High Performance Superconductors for Fusion Nuclear Science Facility

Authors: Y. Zhai, C. Kessel, C. Barth and C. Senatore

Abstract: High performance superconducting magnets play an important role in the design of the next step large-scale, highfield fusion reactors such as the Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) and the Spherical Tokamak (ST) pilot plant beyond ITER, which is under construction in the South of France. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is currently leading the design study of FNSF and the ST pilot plant study. ITER utilizes present-day state-of-the-art low temperature superconducting (LTS) magnet technology based on the cable-inconduit conductor design where over a thousand muitl-filament Nb3Sn superconducting strands are twisted together to form a high current-carrying cable inserted into a steel jacket for coil windings. We present design options of the high performance superconductors in the winding pack for the FNSF toroidal field magnet system based on the toroidal field radial built from the system code. For the low temperature superconductor options, the advanced Jc Nb3Sn RRP strands (Jc > 1000 A/mm2 at 16 T, 4 K) from Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) are under consideration. For the high temperature superconductor options, the rectangular shaped high current HTS cable made of stacked YBCO tapes will be considered to validate feasibility of TF coil winding pack design for the ST-FNSF magnets.

Download PPPL-5295 (pdf 4.7 MB 8 pp)
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