Search

We have been developing high-strength Nb3Sn strand cables to construct a high-field superconducting outsert for a 45 T hybrid magnet with a 25 T water-cooled resistive magnet. Evidence for cold work strengthening of repeated bending treatment (prebending effect) on Nb3Sn strands internally reinforced with CuNb stabilizer, which exhibits significant enhancement of the critical current density, has been found in the superconducting magnet fabrication process using a react-and-wind method. The strand cables were designed by controlling the constituent number of CuNb/Nb3Sn strands with the prebending effect and stainless steel strands, which are expected to have a stress limit 580 MPa at 0.4% strain. In order to design a compact superconducting outsert, high-strength strand cables are adopted in a magnetic field region below 14 T to maintain relatively large engineering current densities (Je). In a higher-field region above 14 T, YBa2Cu3O7 (Y123) coated conductors are employed for an insert coil. Using combination of Y123, Nb3Sn and NbTi superconductors, a 20 T superconducting outsert with a room temperature bore of 400 mm consisting of three layers made of Y123, two layers of CuNb/Nb3Sn and two layers of NbTi was designed. The coil parameters are 440 mm inner diameter, 1080 mm outer diameter and 1138 mm coil height. A very compact 20 T superconducting outsert with a stored magnetic energy 72 MJ at an operation current 903 A can be developed for a 45 T hybrid magnet.

The High Field Laboratory for Superconducting Materials (HFLSM) and the Tsukuba Magnet Laboratory (TML) conducted in collaboration a case study on development of a 50 T-class hybrid magnet. To construct a high magnetic field magnet with compact and energy-saving design as well as with easy operation and maintenance, one has to develop high-strength NbSn strand cables, with maximized superconducting characteristics and which can withstand a large electromagnetic force over 500 MPa. For this purpose, the HFLSM has proposed and investigated the effect of repeated bending treatment (pre bending) on NbSn strands internally reinforced with CuNb stabilizer leading to significant enhancement of the critical current density. In this report we present our results on application of the pre bending effect to the development of high-strength strand cables. The designed prebent-strand cables are composed of three CuNb/Nb3Sn strands (3 times Phi =1.73 mm) and four stainless steel strands ( 4 times Phi =1.73 mm). High-strength CuNb/Nb3Sn strand cables have shown a stress limit of 552 MPa at 0.4% strain, and a critical current of Ic =1000 A at 18.5 T and 2.0 K. For such high-strength strand cables, a 20 T superconducting magnet with a room temperature bore (Phi =400 mm) consisting of five layers made of CuNb/NbSn and two layers of NbTi was designed. The coil parameters are: inner diameter Phi = 440 mm, outer diameter Phi = 1332 mm, coil height 1321 mm, inductance 350 H and magnetic stored energy 144 MJ at 908 A of the operation current. Winding of the coil was experimentally successfully simulated using dummy 3 + 4 strands cable composed of three Cu strands and 4 stainless steel strands with a similar design to the 3 + 4 strands superconducting cable presented above. The 20 T superconducting coil will be used as a 20 T outsert for a 25 T water-cooled resistive insert to obtain a 45 T hybrid magnet.

The long term reliability of the SMES model coil for the 100 kWh SMES pilot plant was investigated in a 1000 cycles cyclic test in the test facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in 1998, in collaboration between Japan and the USA. The coil parameters such as coil inductance, magnetic field and AC loss were measured before and after the cyclic test. They did not change. The coil was successfully charged up to 40.53 kA in the mechanical performance test, which gave mechanically the same conditions as in the SMES pilot plant at rated current. After all performance tests, the coil was checked visually and electrically, and no degradation was observed. Mechanical reliability of the SMES model coil was verified in the performance tests. The obtained technical results encourage recommendation of the construction of the pilot plant.

The stray field of SMES restricts its site location, although SMES has an attractive potential for power management and quality control. The stray field outside a solenoid is analyzed by a series of Legendre polynomials and the result is applied to the stray fields of various SMES coil configurations. As long as the summation of magnetic moments from all coils is zero, the term of a stray field decreasing as r/sub p//sup -3/ can be cancelled out. The higher order of the stray field can vanish if the coil arrangement is optimized. In this paper, the authors consider a single solenoid as a reference, active shield coils, axially displaced coils and multipole coils to reduce the stray field. The multipole coil configuration has high potential to drop the stray field, since the stray field behaves like r/sub p//sup (3+n/2)/, where n is the coil number.

