Refrigeration system for W7-X

摘要

The refrigeration system for the W7-X superconducting magnet and the divertor cryo-vacuum pumps is presented. In total, five main helium cooling circuits have to be supplied by the refrigerator-four for the magnet including auxiliary equipment like support structure, thermal shield and current leads, and one for the cryo-pumps. For the shields of the latter, an additional LN_2-cooling circuit is required. The lowest operating temperature is 3.3 K. It will be provided by evacuating a sub-cooler bath using a cold or warm compressor. Three of the helium cooling circuits use altogether four identical cold circulators. Apart from the current leads which are supplied with the coolant from a LHe storage tank, the peak reserve power required is equal to 7 kW at 4.5 K entropy equivalent. However, this potential maximal demand occurs continuously for periods of only a few hours at most, and altogether for less than 1% of annual time. The refrigerator thus will be designed for 5 kW continuous power at 4.5 K_(equiv). corresponding to 1.5 MW compressor connected rating. The reserve peak power will be covered, if necessary, by using the latent heat and vapour enthalpy of LHe from a storage tank. This supporting LHe stream is added to the phase separator and fed subsequently to the low pressure return stream at the coid end of the cold box. LN_2-pre-cooling equipment of the cold box-which is installed for W7-X cool-down anyway-can also be used to increase refrigeration power. The LHe required for maintaining reserve refrigeration power as well as for running the current leads is generally produced overnight when W7-X is in idle current mode.