A Fully Automatic Press for Mechanical and Electrical Testing of Full-Size ITER Conductors under Transverse Cyclic Load

Journal Article · Mon Jun 28 04:00:00 EDT 2004 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1774551· OSTI ID:20653228

Abbas, W; Nijhuis, A; Ilyin, Yu; Haken, B ten; Kate, H H.J. ten ^[1]

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1. University of Twente, Faculty of Science and Technology, Enschede 7500 AE (Netherlands)

A cryogenic cable press has been built and recently modified to investigate the life time properties and changes in the mechanical and electrical properties of full-size ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) conductors. The press is a fully automatically controlled operating system designed to test Cable-In-Conduit Conductors (CICC) under transverse variable load along 40,000 cycles at temperatures from 4.2 to 300 K. The designed lifetime of the press, with moving parts and minimized friction at cryogenic temperatures, is at least a few millions of cycles. The maximum press load is 320 kN with a stroke of 5.5 mm. The maximum sample length amounts to 400 mm. The force on the cable and the compression are monitored simultaneously in order to determine the mechanical cable deformation properties and losses. A superconducting dipole coil integrated in the press surrounding the sample, provides the DC and AC magnetic field required to perform magnetization measurements with pick-up coils. In addition, interstrand resistance (Rc) measurements are carried out. To date, more than ten full-size CICC samples have been tested, each subjected to 40,000 cycles. All samples show changes in Rc, coupling loss and mechanical properties with cycling, some of them are quite significant, depending on the specific conductor properties. Some typical design features of the press are presented and discussed.

• OSTI ID: 20653228
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 711; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COMPRESSION
CRYOGENIC CABLES
DEFORMATION
DIPOLES
ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRICAL TESTING
FRICTION
ITER TOKAMAK
LIFETIME
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIZATION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
SUPERCONDUCTING CABLES
SUPERCONDUCTING COILS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0000-0013 K
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0013-0065 K
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0065-0273 K
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K