The 50 kA transformer for Samsung Superconductor Test Facility (SSTF), whic
h will charge the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research cable-in
-conduit conductor samples for 1 a is under design. The NbTi based conducto
rs for primary and secondary windings are described. The primary winding co
nductor consists of six NbTi and six stainless steel strands cabled around
rectangular copper core. Such a design was previously used by Kurchatov Ins
titute in small SMES windings. The secondary winding conductor consists of
24 subcables wrapped around and soldered to a copper strip. Each subcable c
onsists of six NbTi strands cabled around one copper strand. NbTi strands f
or both primary and secondary windings are 0.85 mm in diameter. NbTi wires
have 8910 6-mum filaments. Both primary and secondary winding conductors ha
ve large current and temperature margins to ensure a reliable operation of
the superconducting transformer. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights
reserved.