Racetrack Coils Wound Research Articles

Development and testing of a three-period, subsize 2G AIMI MgB2 planar undulator

Compared to Nb3Sn- and NbTi-wound superconducting undulators (SCUs), MgB2-wound SCUs are of interest for future electron synchrotron beam light sources owing to their higher temperature operating margin and associated stability. In this study, a three-period undulator consisting of twelve racetrack coils wound with 2nd generation (2 G) multifilamentary advanced-internal-magnesium-infiltration MgB2 strands were fabricated and tested in liquid and gaseous helium (He) over a temperature range of 4.2 K–20 K. The coil winding cross sections (in each coil) were 5 mm wide and 4.8 mm thick. At 4.2 K, a critical current (I c) of 325.7 Amps produced a maximum undulator bore field of 1.19 T. It should be noted that the short, 3-period nature of the coil led to an asymmetry in the field profile (the maximum positive field was 1.19 T, the maximum negative was −0.25 T), suggesting a peak field of 0.72 T in the absence of end effects. Finite element modeling (FEM) results of simulations for a one meter long undulator of otherwise identical design gave 0.85 T (larger because of higher currents enabled by the lower field). But in any case, the I c value coil reached is 94% of that of the short sample (dictated by the 1.19 T positive field for the coil as tested). FEM was performed to study the magnetic field profile, which was validated experimentally. The magnetic field was measured using a Hall probe which was translated along the beam axis during measurement to explore the spatial field variation along the beam travel direction. The spatially alternating field was asymmetric, and the maximum field was more prominent in the positive direction than in the negative direction, the difference being due to broken symmetry, that is, short coil end effects. In this work, we show useful fields are possible for MgB2 undulators; the use of such conductors can allow a larger thermal margin and enable conduction-cooled operation.

Electromagnetic-mechanical coupling analysis of high-temperature superconducting racetrack coil

The second-generation high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductor has been recognized as one of the most promising materialsfor high field magnets due to its superior electromagnetic and mechanical performances. HTS racetrack coils wound with the coated conductors are an extensively used configuration in engineering applications, such as HTS machines and high-speed maglevs. In this paper, in order to analyze the electromagnetic and mechanical behaviors of HTS racetrack coils, a 3D coupled electromagnetic-mechanical model is used to consider the effect of coil deformation and the strain dependence of critical current. The effectiveness of the coupled model is validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental data in the literature. A numerical simulation of a 3D HTS racetrack coil subjected to an external electromagnetic field is carried out using coupled and uncoupled models. The results indicate that the structure deformation can reduce the penetration depth of the screening current, and the hoop stress and strain are mainly concentrated on the circular part of the racetrack coil. Afterwards, the influences of various parameters on the electromagnetic and mechanical responses of the HTS racetrack coil are also investigated.

Design Optimization of HTS Field Coils for High Power Density Motors Based on Continuum Sensitivity Analysis

This study proposes an optimization method for designing HTS field coils for high power density motors based on continuum sensitivity analysis. The continuum sensitivity of a superconducting system represents the gradient of the objective function with respect to the superconducting material shape, taking the critical current characteristics into account. The continuum sensitivity was coupled with the level set method through the design velocity field, and the design of the HTS field coil was performed by solving the level set equation. The applicability of the proposed method was verified by designing a 200 kW HTS motor to maximize the torque density. The design optimization provided an optimal solution through the evolution of the topology and shape of the HTS field coil. The optimized geometry was employed to design field coils consisting of racetrack coils wound with HTS tape. Finally, further designs with different cross-sectional areas of the field coils demonstrated that the proposed method can design HTS motors with minimal HTS tape for a given rated power and motor size.

Simulation of AC losses in racetrack coils wound with striated HTS tapes

The T-A formulation has proved a fast and reliable method for the evaluation of AC losses in superconducting tapes, and has been successfully applied to complex geometries such as racetrack coils, CORC® cables, and twisted stacked tapes conductors in either applied magnetic field or self-field. In particular the T-A formulation was used for the evaluation of AC losses in CORC® cables made of striated superconducting tapes in an external applied field, with a null transport current. In this paper, the T-A formulation is adopted to evaluate the AC losses of stacked striated HTS tapes, representative of the straight section of a racetrack coil, with a sinusoidal transport current.

