22–27 Sept 2019
Hyatt Regency Hotel Vancouver
Canada/Pacific timezone

Wed-Mo-Po3.10-04 [78]: Post-mortem mechanical investigation of ITER TF conductor samples after heat treatment and SULTAN testing

25 Sept 2019, 09:30
1h 45m
Level 2 Posters 2

Level 2 Posters 2

Speaker

Prof. Matthew C. Jewell (Materials Science Center, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)

Description

The electrical performance of cable-in-conduit conductors made from Nb3Sn superconductor can degrade during operation, depending on the operating parameters selected and the cable pattern and geometry. In this study, we perform a comparative destructive examination on two identical ITER TF conductor sections, one of which is heat-treated but untested, and the second of which has been tested to the full IxB Lorentz force envisioned for ITER operation. We compare the level of macroscopic mechanical damage, microscopic filament breakage, and the distribution of strand positions within the conductor cross-sections to understand the origins of the performance degradation. Combined with future examination of reduced IxB samples, we expect this method to help elucidate some mechanisms of the performance degradation.

Primary author

Prof. Matthew C. Jewell (Materials Science Center, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire)

Co-authors

Mr Colin Fackler (University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire) Mr Anthony Doan (University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire) Mr Benjamin J. Thronson (University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire) Vladimir Tronza (Iter Organization) Neil Mitchell (ITER)

Presentation materials