Superconductors

At present under the guidance of VNIINM (Inorganic Materials Institute) after Bochvar (Moscow) at JSC ChMP there is being established the large-scale production of superconducting materials. This production is the obligation of Russia in construction of the ITER (research thermonuclear reactor).

Technical superconductors are the multiple strand composites, which contain in metal matrix, having high heat- and electric conductivity, the strictly defined share of continuous strands of superconducting materials with diameters from 0,1mm to 6 mm and with length from several hundred meters to several dozens kilometers. Superconducting materials need to meet high requirements – the amount and the stability of values of key parameters; keeping of material continuity; structural uniformity by the length; tolerances for geometry of cross sections; the level of current characteristics, etc. JSC TVEL belonging to the federal Agency for Nuclear Power Engineering was appointed to solve the task. «Chepetsky Mechanical Plant», with its excellent metallurgical, extrusion and rolling productions was chosen as the Plant capable to establish the unique science intensive, technically and technologically complicated production. At present the Plant works at production of the low temperature superconducting materials having diameters 0,7-0,8 mm, and the length no less than 3 km on base of niobium-titanium alloy and compound Nb3Sn the matrix for which is made of copper with high electric-physical properties.