Progress in the design of the in-vessel magnetic pickup coils for ITER

This paper presents the results of the R&D activities recently performed to achieve the preliminary design of the electro-magnetic transducers for in-vessel local magnetic field measurements at low frequency (<; 30 kHz) for ITER. The study is based on thermo-electrical and electro-magnetic bench tests performed on a batch of 40 sensor prototypes manufactured with the Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) technology. The development of an alternative concept of magnetic sensor for ITER, based on Mineral Insulated Cables (MIC) winding is also reported, with suitable thermo-mechanical and electromagnetic numerical analyses performed to assess the reliability of such sensors within ITER operating conditions.