Design of Tokamak ELM Coil Support in High Nuclear Heat Environment

In Tokomak, the support of the ELM coil, which is close to the plasma and subject to high radiation level, high temperature and high magnetic field, is used to transport and bear the thermal load due to thermal expansion and the alternating electromagnetic force generated by high magnetic field and AC current in the coil. According to the feature of ITER ELM coil, the mechanical performance of rigid and flexible supports under different high nuclear heat levels is studied. Results show that flexible supports have more excellent performance in high nuclear heat condition than rigid supports. Concerning thermal and electromagnetic （EM） loads, optimized results further prove that flexible supports have better mechanical performance than rigid ones. Through these studies, reasonable support design can be provided for the ELM coils or similar coils in Tokamak based on the nuclear heat level.     

Structural analysis and optimization for ITER upper ELM coil

ITER ELM coils are used to mitigate or suppress Edge Localized Modes (ELM), which are located between the vacuum vessel (VV) and shielding blanket modules and subject to high radiation levels, high temperature and high magnetic field. These coils shall have high heat transfer performance to avoid high thermal stress, sufficient strength and excellent fatigue to transport and bear the alternating electromagnetic force due to the combination of the high magnetic field and the AC current in the coil. Therefore these coils should be designed and analyzed to confirm the temperature distribution, strength and fatigue performance in the case of conservative assumption. To verify the design structural feasibility of the upper ELM coil under EM and thermal loads, thermal, static and fatigue structural analysis have been performed in detail using ANSYS. In addition, design optimization has been done to enhance the structural performance of the upper ELM coil.     

Structural and Fracture Mechanics Analysis for the Bracket of ITER Upper ELM Coil

The brackets are the important components of ITER edge localized modes (ELM) coils to connect the coils and rails. In order to assure the structural integrity and security of the bracket, the maximum tresca stress and stress intensity factor are examined from the viewpoints of structural and fracture mechanics. Based on the finite element method, the global upper ELM coils with simplified and detailed bracket are investigated. Since it is difficult to perform in-service inspection due to inaccessibility of in-vessel coils, it is important to estimate the allowable initial defect. Assuming an initial crack in the maximum first principal stress region on the bracket, the fracture mechanics analyses under different loads are performed. Results show that the bracket design is valid and feasible and the calculation method of finite element for stress intensity factor is feasible and reliable. Assuming the initial crack of 7 mm depth, the bracket can meet the crack growth criteria. The stress intensity factor of the bracket is mainly caused by electromagnetic (EM) load and the thermal load can reduce the stress intensity factor under EM load. The thermal load can make the crack grow on the surface of the bracket and the EM load can cause the crack to extend in the inner of the bracket.     

Multiaxial fatigue analysis for IMIC of ITER upper ELM coil

Inconel Jacketed Mineral Insulated Conductor (IMIC) is a very important component of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Edge Localized Modes (ELM) coils, which are located between the vacuum vessel (VV) and blanket shield modules and subject to high radiation levels, high temperature and high magnetic field. These coils will experience thermal pulsed, cyclic electromagnetic (EM) load during operation. They are designed to sustain at 1.5e8 total stress cycles and shall have sufficient strength and excellent fatigue to transport and bear the high cyclic load. For IMIC, multiaxial fatigue analysis is used to evaluate failure. Two methods based on the alternating stress and mean stress in American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code provide the design codes for multiaxial fatigue evaluation: constant principal stress direction and variation of principal stress direction. Results show that using the two methods obtains basically the same equivalent alternating stress. Both of them can be recommended for the ELM coils and IMIC can meet the fatigue criteria.     

Design Study of Support for ITER ELM Coils

The support is an important part of ITER ELM coils. It should withstand the alternating electromagnetic (EM) force and thermal stresses. Based on the finite element method, 2D and 3D structures of the rigid and flexible support of ITER upper ELM coil in different loads are studied. Results show that the flexible support can reduce the stresses of the conductor and jacket. In the lower level of nuclear heat, two types of supports can be used in the quarter model. In the high level of nuclear heat, the flexible support is needed and 50 mm support is proposed for the quarter model. Considering the EM load, the rigid support has better performance than the flexible support. Therefore, reasonable support can be provided for ELM coil or similar coil according to the thermal expansion and EM load.     

