First full-size ATLAS barrel toroid coil successfully tested up to 22 kA at 4 T

The Superconducting Barrel Toroid is providing (together with the two End-Cap Toroids not presented here) the magnetic field for the muon detectors in the ATLAS Experiment at the LHC at CERN. The toroid with outer dimensions of 25 m length and 20 m diameter, is built up from 8 identical racetrack coils. The coils with 120 turns each are wound with an aluminum stabilized NbTi conductor and operate at 20.5 kA at 3.9 T local field in the windings and is conduction cooled at 4.8 K by circulating forced flow helium in cooling tubes attached to the cold mass. The 8 coils of 25 m /spl times/ 5 m are presently under construction and the first coils have already been fully integrated and tested. Meanwhile the assembly of the toroid 100 m underground in the ATLAS cavern at CERN has started. The 8 coils are individually tested on surface before installation. In this paper the test of the first coil, unique in size and manufacturing technology, is described in detail and the results are compared to the previous experience with the 9 m long B0 model coil.