Component Design in Tight Areas in the Cryostat of Wendelstein 7-X—Configuration Management and Control

The 3-D geometry and tight space within the cryostat of the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator necessitate a complex and very dense packing of components, which, on the other hand, must not contact each other in order to prevent detrimental mechanical loads or thermal shorts. The available space is further narrowed by movement and deformation of the components during evacuation of the cryostat, baking of the plasma vessel, and cooldown of the magnet system. Furthermore, when the magnet system is energized, coils, support structure, and bus bars deform under the electromagnetic forces. In order to ensure collision-free design and operation, dedicated organizational structures and methods for design, configuration space control, and configuration management have recently been implemented within the W7-X project to cope with this challenging task at a time where device assembly is steadily proceeding, while important components in the cryostat are still under design or procurement.