Breakthrough: ASIPP's 80 kA HTS CICC Prototype Conductor Passed the Extreme Test

A research team led by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, and EPFL, published a paper in Superconductor Science and Technology titled "DC performance test of twisted stacked slotted-core CICC prototype under 80 kA current and 10.85 T background field". In this work, a 2.8 m-long high-current HTS CICC prototype conductor was developed and tested at the SULTAN facility in Switzerland. All REBCO HTS tapes used in the conductor were supplied by Shanghai Superconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (SSTC), demonstrating robust and reliable tape performance under fusion-relevant operating conditions.

The test results are striking: at 77 K and self-field, the CICC prototype achieved a critical current (Ic) of 16.6 kA. Under a 10.85 T background field, the current-sharing temperatures were about 23.5 K at 60 kA and 19.6 K at 70 kA. At 80 kA and 10.85 T, after repeated electromagnetic cycling, the corresponding Tcs dropped by only 1.3% and then remained stable in subsequent cycles (electromagnetic load about 830 kN/m), showing excellent tolerance to high electromagnetic loading.

To date, this is the first stacked HTS CICC reported in public literature to operate stably under an electromagnetic load of 830 kN/m, providing valuable experimental reference for future engineering development of high-field fusion magnets. Looking ahead, SSTC will continue to focus on high-quality REBCO tape development and scaled manufacturing, and work with research institutions worldwide to accelerate controlled fusion applications.

Source: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6668/ae4831
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6668/ae4831