R&D Effort for ITER Central Solenoid

The US ITER organization is responsible for supply of the Central Solenoid (CS) to the ITER collaboration. This 1,000 t object is the largest pulsed superconducting magnet ever built. Research and development on the CS began in 2007, long before the CS Module Fabrication (CSMF) subcontractor was selected, to develop validated design options early in the process and minimize schedule impacts. General Atomics (GA) was awarded the CSM fabrication contract in 2011. Technology developed before then was transferred to GA, which then began its manufacturing development program. This paper reports on the R&D work carried out by the US ITER Project Office and GA to support fabrication efforts. The R&D effort can be divided into the following major categories: (1) fabrication feasibility studies; (2) development and qualification of the performance of the critical components (joints, inlets, insulation, etc.); and (3) characterization of the CS materials. This paper gives an outlook of the R&D effort and main results by the US team for CS in the following areas: (1) winding; (2) joint development; (3) welding development and qualification; (4) inlets and outlets development; (5) heat treatment; (6) insulation development; and (7) vacuum pressure impregnation.