Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics

The Wendelstein 7-X will be the largest stellarator-type fusion device in the world and will be used to test the suitability of this type of design for a power plant. In order to harness energy from the fusion of atomic nuclei, hydrogen plasma will have to be enclosed in magnetic fields in future power plants and heated to temperatures of over one hundred million degrees. The Wendelstein 7-X has been constructed from five almost identical modules, each weighing around 120 tons and consisting of part of the plasma vessel, its thermal insulation, 14 superconducting magnetic coils and a section of the support ring. Enclosed in an outer shell of steel, all five modules are now mounted on the base of the device. Recently, the top section, weighing approximately 14 tons, was put in place. “It’s just a pity that we can no longer see the inner workings of the device, particularly the coils, which are the hallmark of the Wendelstein 7-X,” says Dr. Hans-Stephan Bosch, the project’s associate director. The Wendelstein 7-X will commence operations in two years.

IPP/Red.