Multiphysics Model of Quench for the ITER Central Solenoid

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS), the backbone of the ITER magnet system, is composed of 6 modules, each made of 40 pancakes, for a total conductor length of about 36 km. More than 4 km of pipes, about 30 bypass or control valves, the heat exchangers and a cold circulator are part of the cryogenic distribution used to maintain the nominal operating conditions (flow and temperature). During the plasma scenario, several loss sources – such as AC losses, heat from supports and structures, joule heating at joints – can affect the magnet stability. A reliable analysis of quench is therefore of great importance to guarantee the safe operation of the CS superconducting coils. In this work, the
SuperMagnet
code, a state of the art software for the numerical modelling of hydraulic, electrical and thermal phenomena occurring in superconducting magnets, is applied to study the CS and its cryogenic distribution during quench events.