Towards a new image processing system at Wendelstein 7-X: From spatial calibration to characterization of thermal events

Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is the most advanced fusion experiment in the stellarator line and is aimed at proving that the stellarator concept is suitable for a fusion reactor. One of the most important issues for fusion reactors is the monitoring of plasma facing components when exposed to very high heat loads, through the use of visible and infrared (IR) cameras. In this paper, a new image processing system for the analysis of the strike lines on the inboard limiters from the first W7-X experimental campaign is presented. This system builds a model of the IR cameras through the use of spatial calibration techniques, helping to characterize the strike lines by using the information given by real spatial coordinates of each pixel. The characterization of the strike lines is made in terms of position, size, and shape, after projecting the camera image in a 2D grid which tries to preserve the curvilinear surface distances between points. The description of the strike-line shape is made by means of the Fourier Descriptors

Forward modeling of collective Thomson scattering for Wendelstein 7-X plasmas: Electrostatic approximation

In this paper, we present a method for numerical computation of collective Thomson scattering (CTS). We developed a forward model, eCTS, in the electrostatic approximation and benchmarked it against a full electromagnetic model. Differences between the electrostatic and the electromagnetic models are discussed. The sensitivity of the results to the ion temperature and the plasma composition is demonstrated. We integrated the model into the Bayesian data analysis framework Minerva and used it for the analysis of noisy synthetic data sets produced by a full electromagnetic model. It is shown that eCTS can be used for the inference of the bulk ion temperature. The model has been used to infer the bulk ion temperature from the first CTS measurements on Wendelstein 7-X

Experimental confirmation of efficient island divertor operation and successful neoclassical transport optimization in Wendelstein 7-X

We present recent highlights from the most recent operation phases of Wendelstein 7-X, the most advanced stellarator in the world. Stable detachment with good particle exhaust, low impurity content, and energy confinement times exceeding 100 ms, have been maintained for tens of seconds. Pellet fueling allows for plasma phases with reduced ion-temperature-gradient turbulence, and during such phases, the overall confinement is so good (energy confinement times often exceeding 200 ms) that the attained density and temperature profiles would not have been possible in less optimized devices, since they would have had neoclassical transport losses exceeding the heating applied in W7-X. This provides proof that the reduction of neoclassical transport through magnetic field optimization is successful. W7-X plasmas generally show good impurity screening and high plasma purity, but there is evidence of longer impurity confinement times during turbulence-suppressed phases.EC/H2020/633053/EU/Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon 2020 through a Joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium/ EUROfusio

Thermal and dynamic effects in electron beam welding cavities

An experimental and analytical study of the temperature distributions along the molten metal surface in an electron beam welding cavity is described. Surface temperature distributions in cavities were measured with a narrow band infrared radiation pyrometer. The availability of the cavity temperature measurements allowed estimates to be made for the vapor pressure and surface energy forces as a function of cavity position. The results indicated a force imbalance occurred in the cavity. It is postulated that at the location of the force imbalance a liquid material projection forms periodically and moves into the path of the electron beam. The liquid in this projection is driven towards the bottom, partially filling the cavity. This action is followed by the electron beam pushing the liquid aside to form a maximum depth cavity. This process is then repeated. An analysis for predicting cavity oscillation frequency shows reasonable agreement with frequencies measured at the weld root determined from weld sections. A study of the measured temperature distributions in cavities of varying depth combined with the force imbalance observations led to an interpretation of when spiking might occur. A procedure is proposed for determining the spiking tendency for a given set of weld parameters. The results of this study permit a designer to select apriori the best set of weld parameters to achieve a weld of predictable quality

Prediction of electron beam welding spiking tendency

On the basis of measured temperature distributions in electron beam welding cavities it is shown that the vapor pressure force dominates in the lower region and the surface tension in the upper region. The region where these two forces are approximately equal is unstable and the surface tension force causes inward flow of liquid metal which tends to form a projection. For a specific material this projection location was found to depend on cavity depth. By postulating that the formation of liquid metal projections at this location results in cavity instabilities, a physical model for predicting when spiking would occur was purposed. A procedure then developed for determining the spiking tendency for a specified material and set of weld parameters is described

Parameters affecting EPR dose reconstruction in teeth.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the lower limit of detection (LLD), linearity of dose response, variation of radiation sensitivity between different tooth enamel samples, and time/temperature stability of EPR biodosimetry in tooth enamel. The theoretical LLD is shown to be 0.46 mGy, which is far lower than the measured value of about 30 mGy. The main issues to lowering LLD are the differentiation of the radiation-induced component against the total EPR spectrum and the complex nature of the dose dependence of the EPR signal. The following questions are also discussed in detail: need for exfoliated or extracted teeth from persons of interest, accounting for background radiation contribution; conversion of tooth enamel absorbed dose to effective dose; accounting for internal exposure specifically from bone-seeking radionuclides. Conclusions on future development of EPR retrospective biodosimetry are made