Performance of Wendelstein 7-X stellarator plasmas during the first divertor operation phase
- Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Wendelsteinstrasse 1, 17491 Greifswald, Germany
- Laboratorio Nacional de Fusión, CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Research Center Jülich, Institute for Energy and Climate Research Plasma Physics, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strasse, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- University of Wisconsin Madison, Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85748 Garching, Germany
- National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshicho, Toki, Gifu Prefecture 509-5202, Japan
- Laboratory for Plasma Physics, LPP-ERM/KMS, Avenue de la Renaissance 30, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, 100 Stellarator Rd., Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA
Wendelstein 7-X is the first comprehensively optimized stellarator aiming at good confinement with plasma parameters relevant to a future stellarator power plant. Plasma operation started in 2015 using a limiter configuration. After installing an uncooled magnetic island divertor, extending the energy limit from 4 to 80 MJ, operation continued in 2017. For this phase, the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) capability was extended to 7 MW, and hydrogen pellet injection was implemented. The enhancements resulted in the highest triple product (6.5 × 1019 keV m₋3 s) achieved in a stellarator until now. Plasma conditions [Te(0) ≈ Ti(0) ≈ 3.8 keV, τE > 200 ms] already were in the stellarator reactor-relevant ion-root plasma transport regime. Stable operation above the 2nd harmonic ECRH X-mode cutoff was demonstrated, which is instrumental for achieving high plasma densities in Wendelstein 7-X. Further important developments include the confirmation of low intrinsic error fields, the observation of current-drive induced instabilities, and first fast ion heating and confinement experiments. The efficacy of the magnetic island divertor was instrumental in achieving high performance in Wendelstein 7-X. Symmetrization of the heat loads between the ten divertor modules could be achieved by external resonant magnetic fields. Full divertor power detachment facilitated the extension of high power plasmas significantly beyond the energy limit of 80 MJ.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC). Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)
- Contributing Organization:
- the Wendelstein 7-X Team
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001
- OSTI ID:
- 1565869
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-19-23413; TRN: US2000921
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 26, Issue 8; Conference: 60. Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics, Portland, OR (United States), 5-9 Nov 2018; ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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