Full-scale calculation of the coupling losses in ITER size cable-in-conduit conductors

With the numerical cable model JackPot it is possible to calculate the interstrand coupling losses, generated by a time-changing background and self-field, between all strands in a cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC). For this, the model uses a system of equations in which the mutual inductances between all strand segments are calculated in advance. The model works well for analysing sub-size CICC sections. However, the exponential relationship between the model size and the computation time make it unpractical to simulate full size ITER CICC sections. For this reason, the multi-level fast multipole method (MLFMM) is implemented to control the computation load. For additional efficiency, it is written in a code that runs on graphics processing units, thereby utilizing an efficient low-cost parallel computation technique. A good accuracy is obtained with a considerably fast computation of the mutually induced voltages between all strands. This allows parametric studies on the coupling loss of long lengths of ITER size CICCs with the purpose of optimizing the cable design and to accurately compute the coupling loss for any applied magnetic field scenario.