SMES has a high potential for application in power utility, because of high plant efficiency, quick response, and power controllability. SMES is composed of a superconducting coil, vapor-cooled leads, and a power conditioning system. The electrical specifications for SMES are discussed on the basis of input and output power depending on size and application. As breakdown voltage in helium gas is low, an internally cooled magnet system is preferable to a pool boiling one. A model coil for a 100 kWh SMES, which is a typical forced cooled magnet system, was developed in Japan and then successfully tested. A glass–polyimide–glass tape insulation system was investigated in view of electrical and mechanical strength prior to fabrication. The breakdown voltage measurement of a sample with an artificial crack showed sufficient strength. The insulation critical fracture strength has a good agreement with the Mohr–Coulomb criterion.

The relationship between stability of superconductor and structure of the cable-in-conduit (CIC)-type conductor is discussed by studying the simple estimation of work by strand movement and results of stability tests of small coils wound by five kinds of CIC-type NbTi conductors. The allowable thermal disturbance energy not to quench the coil is estimated. When the strands are electrically insulated, the stability of the CIC-type conductor is low because of inhomogeneous current distribution among the strands. On the other hand, when the strands are not insulated, the conductors are stable until the thermal disturbance energy approaches the helium enthalpy rise from bath temperature to the temperature of current sharing because of quick current transfer to other strands.

Dry-wound superconducting solenoids offer good manufacturability of large bore magnets but occasionally suffer from premature quenches triggered by small heat generated within the magnets. The principal source of heat is thought to be conductor motion induced frictional heating and/or filler material fracture released energy in windings. This paper describes major specification, stress analysis and training performance and their relation to a series of magnets that were constructed and tested to establish stabilizing methods of a large bore dry-wound superconducting solenoid. The results suggested that conductor motion took place even though radial stress in the magnet was still compressive and a conductor was expected in its original position. >

The stability and limiting current of a NbTi forced-cooled superconducting coil have been investigated experimentally and analytically at the subcooled condition below 4.5 K. The test coil was wound in a one layer solenoid from a cable-in-conduit type conductor of critical current of 5.1 kA at 4.2 K and 6.5 T, whose total length was 10 m. It was installed in the bore of a back-up superconducting magnet that provided field 8 T at the test coil. The stability margin of the coil as a function of normalized current (transport current/critical current) were measured. The results are compared with the formula proposed by Dresner and reported to predictions of stability margin and limiting current at subcooled condition below 4.5 K. >

Low AC loss and high current density NbTi/Cu/CuNi double stage cabling superconductor for quick response superconducting generator (SCG) has been developed. Its characteristics were measured by short sample and several coil models. The critical current of 14 kA at 6 T and the AC loss of 10 kw/m/sup 3/ were achieved, and coil models were excited under high current change rate operation without the quench. The developed superconductor will be able to be applied to a 70 MW class quick response SCG. >

A forced-cooled superconducting coil has been studied for the next step fusion machines because of many merits. The coil can be cooled by supercritical helium below 4.5K, which improves the stability and other superconducting characteristics. To study the stability of the coil at lower temperature, a test coil wound in a one-layer solenoid with a CIC conductor was tested below 4.5K. It was proved that the stability at lower temperature would be able to predict from the relationship between the critical current below 4.5K and the stability characteristics at 4.5K. The limiting current at lower temperature is in good agreement with the Lottin's experimental results.

A forced-cooled superconducting coil (DPC-TJ) was wound with a double walled cable-in-conduit referred to as preformed-armour type C ICC. In this paper, we describe the fabrication of the conductor for the DPC-TJ coil with the first conduit, which plays a role in sealing the supercritical helium from the vacuum. Because the DPC-TJ coil has a high average current density of 40 A mm−2 (12 T,4.2 K) in the winding area, an (NbTi)3Sn strand formed by the Nb tube method was selected, which has a very high critical current density in the non-Cu area. As a result of development work, a strand could be fabricated which met the following requirements: critical current density > 600 A mm−2 at 12 T and residual resistivity ratio (RRR) value > 50. A fabrication line for the cable-in-conduit conductors using the roll-forming method was also developed. Through fabrication of the conductor for the DPC-TJ coil, it was demonstrated that large and long conductors could be fabricated for future fusion reactors.

A 40 A mm −2 , 24 kA, high rigidity, large forced-cooled, (NbTi) 3 Sn superconducting coil referred to as the DPC-TJ was developed during collaboration between the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and Toshiba Corporation. The purpose of the DPC-TJ Program is to demonstrate the realizability of a high average current density with a large coil wound by a large Nb 3 Sn superconductor which meets the requirements of the conductor for the next thermonuclear fusion machine. The DPC-TJ was fabricated as the first coil of the preformed-armour type, which was developed in this programme as a fabrication method that enables us to achieve high rigidity and high current density simultaneously without difficulty. Testing of the DPC-TJ coil was performed successfully and the DPC-TJ Program was completed having accomplished its objectives.

