Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis of the Helium Inlet Mock-Up for the ITER TF Superconducting Magnets

The final design for the inlets of the supercritical He (SHe) coolant of the toroidal field (TF) superconducting magnets of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) has to be evaluated on the basis of different aspects, including the interest to minimize the associated localized pressure drop. Based on previous experience made on the analysis of the SHe inlets for the ITER superconducting central solenoid, we have developed and applied a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to compute the pressure drop versus mass flow rate characteristic in the TF inlet mock-up which was recently tested at CEA Cadarache, France. The cable model is first calibrated and verified against experimental data from short straight samples. The calibrated model is then applied to the inlet geometry and the results of the calculation are compared with the available measurements, showing very good agreement for sufficiently anisotropic permeability of the cable region. The thus validated model is finally used to investigate the distribution of the coolant flow among the different petals and the central channel, downstream of the inlet, as well as to quantitatively assess the role of the petal wrapping on the localized pressure drop at the inlet.