Monte Carlo simulation of strand motion in CIC conductor

Strand motion in a cable-in-conduit (CIC) conductor has been simulated by means of Monte Carlo method in order to analyze the stability of the CIC Conductor. A quantitative discussion about the frictional heating induced by strand motion, the contact stress between strands and the coupling losses has not been made because the behavior of strands during energizing has not been clarified. A CIC Conductor with 38% of void fraction was constructed in a computer by compressing the cable. In the Monte Carlo method, the position of strands which were divided into mesh were changed to minimize the potential energy. It could simulate the strand motion induced by the Lorentz force. The frictional heating between strands was found to be high at the area where the density of the strands was high. The mechanical losses was estimated during energizing by calculating the hysteresis loops of the strand position. The method developed in this work is also used to calculate the change of the contact stress between strands during energizing and discharging. When the strand positions in the conduit are clarified, the current imbalance could be also evaluated because the inductance of each strand can be estimated. Using this method, it would be possible to estimate the stability of a CIC Conductor.