Testing of ITER prototype cable-in-conduit conductors in the FENIX facility

摘要

The Fusion Engineering International experiment (FENIX) Test Facility has been operational since 1991 at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for testing the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) prototype conductors. These conductors, Nb/sub 3/Sn, are designed to operate stably with transport current of more than 40 kA at magnetic field of 13 T. The FENIX facility consists of four magnet sets that are configured to allow access to the 40-cm high-field region with a test cross-section area of 10*15 cm/sup 2/. FENIX provides test conditions that closely simulate many of the ITER magnet operation modes. Performed experiments include measurements of critical current, current-sharing temperature, forced-flow properties, stability, joint performance and cyclic fatigue effects. This paper describes the design and performance of these experiments.