Numerical Simulation of the Mechanical Behavior of ITER Cable-In-Conduit Conductors

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity Vol. 20; no. 3; pp. 1467 - 1470
• Main Authors: Bajas, H, Durville, D, Ciazynski, D, Devred, A
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.06.2010; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cables; Capacitive sensors; CICC; Computer simulation; Conductors; Degradation; Electric connection. Cables. Wiring; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electromagnets; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Finite element methods; finite element simulation; ITER; Mathematical models; mechanical behavior; Mechanical cables; Mechanics; Mechanics of materials; Niobium; Numerical simulation; Physics; Strain; Strands; Structural mechanics; Superconducting cables; Superconductivity; Tin; Various equipment and components; Virtual manufacturing; {\rm Nb}_{3}{\rm Sn} superconductor; Performance evaluation; Electrical conductivity; ITER tokamak; Mechanical model; Numerical method; Modeling; mechanical behavior; Degradation; Finite element method; Superconducting materials; Current carrying capacity; Nb; CICC; Electrical conductor; Strand; Damaging; Service life; Thermomechanical properties; finite element simulation; Thermal load; Operating conditions; Nuclear fusion reactor; Pipe cable; Sn superconductor; Stranded cable; Numerical simulation; System simulation; Superconducting cable; ITER; local strains; cable in conduit conductor; Nb3Sn superconductor
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2010.2042944

The unexpected degradations of current carrying capacity of Cable-In-Conduit Conductors are attributed to be mechanical in origin Nb 3 Sn. As a result, the prediction of conductor's performances asks for the assessment of the local strain state of the Nb 3 Sn superconducting strands inside cables. For this purpose, a finite element modeling, specially developed for the simulation of cable mechanics, is presented in this paper. The presented mechanical model allows simulating the conductors' service life from manufacturing to operating conditions by describing the evolution of strains and stresses within each individual strand. The distributions of axial strains within strands, obtained from simulation results of both thermal and Lorentz loadings, could help characterize the influence of design parameters.