Electromagnetic–thermal–structural coupling analysis of the ITER edge localized mode coil with fiexible supports

In a fusion reactor, the edge localized mode (ELM) coil has a mitigating effect on the ELMs of the plasma. The coil is placed close to the plasma between the vacuum vessel and the blanket to reduce its design power and improve its mitigating ability. The coil works in a high-temperature, high-nuclear-heat and high-magnetic-field environment. Due to the existence of outer superconducting coils, the coil is subjected to an alternating electromagnetic force induced by its own alternating current and the outer magnetic field. The design goal for the ELM coil is to maintain its structural integrity in the multi-physical field. Taking as an example the middle ELM coil (with flexible supports) of ITER (the International Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor),an electromagnetic–thermal–structural coupling analysis is carried out using ANSYS. The results show that the flexible supports help the three-layer casing meet the static and fatigue design requirements. The structural design of the middle ELM coil is reasonable and feasible. The work described in this paper provides the theoretical basis and method for ELM coil design.     

Structural Design Study for ITER Upper ELM Coils

ITER ELM coils are important parts of in-vessel coils and they are mounted on the vacuum vessel and behind the blanket module. They consist of three sets of coils, referred to as the upper, mid, and lower coils. In order to verify the structural design feasibility and find the better structure for upper edge localized modes (ELM) coil, two different variants of coil support structures are studied under the electromagnetic load, thermal and other loads. Results show that besides the bracket of variant 2 does not meet the fatigue criteria, the conductor, jacket and bracket of the two structures can meet the static, fatigue and crack threshold criteria and both of them are valid and feasible. In addition, the better structure is chosen for upper ELM coil.     

Electromagnetic Analyses of ITER Lower ELM Right Bottom Corner

ELM(edge localized mode) coils are key components of ITER that suppress the edge localized mode phenomenon. A giant electromagnetic force is generated during normal operations by the current flowing in the ELM coils interacting with the external background field. The Lorentz force will induce Tresca stress in the ELM coils. If the load goes beyond the allowable threshold, the coils can hardly satisfy the safety requirements. The right-hand bottom corner was chosen to perform our electromagnetic analyses. Based on the Maxwell equation, the detailed magnetic field and Lorentz force were calculated. By use of the finite element software ANSYS,the Tresca stress was extracted and evaluated based on our analytical design. The present analysis aims to verify the feasibility of the current design. It can also serve as guidance for fabrication and structural optimization.     

Electromagnetic–thermal–structural coupling analysis of the ITER edge localized mode coil with flexible supports

In a fusion reactor, the edge localized mode(ELM) coil has a mitigating effect on the ELMs of the plasma. The coil is placed close to the plasma between the vacuum vessel and the blanket to reduce its design power and improve its mitigating ability. The coil works in a high-temperature,high-nuclear-heat and high-magnetic-field environment. Due to the existence of outer superconducting coils, the coil is subjected to an alternating electromagnetic force induced by its own alternating current and the outer magnetic field. The design goal for the ELM coil is to maintain its structural integrity in the multi-physical field. Taking as an example the middle ELM coil(with flexible supports) of ITER(the International Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor), an electromagnetic–thermal–structural coupling analysis is carried out using ANSYS. The results show that the flexible supports help the three-layer casing meet the static and fatigue design requirements. The structural design of the middle ELM coil is reasonable and feasible. The work described in this paper provides the theoretical basis and method for ELM coil design.     

Physical design of a new set of high poloidal mode number coils in the EAST tokamak

An external resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) field, which is an effective method to mitigate or suppress the edge localized mode (ELM), has been planned to be applied on the ELM control issue in ITER. A new set of magnetic perturbation coils, named as high m coils, has been developed for the EAST tokamak. The magnetic perturbation field of the high m coils is localized in the midplane of the low field side, with the spectral characteristic of high m and wide n, where m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively. The high m coils generate a strong localized perturbation field. Edge magnetic topology under the application of high m coils should have either a small or no stochastic region. With the combination of the high m coils and the current RMP coils in the EAST, flexible working scenarios of the magnetic perturbation field are available, which is beneficial for ELM control exploration on EAST. Numerical simulations have been carried out to characterize the high m coil system, including the magnetic spectrum and magnetic topology, which shows a great flexibility of magnetic perturbation variation as a tool to investigate the interaction between ELM and external magnetic perturbation.     

Analysis of edge magnetic field line structure in ITER due to in-vessel ELM control coils

In this work we evaluated the ITER ELM coils design based on two metrics: the Chirikov vacuum magnetic island overlap parameter, and the vacuum Field Line Loss Fraction. The study was performed for a range of current amplitudes for three different n = 4 waveforms: square, cosine and sine. The results indicated that ITER ELM coils are designed with a high level of flexibility to accommodate different operation scenarios (H-mode and Steady State) with different values of q₉₅ and q-profiles. The magnetic island overlap analysis showed that ITER ELM coils are capable of matching the DIII-D I-coil spectrum. The Field Line Loss analysis showed that edge vacuum stochastization might be achieved that is similar or greater than in DIII-D. Fault analysis of the coils indicated that ITER ELM coils are robust and show good characteristics even with 11% of dead coils.     

