urgi, Switzerland, September 8, 2016. After being contracted for a fifth high voltage power source and the upgrade of the existing four systems with Ampegon’s advanced UCS control system in December 2015, Ampegon has received an additional order for the W7-X (Wendelstein 7-X) stellarator fusion research device. Following successful plasma testing with the four existing supplies, another unit has been ordered and all systems will be updated to the latest Ampegon UCS control system. The temperature and energy-state of the resulting plasmas will be improved by the increased power output.
This is another important contract for Ampegon in the field of fusion research and shows Ampegon’s commitment and flexibility to handle customer requests for optimized project handling.
The power supply for W7-X is divided into two units to power either NBI or ECRH heating systems. Therefore the output voltage can be either continuous or modulated up to 1 kHz with an arbitrary waveform. Each individual unit is capable of supplying 140 GHz gyrotrons with up to 65 kV and 70 A continuous output. Additionally, both units may be operated in series to reach 130 kV / 50 A continuous output for gyrotron tests, and may also be operated in dual polarity. During the NBI operation mode the system is capable of supplying a maximum pulsed output current of 130 A. The power supply systems currently in operation have demonstrated outstanding performance and the highest reliability over the past 10 years of plasma research preparation and testing.
Max-Planck-Institut for Plasma Physics conducts research to investigate the physical phenomenon of nuclear fusion. Their stellarator plant is designed to generate energy from the fusion of atomic nuclei. The W7-X stellarator, a € 1 bn experimental device to demonstrate long-duration operation under plasma conditions relevant for power plants, successfully achieved a hydrogen plasma on February 3, 2016, following activation by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a special ceremony.
Ampegon has a long track record of successful installations in the scientific field. The company has already delivered similar equipment to GSI, PSI, CERN, DESY and many others. Ampegon is also one of the technology partners of the ITER project for the delivery of ECRH power supply systems. In addition, high voltage power supplies or amplifiers for major plasma heating systems (ECRH, ICRH lower hybrid and NBI) have been developed for various fusion research facilities worldwide, such as CRPP Lausanne, IPP Garching, KIT Karlsruhe, General Atomics, San Diego and MIT Boston.