Simulation of Quench Tests of the Central Solenoid Insert Coil in the ITER Central Solenoid Model Coil

To investigate the conductor behavior during a quench, quench tests of the Central Solenoid Insert Coil (CSIC) in both DC and pulse modes were carried out with various initial conditions in the Central Solenoid Model Coil Facility. The Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit conductor with a similar design and configuration to the conductor for the ITER Central Solenoid (CS) was used. The inductive heater, attached on the conductor at the center of the length and the highest field region, initiated an artificial quench in the quench tests. A quench has also occurred during the pulse operation with the ramping rates of 0.4-2 T/s, in the ramp rate limitation tests of the CSIC. Simulations of electric, thermal and hydraulic behavior of the conductor during quench tests were carried out by using the 'Gandalf' thermohydraulic simulation code. The experimental results were compared with the simulation and good agreement was obtained. The implication for quench detection in ITER is also discussed and it is confirmed that the hot spot temperature of the ITER-CS is lower than the design criteria (<150 K)

[1]  Y. Nunoya,et al.  Completion of CS insert fabrication , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[2]  Takashi Kato,et al.  First test results for the ITER central solenoid model coil , 2001 .

[3]  N. Mitchell,et al.  Quench detection using pick-up coils for the ITER central solenoid , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[4]  Takashi Kato,et al.  Construction of ITER common test facility for CS model coil , 1996 .

[5]  J. R. Miller,et al.  A model for the prediction of Nb/sub 3/Sn critical current as a function of field, temperature, strain, and radiation damage , 1990 .

[6]  E. Salpietro,et al.  Inductively driven transients in the CS Insert Coil (II) : Quench tests and analysis , 2002 .

[7]  Y. Nunoya,et al.  Experimental investigation on the effect of transverse electromagnetic force on the V-T curve of the CIC conductor , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.

[8]  N Mitchell,et al.  Summary, assessment and implications of the ITER Model Coil test results , 2003 .

[9]  Masataka Nishi,et al.  Ramp-Rate limitation due to current imbalance in a large cable-in-conduit conductor consisting of chrome-plated strands , 1997 .

[10]  Takashi Kato,et al.  Effect of electromagnetic force on the pressure drop and coupling loss of a cable-in-conduit conductor , 2004 .

[11]  E. Zapretilina,et al.  Modeling of thermal-hydraulic effects of AC losses in the ITER Central Solenoid Insert Coil using the M&M code , 2003 .

[12]  J. L. Duchateau,et al.  Calculations of pressure drop and mass flow distribution in the toroidal field model coil of the ITER project , 2000 .

[13]  Luca Bottura,et al.  A Numerical Model for the Simulation of Quench in the ITER Magnets , 1996 .

[14]  Joseph V. Minervini,et al.  Test of the ITER central solenoid model coil and CS insert , 2001 .