of heating scenarios during the ramp-up of the magnetic field, significantly increasing the applicable range as a function of magnetic field