Current distribution in a reusable junction for W7-X coil tests

Author

Schild, T. ; Germain, J. ; Berton, J.B. ; Dupont, B. ; Forgeas, A.

Author_Institution

CEA, Centre d´´Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

Volume

12

Issue

1

fYear

2002

fDate

3/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1313

Lastpage

1318

Abstract

In the frame of the W7-X stellarator project, CEA has to perform the acceptance tests of the 70 superconducting coils of the magnet system. A new test facility has been built at Saclay for that purpose. As the coils are delivered to CEA with bare end, it has been necessary to develop a junction that can be easily applied on a CIC conductor and that can be easily dismantled and reusable due to the large number of coils to be tested. As inhomogeneous current distribution within the conductor could lead to unexpected low quench current (i.e., ramp rate limitation), an experiment has been developed in order to estimate that distribution at the outlet of the junction. The experimental set-up is made of 16 pick-up coils measuring the current within the 16 sub-stages of the CIC (Cable-In-Conduit). This paper will present our experimental results and the conclusion of our analysis.

Keywords

current distribution; quenching (thermal); stellarators; superconducting coils; superconducting device testing; superconducting magnets; test facilities; CEA; CIC conductor; W7-X coil tests; acceptance tests; inhomogeneous current distribution; pick-up coils; quench current; ramp rate limitation; reusable junction; stellarator; superconducting coils; superconducting magnet system; test facility; Assembly; Conductors; Contact resistance; Current distribution; Electrical resistance measurement; Helium; Performance evaluation; Superconducting coils; Test facilities; Testing;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Applied Superconductivity, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1051-8223

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TASC.2002.1018644

Filename

1018644