Calculating quench propagation with ANSYS®

A commercial Finite-Element-Analysis program, ANSYS®, is widely used in structural and thermal analysis. With the program's ability to include nonlinear material properties and import complex CAD files, one can generate coil geometries and simulate quench propagation in superconducting magnets. A "proof-of-principle" finite element model was developed assuming a resistivity that increases linearly from zero to its normal value at a temperature consistent with the assumed B magnetic field. More sophisticated models could easily include finer-grained coil, cable, structural, and circuit details. A quench is provoked by raising the temperature of an arbitrary superconducting element above its T . The time response to this perturbation is calculated using small time-steps to allow convergence between steps. Snapshots of the temperature and voltage distributions allow examination of longitudinal and turn-to-turn quench propagation, quench-front annihilation, and cryo-stability. Modeling details are discussed, and a computed voltage history was compared with measurements from a recent magnet test.

A hybrid data acquisition system for magnetic measurements of accelerator magnets

A hybrid data acquisition system was developed for magnetic measurement of superconducting accelerator magnets at LBNL. It consists of a National Instruments dynamic signal acquisition (DSA) card and two Metrolab fast digital integrator (FDI) cards. The DSA card records the induced voltage signals from the rotating probe while the FDI cards records the flux increment integrated over a certain angular step. This allows the comparison of the measurements performed with two cards. In this note, the setup and test of the system is summarized. With a probe rotating at a speed of 0.5 Hz, the multipole coefficients of two magnets were measured with the hybrid system. The coefficients from the DSA and FDI cards agree with each other, indicating that the numerical integration of the raw voltage acquired by the DSA card is comparable to the performance of the FDI card in the current measurement setup

Canted-cosine-theta magnet (CCT)-A concept for high field accelerator magnets

Canted-Cosine-Theta (CCT) magnet is an accelerator magnet that superposes fields of nested and tilted solenoids that are oppositely canted. The current distribution of any canted layer generates a pure harmonic field as well as a solenoid field that can be cancelled with a similar but oppositely canted layer. The concept places windings within mandrel's ribs and spars that simultaneously intercept and guide Lorentz forces of each turn to prevent stress accumulation. With respect to other designs, the need for pre-stress in this concept is reduced by an order of magnitude making it highly compatible with the use of strain sensitive superconductors such as Nb3Sn or HTS. Intercepting large Lorentz forces is of particular interest in magnets with large bores and high field accelerator magnets like the one foreseen in the future high energy upgrade of the LHC. This paper describes the CCT concept and reports on the construction of CCT1 a "proof of principle" dipole

Mechanical Analysis of the Nb3Sn Dipole Magnet HD1

The Superconducting Magnet Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has recently fabricated and tested HD1, a Nb3Sn dipole magnet. The magnet reached a 16 T field, and exhibited training quenches in the end regions and in the straight section. After the test, HD1 was disassembled and inspected, and a detailed 3D finite element mechanical analysis was done to investigate for possible quench triggers. The study led to minor modifications to mechanical structure and assembly procedure, which were verified in a second test (HD1b). This paper presents the results of the mechanical analysis, including strain gauge measurements and coil visual inspection. The adjustments implemented in the magnet structure are reported and their effect on magnet training discussed

Nb3Sn Quadrupole Magnets for the LHC IR

The development of insertion quadrupoles with 205 T/m gradient and 90 mm bore represents a promising strategy to achieve the ultimate luminosity goal of 2.5 x 10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At present, Nb{sub 3}Sn is the only practical conductor which can meet these requirements. Since Nb{sub 3}Sn is brittle, and considerably more strain sensitive than NbTi, the design concepts and fabrication techniques developed for NbTi magnets need to be modified appropriately. In addition, IR magnets must provide high field quality and operate reliably under severe radiation loads. The results of conceptual design studies addressing these issues are presented

Design and Test of a Nb3Sn Subscale Dipole Magnet for Training Studies

As part of a collaboration between CEA/Saclay and the Superconducting Magnet Group at LBNL, a subscale dipole structure has been developed to study training in Nb3Sn coils under variable pre-stress conditions. This design is derived from the LBNL Subscale Magnet and relies on the use of identical Nb{sub 3}Sn racetrack coils. Whereas the original LBNL subscale magnet was in a dual bore 'common-coil' configuration, the new subscale dipole magnet (SD) is assembled as a single bore dipole made of two superposed racetrack coils. The dipole is supported by a new mechanical structure developed to withstand the horizontal and axial Lorentz forces and capable of applying variable vertical, horizontal and axial preload. The magnet was tested at LBNL as part of a series of training studies aiming at understanding of the relation between pre-stress and magnet performance. Particular attention is given to the coil ends where the magnetic field peaks and stress conditions are the least understood. After a description of SD design, assembly, cool-down and tests results are reported and compared with the computations of the OPERA3D and ANSYS magnetic and mechanical models

An R&D Approach to the Development of Long Nb3Sn Accelerator Magnets Using the key and Bladder Technology

Building accelerator quality magnets using Nb{sub 3}Sn for next generation facilities is the challenge of the next decade. The Superconducting Magnet Group at LBNL has developed an innovative support structure for high field magnets. The structure is based on an aluminum shell over iron yokes using hydraulic bladders and locking keys for applying the pre-stress. At cool down the pre-stress is almost doubled due to the differences of thermal contraction. This new structure allows precise control of the pre-stress with minimal spring back and conductor over-stress. At present the support structure has been used with prototype magnets up to one meter in length. In this paper, the design of a 4-meter long, 11 Tesla, wind-and-react racetrack dipole will be presented as a possible step toward the fabrication of long Nb{sub 3}Sn accelerator magnets

Mechanical Design of HD2, a 15 T Nb3Sn Dipole Magnet with a 35 mm Bore

After the fabrication and test of HD1, a 16 T Nb{sub 3}Sn dipole magnet based on flat racetrack coil configuration, the Superconducting Magnet Program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is developing the Nb{sub 3}Sn dipole HD2. With a dipole field above 15 T, a 35 mm clear bore, and nominal field harmonics within a fraction of one unit, HD2 represents a further step towards the application of block-type coils to high-field accelerator magnets. The design features tilted racetrack-type ends, to avoid obstructing the beam path, and a 4 mm thick stainless steel tube, to support the coil during the preloading operation. The mechanical structure, similar to the one used for HD1, is based on an external aluminum shell pretensioned with pressurized bladders. Axial rods and stainless steel plates provide longitudinal support to the coil ends during magnet excitation. A 3D finite element analysis has been performed to evaluate stresses and deformations from assembly to excitation, with particular emphasis on conductor displacements due to Lorentz forces. Numerical results are presented and discussed

Effect of Axial Loading on Quench Performance in Nb3Sn Magnets

A series of tests has been performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) with the goal of assessing the influence of coil axial pre-load on Nb{sub 3}Sn magnet training. The tests involved two subscale Nb{sub 3}Sn magnets: SQ02, a quadrupole magnet fabricated as part of the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP), and SD01, a dipole magnet developed in collaboration between CEA/Saclay and LBNL. Both magnets used similar Nb{sub 3}Sn flat racetrack coils from LBNL Subscale Magnet Program, and implemented an axial support system composed of stainless steel end-plates and aluminum rods. The system was designed to withstand full longitudinal electro-magnetic forces and provide controllable preloads. Quench performances, training, and quench locations have been recorded in various axial loading conditions. Test results are reported