Test of Cryocooler-Cooled RE-123 Magnet on HIMAC Beam Line in S-Innovation Program

A cryocooler-cooled high-temperature superconducting magnet was constructed, and it was tested on the beam line of the heavy ion medial accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC). The magnet consists of a pair of four-stacked racetrack coils wound with RE-123 coated conductor that are plated with 41- μ m copper for protection. The magnet has a room temperature beam duct, at which 2.4 T of magnetic field is generated, whereas the maximum magnetic field to which coated conductors are exposed is approximately 4 T. The magnetic field in the beam duct was measured and calculated to examine its stability, which might have been affected by shielding currents in the coated conductors. On the beam line of the HIMAC, at first, the beam guiding by the magnet was demonstrated. The measured beam-guiding characteristics were compared with the beam tracking calculations. Next, a carbon ion beam was injected intentionally into the RE-123 coils of the magnet to simulate the incidents of uncontrolled beam injection into accelerator magnets. Prior to this test, the possible heat deposition to the coil by the beam injection was calculated, and the feasibility of quench protection using a dump resistor was studied through quench experiments using short pieces of the RE-123 coated conductors.

Stable, predictable and training-free operation of superconducting Bi-2212 Rutherford cable racetrack coils at the wire current density of 1000\u2009A/mm2

High-temperature superconductors (HTS) could enable high-field magnets stronger than is possible with Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn, but two challenges have so far been the low engineering critical current density JE, especially in high-current cables, and the danger of quenches. Most HTS magnets made so far have been made out of REBCO coated conductor. Here we demonstrate stable, reliable and training-quench-free performance of Bi-2212 racetrack coils wound with a Rutherford cable fabricated from wires made with a new precursor powder. These round multifilamentary wires exhibited a record JE up to 950 A/mm2 at 30 T at 4.2 K. These coils carried up to 8.6 kA while generating 3.5 T at 4.2 K at a JE of 1020 A/mm2. Different from the unpredictable training performance of Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn magnets, these Bi-2212 magnets showed no training quenches and entered the flux flow state in a stable manner before thermal runaway and quench occurred. Also different from Nb-Ti, Nb3Sn, and REBCO magnets for which localized thermal runaways occur at unpredictable locations, the quenches of Bi-2212 magnets consistently occurred in the high field regions over a long conductor length. These characteristics make quench detection simple, enabling safe protection, and suggest a new paradigm of constructing quench-predictable superconducting magnets from Bi-2212.

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of MgB2/Fe Racetrack Coils

We fabricated four superconducting racetrack coils wound by bare in situ MgB 2 /Fe mono and multifilamentary wires produced in our laboratory by using the wind-and-react method. Transport measurements in self-field were performed in a liquid helium dewar. The magnetic field flux density B = 25 mT for I = 92 A was measured to verify how the current flowed inside the coil for one of the coils by means of a cryogenic axial Hall sensor placed into the central bore region of the coil. The coil with 36 turns wound by mono MgB 2 /Fe wire of l = 24 m has a highest current-carrying capacity of more than 150 A at T = 4.2 K and self-field among the coils. The coils fabricated by multifilamentary wires have relatively low engineering critical current values of I ce = 67 A for 18 + 1 and I ce = 57 A for 4 + 5 superconducting/copper filament wires at T = 4.2 K in self-field. Our results form essential contribution toward determination of the possible use of low-cost MgB 2 /Fe wires in low-field superconductor coil applications.

A novel no-insulation winding technique of high temperature-superconducting racetrack coil for rotating applications: A progress report in Korea university.

This paper presents our recent progress on core technology development for a megawatt-class superconducting wind turbine generator supported by the international collaborative R&D program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. To outperform the current high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) magnet technology in the wind turbine industry, a novel no-insulation winding technique was first proposed to develop the second-generation HTS racetrack coil for rotating applications. Here, we briefly report our recent studies on no-insulation (NI) winding technique for GdBCO coated conductor racetrack coils in the following areas: (1) Charging-discharging characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils with respect to external pressures applied to straight sections; (2) thermal and electrical stabilities of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils encapsulated with various impregnating materials; (3) quench behaviors of no-insulation racetrack coils wound with GdBCO conductor possessing various lamination layers; (4) electromagnetic characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils under time-varying field conditions. Test results confirmed that this novel NI winding technique was highly promising. It could provide development of a compact, mechanically dense, and self-protecting GdBCO magnet for use in real-world superconducting wind turbine generators.