The authors describe the electromagnetic results and the quench phenomena of the DPC-TJ large cable-in-conduit Nb/sub 3/Sn coil experiment which took place in the summer of 1991. The DPC-TJ coil was developed by Toshiba and JAERI in collaboration to demonstrate the realization of (NbTi)/sub 3/Sn superconducting coils for fusion with high average current density of 40 A/mm/sup 2/. The coil was charged up to its rated current of 24 kA (40 A/mm/sup 2/) at 7.6 T without quench in the DPC test facility. Thereafter, the electromagnetic performance was tested by measuring I/sub c/ and T/sub cs/, and the critical current at 12 T was estimated to be 41 kA. The quench phenomena of the DPC-TJ coil were also tested by measuring normal-zone propagation velocity to get the protection design. In these experiments, very slow and very fast propagation were observed. Many other electromagnetic results were also obtained, which are necessary for the design of fusion machines such as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. >

The disturbance energy of a forced flow cooled superconducting coil (FCC) is discussed. The authors built a FCC and carried out stability and quench tests. The test coil had a 36-m-long cooling path with a 0.37-mm hydraulic diameter. It was cooled by supercritical helium at 4.1 K. The stability margin of the FCC was evaluated by using RF heating. In addition, the coil quench test was performed. The disturbance energy at quench is estimated by the stability margin characteristics. The disturbance energy obtained agrees well with that of a simple analytical model. >

The DPC-TJ test coil was developed in the collaboration between the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and Toshiba for the Demo Poloidal Coil (DPC) project at JAERI to obtain key technologies required for the construction of superconducting coils of a fusion experimental reactor. The DPC-TJ is a 1-m-bore, 40-A/mm/sup 2/ forced-flow cooled superconducting coil wound with a double-walled 24-kA, 12-T (NbTi)/sub 3/Sn cable-in-conduit conductor. The DPC-TJ was tested to investigate stability performance at operating conditions between 15 kA, 2.3 T and 30 kA, 4.5 T. Another test was carried out with a 1/18 reduced-scale model of the DPC-TJ conductor to investigate stability margins at the designed field of 12 T. Results indicated the limiting current of the DPC-TJ was around 25 kA. The DPC-TJ coil was stably charged up to 30 kA without any normal transitions because only a small mechanical disturbance could occur in the newly developed type of conductor. >

The stability and quench characteristics of a NbTi forced-cooled superconducting coil at the subcooled condition were investigated. The test coil was wound in a one-layer solenoid from a cable-in-conduit-type conductor of 1.5 kA at 7 T, whose total length was 34 m. It was installed in a background coil and tested between the subcooled condition below 4.5 K and the normal condition above 4.5 K. Stability, quench current, normal propagation velocity, and pressure rise during a quench of the subcooled coil were measured. The stability margin increased and the pressure rise during a quench decreased as the inlet coolant temperature was lowered. >

A force-cooled superconducting coil has been studied for the Large Helical Device (LHD), which will be a main experimental apparatus of the Japanese National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). To achieve the main requirements for the LHD, a large-current, high-current-density NbTi cable-in-conduit-type conductor of 10 kA and 47 A/mm/sup 2/ at 8 T was developed. The test coil was wound in the form of a one-layer solenoid and tested at an operating current of 10 kA in a superposed field of about 7 T, at a hydraulic condition of 1.0 MPa, 4.5 K, and 10 g/s supercritical helium. The stability, normal propagation velocity, and pressure rise during a quench for the high-current-density case were also studied.

A D-shaped 12 Tesla superconducting coil with forced cooling Nb 3 Sn superconductor is developed. Cryogenic stability and conduit stress analyses, result of winding test of copper dummy coil, add cooing system for the test coil are presented.

A 10 kA forced-cooled D-shaped superconducting coil made of a cable-in-conduit type Nb3Sn conductor with a bore of 0.71m × 0.87m has been developed and the performance test was carried out.

The DPC-TJ coil is being developed so as to demonstrate the advanced technology for the next Fusion Experimental Reactor. The DPC-TJ is (NbTi)3Sn coil designed for high current density (40 A/mm2), large current (24 kA) and high field (12 T). The key issue is the development of a double-walled cable-in-conduit conductor so called “Preformed Armor Type CICC” for the high mechanical and electrical performance. These advantages were verified by a test winding fabrication and a mechanical testing. This paper describes the development work and mechanical testing for the DPC-TJ coil.

Two large Nb 3 Sn coils, so called cluster back up coil (CBC), with the dimension of 400 mmID, 840mmOD and 258 mmH, have been constructed to increase the resultant field at the cluster test facility in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The operating current is 2, 145 A at 10 T. The component and performance tests, such as the critical current, mechanical properties and cryogenic stability were extensively investigated, before the CBC fabrication. Prior to installing the CBC in the cluster test facility, an individual coil test of the CBC was carried out and the CBC were successfully operated at a rated current of 2, 145 A.