Assurance of Sound Manufacturing Technology for the ITER Current Leads

The ITER current leads will transfer large currents of up to 68 kA into the superconducting magnets of the tokamak. Following the development of the designs of the three types of current leads required for ITER, targeted trials of specific features are on the way to prepare fabrication and testing of prototype units in ASIPP (Hefei/China). Five different types of mock-ups are being made to develop the most critical technologies in preparation of the series manufacturing. These include the insulation, the electron-beam welding, the heat exchanger manufacturing, the low temperature superconductor end assembly, and the instrumentation. In this paper the designs and manufacturing procedures of the technology trials will be discussed, together with plans for the mock-up testing in ASIPP.