Quench protection apparatus for superconducting magnet system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017250018-A1
Application number	US-201515519773-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	Oct 17, 2014
Publication date	Aug 31, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A quench protection apparatus includes a number N of superconducting coils and a heater matrix. The number N of superconducting coils are electrically coupled in series. The heater matrix module includes the number N of heater units. The number N of heater units is electrically coupled in parallel with the number N of superconducting coils respectively. A number M of the heater units each includes at least the number N of heaters. Each superconducting coil is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number M of the heater units. The number of N-M of the heater units each includes at least one heater. Each of the number M of superconducting coils correspondingly coupled with the number M of the heater units is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number N-M of the heater units. A superconducting magnet system protected by above quench protection apparatus is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A quench protection apparatus, comprising:
a number N of superconducting coils electrically coupled in series; and a heater matrix module comprising the number N of heater units, the number N of heater units being electrically coupled in parallel with the number N of superconducting coils respectively, wherein:
a number M of the heater units each comprises at least the number N of heaters, each superconducting coil is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number M of the heater units; and
a number of N-M of the heater units each comprises at least one heater, each of the number M of superconducting coils correspondingly coupled with the number M of the heater units is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number N-M of the heater units.

2 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein M is equal to 1.

3 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein M is equal to N.

4 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number N of superconducting coils comprise a plurality of main superconducting coils and at least one bucking superconducting coil, wherein the heater unit with at least the number N of heaters is coupled with one bucking superconducting coil.

5 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a metal former electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils for dissipating heat during a quench.

6 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive windings, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive windings are electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils and each is electrically shorted.

7 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the width of each heater is equal to or close to the width of the corresponding thermally attached superconducting coil.

8 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heaters are evenly disposed on a corresponding superconducting coil.

9 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each heater is thermally coupled with an inner surface or outer surface of the corresponding superconducting coil.

10 . A superconducting magnet system, comprising:
a vacuum vessel forming a central magnetic field area; a thermal shield arranged concentrically within the vacuum vessel; a cooling apparatus arranged within the thermal shield; a number N of superconducting coils electrically coupled in series; a heater matrix module comprising the number N of heater units, the number N of heater units being electrically coupled in parallel with the number N of superconducting coils respectively, wherein:
a number M of the heater units each comprises at least the number N of heaters, each superconducting coil is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number M of the heater units; and
a number of N-M of the heater units each comprises at least one heater, each of the number M of superconducting coils correspondingly coupled with the number M of the heater units is thermally coupled with at least one heater of each of the number N-M of the heater units.

11 . The superconducting magnet system of claim 10 , wherein the cooling apparatus comprises a cryogen vessel arranged concentrically within the thermal shield.

12 . The superconducting magnet system of claim 11 , wherein the main superconducting coils are wound on or attached to a center inner surface of the cryogen vessel and the bucking superconducting coil is wound on or attached to a periphery inner surface of the cryogen vessel.

13 . The superconducting magnet system of claim 10 , wherein the cooling apparatus comprises thermo-siphon cooling pipes.

14 . The superconducting magnet system of claim 10 , further comprising a metal former electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils for dissipating heat during a quench.

15 . The superconducting magnet system of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive windings, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive windings are electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils and each is electrically shorted.

16 . A quench protection apparatus, comprising:
a number N of superconducting coils electrically coupled in series; and the number N of heaters being electrically coupled with each superconducting coil, and each superconducting coil being thermally coupled with one of the heaters electrically coupled with each superconducting coil.

17 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a metal former electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils for dissipating heat during a quench.

18 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of electrically conductive windings, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive windings are electromagnetically coupled with the number N of superconducting coils and each is electrically shorted.

19 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the metal former is made of high electrically conductive materials.

20 . The quench protection apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the number N of heaters electrically coupled with each superconducting coil are electrically coupled in parallel or in series.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Xu Minfeng
• Laskaris Evangelos
• Shen Weijun
• Wang Jian-She
• Wu Anbo
• Bai Ye
• Song Yunxing

Classifications

• H01F6/02 Primary

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

• H01F6/06

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

• G01R33/3815

  with superconducting coils, e.g. power supply therefor · CPC title

• H01F6/04

  Cooling · CPC title