Design of a conduction-cooled 4 T superconducting racetrack for a multi-field coupling measurement system**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11327802, 11302225), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2014M560820) and National Scholarship Foundation of China (201404910172)

A conduction-cooled superconducting magnet producing a transverse field of 4 T has been designed for a new generation multi-field coupling measurement system, which will be used to study the mechanical behavior of superconducting samples at cryogenic temperatures and intense magnetic fields. A compact cryostat with a two-stage GM cryocooler is designed and manufactured for the superconducting magnet. The magnet is composed of a pair of flat racetrack coils wound by NbTi/Cu superconducting composite wires, a copper and stainless steel combinational former and two Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy superconducting current leads. The two coils are connected in series and can be powered with a single power supply. In order to support the high stress and attain uniform thermal distribution in the superconducting magnet, a detailed finite element (FE) analysis has been performed. The results indicate that in the operating status the designed magnet system can sufficiently bear the electromagnetic forces and has a uniform temperature distribution.

Temporal behaviour of multipole components of the magnetic field in a small dipole magnet wound with coated conductors

To study the influence of coated-conductor magnetization on the field quality of accelerator magnets, we made a small dipole magnet consisting of four racetrack coils wound with GdBCO coated conductors and measured its magnetic field in liquid nitrogen by using rotating pick-up coils. We focused on the dipole and sextupole components (coefficients) of the magnetic field, which vary with time owing to the decay of the magnetization of the coated conductors. About 50 min (3055 s) after the current was ramped up to 50 A, the dipole coefficient normalized by the design value of the dipole component, i.e., the value calculated with the designed coil shape and the uniform current distribution in the coated conductors, increased by 7.4 × 10−4, and the sextupole coefficient normalized by the design value of the dipole component increased by 1.8 × 10−4. The magnitudes of the dipole and sextupole components depended on the excitation history of the magnet. Electromagnetic field analyses were carried out to calculate the current distributions in coated conductors, considering their superconducting properties; the dipole and sextupole coefficients were then determined from the calculated current distributions. Although the analyses were based on the two-dimensional approximation of the cross-section of the magnet, the temporal behaviours as well as the hysteretic characteristics of the calculated dipole and sextupole coefficients agree qualitatively with those of the dipole and sextupole coefficients measured in the magnet.

Thermal Quench Behaviors of No-Insulation Coils Wound Using GdBCO Coated Conductor Tapes With Various Lamination Materials

This paper presents the quench initiation and propagation characteristics of no-insulation racetrack coils wound using three types of Cu-stabilized GdBCO coated conductors (CCs), with SUS and brass laminations, and without lamination. The test results show that the minimum quench energy values of the brass-laminated GdBCO CC coil were larger than those of the SUS-laminated one. Moreover, the normal zone propagation velocities of the brass-laminated GdBCO CC coil were greater than those of the SUS-laminated one due to the higher thermal conductivity of brass. Moreover, the nonlaminated GdBCO CC coil exhibited greatly improved thermal stability compared to the brass/SUS-laminated GdBCO CC coils, because the local heat in the event of quenching was easily dissipated due to the absence of lamination.

Magnetic field harmonics measurements of conduction-cooled dipole magnet consisting of four race-track coils wound with coated conductors

To study the influence of coated-conductor magnetization, which is a critical problem when using it in accelerator magnets, we fabricated a few dipole magnets consisting of racetrack coils wound with coated conductors, cooled them using a Gifford-Mcmahon (GM) cryocooler, and measured their magnetic field harmonics (multipole components of magnetic field) using a rotating pickup coil system. We focused on the dipole and sextupole components of the magnetic field. The hysteresis loops of these components were measured at different temperatures. The temporal evolution of these components was measured, while the magnets were excited, and while the magnets were at their remnant states. The temperature dependence of the temporal evolution of the dipole and sextupole components was studied experimentally and numerically.

