Alternative strand material for the toroidal field coils of the ITER magnetic system: assessment of Nb/sub 3/Al

Designers of conductors for ITER TF coils selected Nb/sub 3/Sn as the strand material. As the influence of stress and strain on the superconducting property in Nb/sub 3/Al conductors is smaller than in Nb/sub 3/Sn conductors, Nb/sub 3/Al has become a potentially attractive candidate material. However, its industrial production has not yet been developed at the level of Nb/sub 3/Sn. Of interest is the evaluation of the use of cable-in-conduit-conductors for ITER TF coils. The assessment is carried out considering alternative jacket material (stainless steel), manufacturing approaches (winding of reacted conductors) and performance of the final conductor in the operating conditions of ITER TF coils.<
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