Heat transfer in electrical insulation of LHC cables cooled with superfluid helium

Abstract

The electrical insulation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) cables constitutes a thermal barrier between the conductor and the superfluid helium bath. This can prevent removal of the heat dissipated in the cable by the current rise in the dipoles or by the beam losses. The main experimental results, obtained with stacks of insulated conductors representing a piece of the actual coil, are given. The mock-ups vary only by the material composition and the structure of the electrical insulation. Analysis of the temperature distribution measured in the conductors as a function of the dissipated heat power makes it possible to determine the dominant heat transfer mode in each type of tested insulation and to classify these according to their permeability to superfluid helium. Thermal numerical modelling of the experimental mock-ups clarifies the heat transfer path in the complex structure of the insulation and enables calculating values of the thermal quantities characteristic of each insulation. The results of these studies have led to the choice of the cable insulation of the LHC magnets.