We have developed a model that describes the transverse load degradation in Nb 3 Sn CICCs, based on strand and cable properties, and that is capable to predict how such degradation can be prevented. The Nb 3 Sn Cable In Conduit Conductors (CICC) for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) show a significant degradation in their performance with increasing electromagnetic load. Not only the differences in the thermal contraction of the composite materials affect the critical current and temperature margin, but mostly electromagnetic forces, cause significant transverse strand contact and bending strain in the Nb 3 Sn layers. Here, we present the model for Transverse Electro-Magnetic Load Optimisation (TEMLOP) and report the first results of computations for ITER type of conductors, based on the measured properties of the internal tin strand used for the Toroidal Field Model Coil (TFMC). As input, the model uses data describing the behaviour of single strands under periodic bending and contact loads, measured with the TARSIS setup, enabling a discrimination in performance reduction per specific load and strand type. The most important conclusion of the model computations is that the problem of the severe degradation of large CICCs can be drastically and straightforwardly improved by increasing the pitch length of subsequent cabling stages. It is for the first time that an increase of the pitches is proposed and no experimental data are available yet to confirm this beneficial outcome of the TEMLOP model. Larger pitch lengths will result in a more homogeneous distribution of the stresses and strains in the cable by significantly moderating the local peak stresses associated with the intermediate-length twist pitches. The twist pitch scheme of the present conductor layout turns out to be unfortunately close to a worst-case scenario. The model also makes clear that strand bending is the dominant mechanism causing degradation. The transverse load on strand crossings and line contacts, abbreviated as contact load, can reach locally 90 MPa but this occurs in the low field area of the conductor and does not play a significant role in the observed critical current degradation. The model gives an accurate description for the mechanical response of the strands to a transverse load, from layer to layer in the cable, in agreement with mechanical experiments performed on cables. It is possible to improve the ITER conductor design or the operation margin, by mainly a change in the cabling scheme. We also find that a lower cable void fraction and larger strand stiffness add to a further improvement of the conductor performance.

For high current superconductors in high magnet fields with currents in the order of 50 kA, single ReBCO coated conductors must be assembled in a cable. The geometry of such a cable is mostly such that combined torsion, axial and transverse loading states are anticipated in the tapes and tape joints. The resulting strain distribution, caused by different thermal contraction and electromagnetic forces, will affect the critical current of the tapes. Tape performance when subjected to torsion, tensile and transverse loading is the key to understanding limitations for the composite cable performance. The individual tape material components can be deformed, not only elastically but also plastically under these loads. A set of experimental setups, as well as a convenient and accurate method of stress-strain state modeling based on the finite element method have been developed. Systematic measurements on single ReBCO tapes are carried out combining axial tension and torsion as well as transverse loading. Then the behavior of a single tape subjected to the various applied loads is simulated in the model. This paper presents the results of experimental tests and detailed FE modeling of the 3D stress-strain state in a single ReBCO tape under different loads, taking into account the temperature dependence and the elastic-plastic properties of the tape materials, starting from the initial tape processing conditions during its manufacture up to magnet operating conditions. Furthermore a comparison of the simulations with experiments is presented with special attention for the critical force, the threshold where the tape performance becomes irreversibly degraded. We verified the influence of tape surface profile non-uniformity and copper stabilizer thickness on the critical force. The FE models appear to describe the tape experiments adequately and can thus be used as a solid basis for optimization of various cabling concepts.

Differences in the thermal contraction of the composite materials in a cable in conduit conductor (CICC) for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in combination with electromagnetic charging cause significant axial, transverse and bending strains in the Nb3Sn layer. These high strain loads degrade the superconducting properties of a CICC. Here we report on the influence of periodic bending load, using different bending wavelengths from 5 to 10 mm on a Nb3Sn powder-in-tube processed strand. The strand axial tensile stress–strain curve, the critical current versus applied axial strain results, the influence of cyclic loading on the RRR and assessment of the current transfer length from AC loss measurements, required for the analysis, are presented as well. For the strand under investigation, we find an influence of bending strain on the Ic that corresponds well to the predictions obtained from the applied classical relations, distinguishing ultimate boundaries of high and low interfilament electrical resistance. The reduction versus applied bending strain is similar for all wavelengths and equivalent to the low transverse resistance model, which is consistent with the estimated current transfer length. The cyclic behaviour in terms of critical current and n-value involves a component representing a permanent reduction as well as a factor expressing reversible (elastic) behaviour as a function of the applied load. The results from the set-up enable a discrimination in performance reduction per specific load type and per strand type. In this paper, we discuss the results of the pure bending tests.

