The VULCAN Engineering Diffractometer at the Spallation Neutron Source is helping the ITER project with a very important task: investigating a problem within ITER’s central solenoid magnet. The central solenoid is made up superconducting cables that have been shown to be degrading at a quicker rate than expected. This degradation accounts for the loss of current-carrying capacity over time. With the project on a tight schedule and budget, team members were eager to find out exactly how much degradation had taken place.
Scientists at the SNS are collaborating with the US ITER Project at ORNL, the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency and the ITER organization to get to the root of the problem. The US ITER Project at ORNL began to explore the idea that neutron scattering could help scientists get a better idea of the states of the materials inside the cables, a task that would be difficult otherwise, given the complex structure of the cables.
So far, the collaboration has proved fruitful, and Ned Sauthoff, US ITER project manager, feels that VULCAN has been quite successful in providing them with the answers they needed. “Having seen the initial results, I think we have sufficient evidence to state that initial measurements have demonstrated the capability of VULCAN to measure important material properties, that meaningful results were achieved, and that the team is now focused on using the unique capability to gain important understanding aimed at solving the problem,” said Sauthoff.
