The influence of the Al stabilizer layer thickness on the normal zone propagation velocity in high current superconductors

The stability of high-current superconductors is challenging in the design of superconducting magnets. When the stability requirements are fulfilled, the protection against a quench must still be considered. A main factor in the design of quench protection systems is the resistance growth rate in the magnet following a quench. The usual method for determining the resistance growth in impregnated coils is to calculate the longitudinal velocity with which the normal zone propagates in the conductor along the coil windings. Here, we present a 2D numerical model for predicting the normal zone propagation velocity in Al stabilized Rutherford NbTi cables with large cross section. By solving two coupled differential equations under adiabatic conditions, the model takes into account the thermal diffusion and the current redistribution process following a quench. Both the temperature and magnetic field dependencies of the superconductor and the metal cladding materials properties are included. Unlike common normal zone propagation analyses, we study the influence of the thickness of the cladding on the propagation velocity for varying operating current and magnetic field. To assist in the comprehension of the numerical results, we also introduce an analytical formula for the longitudinal normal zone propagation. The analysis distinguishes between low-current and high-current regimes of normal zone propagation, depending on the ratio between the characteristic times of thermal and magnetic diffusion. We show that above a certain thickness, the cladding acts as a heat sink with a limited contribution to the acceleration of the propagation velocity with respect to the cladding geometry. Both numerical and analytical results show good agreement with experimental data.Comment: To be published in Physics Procedia (ICEC 25 conference special issue

A study of asymmetric tensile properties of large area GEM foil

Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology is being used in various applications, particularly in high energy physics experiments. The GEM is known as a reliable detector in high radiation environment which can maintain high temporal and position resolution. GEM foil is the basic part of the detector which consists of a composite material (polyimide and copper). Large size GEM foil has complex mechanical structure and asymmetries which mainly arises due to formation of the HV sectors in the foil. These asymmetries become very relevant when large size foils are stretched to build a detector. In this article asymmetry affects are presented that define the tensile properties of a large size segmented GEM foil

The alpha-kinase family: an exceptional branch on the protein kinase tree

The alpha-kinase family represents a class of atypical protein kinases that display little sequence similarity to conventional protein kinases. Early studies on myosin heavy chain kinases in Dictyostelium discoideum revealed their unusual propensity to phosphorylate serine and threonine residues in the context of an alpha-helix. Although recent studies show that some members of this family can also phosphorylate residues in non-helical regions, the name alpha-kinase has remained. During evolution, the alpha-kinase domains combined with many different functional subdomains such as von Willebrand factor-like motifs (vWKa) and even cation channels (TRPM6 and TRPM7). As a result, these kinases are implicated in a large variety of cellular processes such as protein translation, Mg2+ homeostasis, intracellular transport, cell migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on different members of this kinase family and discuss the potential use of alpha-kinases as drug targets in diseases such as cancer

Extensive Characterisation of Copper-clad Plates, Bonded by the Explosive Technique, for ITER Electrical Joints

Cable-in-conduit conductors will be extensively implemented in the large superconducting magnet coils foreseen to confine the plasma in the ITER experiment. The design of the various magnet systems imposes the use of electrical joints to connect unit lengths of superconducting coils by inter-pancake coupling. These twin-box lap type joints, produced by compacting each cable end in into a copper - stainless steel bimetallic box, are required to be highly performing in terms of electrical and mechanical prop- erties. To ascertain the suitability of the first copper-clad plates, recently produced, the performance of several plates is studied. Validation of the bonded interface is carried out by determining microstructural, tensile and shear characteristics. These measure- ments confirm the suitability of explosion bonded copper-clad plates for an overall joint application. Additionally, an extensive study is conducted on the suitability of certain copper purity grades for the various joint types

Design of load-to-failure tests of high-voltage insulation breaks for ITER's cryogenic network

