Experimental and Numerical Studies for Hydraulic Performance Evaluation of Cable in Conduit Conductor in Superconducting Magnet Applications

Abstract

Alternative energy sources, such as nuclear fusion, are needed to fulfil future energy demands newlinedue to rising energy consumption, depleting fossil fuel resources, and the fact that nuclear newlinefission is not an intrinsically safe technique of energy generation. Scientists and engineers are newlineinterested in nuclear fusion because of its benefits, despite significant technological challenges newlinein replicating the fusion process in laboratories. The most significant requirement for magnetic newlineconfinement-based fusion is the demand for a strong magnetic field to contain the hot newlineplasma. Such a strong magnetic field, of the order of 10 Tesla, is produced using large newlinesuperconducting (SC) magnets, which need efficient cryogenic cooling techniques to maintain newlinethe required low temperatures for the superconducting state. newline newlineBecause of their very high current carrying capacities as well as high and stable magnetic field, newlineSC magnets are also a favorite option and sometimes the only choice in applications, other than newlinemagnetic confinement based fusion devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), newlinenuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), particle accelerators, and mass spectrometry. In order to newlinemaintain its compactness, the SC magnets are generally cooled through forced flow cooling as newlinecompared to bath type cooling, and hence, employ Cable in Conduit Conductor (CICC) newlinewindings which are internally cooled by the forced flow of helium at ~4 K temperature (for low newlinetemperature superconductors, LTS) to maintain the required superconducting state. The recent newlinedevelopment of high temperature superconductors (HTS) has also opened up the possibility of newlineCICC made of HTS which requires cooling typically between 20 K and 100 K. newline newlineThe cryogenic thermal stability of the CICC is of prime importance for the safe, stable, and newlinereliable operation of SC magnets. The prediction of the thermal and hydraulic behavior of the newlineCICC in large SC magnets is difficult due to the complex geometry involved, the variation in newlinefluid properties, various heat in-flux incidences over t