Numerical analysis of length effects on stability and quench behavior in CICC

One-dimensional numerical models of cable-in-conduit conductors (CICCs) have been developed. They have been extensively used to analyze cables proposed for the Next European Torus (NET) outer poloidal field coils. Some peculiar features of the thermodynamic behavior of CICC which were observed in that study are presented. In particular, the effect of the initial disturbance length on stability margin, quench propagation velocity, maximum pressure, and temperature is considered. It is found that going to smaller disturbance lengths can lead to significantly improved stability margins and potentially troublesome quench behavior.