Quench Limit Model and Measurements for Steady State Heat Deposits in LHC Magnets

Abstract

A quench, transition of a conductor from the superconducting to the normal conducting state, occurs irreversibly in accelerator magnets if one of the three parameters: temperature, magnetic field or current density, exceeds its critical value. The protons lost from the beam and impacting on the vacuum chamber, create a secondary particle shower that deposes its energy in the magnet coil. Energy deposited in the superconductor by these particles can provoke quenches that can be detrimental for the accelerator operation. A network model is developed to study the thermodynamic behavior of the LHC magnets. The results of the heat flow simulation in the main dipole and quadrupole LHC magnets calculated by means of the network model were validated with measurements performed at superfluid helium temperatures in the CERN magnet test facility. A steady state heat flow was introduced in the magnet coil by using a dedicated internal heating apparatus (IHA) installed inside the magnet cold bore. The value of the heat source flux flow is determined from the network model. The magnet coil current, which is required to quench the magnet coil, is predicted accordingly.