The Italian National Program on superconducting MHD magnets technology

In late 1989, a five-year national program on superconducting magnets technology was started in Italy. The main objectives of the research activities are: the design and the construction of a superconducting prototype magnet (2-m active length) with a stored energy of 62 MJ, and the reference design of a superconducting demonstration magnet (8-m active length), both for MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) applications. The magnets are designed to produce 5 T on axis field with 5% and 10% field uniformity in the cross section, respectively, and a field taper less than 0.15 T/m. The design and construction of high-field superconducting magnets are also included in the frame of the project, with particular attention given to the insulation technology and stress calculation