Addressing the technical challenges for the construction of the ITER Central Solenoid

Libeyre, P.*; Bessette, D.*; Jewell, M.*; Jong, C.*; Lyraud, C.*; Rodriguez-Mateos, M.*; Hamada, Kazuya; Reiersen, W.*; Martovetsky, N.*; Rey, C.*; Hussung, R.*; Litherland, S.*; Freudenberg, K.*; Myatt, L.*; Dalder, E.*; Reed, R.*; Sgobba, S.*

The Central Solenoid (CS) of the ITER magnet system will play a major role in tokamak operation, providing not only the major part of the inductive flux variation required to drive the plasma but also contributing to the shaping of the field lines and to vertical stability control. To meet these requirements, the design has been optimised by splitting the CS into six independently powered coils enclosed inside an external structure which provides vertical precompression thus preventing separation of the coils and, additionally, acting as a support to net resulting loads. To ensure that the CS design meets the ITER criteria, several analyses are performed along with a series of R&D trials to qualify the technologies to be used for the manufacture of the conductor, the coils and the structure.