Conveners
Wed-Af-Po.11 - Modelling of Fusion Conductors and Coils I
- Juan Bascunan (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Hongyu Bai (National High Magnetic Fied Laboratory)
In this paper, we develop a new thermal-hydraulic simulation module as part of the Tokamak magnet software under development. The module focuses on the coupling effect between thermo-hydraulics and electromagnetism to study the LTS/HTS cable-in-conduit-conductor (CICC) stability margin and quench characteristics. The algorithm of the program is based on the finite element method. We present...
The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) is a prototype fusion power plant, planned to be operational in the 2040s. The STEP concept depends for its continuous operation on a system of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. The Toroidal Field (TF) magnets are required to be re-mountable, allowing for the vertical maintenance strategy adopted by the STEP programme. Verified...
The ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coils are manufactured in the double-pancake configuration with cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICC), each containing several hundreds of Nb3Sn strands. These strands are produced by eight different companies using either the bronze-route or the internal-tin manufacturing process. These differences in the manufacturing procedure result in different performances of...
The transition from low-temperature superconductors (LTS) to high-temperature superconductors (HTS) has opened new possibilities for toroidal field coil design in fusion applications. These next-generation HTS coils represent a significant departure from traditional D-shaped LTS coils, introducing unique operational dynamics and challenges. A key innovation is the adoption of HTS stacks, where...
High-temperature superconductor (HTS) magnets are gaining attention for their vital position of compact, high-field tokamaks, helping speed up the path to fusion energy. In future commercial nuclear fusion plants, steady-state operations lasting several months will be required. One of the main challenges for steady-state operation is the instability of plasma confinement, which can be reduced...
The Magnet Cold Test Bench (MCTB) will be assembled and commissioned in 2025 with existing ITER systems (Cold terminal Box, Cryogenic system,) and new components (cryostat, power supply, interconnection valve box). The objective is to test as many TF coils as possible in the MCTB without impacting the assembly schedule in the pit. ITER TF magnet system consist of 18 coils. The Current sharing...
While the ITER assembly is progressing, a Magnet Cold Test Bench (MCTB) is also under preparation to test some of the ITER superconducting coils at 4 K up to nominal current before their installation in the pit. In this context calculations were performed to estimate the residual inductive voltages in the quench detection loops of the TF coils during the test scenarios. These residual...
Superconducting coils utilizing VIPER-like HTS cable for tokamaks and
stellarators are being designed, built, and tested. In order to assess a coil's ability to operate at the desired current, and/or to evaluate
possible degradation of a coil's performance due to manufacturing
processes, it is necessary to calculate the expected critical current, Ic, of the coil. This is actually a...
