Configuration control inside the W7-X cryostat: Lessons learned

Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is a fusion device of the stellarator type with optimized magnetic field geometry and super-conducting coils. It is presently under construction at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald, Germany. The 3D geometry and tight space within the cryostat of W7-X necessitate a complex and very dense packing of components. In order to ensure collision-free design and operation, dedicated organizational structures, methods for design, configuration space control have been implemented within the project. This paper presents briefly the methods used and the lessons learned during the last five years of design and configuration control of components inside the cryostat of W7X.