FPN19-37
First Poloidal Field Coil Ready to Ship to ITER Site
October 1, 2019
According to an announcement from the Institute of Plasma Physics,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first large superconducting magnet coil
of the ITER project, has been completed and is ready to ship to the
ITER site in France. A key component of ITER, it will be installed at
the bottom of the ITER cryostat. It consists of nine twin-shaped
pancakes and a series of supporting accessories. Weighing up to 400
tons, it is heavier than two Boeing 747 airplanes. A celebration of its
completion was held on 20 September in Hefei, Anhui, China.
In order to meet the strict requirements for the magnetic field
configuration of the ITER device, the profile accuracy of the PF6 coil
(±1.5mm after winding) had to be strictly controlled. For a
superconducting coil with an external diameter of about 11.2 meters and
wound in a “two-in-hand” configuration, the challenge was unprecedented.
The NbTi superconductor used for winding the coil stretches up to 13.5
kilometers. Due to its technical complexity, it took six years for the
manufacturing team within the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese
Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) to complete the task.
For the announcement and a photo of the completed coil see:
http://english.ipp.cas.cn/syxw/201909/t20190920_219207.html