Risk management as an executive task in the construction of Wendelstein 7-X

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Abstract

To manage all risks during construction, commissioning and later operation of complex fusion experiments like the stellarator W7-X it is necessary to have a thorough and highly efficient approach. It is an executive task of the upper management to anticipate, analyze and to build up a system of measures to prevent the occurrence of potential risks or to handle the risks in such a way to minimize the impact. Very good experience has been made with the introduction of a uniform quality management system which takes into account both the processes and the technology. The most important risks for the project and the decisions made to manage them are outlined briefly.

Highlights

⿺ Development, manufacturing, and assembly are subdivided into clearly defined steps. ⿺ Because of importance, specifications are supported by clear structured templates. ⿺ Database with information about changes and nonconformities allows risk assessment. ⿺ To discover impacts or dependencies single risks are assigned to several subsystems. ⿺ Connection to safety device database supports definition of safe operational limits.

Introduction

Wendelstein 7-X, the first numerically optimized stellarator, is presently under construction at the Max Planck Institut for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald (Germany) [1]. Construction, commissioning, and later operation of such an experiment represent unquestionably a very complex challenge in solving scientific, technical and organizational tasks.

In this relation the often quoted Murphy's Law in its well known reduction ⿿Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong⿿ sounds for every project team like a bad omen. Indeed all project activities bear many process, management and technical risks. But is there a real chance to prevent the disaster of unconvincing technical solutions, and too expensive and too late projects?

Risk management is always also chance management. It is necessary to manage these risks in an anticipating and proactive manner to be successful with such a project. In the Wendelstein 7-X project this has been recognized early on.

Beginning with the identification and assessment of risks, priorities accordingly to their potential significance have been set and several measures have been introduced to handle the risks and minimize their impact. These activities are an integral part of the uniform quality management system which has been introduced for Wendelstein 7-X in 1999 [2] and which has been developed up to the DIN EN ISO 9001:2008-certification by TÿV NORD CERT in 2009. This quality management system takes into account both the processes and the technical aspects.

Section snippets

Process risks

Process risks result from budgets, schedule, due dates, requirements in the specifications, fluctuation of specialized manpower, etc.

Risk assessment for later operation

The operational requirements and boundary conditions were defined in the W7-X system specification and the corresponding specifications of the subsystems. But there are potential risks that have to be analyzed with regards to possible restrictions or consequences. Therefore a central change/deviation database in the project W7-X is used, in which all these issues are collected and assessed. All CR and NCR covering the entire process of specification, manufacturing and assembly as well as other

Acknowledgments

All work as described above was done in close cooperation between the departments of W7-X, the assembly staff, project control and the QM-department. The good collaboration between these various partner, sometimes under strong time pressure, is gratefully acknowledged.

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    The processes to cope with unforeseen situations are well defined. Management systems for non-conformity [16,17], change, configuration [18], interface and earned value [19] have been established within the W7‐X project. Beside the main W7‐X gas injection system a divertor gas injection system was developed mainly for diagnostic purpose.

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