The differences in thermal contraction of the composite materials in a cable in conduit conductor (CICC) for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), in combination with electromagnetic charging, cause axial, transverse contact and bending strains in the Nb 3 Sn filaments. These local loads cause distributed strain alterations, reducing the superconducting transport properties. The sensitivity of ITER strands to different strain loads is experimentally explored with dedicated probes. The starting point of the characterization is measurement of the critical current under axial compressive and tensile strain, determining the strain sensitivity and the irreversibility limit corresponding to the initiation of cracks in the Nb 3 Sn filaments for axial strain. The influence of spatial periodic bending and contact load is evaluated by using a wavelength of 5 mm. The strand axial tensile stress-strain characteristic is measured for comparison of the axial stiffness of the strands. Cyclic loading is applied for transverse loads following the evolution of the critical current, n-value and deformation. This involves a component representing a permanent (plastic) change and as well as a factor revealing reversible (elastic) behavior as a function of the applied load.The experimental results enable discrimination in performance reduction per specific load type and per strand type, which is in general different for each manufacturer involved. Metallographic filament fracture studies are compared to electromagnetic and mechanical load test results. A detailed multifilament strand model is applied to analyze the quantitative impact of strain sensitivity, intrastrand resistances and filament crack density on the performance reduction of strands and full-size ITER CICCs. Although a full-size conductor test is used for qualification of a strand manufacturer, the results presented here are part of the ITER strand verification program. In this paper, we present an overview of the results and comparisons.

We have developed an instrument to study the behavior of the critical current density (Jc) in superconducting wires and tapes as a function of field (μ0H), temperature (T), and axial applied strain (εa). The apparatus is an improvement of similar devices that have been successfully used in our institute for over a decade. It encompasses specific advantages such as a simple sample layout, a well defined and homogeneous strain application, the possibility of investigating large compressive strains and the option of simple temperature variation, while improving the main drawback in our previous systems by increasing the investigated sample length by approximately a factor of 10. The increase in length is achieved via a design change from a straight beam section to an initially curved beam, placed perpendicular to the applied field axis in the limited diameter of a high field magnet bore. This article describes in detail the mechanical design of the device and its calibrations. Additionally initial Jc(εa) data, measured at liquid helium temperature, are presented for a bronze processed and for a powder-in-tube Nb3Sn superconducting wire. Comparisons are made with earlier characterizations, indicating consistent behavior of the instrument. The improved voltage resolution, resulting from the increased sample length, enables Jc determinations at an electric field criterion Ec=10 μV/m, which is substantially lower than a criterion of Ec=100 μV/m which was possible in our previous systems.

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A short sample of the NbTi cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) manufactured for the ITER PF insert coil has been tested in the SULTAN facility at CRPP. The short sample consists of two paired conductor sections, identical except for the sub-cable and outer wraps, which have been removed from one of the sections before jacketing. The test program for conductor and joint includes DC performance, cyclic load and AC loss, with a large number of voltage taps and Hall sensors for current distribution. At high operating current, the DC behavior is well below expectations, with temperature margin lower than specified in the ITER design criteria. The conductor without wraps has higher tolerance to current unbalance. The joint resistance is by far higher than targeted.Index Terms-Cable-in-conduit conductor, ITER, joint resistance, niobium-titanium, self-field induced quench.

We present the latest results of the novel model for transverse electromagnetic load optimization (TEMLOP) especially developed for the ITER type of cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs). The Nb3Sn CICCs for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) showed a substantial degradation in their performance correlated with increasing electromagnetic load. Not only do the differences in the thermal contraction of the composite materials affect the critical current (Ic) and temperature margin, but electromagnetic forces cause a significant transverse strand contact and bending strain in the Nb3Sn layers, resulting in localized filament cracking and permanent degradation. The most essential feature of the a priori TEMLOP predictions presented in May 2006 is that the severe degradation in CICCs can be improved greatly and straightforwardly by increasing the pitch length in subsequent cabling stages and by reducing the void fraction. These corrective measures give more support to the strands, sufficiently reduce the strain, and therefore avoid filament damage at the strand crossover points in the cables. It was the first time that an increase of the cable twist pitches has been proposed and no experimental evidence was available at that time. A full-size European prototype TF conductor sample (TFPRO-2), manufactured in autumn 2006, was adapted according to this new insight and tested in April 2007 in SULTAN for experimental validation of the predictions. The results were outstanding: for the first time an Nb3Sn CICC conductor achieved the performance that can be expected based on the single-strand properties, with high n value and no sign of degradation. As input, besides the cable properties, the model directly uses the measured data from single strands under uni-axial stress and strain, periodic bending and contact loads. The recent test results of the ITER OST strands used for the manufacture of the TFPRO-2 obtained with the TARSIS set-up are presented. With these most recent strand results, the model substantiates that not only strand bending is causing degradation but, depending on the strand and cable layout, the strand contact stress can also play a critical role. TEMLOP demonstrates that the twist pitch scheme and void fraction, of the proposed ITER reference TF conductor layout with a first-stage triplet twist pitch of 45 mm, turns out to be practically a worst-case scenario. It is also shown that shorter pitches can lead to an improvement but this requires more Nb3Sn material per metre composite conductor. However, it has been experimentally proven now that the proposed changes recover the ITER TF conductor operational margin up to the expected strand performance. The ITER TF conductor specification is being adapted now and it becomes possible to gain significant savings on the strand design, as degradation no longer needs to be compensated for.