Японские ученые и Toshiba успешно испытали сверхпроводящую катушку реактора ITER на ток 10 000 ампер

QST, Toshiba clear 10,000-amp ITER coil test in France KEY POINTS - QST and Toshiba complete ITER toroidal field coil current test at minus 269 Celsius in France - Test confirms stable 10,000-amp operation in superconducting state for a toroidal field coil - Milestone supports ITER commissioning, operator training and progress toward reactor start-up Japan's National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, or QST, and Toshiba have succeeded in a current test of one of the world's largest superconducting toroidal field coils for the ITER fusion experimental reactor under cryogenic conditions of minus 269 degrees Celsius, the organizations said on August 25. The test was carried out at the ITER construction site in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance in southern France under conditions intended to simulate actual operation. QST and Toshiba said the result marked significant progress toward the start of ITER operations. Toroidal field, or TF, coils are among the most critical components in ITER because they generate the strong magnetic field used to confine plasma. In the latest test, conducted in cooperation with the ITER Organization, the coil was cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures, where researchers confirmed that it entered a superconducting state and could stably carry a large current of up to 10,000 amperes. QST and Toshiba said this was the first such demonstration for a TF coil. The result confirmed the validity of a manufacturing method for large coils using niobium-tin superconducting conductors, which are sensitive to strain. The release said the conductor used in the TF coil consists of 900 superconducting strands, each 0.82 millimeters in diameter, and 522 copper strands twisted into a cable and enclosed in a stainless steel jacket. The Nb3Sn superconducting material enters a superconducting state when cooled below minus 255 degrees Celsius. The test also obtained data on resistive heating at joint sections and coolant flow characteristics at cryogenic temperatures, with both found to be within the expected design range. No problems such as coolant leakage were detected during cooling to cryogenic temperatures or during the 10,000-amp current test, and the coil's integrity was confirmed. QST added that engineers it dispatched to the site played a key role in drawing up the test plan with the ITER Organization, using expertise gained during coil manufacturing. The TF coil built by QST and Toshiba is 16.5 meters high, 9.2 meters wide and weighs 310 metric tons. The winding pack can generate a maximum magnetic field of 11.8 tesla. ITER's superconducting magnet system as a whole spans about 30 meters in diameter and weighs about 10,000 tons. ITER uses 18 D-shaped TF coils arranged in a ring around the tokamak vessel. Japan was responsible for producing 25% of the TF conductors, all 19 TF coil structures, and nine of the TF coils. QST worked with industry partners for about 15 years on TF coil development and completed manufacturing of all nine coils in 2023. ITER is an international fusion project involving Japan, Europe, Russia, the United States, China, South Korea and India. The program aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy through construction and operation of an experimental reactor. Japan signed a procurement arrangement with the ITER Organization for TF coils in 2008. QST and Toshiba said the latest test would contribute to establishing operating procedures, training operators and identifying issues ahead of integrated commissioning of ITER's superconducting coil system. © Copyright 2026 IBTimes JP. All rights reserved.