Wendelstein 7-X
Research status
Wendelstein 7-X is now being built at the Greifswald Branch of IPP. The
experiment comprises the stellarator device (magnet coils, cryostat, plasma vessel, and divertor), the plasma heating systems (microwaves and fast neutral
particles), the supply facilities (electric power and cooling), machine
control, and diagnostics.
The first contracts for experiment components were placed with industry in 1996. The manufacture and testing of prototype components are finished and assembly started in 2005. Production of the components is meanwhile almost complete. Now ready, in particular, are the 70 superconducting magnet coils, the plasma vessel, the over 150 vessel ports, the outer vessel, and the massive support structure for the magnets.
The first module of Wendelstein 7-X was completed in October 2009 and inserted into it's final position in the lower half of the cryostat.
In the meantime Wendelstein 7-X has attained its final form: The ring-shaped device is being assembled from five structurally almost identical modules, all five of them being finished and installed on the device’s foundation in the experiment hall (see the video: "Assembly from October 2009 till May 2011"). All five modules are already encased within their outer shell. Work is now in progress with the installation of the ports – about 45 per module – connecting the apertures in the plasma vessel with the outer vessel through the cold region. Already installed are four-fifths of these ports. Then the five modules have to be connected up: The brazing areas of the support ring, plasma vessel and outer vessel have to be closed, and the magnets be connected with the power and helium supplies. Then come the main power lines, cooling pipes and interior facilities in the plasma vessel: The base machine will then be ready. In parallel, the systems for heating the plasma will be incorporated. Then there are the supply facilities for electric power and cooling, the machine control and, lastly, the numerous measuring instruments for diagnosing the plasma’s behaviour. Start of operation for Wendelstein 7-X is scheduled for 2014.
Numerous research establishments are involved in the construction of Wendelstein 7-X. For example, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – in conjunction with the Institute of Plasma Physics at the University of Stuttgart and a European industrial company – is developing the plasma heating with microwaves and will provide the entire microwave heating system. The bus system of superconducting cables, which connects the magnet coils with one another and the power lines, is being developed and produced by Jülich Research Centre. It is being installed by engineers and technicians from Institute of Nuclear Physics in Cracow, Poland. The power lines for the coils are being provided by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Funding is provided by the European Union, the German Government and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The first contracts for experiment components were placed with industry in 1996. The manufacture and testing of prototype components are finished and assembly started in 2005. Production of the components is meanwhile almost complete. Now ready, in particular, are the 70 superconducting magnet coils, the plasma vessel, the over 150 vessel ports, the outer vessel, and the massive support structure for the magnets.
The first module of Wendelstein 7-X was completed in October 2009 and inserted into it's final position in the lower half of the cryostat.
In the meantime Wendelstein 7-X has attained its final form: The ring-shaped device is being assembled from five structurally almost identical modules, all five of them being finished and installed on the device’s foundation in the experiment hall (see the video: "Assembly from October 2009 till May 2011"). All five modules are already encased within their outer shell. Work is now in progress with the installation of the ports – about 45 per module – connecting the apertures in the plasma vessel with the outer vessel through the cold region. Already installed are four-fifths of these ports. Then the five modules have to be connected up: The brazing areas of the support ring, plasma vessel and outer vessel have to be closed, and the magnets be connected with the power and helium supplies. Then come the main power lines, cooling pipes and interior facilities in the plasma vessel: The base machine will then be ready. In parallel, the systems for heating the plasma will be incorporated. Then there are the supply facilities for electric power and cooling, the machine control and, lastly, the numerous measuring instruments for diagnosing the plasma’s behaviour. Start of operation for Wendelstein 7-X is scheduled for 2014.
Numerous research establishments are involved in the construction of Wendelstein 7-X. For example, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – in conjunction with the Institute of Plasma Physics at the University of Stuttgart and a European industrial company – is developing the plasma heating with microwaves and will provide the entire microwave heating system. The bus system of superconducting cables, which connects the magnet coils with one another and the power lines, is being developed and produced by Jülich Research Centre. It is being installed by engineers and technicians from Institute of Nuclear Physics in Cracow, Poland. The power lines for the coils are being provided by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Funding is provided by the European Union, the German Government and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Further information:
- Shutting the lid
- Time lapse video: Assembly
- Water cooling ready
- Main components ready
- Coil tests completed
- First milestone reached
Start of construction
Production of the test coil
Model of Wendelstein 7-X
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