NCSX Construction Progress and Research Plans

Stellarators use 3D plasma and magnetic field shaping to produce a steady-state disruption-free magnetic confinement configuration. Compact stellarators have additional attractive properties-quasi-symmetric magnetic fields and low aspect ratio. The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) is being constructed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to test the physics of a high-beta compact stellarator with a low-ripple, tokamak-like magnetic configuration. The engineering challenges of NCSX stem from its complex geometry requirements. These issues are addressed in the construction project through manufacturing R&D and system engineering. As a result, the fabrication of the coil winding forms and vacuum vessel are proceeding in industry without significant technical issues, and preparations for winding the coils at PPPL are in place. Design integration, analysis, and dimensional control are functions provided by system engineering to ensure that the finished product will satisfy the physics requirements, especially accurate realization of the specified coil geometries. After completion of construction in 2009, a research program to test the expected physics benefits will start