Rosswag produces AM cooling heads for Wendelstein 7-X fusion reactor
April 12, 2021
Rosswag Engineering, Pfinztal, Germany, a supplier of metal powders, components and qualification services in the metal Additive Manufacturing industry, is currently producing plasma-exposed additively manufactured cooling heads for the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) fusion reactor at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany.
The W7-X is an experimental facility of the stellarator type for research into nuclear fusion technology. It aims to investigate the physical and technical fundamentals and to demonstrate the principle suitability of stellarators for power plants as an alternative to the Tokamak principle.
The water-cooled heads are used for thermal monitoring of the divertors located in the plasma vessel and protect the mounted mirrors inside. Due to the plasma-exposed position and complex mounting, the components must meet the highest requirements for magnetic, heat and radiation exposure, corrosion resistance and the required tolerances.
With Rosswag Engineering’s holistic process chain, the company explains that it was possible to carry out all production steps in house, from Additive Manufacturing to CNC machining and material analysis, to ensure complete documentation of all data and interfaces.
