ITER cryogenic system validation tests at helios test facility

Abstract

The ITER cryogenic system will have to cope with substantial dynamic heat loads due to the magnetic field variation and the production of neutrons generated by the fusion reactions.This will induce large pressure variations in the primary cooling loop of the superconducting coils, which results in the large power variation to the helium refrigerator.The HELIOS test facility, developed at CEA-Grenoble, and initially designed to study the pulse mitigation of the JT-60SA central solenoid cooling circuit (in order to smooth the pulsed load and test components), was adapted to the ITER cooling loop requirements.This paper presents the experimental results concerning the specific ITER analysis.We reproduce experimentally the pressure variation of the Central Solenoid (CS) loop predicted by a numerical model, and observe the behaviour of the circulating pump in these conditions.The investigations of the heat load smoothing methods, using the circuit of Toroidal Field Structures, such as the pulse mitigation by temporary by-pass of the flow of the Structure cooling loop, and variation of the speed of the cold circulating pump, are also presented.