HISTORY OF CRPP SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

What is now CRPP-SC was started by George Vécsey in the early 1970s at the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research (SIN) in Villigen, i.e. Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) today. The initial activity, using the innovative concept of forced flow cooling, focused on the development of superconducting magnets for

• high energy physics ( Muon Channels ) and
• medicine applications ( Piotron ).

In the late 1970s the focus of the activity shifted towards nuclear fusion applications, with the participation to

• the Large Coil Task of the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA )
• the development of the European high field test facility SULTAN (100 kA transformer and magnet system).

In the 1990s the Group, which was integrated in Center for Research in Plasma Physics ( CRPP ) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne ( EPFL ) in 1994, began the participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ( ITER ) Project, the focus of today activities. Other activities included then

• the study of a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage ( SMES )
• the development and testing of a quench propagation experiment ( QUELL ),
• the development and testing of of a High Temperature Superconducting cable for power application ( Suleika cable and Suleika refrigerator )
• the development of High Temperature Superconducting strands ( HTS strand ),
• the development of Low Temperature Superconducting strands ( Nb3Sn strand ).

CRPP-SC Team: actual and former.

Visit the CRPP-SC orientation map.

CRPP-Superconductivity
Secretariat
CH-5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland
tel: +41-56 310-3259
fax: +41-56-310-3729