[en] Stability in cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) against perturbations is often associated with transient heat removal of heat generated in the normal zone. Based on this approach, stability criterion requires low current density in the strands. This criterion is often used for design of the magnets for fusion devices like ITER, KSTAR and others. We show that this criterion is not a mandatory requirement for serviceability of CICC and that CICC may work reliably at higher current densities. In conditions of limited and well defined perturbations, sufficient stability is provided not by a large amount of copper and high transient heat transfer, but by a smooth transition to the normal state and easy current redistribution. A strand parameter space in terms of I_c and N-value meeting CICC requirements for stability, limited heat generation, and minimum temperature margin is proposed and discussed. The theory predictions are compared with known experimental data on CICC

[en] Qualification of the ITER conductor is absolutely necessary. Testing large scale conductors is expensive and time consuming. To test straight 3-4m long samples in a bore of a split solenoid is a relatively economical way in comparison with fabrication of a coil to be tested in a bore of a background field solenoid. However, testing short sample may give ambiguous results due to different constraints in current redistribution in the cable or other end effects which are not present in the large magnet. This paper discusses processes taking place in the ITER conductor, conditions when conductor performance could be distorted and possible signal processing to deduce behavior of ITER conductors in ITER magnets from the test data

[en] The ITER Central Solenoid (CS) requires compact and reliable joints for its Cable-in-Conduit Conductor (CICC). The baseline design is a diffusion bonded butt joint. In such a joint the mating cables are compacted to a very low void fraction in a copper sleeve and then heat treated. After the heat treatment the ends are cut, polished and aligned against each other and then diffusion bonded under high compression in a vacuum chamber at 750 C. The jacket is then welded on the conductor to complete the joint, which remarkably does not require more room than a regular conductor. This joint design is based on a proven concept developed for the ITER CS Model Coil that was successfully tested in the previous R and D phase

[en] Magnet technology for fusion in the last decade has been focusing mostly on the development of magnets for tokamaks - the most advanced fusion concept at the moment. The largest and the most complex tokamak under development is ITER. To demonstrate adequate design approaches to large magnets for ITER and to develop industrial capabilities, two large model coils and three insert coils, all using full-scale conductor, were built and tested by the international collaboration during 1994-2002. The status of the magnet technology and directions of future developments are discussed in this paper

[en] The Central Solenoid (CS) designed for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a 13 T, 42 kA coil with a winding pack mass of 863 t, cooled by supercritical helium. To demonstrate the feasibility of the design and performance of the CS a CS Model Coil project was carried out during the ITER Engineering Design Activity in 1994- 1999. This paper describes the R and D and fabrication effort during this project with a focus on the construction of the Inner Module of the CS Model Coil by the US Home Team

[en] A heavy ion driver for inertial fusion will accelerate an array of beams through common induction cores and then direct the beams onto the DT target. An array of quadrupole focusing magnets is used to prevent beam expansion from space charge forces. In the array, the magnet fields from the coils embracing the beams are coupled, which reduces the cost of superconductor and increases the focusing power. The challenges in designing such an array are meeting the strict requirements for the quadrupole field inside the beam pipes and preventing stray fields outside. We report our optimization effort on designing such an array and show that 3 x 3 or larger arrays are feasible and practical to build with flat racetrack coils

[en] Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) is exploring a promising path to a practical inertial-confinement fusion reactor. The associated heavy ion driver will require a large number of focusing quadrupole magnets. A concept for a superconducting quadrupole array, using many simple racetrack coils, was developed at LLNL. Two, single-bore quadrupole prototypes of the same design, with distinctly different conductor, were designed, built, and tested. Both prototypes reached their short sample currents with little or no training. Magnet design, and test results, are presented and discussed

[en] Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) is considered a promising path to a practical fusion reactor. A driver for a HIF reactor will require a large number of quadrupole arrays to focus heavy ion beams. A conceptual design, and trade off studies of the quadrupole array based on racetracks are presented. A comparison with a conventional shell magnet is given and advantages and disadvantages are discussed. A more detailed design of a single quadrupole for the High Current experiment (HCX) is presented and discussed

[en] Joints for the ITER superconducting Central Solenoid should perform in rapidly varying magnetic field with low losses and low DC resistance. This paper describes the design of the ITER joint and presents its assembly process. Two joints were built and tested at the PTF facility at MIT. Test results are presented, losses in transverse and parallel field and the DC performance are discussed. The developed joint demonstrates sufficient margin for baseline ITER operating scenarios

[en] The FENIX facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was upgraded and refurbished in 1996-1998 for testing CICC superconducting magnets. The FENIX facility was used for superconducting high current, short sample tests for fusion programs in the late 1980s--early 1990s. The new facility includes a 4-m diameter vacuum vessel, two refrigerators, a 40 kA, 42 V computer controlled power supply, a new switchyard with a dump resistor, a new helium distribution valve box, several sets of power leads, data acquisition system and other auxiliary systems, which provide a lot of flexibility in testing of a wide variety of superconducting magnets in a wide range of parameters. The detailed parameters and capabilities of this test facility and its systems are described in the paper