Preparing diagnostics for long pulse operation at W7-X

► In long pulse fusion devices diagnostics are subject to severe heating. ► Several concepts to reduce the heat influx were applied. ► Heat conduction was improved to keep the temperature within acceptable limits. Long pulse operation considerably increases the thermal load on in-vessel components. Diagnostic front-ends formerly employed at short pulse machines therefore have to be considerably re-designed for installation in the stellarator W7-X that is currently being built at Greifswald, Germany. The strategy applied to cope with the thermal load is threefold: to reduce the influx of heat on the component, to conduct the heat inside the component to suitable heat sinks and to choose suitable materials for sensitive components. The first is achieved by the shielding against microwave stray radiation, plasma radiation, thermal radiation and particle fluxes and by absorbing residual microwave stray radiation in the immediate vicinity of sensitive components. The second task, suitable heat conduction, enforces severe restrictions on the use of any thin parts like foils or meshes. Thirdly, in order for a component to survive the residual loads, materials must be chosen that absorb only a small fraction of the microwave stray radiation flux, conduct heat well enough, and survive high temperatures and large temperature gradients. Examples are provided from bolometry, magnetic diagnostics, soft X-ray diagnostics and Thomson scattering. Measurements of microwave stray radiation effects are presented, in particular the effectiveness of several shielding concepts.