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The ‘C/O monitor’ is a dedicated diagnostic system designed to monitor light impurities (B, C, N and O) in the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator. Its main goal is to provide fast (∼1 ms) information about the impurity level which is measured from a large plasma volume (high throughput). Its first subsystem dedicated to measure Lyman-α lines of H-like carbon (C5+ − 3.4 nm – used as PFC material) and oxygen (O7+ − 1.9 nm – common impurity absorbed by inner vessels’ walls) is going to be commissioned during the next Operational Phase of W7-X. Since the radiated photon intensity of a given impurity depends strongly on plasma kinetic parameters (Te, ne) and impurity transport, it is important to thoroughly understand the underlying correlation between these factors and registered signal. Because the dependences turn out to be non-trivial, a forward modelling was applied. This paper outlines the results of Lyman-α line intensities modelling performed for carbon and oxygen studies (including impurity transport), as only those two elements will be measured during the initial operational phase of the spectrometer. The obtained results indicates that the signals measured by the system will be weakly dependant on the plasma conditions.

Radial impurity density profiles in two Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) experiments heated by neutral beam injection (NBI) are analyzed with respect to their impurity transport properties. Local impurity densities are derived from charge exchange reactions with the W7-X NBI system using simulated neutral densities cross-validated with beam emission spectroscopy. Impurity profiles of argon and carbon are found to show an evolving central accumulation inside half radius. The properties of the underlying impurity transport are assessed using the one-dimensional transport code pySTRAHL. Comparisons between simulation and experiment indicate transport dominated by anomalous diffusion outside half radius. The observed central impurity accumulation is found to match best simulations with purely (neo-)classical transport in the accumulation region. This data implies a suppression of the anomalous impurity transport channel to below 35% of the (neo-)classical one. Experimental data is found to be matched best when invoking a time evolving, inward propagating zone where anomalous impurity transport is suppressed. An additional central power deposition into a plasma with central impurity accumulation via electron cyclotron resonance heating is found to affect the (neo-)classical transport components in case of operation times below 200 ms only. For longer operation times, it is found to re-introduce an altered level of anomalous diffusion. The existence of an inward directed anomalous pinch as an alternative explanation for the central impurity accumulation cannot explain the observed profiles.