Coupling losses of fusion conductors: Influence of some design parameters

Superconductors for fusion are subjected to fast variations of magnetic fields. The effective diameter of the strands is of great importance to limit the level of losses appearing during theses variations. Another less controlled characteristic also plays a major role: the conductor time constant. A model is given to calculate this time constant. The void fraction, the twist pitches associated to the different stages, the chromium coating and the internal resistive barriers inside the strand influence greatly this time constant. The influence of the different parameters is discussed through practical considerations depending on the kind of cable considered. This model is applied to measurements performed at the University of Twente and at CEA on Nb3Sn subcables made of twisted strands relevant for ITER. The application of this model is also discussed for a typical NbTi strand for fusion application developed by GEC AISA. As a matter of fact, the NbTi is again present in the ITER design for most of the poloidal field coils, which represents hundreds tons of material