Performance tests on an ITER relevant CICC Nb/sub 3/Sn coil

The central solenoid (CS) of a fusion reactor is expected to be operated around 13 T, 5.8 K, at ramp rates of 0.5-1 T/s. The present state of the art of the superconductor technology allows the fulfillment of such requirements only by means of coils made of cable-in-conduit Nb/sub 3/Sn conductors (CICC). In the ENEA Frascati Laboratory, the construction of a CICC Nb/sub 3/Sn coil (1m o.d., 0.6 m bore) was completed in 1994. Its original destination was the high field DC test facility SULTAN. Since many characteristics of this coil make it representative of a CS, it was decided that it was higher priority to test it in transient field conditions. An ad-hoc facility was designed and set up in the ENEA Frascati Laboratory.