Performance Characterization of Russian ITER ${\rm Nb}_{3}{\rm Sn}$ Strands

Abstract

Magnetic field, temperature and axial strain dependencies of critical current must be defined for all strands intended for the production of ITER TF windings. Such a characterization was performed for three Russian bronze routed strands. The design features of the strands under investigation are given. The measurements of critical current was carried out in the Pacman facility at the University of Twente over a range of magnetic field from 5 to 14 T, temperature from 4.2 to 11.5 K and applied axial strain from -0.7 to +0.7%. A study on irreversibility strain limit is also performed indicating that critical current degradation starts at an intrinsic strain level above 0.5%. Along with critical current data derived from voltage-current curves, a number of voltage-temperature characteristics were measured and used for further analysis. The data obtained allow one to make calculations of ITER TF coil performance as well as analysis of short conductor sample test results.