Review on ASDEX Upgrade operation with tungsten plasma facing components

With the decision of ITER to start its operation with tungsten as plasma facing material also for the main chamber plasma facing components, the interest in the consequences of the use of W was strongly increased. Although many investigations had already been carried out in the all-W ASDEX Upgrade, EAST and WEST tokamak experiments, the ITER decision raised many new questions. To provide a robust foundation for addressing these questions, this paper reviews the tungsten related investigations carried out in ASDEX Upgrade over the last three decades in order to summarize the results achieved so far and to provide a comprehensive list of references for more detailed reading. Further to conclude from this material which results can be used directly for the full-W ITER, where further work is needed and possibly rewarding and which areas are difficult to be researched in AUG and other present-day devices.