CORC® CABLES AND DEMOUNTABLE JOINTS FOR FUSION MAGNETS

Cable in Conduit Conductors (CICC) based on CORC® cables and demountable joints between them are being developed for fusion and detector magnets. With support of the U.S. Department of Energy and in collaboration with many of its partners and commercial customers, Advanced Conductor has been able to elevate the CORC® cable and joint technology to a level that now allows integration into prototype fusion magnets and devices.

CORC® cables and wires allow for practical bundling into high-current CICC for fusion magnets:
– Highest level of conductor transposition of any HTS CICC
– Flexible CORC®-CICC allow for bending down to 1 meter diameter and enable compact fusion magnets
– Allow for demountable magnet joints with a joint resistance below 1 nano-Ohm at temperatures of 4 – 25 K

CORC®-CICC configurations formed by bundle of 6 CORC® cables placed within a jacket (left), and 6 CORC® cables wound into the channels of a support structure before a jacket is applied (right).
CORC® cable CICCCORC® wire CICC
Configuration6-around-114-around-tube
Diameter (no jacket)25-35 mm25-30 mm
Temperature, Field4.2 K, 20 T4.2 K, 20 T
Currentup to 100,000 Aup to 100,000 A

CORC® cables and wire terminations allow for low resistance CORC®-CICC joints that would enable demountable fusion magnets. Resistances of less than 1 nano-Ohm have been demonstrated in demountable joints between two CORC®-CICCs at operating temperatures of 4-25 K.

Demountable joint between two CORC®-CICCs in which the joint is formed by two copper terminals clamped together with an external clamping structure
Voltage measured over two CORC®-CICCs and the demountable joint between them as a function of current up to 10,000 A at 4.2 K
B [T]Joint resistance at 4 K [nano-Ohm]*
00.5
40.9
61.2
81.4
*R(total) – R(Round HTS) – R(Flat HTS)
Voltage over two CORC®-CICCs and the demountable joint between them and current up to 5,000 A as a function of time measured at 23 K when cooled with cryogenic helium gas.
Joint resistance at 23 K [nano-Ohm]
SC-010.7
Top (L)0.4
Bottom (L)0.5
Top (R)0.3
Bottom (R)0.2
Calculated*0.2