Speaker
Description
This paper presents a thermal network model of an ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coil pancake aimed at accurately simulating thermal coupling between conductor turns. The model is implemented within the CryoSoft THEA code and represents the pancake as a network of equivalent thermal resistances and capacitances, enabling efficient and physically consistent prediction of heat transfer paths among adjacent turns. A key advantage of the proposed approach is the exploitation of THEA’s adaptive meshing capabilities, which allow localized refinement in regions of steep temperature gradients and provide enhanced resolution of quench initiation and propagation.
The paper details the model formulation, including the derivation of inter-turn thermal resistances and the numerical implementation in THEA. Simulation results are presented for both normal operating conditions and quench scenarios. The results quantify the effect of thermal coupling on peak temperature evolution, quench development, and propagation velocity. These findings highlight the importance of local mesh refinement for accurately capturing quench dynamics and thermal transients.
