The Wendelstein 7-X Fusion Stellarator Experiment: Mag Fus Energy PG 8

The Wendelstein 7-X Fusion Stellarator Experiment
Olivia McGoldrick, May 24th 2020
The Wendelstein 7-X Fusion Stellarator Experiment provides a clever alternative

to traditional tokamak style magnetic confinement fusion reactors. Given the
experiment's success over the past 5 years, it’s not an understatement to say that
it’s a leading experiment in the race for clean fusion energy power plants in the
coming decades. This report overviews several publications from the W7-X team
as well as a recent book on the status of nuclear fusion as a field. I will discuss
W7-X’s design and how it compares to the similar Tokamak fusion experiments
and what successes W7-X has had since coming online in 2015, followed by a
discussion of the future of the experiment
Introduction
Likely the most common approach to achieving nuclear fusion, magnetic confinement reactors
utilize superconducting magnetic rings to create a magnetic field capable of holding an ionized
plasma of tritium and deuterium ions. The reaction byproducts of this fusion involve an alpha
particle and a neutron. The neutron contains 4/5 of the released energy (17.6MeV) and will go
towards heating the reactor housing and the alpha particle is recycled to reheat non fused plasma
to sustain the reaction.1 A “good” magnetic confinement reactor should be able to maintain
enough of the charged alpha particles for heating the plasma further such that the reaction
becomes self-sustaining.
In order to further understand the marvel of engineering that is Wendelstein 7-X, it’d be useful to
briefly overview the plasma physics principles behind their design and operation. Heating of the
plasma comes generally from two sources, alpha heating (P 𝛂) and auxiliary heating (PAUX) used
for the initial heating up to fusion capable temperatures (~105K).3 The ratio of these two values
dictate the Q of a reactor which determines efficiency of the reactor with a Q of 1 meaning a
reaction broke even and is self sustaining (Q = P𝛂 / PAUX). The fusion reaction is shown below.
Approximately 14MeV is carried by the neutron and results in the heating of internal shielding
while the remaining 3.6MeV is ideally utilized for alpha heating when. The problem lies in
MagnetoHydroDynamic (MHD) instabilities.6 The most common shape for magnetic
confinement reactors is a torus, often referred to as Tokamaks. However, this toroidal field must
be twisted in such a way that any one given plasma path must rotate through the range of radii
allowing even treatment of the plasma. Tokamaks complete this twist through the use of a
transformer running through the center of the torus, whereas stellarators and specifically W7-X
have an entirely unique approach, utilizing non planar magnetic coils and special geometries.
1 Mag Fus Energy pg 8

The Design of W7-X vs. Traditional Tokamaks
The need to twist the toroidal magnetic field leads to many instabilities that complicate the
running of magnetic confinement reactors. One such instability is the drift of alpha particles,
where they become trapped in orbits that prevent effective heating of the fuel. Another key flaw
in tokamaks is the use of the transformer to achieve the rotational transform of the toroidal field.
It’s costly in energy to run as well as having the inability to run continuously.
W7-X however, utilizes a 5-fold quasi axisymmetric field that has been mathematically
optimized by supercomputers such that it has no MHD instabilities and the plasma orbits are
stable. This allows W7-X to run with fields of approximately 3T whereas a Tokamak of similar
size would likely run at around 7T. Through the use of a combination of 20 planar
superconducting coils as well as 50 non planar coils are used to shape the unique field shown in
fig 1. Of the 50 non planar coils, there are 5 different uniquely shaped types, of which I will not
go into detail on. Each one-fifth slice of the ring consists of two geometrically identical flipped
half models consisting of 7 coils each.2 A cross section of this quasi-axisymmetric magnetic field
torus reveals another field optimization of W7-X. Each “shell” or magnetic surface has an
approximately constant field along the entire path of a traveling particle.
In principle, you could reconstruct the whole ring from one of these flipped half modules,
making the ring in a sense 10-fold quasi-axisymmetric. One half module consists of a shape
changing field where one end has a cross section of an elongated bean shape and the other end
has a more triangular cross section of its component magnetic field. There are several other types
of coils/components that contribute to greater stability of the magnetic flux and thus the plasma
stability times including diamagnetic loops, Rogowski coils, compensation coils and saddle coils
that are beyond the scope of this paper. See Endler M. et al. for more detailed mechanics of the
magnetic systems of W7-X.
Fig 1. CAD image of the outermost magnetic flux shell in the plasma chamber of the Wendelstein 7-X experiment.
The blue rings represent the unique non planar superconducting magnetic coils used to create the field. The 20
planar coils are not shown. [Magnetic Fusion Energy pg 497]6
The Success of Wendelstein 7-X

