US conductor R&D and small scale experiments for the ITER magnets

During the Engineering Design Activity (EDA) of the ITER program a major effort is being devoted to conductor R&D for the ITER magnets systems. This program includes all aspects of cable-in-conduit-conductor (CICC) manufacturing development such as superconducting strand, large multistage cables, and fabrication of thick-wall and thin-wall conduits. It also includes an extensive program of small scale laboratory measurements and experiments designed to predict the full-size conductor and magnet performance, and to quantify elements of the conductor design guidelines. A description of the manufacturing development and experimental program is given, including experiments for determining AC losses in the superconductor, CICC stability under BC and fast ramped conditions of field and current, and development of novel quench detection techniques.