Detailed nuclear analysis of ITER ELM coils

The ELM coils in ITER are intended to provide control of Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). These coils are located on the outboard side of ITER between the shield modules and vacuum vessel (VV) and are subject to high radiation levels. Detailed three-dimensional (3-D) models of the toroidal and poloidal legs of the ELM coil and surrounding region for the MCNP code were updated to reflect the latest design changes. Neutronics calculations were performed to determine a variety of radiation damage parameters for the ELM coils as well as the VV located behind them. Additionally, detailed CAD based models for the upper ELM coil region were used to perform a CAD based analysis using the DAG-MCNP5 code. The results show that the ELM coil will meet the specified material radiation limits. However, the nuclear heating on the vacuum vessel behind the poloidal multi-pipe manifolds will exceed the specified limit.     

Numerical analysis of ITER fourth poloidal field (PF) coil feeder

The ITER poloidal field (PF) feeder busbar which carries 52 kA current will be subjected to high Lorentz force due to the background magnetic field aroused by the coils and the self-field between a pair of PF busbars. Peak magnetic force requires dense supports. But to minimize the heat load to the busbars as well as the cryo-pipes, fewer and thinner supports design is proposed, so a balance between mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance should be achieved. This paper presents the analysis on support system design for ITER 4th PF feeder including the S-bend box, the cryostat feed-through, the in-cryostat-feeder. An electric–magnetic coupled analysis aims to get real magnetic force load under the worst scenario, then the Lorentz force result is imported into the mechanical analysis, applied on the busbars, meanwhile the busbar supports, the containment duct, the gimbals, the separator plate and the cryo-pipes, the cold mass supports are contained in the finite element model to check the full system performance under Lorentz forces, earth gravity and thermal contract at 4.5 K. Based on the analytical results, the quantity and the spaces between busbar supports in the 4th PF feeder have been studied and the detail design optimized.     

Seismic analysis of ITER fourth PF (Poloidal Field Coil) feeder

The ITER feeder systems connect the ITER magnet systems located inside the main cryostat to the cryo-plant, power-supply and control system interfaces outside the cryostat. The main purpose of the feeders is to convey the cryogenic supply and electrical power to the coils as well as house the instrumentation wiring. The PF busbar which carries 52 kA current will suffer from high Lorentz force due to the background magnetic field inspired by the coils and the self-field between every pair of busbars. Except their mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance must be achieved, the dynamic mechanism on PF structure should be assessed. This paper presents the simulation and seismic analysis on ITER 4th PF feeder including the Coil Terminal Box and S-bend Box (CTB and SBB), the Cryostat Feed-through (CFT), the In-Cryostat-Feeder (ICF), especially for the ground supports and main outer-tube firstly. This analysis aims to study seismic resistance on system design under local seismograms with floor response spectrum, the structural response vibration mode and response duration results of displacement, membrane stress, and bending stress on structure under different directions actuating signals were obtained by using the single-seismic spectrum analysis and Dead Weight analysis respectively. Based on the simulative and analytical results, the system seismic resistance and the integrity of the support structure in the 4th PF feeder have been studied and the detail design confirmed.     

Design and performance analysis of ITER ex-vessel magnetic diagnostics

Accurate magnetic diagnostics are essential to perform reliable operation of any tokamak. The ITER magnetic diagnostics include a wide variety of sensors located on the inner and outer surfaces of the vacuum vessel, in the divertor cassettes and in the casing of the toroidal field coils. As the measurement accuracy of the inner set of magnetic sensors might be compromised by various radiation effects and high heat loads, the complementary ex-vessel set is essential to provide backup information. This paper is an overview of the ex-vessel magnetic diagnostic which consists mainly of pick-up coils, steady state sensors, Rogowski coils in the toroidal field coil casing and fibre optic current sensors. The work presented aims at designing these sensors to meet the performance requirements in spite of the constraints due to the tokamak environment. The manufacturing constraints and the positioning requirements for all the ex-vessel magnetic sensors are described. The use and expected accuracy of the entire ex-vessel magnetic diagnostic is assessed in terms of magnetic equilibrium reconstruction and plasma current measurement precision.     

