Wendelstein 7-X
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| Type | Stellarator |
|---|---|
| Operation date | 2015– |
| Major radius | 5.5 m |
| Minor Radius | 0.53 m |
| Plasma volume | 30 m3 |
| Magnetic field | 3 T |
| Heating | 14 MW |
| Location | Greifswald, Germany |
The Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) reactor is an experimental stellarator (nuclear fusion reactor) built in Greifswald, Germany, by the Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics (IPP), and completed in October 2015. It is a further development of Wendelstein 7-AS. The purpose of Wendelstein 7-X is to evaluate the main components of a future fusion reactor built using stellarator technology, although Wendelstein 7-X itself is not an economical fusion power plant.
As of 2015[update], the Wendelstein 7-X reactor was the largest stellarator device. It is planned, circa 2021, to operate with up to 30 minutes of continuous plasma discharge, demonstrating an essential feature of a future power plant: continuous operation.
The name of the project, referring to the mountain Wendelstein in Bavaria, was decided at the end of the 1950s, referencing the preceding project from Princeton University under the name Project Matterhorn.
The research facility is an independent partner project with the University of Greifswald.
The stellarator was conceived by physicist Lyman Spitzer.
The Wendelstein 7-X device is based on a five field-period Helias configuration. It is mainly a toroid, consisting of 50 non-planar and 20 planar superconducting magnetic coils, 3.5 m high, which induce a magnetic field that prevents the plasma from colliding with the reactor walls. The 50 non-planar coils are used for adjusting the magnetic field. It aims for a plasma density of 3×1020 particles per cubic metre, and a plasma temperature of 60–130 megakelvin (MK).
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