Speaker
Description
Over the past two decades, the SULTAN test facility at EPFL-SPC has qualified superconductors for all major superconducting fusion facilities worldwide. However, the increasing demand for higher field and higher current conductors—partly driven by the development of High Temperature Superconductors —requires testing capabilities beyond those of SULTAN (limited to a background field of ≤11 T and a sample current of ≤100 kA). In this context, the EDIPO2 test facility will significantly enhance the testing capabilities at EPFL-SPC to align with the requirements of the new generation of superconducting samples. Key improvements include a new magnet capable of generating a 15 T background field, an enlarged aperture, and a superconducting transformer designed for testing samples beyond 100 kA. In recent years, EPFL-SPC has developed the conceptual design for the EDIPO2 magnet which relies only on planar racetrack coils wound with a flat two-stage cable. Efforts in 2025 will focus on procuring the required superconducting strand, producing a prototype Nb3Sn cable, conducting technological R&D for coil manufacturing, and initiating the engineering design of the magnet and the upgraded transformer. This contribution will report on the status of these activities.
