Rapid normal zone propagation observed in a 13 T-46 kA NbAl cable-in-conduit conductor

13T-46kA NbAl強制冷却導体で観測された超高速クエンチ伝播

小泉 徳潔; 松井 邦浩; 久米 悦雄 ; 奥野 清

Koizumi, Norikiyo; Matsui, Kunihiro; Kume, Etsuo; Okuno, Kiyoshi

原研では、NbAl導体核融合炉への応用を目指して、NbAlインサート・コイルを開発した。本コイルのクエンチ試験は、13Tにて、温度マージン(分流開始温度と運転温度の差)を変化させて行った。また、初期の常伝導転移は、誘導加熱コイルを使用し、常伝導転移後も、数秒以上電流を保持した。温度マージンが0.5Kのとき、加熱後3s後に、常伝導伝播速度が急激に加速される超高速クエンチ伝播を観測した。1次元安定性・クエンチ解析コードを用いた計算も行い、常伝導転移時のジュール発熱により、冷媒供給システムのループ内に閉じ込められている冷媒全体の圧力が上昇し、常伝導部が到達していないところでも、冷媒温度が分流開始温度を超えて常伝導転移が起こることを見いだした。

The NbAl Insert was developed by JAERI aiming at the demonstration of a NbAl conductor to fusion reactor magnets. A quench test was performed on the NbAl Insert at 13 T with various temperature margins, which are defined as a difference between current sharing temperature and operating temperature. The initial normalcy was initiated by using an inductive heater and a coil current was kept for several seconds. The normal zone propagation velocity was accelerated after 3 s from the onset of heating in case that the temperature margin was set at 0.5 K. A simulation using one-dimensional stability and quench simulation code was performed. The calculation results indicate that such rapid propagation occurred due to a temperature rise beyond a current sharing temperature because of a large pressure increase even at the location where the normal front did not reach yet. This large pressure rise was caused since the coolant was contained in the closed circulation circuit of the cooling system, which is usually applied to a large magnet cooling system.