Part of what makes W7-X so successful other than it’s highly optimized magnetic coil
system is it’s leading edge heating systems which consist of three parts: a hybrid Ion
Cyclotron Range of Frequency - Neutral Beam Injection (ICRF-NBI), Electron Cyclotron
Resonance Heating (ECRH), and Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH). The first to be
operation of these components was the NBIs in which high energy plasma of fusion material
like Tritium and Deuterium are accelerated and neutralized via the addition of electrons
before being injected into the plasma vessel. The hybrid ICRF-NBI heating system allows
greater heating than pure ICRH nor pure NBI, allowing temperatures high enough to study
high performance (high-ꞵ) plasma’s and the instabilities that arise in the form of toroidal
Alfvén eigenmodes. ICRH and ECRH heating involve the external injection of radio waves
resonant with either the ions or electrons present in the plasma vessel. In total, heating
power is still quite limited in W7-X.
When W7-X first came online in 2015 with many drawbacks like an incomplete heat and particle
exhaust system consisting of five poloidal graphite limiters, and the rest being a combination of
steel and CuCrZr walls, the plasma ran remarkably well, achieving a number density of
3x1019 [m-3]. Phase 2 came with the installation of ten modular island diverters which curve to
the shape of the plasma vessel (Fig 2). These diverters are manufactured out of graphite tiles and
carbon-fiber reinforced carbon and expected to be able to withstand a heat flux as high as
10 [MWm-2].6, 8
Fig 2. Schematic of island diverter modules highlighting where the plasma vessel has a bean shaped cross section
versus a triangular cross section. [Magnetic Fusion Energy pg 500]
With the installation of the diverter units, W7-X was also able to achieve plasmas with an
average ꞵ of 1-3%, which still allowed W7-X to set records in plasma confinement in
comparison to other stellarator devices.
The Future of Wendelstein 7-X

The next phase of W7-X’s operation is set to increase the heating power of the reactor, which
would allow for high ꞵ plasmas of up to 5%. While the heating power of the reactor is being
upgraded, water cooling to the diverter units and graphite tiling will also be installed, allowing
for even greater control of plasma density and quality. The successes so far have proved the
inherently steady state capability of plasmas in stellarators, If these tests continue with the
momentum of success that the stellarator has had in its first two phases, then it will prove the
efficacy of magneto-hydro-dynamically optimized quasi-axisymmetric stellerators as potential
fusion power plants.
Current Sources
[1] A. Fasoli et. al. “Computational challenges in magnetic-confinement fusion physics” Nature
Physics (2016)
[2] Endler M. et. al. “Engineering design for the magnetic diagnostics of Wendelstein 7-X”
Fusion Engineering and Design 100 (2015)
[3] H. W. Patten et. al. “Identification of an Optimized Heating and Fast Ion Generation Scheme
for the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator” Phys. Rev. Let. 124, 155001 (2020)
[4] Jürgen Nührenberg et. al. “Development of quasi-isodynamic stellarators” Plasma Phys.
Control. Fusion 52 124003 (2010)
[5] Maurizio Gasparotto et. al. “Wendelstein 7-X—Status of the project and commissioning
planning”
[6] Neilson, George H. Magnetic Fusion Energy (book) Chapters 2, 16, 19 (2016)
[7] Viktor Bykov “Engineering Challenges of Wendelstein 7-X Mechanical Monitoring During
Second Phase of Operation”
[8] T. Klinger et. al. “Overview of first Wendelstein 7-X high-performance operation” Nucl.
Fusion 59 112004 (2019)

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The Wendelstein 7-X Fusion Stellarator Experiment

Olivia McGoldrick, May 24th 2020

The Wendelstein 7-X Fusion Stellarator Experiment provides a clever alternative

1 Mag Fus Energy pg 8

The Success of Wendelstein 7-X

The Future of Wendelstein 7-X

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