Fabrication and Testing of a Model Quadrupole Magnet for Linear Accelerators

A model of a quadrupole magnet for linear accelerators was designed, fabricated, and tested at KEK in order to gain fabrication experience and a better understanding of superconducting magnet characteristics. The assembly has a design field gradient of 56.5 T/m, an aperture of 92 mm, and a cold mass length of 680 mm. Furthermore, it is designed as a superferric magnet with four racetrack coils wound with a specially fabricated ribbon cable of eight superconducting strands. In this paper, we present details of the magnet design, fabrication, and the results of its cold tests. Data of the field measurements are also presented in brief.

Anisotropy of 2G HTS racetrack coils in external magnetic fields

Pancake or racetrack coils wound with second generation high-temperature superconductors (2G HTSs) are important elements for numerous applications of HTS. The applications of these coils are primarily in rotating machines such as motors and generators where they must withstand external magnetic fields from various orientations. The characterization of 2G HTS coils is mostly focused on AC loss assessment, critical current and maximum magnetic field evaluation. In this study, racetrack coils will be placed in different orientations of external magnetic fields—Jc (Ic) versus angle measurements will be performed and interpreted. Full attention is paid to studies of anisotropy Jc versus angle curves for short samples of 2G HTS tapes. As will be shown, the shape of the Jc versus angle curves for tapes has a strong influence on the Jc (Ic) versus angle curves for coils. In this work, a unique and unpredicted behavior of the Jc versus angle curves for the 2G HTS racetrack coils was found. This will be analyzed and fully explained.

Investigation of HTS Racetrack Coil Without Turn-to-Turn Insulation for Superconducting Rotating Machines

This paper reports a study of two HTS racetrack coils wound with GdBCO coated conductors, one without turn-to-turn insulation and the other with Nomex insulation. The coils were characterized by charge-discharge, over-current, and sudden discharge tests. Thermal and electrical characteristics of the GdBCO racetrack coil without insulation outperformed the insulated one. The test results confirmed that although the coil without insulation has a slow charging/discharging time constant, the no-insulation winding technique may enable a compact and protection-free racetrack-typed coil with enhanced mechanical integrity as well as better thermal and electrical stabilities.

The Short Model Coil (SMC) Dipole: An R&D Program Towards ${\rm Nb}_{3}{\rm Sn}$ Accelerator Magnets

The Short Model Coil (SMC) assembly has been designed, as test bench for short racetrack coils wound with cable. The mechanical structure comprises an iron yoke surrounded by a 20 mm thick aluminum alloy shell, and includes four loading pads that transmit the required pre-compression from the outer shell into the two coils. The outer shell is pre-tensioned with mechanical keys that are inserted with the help of pressurized bladders and two 30 mm diameter aluminum alloy rods provide the axial loading to the coil ends. The outer shell, the axial rods, and the coils are instrumented with strain gauges, which allow precise monitoring of the loading conditions during the assembly and at cryogenic temperature during the magnet test. Two SMC assemblies have been completed and cold tested in the frame of a European collaboration between CEA (FR), CERN and STFC (UK) and with the technical support from LBNL (US). This paper describes the main features of the SMC assembly, the experience from the dummy assemblies, the fabrication of the coils, and discusses the test results of the cold tests showing a peak field of 12.5 T at 1.9 K after training.

Fast Dump of the ATLAS Toroids

The toroidal magnet system of the ATLAS Detector at CERN consists of a Barrel Toroid (BT) and two End Cap Toroids (ECT-A and ECT-C). Each toroid is built up from eight racetrack coils wound with an aluminum stabilized NbTi conductor and indirectly cooled by forced flow liquid helium. The three toroids operate in series at 20.5 kA with a total stored energy of 1.5 GJ. In order to verify the reliability and effectiveness of the quench protection system, series of fast dump tests have been performed first of the single toroids and finally of the entire toroidal magnet system. In this paper a model to simulate the fast dump of the ATLAS toroids in single mode operation and in full system configuration is presented. The model is validated through comparison with measured data extracted from the ramp-and-quench runs. The calculated energy dissipation in the various coils is in very good agreement (within 1-2%) with the enthalpy changes estimated from the temperature measurements of the different parts of the cold masses. The results confirm the safe operation of such a gigantic and complicated magnet system which is now ready for continuous running of the ATLAS Detector.