Assessment of ECH stray radiation levels at the W7-X Michelson Interferometer and Profile Reflectometer

Electron Cyclotron Heating and Electron Cyclotron Current Drive are key components for heating and control in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. The high power microwaves are not always completely absorbed leading to stray radiation [1], [2]. At W7-X, the total injected microwave power can be up to 7.5 MW @140 GHz while the entire Electron Cyclotron Emission picked-up by an observer at the edge of the plasma is a fraction of a mW. In the situation of a Michelson Interferometer, the principle measurement is the entire ECE spectrum. Thus, any stray radiation is bound to enter the spectrum. In this work initial stray radiation measurements without filters at the location of two microwave receivers -the Michelson Interferometer and the Profile Reflectometer -are discussed. The data is used to dimension a notch filter to be used with the broad band Michelson Interferometer

MISTRAL campaign in support of W7-X long pulse operation

Following two initial campaigns [1], Stellarator Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) has now completed the construction phase by installation of active cooling of all plasma facing components. The machine is presently commissioned for the next campaign (OP2) aiming at 1 GJ per pulse, e.g. 100 s at 10 MW, eventually aiming at 18 GJ, e.g. 1800 s at 10 MW. The key heating system is the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) system, consisting of 10 gyrotrons with power per gyrotron ranging from 0.6 MW up to 1.0 MW at 140 GHz. A phased upgrade of the installation is in progress with the addition of 2 gyrotrons and the development of 1.5 MW and 2.0 MW gyrotrons, such that at the end of the upgrade 4 gyrotrons will be available in each power class of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 MW [2]. The increased ECRH power, combined with O2 and X3 heating schemes at high densities, will lead to increased microwave stray radiation. This is non-absorbed microwave power that diffuses inside the vessel and is incident on all in-vessel components including vacuum windows and attached diagnostic systems. A fraction of the stray radiation is absorbed by resistive or dielectric losses of these components, leading to thermal loads that scale with stray radiation levels and pulse length. At W7-X a high power microwave stray radiation launch facility ’MISTRAL’ is available that is used to qualify invessel components for use at specified microwave surface power densities [Wm−2]. This paper reports on MISTRAL campaigns in 2020 2021 for testing of stray radiation loads during OP2 in W7-X, as well as on an EUROfusion program assessing stray radiation loads on ITER components. A dedicated, absolutely calibrated, caloric load was developed for the campaign to obtain measurement of stray radiation power levels as well as to conveniently expose samples. Amongst other we report on shielding concepts using metal enclosures combined with microwave absorbing coatings and dielectric heating of vacuum windows