Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor for fusion application: facing NET-ITER specifications, evaluation of industrial capability

The industrial capability for producing significant amounts of Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor that meet the NET-ITER specifications has been evaluated by extensive tests on thousands meters of multifilamentary composites ordered from two different companies. In particular, the following points have been investigated: weight and length of the delivered units, heat treatment and critical current, chrome plating, residual resistivity ratio (RRR), and AC losses measurements. With regard to RRR and losses some difficulties have been encountered. The consequences for the different coils of the NET-ITER project are discussed.<
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