Experimental and simulation studies on the 12 T D-shaped high temperature superconducting toroidal field coil for compact fusion reactor applications

Abstract In this study, two D-shaped toroidal field coils were developed using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) rare earth barium copper oxide tape to explore the potential advantages of HTS materials for compact fusion devices. A series of experiments were conducted on the two coils, including energizing cycles, discharge tests, critical performance measurements, and quench experiments, to investigate their electromagnetic behavior and quench characteristics. An equivalent circuit model of turn distribution was proposed to simulate the energizing and quench processes of the D-shaped coil. The simulation results were compared with experimental measurements to validate the accuracy of the model. Quench parameters, which are crucial for the design of a quench protection system, were derived from the experiment and simulation results.