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.