Wendelstein 7X
The Client
The Challenge
Ignition of a fusion reaction requires a heating system capable of heating the plasma to 100 million degrees Celsius. To reach this level, the Wendelstein 7-X experiment needs highly efficient microwave gyrotrons which are capable of generating 1MW full power. This is more than one hundred times the duration of the pulses already achieved and meant advancing into an entirely new technological dimension. This process was pushed forward by the close cooperation between Thales Electron Devices (TED) and KIT.
Results
Thales successfully implemented these new concepts and achieved the series production of the TH1507 gyrotron. Over the course of this project, Thales made breakthroughs that stabilised the supply chain and improved the reliability and series production of microwave tubes in continuous operation.