Investigation and analysis on ITER in-vessel coils’ raw-materials

The ITER in-vessel coils (IVCs) consist of 27 coils edge localized modes (ELM) and 2 coils vertical stabilization (VS) which are all mounted on the vacuum vessel wall behind the shield modules. The IVCs design and manufacturing work is being conducted in between Institute of Plasma Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). Because the position of ELM and VS coils is close and face to the plasma, the IVCs must undergo a severe environment, such as the high dose of radiation and high operation temperature, thus the conventional electrical insulation materials cannot be used. And the technology of “Stainless Steel Jacketed Mineral Insulated Conductor” (SSMIC) is deemed as the best choice to provide the necessary radiation resistance and compatibility strength in ITER's vacuum vessel. While mineral insulated conductor technology is not new, and is similar to the mineral insulated cable used in industrial. Some difficulties still need to be solved, such as searching for the proper raw-materials to make sure that the conductor have the properties of high current carrying capability, the necessary radiation resistance, the proper strength, at the same time, it must be come true in manufacture technology. This paper described the analysis of the materials for VS and ELM coil conductor.     

Design finalization and start of construction of ITER vacuum vessel

The vacuum vessel (VV) design is being finalized including interface components, such as the support rails and feedthroughs of coils for mitigation of edge localized modes (ELM) and vertical stabilization (VS) of the plasma (ELM/VS coils). It was necessary to make adjustments in the locations of the blanket supports and manifolds to accommodate the design modifications in the ELM/VS coils. The lower port gussets were reinforced to keep a sufficient margin under the increased VV load conditions. The VV support design is being finalized as well, with an emphasis on structure simplification. The design of the in-wall shielding (IWS) has progressed, considering assembly and required tolerances. The layout of ferritic steel plates and borated steel plates will be optimized based on on-going toroidal field ripple analysis. The VV instrumentation was defined in detail. Strain gauges, thermocouples, displacement meters and accelerometers shall be installed to monitor the status of the VV in normal and off-normal conditions to confirm all safety functions are performed correctly. The ITER VV design was preliminarily approved, and the VV materials including 316L(N) IG were already qualified by the Agreed Notified Body (ANB) according to the procedure of Nuclear Pressure Equipment Order.     

Mechanical Analysis for ITER Lower CC Feeder

ITER correction coils (CCs) feeder is the important component of ITER feeder systems to supply the cryogens and electrical power for CCs. They should withstand the huge electromagnetic (EM) force and high thermal shrinkage. Considering the EM and thermal loads, mechanical analysis is performed to qualify the structural strength of the lower CC feeder. Results show that containment duct and cryopipe can meet the static criteria but busbar jacket cannot meet. It is proposed that more supports should be added at the corners for the busbar. Basically, the lower CC feeder design is valid and feasible.     

Updating the design of the feeder components for the ITER magnet system

The ITER superconducting magnet system generates an average heat load of 23 kW at 4 K to the cryoplant, from nuclear and thermal radiation, conduction and electromagnetic heating, and requires current supplies 10–68 kA to 48 individual coils. The helium flow to remove this heat, consisting of supercritical helium at pressures up to 1.0 MPa and temperature between 4.3 and 4.7 K, is distributed to the coils and structures through 30 separate feeder lines. The feeders also contain the electrical supplies to the coil, helium supply pipes and the instrumentation lines, and are integrated with the current lead transitions to room temperature. The components consist of the in-cryostat feeders, the cryostat feedthroughs and the coil terminal boxes (CTBs). This paper discusses the functional requirements on the feeder system and presents the latest design concept and parameters of the feeder components.     

Structural analysis and optimization of the break-out & feeder of the ITER lower vertical stabilization coil

Break-out & feeder is an essential component connecting the ITER lower vertical stabilization (VS) coil to the outside power source. It plays the role of interface between the in-vessel and out-vessel devices and has large influence on the coil performance. Due to the special location of the ITER lower VS coil, the break-out & feeder has to endure severe in-vessel environment such as high temperature, strong magnetic field and neutron irradiation. High temperature and restricted cooling paths can easily make the break-out under high thermal stress. While square crossing with the Tokamak toroidal magnetic field will result in large Lorentz forces in the feeders. Structural analysis of the break-out & feeder shows overlarge thermal stress concentrating in the coil spine where the conductors lead out. The primary stresses in the feeders are also extremely high. Moreover, there is difference in loading in comparison with the coil main body, which is designed to be mainly in compression and with relaxed crack growth issues, the break-out & feeder is not so compressive and will endure large tensile stress in work. Therefore, relieving the high stresses is important for its design. According to the results of further analysis, structure optimizations such as using block structures in the break-out and modifying the feeder supports are proved with good effect.