Wendelstein 7-A
Wendelstein 7-A, a classical stellarator, was operated from 1975 to 1985 at IPP in Garching
The helical current leads are wound on the plasma vessel.
Photo: IPP
After a series of smaller devices from 1960 onwards Wendelstein 7-A, IPP’s first large stellarator, went into operation in 1975.
Its magnetic field was generated by 40 planar coils installed around the plasma vessel. This was accompanied by helical current leads wound right on the plasma vessel, these serving to twist the magnetic field lines.
Wendelstein 7-A gave a major boost to the stellarator line. In 1980 the device was able to demonstrate with a hot plasma for the first time in the world the “pure” stellarator principle, i.e. confinement without plasma current.
| Technical data |
|
Major plasma radius |
2 metres |
| Minor plasma radius | 0.12 metres |
| Magnetic field |
3.4 tesla |
| Number of coils |
40 (+ helical winding) |
| Plasma volume | 0.6 cubic metres |
| Puls length |
0.15 seconds |
| Plasma heating | 2.9 megawatts |