Superconducting coil device with switchable conductor section and method for switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9530549-B2
Application number	US-201514837529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

In a coil device with at least one electrical coil winding with superconducting conductor material, the coil winding is part of a self-contained circuit for formation of a continuous current. The closed circuit has a switchable conductor section which can be switched between a superconducting state and a normally conducting state by a magnetic device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A coil device, comprising:
a closed circuit for carrying a continuous current, the closed circuit including at least one superconducting coil winding with superconducting conductor material and a switchable conductor section configured to be switched between a superconducting state and a normally conducting state;
a magnetic device including at least one permanent magnet; and
a movement device configured to produce a relative movement between (a) at least a portion of the magnetic device and (b) the switchable conductor section to switch the switchable conductor section between the superconducting state and the normally conducting state.

2. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one permanent magnet is connected to a magnetically soft yoke configured to guide a magnetic field to the switchable conductor section.

3. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a vacuum container surrounding the at least one superconducting coil winding and the magnetic device; and
wherein the movement device is configured to move at least part of the magnetic device by an external force acting outside of the vacuum container.

4. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a vacuum container surrounding the at least one superconducting coil winding and at least part of the magnetic device.

5. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the closed circuit further includes a superconducting coated conductor.

6. The coil device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the magnetic device includes a directional component substantially perpendicular to a plane of the superconducting coated conductor in a region including the switchable conductor that forms a magnetic field.

7. The coil device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the superconducting coated conductor is a bifurcated coated conductor with a doubly connected topology.

8. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a continuous superconducting conductor material extends over all of the closed circuit.

9. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the switchable conductor section adjoins a radially external region of the at least one superconducting coil winding.

10. A method for switching a conductor section of a coil device between a superconducting state and a normally conducting state, the coil device including a closed circuit carrying a continuous current and having at least one electrical coil winding with superconducting conductor material and a conductor section, the method comprising:
operating the coil device with the conductor section in one of the normally conductive state or the superconducting state, wherein operating the coil device comprises using a magnetic device including at least one permanent magnet to generate a magnetic field in a region of the conductor section; and
effecting a relative movement between (a) at least a portion of the magnetic device and (b) the conductor section to thereby vary the magnetic field generated by the magnetic device in the region of the conductor section, such that the conductor section switches from the one of the normally conductive state or the superconducting state to the other one of the normally conductive state or the superconducting state.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein switching of the conductor section is achieved at an operating temperature of between 15 K and 77 K.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein application of the magnetic field initially results in a reduction of the critical current density in a still superconducting state of the conductor section and subsequently results in feeding of a current from an external feed circuit for to achieve a normally conducting state of the conductor section.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein effecting a relative movement between (a) the at least a portion of the magnetic device and (b) the conductor section comprises effecting a relative movement between the at least one permanent magnet and the conductor section.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one permanent magnet is connected to a yoke configured to guide a magnetic field to the switchable conductor section;
effecting a relative movement between (a) the at least a portion of the magnetic device and (b) the conductor section comprises effecting a relative movement between the yoke and both the at least one permanent magnet and the conductor section.

15. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the movement device is configured to produce a relative movement between the at least one permanent magnet and the switchable conductor section to switch the switchable conductor section between the superconducting state and the normally conducting state.

16. The coil device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one permanent magnet is connected to a yoke configured to guide a magnetic field to the switchable conductor section; and
the movement device is configured to produce a relative movement between the yoke and both the at least one permanent magnet and the switchable conductor section to switch the switchable conductor section between the superconducting state and the normally conducting state.

17. A magnetic resonance system, comprising:
a device body defining an analysis region configured to receive a sample; and
a coil device configured to apply a magnetic field to the analysis region and comprising:
a circuit including at least one superconducting coil winding with superconducting conductor material and a switchable conductor section configured to be switched between a superconducting state and a normally conducting state;
a magnetic device including at least one permanent magnet; and
a movement device configured to produce a relative movement between (a) at least a portion of the magnetic device and (b) the switchable conductor section to switch the switchable conductor section between the superconducting state and the normally conducting state.

18. The magnetic resonance system of claim 17 , wherein the coil device is configured to produce a relative movement between the at least one permanent magnet and the switchable conductor section.

19. The magnetic resonance system of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one permanent magnet of the coil device is connected to a yoke configured to guide a magnetic field to the switchable conductor section; and
the coil device is configured to produce a relative movement between the yoke and the switchable conductor section.

20. The magnetic resonance system of claim 17 , wherein the magnetic resonance system is a magnetic resonance imaging system or a magnetic resonance spectroscopy system.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Kuhnert Anne
• Kummeth Peter

Classifications

• H01F41/048

  Superconductive coils · CPC title

• H01F6/06 Primary

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

• H01F7/0205

  Magnetic circuits with PM in general · CPC title