Tratos is an active e member of Innovation and Consulting on Applied Superconductivity (ICAS). This highly specialised company has been founded in September 2010 with the original scope of supplying the European portion of the superconducting conductor cables for the ITER and the JT-60SA nuclear reactors, currently under construction in France and in Japan.
In its name (Innovation and Consulting on Applied Superconductivity) it has been summarized the main activity of the company: providing services and product supplies linked to Superconductivity and High-Tech power applications. Our offer includes the design and production of Low Tc and HTS conductors and coils, along with the cryogenic testing of superconducting devices and the design and production of SMEs, current leads, high current Mineral Insulated conductors and much more.
Manufacturing Superconductor Cables as part of ICAS
As an active member of Innovation and Consulting on Applied Superconductivity, at the TRATOS Cavi S.p.A. factory site of Pieve Santo Stefano (AR – Italy), the following activities, among other dedicated projects, are being performed:
- manufacturing of Low-Temperature superconducting cables (based mainly on Nb3Sn and NbTi strands) and it has been mainly used for the ITER and the JT-60SA productions.
- production of High-Temperature superconducting cables for ICAS, based mainly on YBCO tapes twisted into an Aluminium slotted core: these cables are currently being used for the development of power distribution/transmission lines and for high-field magnets application.
- a new cabling line is currently devoted to the manufacturing of the complex cables for the Superconducting links of the Hi-Lumi project at CERN, based on MgB2 wires.
- another line has been set up in order to apply a very thin insulating coating to favour the adhesion of resin during impregnation processes. Additionally, TRATOS is equipped with several extrusion lines for cable insulation. The newest line is currently devoted to the Non-Destructive tests (Eddy current + Ultrasonic) of long and thick copper tubes, to be used for the manufacturing of the mineral insulated conductors for the In-Vessel Coils of ITER.
- a small-to-medium size coil winding line, complete of de-spooler, sandblaster, washing machine, wrapping machine and active winder, ovens for heat treatment and chambers for VP impregnation is available as well for a complete magnet production.
For further information see below.
Fusion For Energy
Using Superconducting wires in accordance with IEC TR 61788-20, Tratos has provided cabling and jacketing for approximately 20 km of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Toroidal Field (TF) conductors and in the region of 28 km of JT-60SA TF conductors, plus the jacketing of around 22 km of Poloidal Field (PF) conductors.
ICAS
ICAS S.r.l. (Innovation and Consulting on Applied Superconductivity, Società a Responsabilità Limitata), is a private company originally set up in 2010 as a Consortium, in order to carry out the big duty of producing superconducting conductor cables for the ITER and the JT-60SA tokamak experimental reactors.