Power electronics
Coaxial cables arrive from Russia
18 Jun 2018
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Alexander Petrov, ITER Russia
Thirty-eight reels of cable on 13 specially equipped trailers ... the recent convoy of electrotechnical equipment shipped by the Russian Domestic Agency was the largest yet to travel between Saint Petersburg and Marseille.
Within the scope of Russian in-kind obligations to the ITER Project, the package of electrotechnical equipment that is under development for the power supply and protection systems of the superconducting magnets is among the most complex and most expensive.
Comprising switching equipment, busbars and energy absorbing resistors, the package is under the responsibility of the Efremov Institute, main contractor to the Russian Domestic Agency.
Recently, 22 kilometres of coaxial cable (225 tonnes) was delivered on 38 reels. Coaxial cables, which connect the switching devices with the energy-absorbing resistors, are part of the safety-important fast discharge units that are designed to protect the superconducting coils in the case of a sudden loss of superconductivity (a quench). This presupposes special requirements for their fabrication, testing and transportation, which were respected.