Modeling Quench Propagation in the ENEA HTS Cable-In-Conduit Conductor

The quench protection in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets is a well-known issue. Therefore, it is fundamental to have reliable models available for the analysis of the quench propagation in such magnets. The quench propagation in an ENEA HTS cable-in-conduit conductor, developed for fusion applications with the particular reference to an insert for the central solenoid of the Italian Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility, is analyzed here with a new 1-D multiregional thermal-hydraulic and electric model, based on dedicated preliminary analyses and experimental and numerical characterization of the conductor. It is shown that large temperature differences arise in the conductor cross section during the quench propagation. The model is then applied to parametrically assess the effects of delay and fast current-discharge times on the conductor peak temperature, to avoid damaging the HTS. The parametric study shows that both the delay and current discharge time should stay below 0.5 s, to keep the peak temperature below 150 K.