2003 Volume 38 Issue 8 Pages 417-424
The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has demonstrated the superconducting performance of a large coil using a newly developed cable-in-conduit Nb3Al conductor comprised of 1,152 superconducting strands bundled on a central cooling channel. The conductor was developed as one of the R&D activities of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The hydraulic performance of the Nb3Al conductor under electromagnetic force was studied to clarify the relation between pressure drop under electromagnetic force and cable stiffness. Under an electromagnetic force of 500 kN/m, the pressure drop of the Nb3Al conductor decreased by 5%, which is smaller than the 13% decrease measured for a Nb3Sn conductor. This characteristic was well simulated by taking into account the high stiffness of the Nb3Al cable as related to the high strength and stiffness of Nb3Al strand. Furthermore, the pressure drop of several Nb3Sn conductors tested in previous R&D studies was investigated by means of the same evaluation method to study the effect of cable types. It was concluded that the pressure drop under electromagnetic force can be explained by taking the cable stiffness of any type of CIC conductor into account. This paper describes the measurement results, detailed evaluation method, and considerations that led to this conclusion.
