Grooved, stacked-plate superconducting magnets and electrically conductive terminal blocks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11094439-B2
Application number	US-201916959600-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Dec 27, 2018
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Described herein are concepts, system and techniques which provide a means to construct robust high-field superconducting magnets using simple fabrication techniques and modular components that scale well toward commercialization. The resulting magnet assembly—which utilizes non-insulated, high temperature superconducting tapes (HTS) and provides for optimized coolant pathways—is inherently strong structurally, which enables maximum utilization of the high magnetic fields available with HTS technology. In addition, the concepts described herein provide for control of quench-induced current distributions within the tape stack and surrounding superstructure to safely dissipate quench energy, while at the same time obtaining acceptable magnet charge time. The net result is a structurally and thermally robust, high-field magnet assembly that is passively protected against quench fault conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacked-plate magnet assembly, comprising:
a first electrically conductive plate having provided therein at least one groove having a spiral shape;
a second electrically conductive plate disposed over said first plate, said second plate having provided at least a groove having a spiral shape such that when a first surface of the first plate is disposed over a first surface of the second plate, said grooves form a spiral channel having an opening at a first end thereof on the first plate, a helical shaped path to the second plate, and an out-going path on the second electrically conductive plate;
an electrically insulating material disposed between the first and second plates; and
a non-insulated (NI) high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape stack having a length such that said NI HTS tape stack may be disposed in the channel formed by the grooves of said first and second electrically conductive plates such that said NI HTS tape stack forms a continuous path from a first outer-most surface of the first electrically conductive plate to a second outer-most surface of the second electrically conductive plate wherein said HTS tape is configured in said channel such that in response to generated forces, said HTS tape stack distributes forces into said first and second electrically conductive plates,
wherein said NI HTS tape stack comprises one or more HTS tapes and wherein the number, size and type of HTS tapes in said NI HTS tape stack varies along a length of said NI HTS tape stack.

2. A stacked-plate magnet assembly comprising:
a first electrically conductive plate having provided therein at least one groove having a spiral shape;
a second electrically conductive plate disposed over said first plate, said second plate having provided at least a groove having a spiral shape such that when a first surface of the first plate is disposed over a first surface of the second plate, said grooves form a spiral channel having an opening at a first end thereof on the first plate, a helical shaped path to the second plate, and an out-going path on the second electrically conductive plate;
an electrically insulating material disposed between the first and second plates;
a non-insulated (NI) high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape stack having a length such that said NI HTS tape stack may be disposed in the channel formed by the grooves of said first and second electrically conductive plates such that said NI HTS tape stack forms a continuous path from a first outer-most surface of the first electrically conductive plate to a second outer-most surface of the second electrically conductive plate wherein said HTS tape is configured in said channel such that in response to generated forces, said HTS tape stack distributes forces into said first and second
electrically conductive plates; and
at least one coolant channel, wherein the at least one coolant channel comprises one or more cooling channel plates interleaved with one or both of the first plate and second plate.

3. A stacked-plate magnet assembly comprising:
a first electrically conductive plate having a first surface with a plurality of spiral-shaped grooves provided therein, the spiral-shaped grooves defined by one or more spiral-shaped walls with at least two grooves of the plurality of grooves having a different width;
a second electrically conductive plate disposed over the first plate, such that when a first surface of the first plate is disposed over the first surface of the second plate, the grooves form a spiral channel having an opening at a first end thereof; and
a non-insulated (NI) high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape stack having a length such that said NI HTS tape stack may be disposed in the plurality of spiral-shaped grooves of the first electrically conductive plate and such that the NI HTS tape stack forms a continuous path between an outer-most groove in the first electrically conductive plate and an innermost groove of the first electrically conductive plate and wherein the HTS tape is configured in each groove such that in response to generated forces, the HTS tape stack distributes forces into the first and second electrically conductive plates.

4. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein the HTS tape stack is disposed within one of the plurality of grooves of varying widths and is wound against itself to occupy the width of the groove.

5. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein the walls which define the grooves in the first electrically conductive plate are provided having a variable wall thickness such that a thickness of a first portion of a wall is different from a thickness of a second portion of the same wall.

6. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein the walls which define the grooves in the first electrically conductive plate are provided having different wall thickness.

7. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 6 wherein a thickness of a first portion of a first wall in a first radial direction as measured from a center of the first electrically conductive plate differs from a thickness of a first portion of a second, different wall along the same first radial direction.

8. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein said first and second electrically conductive plate have substantially identical spiral-shaped grooves.

9. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 8 wherein the NI HTS tape stack is comprised of two or more NI HTS tape stacks joined by a low resistance electrical connection.

10. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 8 wherein the materials comprising the NI HTS tape stack in the first and second plates are continuous across the plates.

11. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein said NI HTS tape stack further comprises a co-wind material disposed in the groove such that the NI HTS tape and co-wind stack follows a path between a first outer-most groove of the first electrically conductive plate and an innermost groove of the first electrically conductive plate wherein the HTS tape and co-wind stack are configured in the grooves such that in response to generated forces, the HTS tape and co-wind stack distribute forces into the first and second electrically conductive plates.

12. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 11 wherein the co-wind material is provided as one or more of: an electrically conducting material; an electrically insulating material and/or an electrically semiconducting material.

13. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 11 wherein the co-wind materials are selected to optimize magnet quench behavior, or magnet charging behavior, or both.

14. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 11 wherein the HTS tape and co-wind stack is embedded in a matrix of high electrical conductivity material at points where:
the HTS tape and co-wind stack passes between stacked plates;
the HTS tape and co-wind stack enters into and exit from the magnet assembly; and
electrical interconnections are formed between spiral windings.

15. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 11 wherein the co-wind material varies in either composition or thickness along a length of the NI HTS tape stack.

16. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein an electrically insulating material is placed at selected areas between the stacked plates.

17. The stacked-plate magnet assembly of claim 3 wherein the NI HTS tape stack comprises one or more HTS tapes and wherein the number, size and type of HTS tapes in said NI HTS tape stack varies along a length of said NI HTS tape

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology
• Commonwealth Fusion Systems Llc

Inventors

• Labombard Brian
• Granetz Robert S
• Irby James
• Vieira Rui
• Beck William
• Brunner Daniel
• Doody Jeffrey
• Greenwald Martin
• Hartwig Zachary
• Michael philip
• Mumgaard Robert
• Radovinsky Alexey
• Shiraiwa Syun'Ichi
• Sorbom Brandon N
• Wright John
• Zhou Lihua

Classifications

• H01F41/048

  Superconductive coils · CPC title

• H01F6/06 Primary

  Coils, e.g. winding, insulating, terminating or casing arrangements therefor · CPC title

• H01F6/04 Primary

  Cooling · CPC title

• H01F6/02

  Quenching; Protection arrangements during quenching {(protection circuits H02H7/001)} · CPC title

• Y10S505/879

  Magnet or electromagnet · CPC title