Conceptual design of the LCP coil support structure

The goal of the Large Coil Program (LCP) is to produce and test large (2.5-m x 3.5-m bore) superconducting toroidal field (TF) coils. The coil support structure is to provide a structural environment similar to that of future tokamaks. The structure must also be adaptable to different configurations of one to six test coils. Several alternative concepts were considered before a satisfactory conceptual design was chosen. The selected design incorporates a central bucking post and two external torque rings. Using anticipated loading conditions, major structural members were sized. A finite element stress analysis was performed on the structure for various coil arrangements