Comparative analysis of micro-composite and macro-composite conductors for pulse magnets

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis is to have a powerful but simple to use computing tool that can help characterize the thermal vs. mechanical performance of conductors. The analysis covers thermal diffusion, eddy current heating, and magneto-resistance in both micro composite and macro composite conductors. In micro composites such as CuAg, CuNb or a copper matrix reinforced with steel filaments, the reinforcement is distributed on a small scale and thus both reinforcement and matrix can be assumed to track the same temperature during the pulse. In a macro-composite conductor such as a jacketed stainless steel copper, the steel temperature will lag the copper temperature significantly during a short pulse due to the finite diffusivity time. As a result, the first detailed examination of the use of copper stainless steel, CuSS macro-composite conductors in pulse magnets has been performed. The material has shown promising indications of superior mechanical and thermal performance when compared to the more expensive conductors CuAg and CuNb.