The development of new generation superconducting magnets for fusion research, such as the ITER experiment, is largely based on coils wound with so-called cable-in-conduit conductors. The concept of the cable-in-conduit conductor is based on a direct cooling principle, by supercritical helium, flowing through the central region of the conductor, in close contact with the superconducting strands. Consequently, a direct connection exists between the electrically grounded helium coolant supply line and the highly energised magnet windings. Various insulated regions, constructed out of high-voltage insulation breaks, are put in place to isolate sectors with different electrical potential. In addition to high voltages and significant internal helium pressure, the insulation breaks will experience various mechanical forces resulting from differential thermal contraction phenomena and electro-magnetic loads. Special test equipment was designed, prepared and employed to assess the mechanical reliability of the insulation breaks. A binary test setup is proposed, where mechanical failure is assumed when leak rate of gaseous helium exceeds 10-9centerdotPacenterdotm3/s. The test consists of a load-to-failure insulation break charging, in tension, while immersed in liquid nitrogen at the temperature of 77 K. Leak tightness during the test is monitored by measuring the leak rate of the gaseous helium, directly surrounding the insulation break, with respect to the existing vacuum inside the insulation break. The experimental setup is proven effective, and various insulation breaks performed beyond expectations

Design and fabrication of a cryostat for low temperature mechanical testing for the Mechanical and Materials Engineering group at CERN

Mechanical testing of materials at low temperatures is one of the cornerstones of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) group at CERN. A long tradition of more than 20 years and a unique know - how of such tests has been developed with an 18 kN double-walled cryostat. Large campaigns of material qualification have been carried out and the mechanical behaviour of materials at 4 K has been vastly studied in sub - size samples for projects like LEP, LHC and its experiments. With the aim of assessing the mechanical properties of materials of higher strength and/or issued from heavy gauge products for which testing standardized specimens of larger cross section might be more adapted, a new 100 kN cryostat capable of hosting different shapes of normalized samples has been carefully designed and fabricated inhouse together with the associated tooling and measurement instrumentation. It has been conceived to be able to adapt to different test frames both dynamic and static, which will be of paramount importance for future studies of fracture mechanics at low temperatures. The cryostat features a double-walled vessel consisting of a central cylindrical section with a convex lower end and a flat top end closure. The transmission of the load is guaranteed by a 4 column system and its precise monitoring is assured by an internal load cell positioned next to the sample in the load train. This innovative approach will be discussed together with other nonconventional instrumentation solutions. A validation of the whole system has been carried out, where bending efforts on instrumented samples have been measured. Additionally, dedicated tooling has been fabricated for the device's optimization. The preliminary results obtained confirm an excellent performance of the system and enhance the analysis of materials under extreme conditions with state of the art instrumentation

Extensive characterisation of advanced manufacturing solutions for the ITER Central Solenoid pre-compression system

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS), positioned in the center of the ITER tokamak, will provide a magnetic field, contributing to the confinement of the plasma. The 13 m high CS consists of a vertical stack of 6 independently driven modules, dynamically activated. Resulting opposing currents can lead to high separation forces. A pre-compression structure is implemented to counteract these opposing forces, by realising a continuous 180 MN coil-to-coil contact loading. Preload is applied by mechanical fastening via 9 subunits, positioned along the coil stack, each consisting of 2 outer and 1 inner tie plate. The tie plates therefore need to feature outstanding mechanical behaviour in a large temperature range. High strength, Nitronic (R)-50 type F XM-19 austenitic stainless steel is selected as candidate material. The linearised stress distribution reaches approximately 250 MPa, leading to a required yield strength of 380 MPa at room temperature. Two different manufacturing methods are being studied for the procurement of these 15 m long tie plates. A welded solution originates from individual head- and slab-forgings, welded together by Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). In parallel, a single piece forged solution is proven feasible, impressively forged in one piece by applying successive open die forging steps, followed by final machining. Maximum internal stress is experienced during cool-down to 4K as a result of a large difference in thermal contraction between the support system and the coils. Furthermore, the varying magnetic fields in the independently driven coils introduce cyclic loading. Therefore, assessment of the two manufacturing solutions, in terms of both static and dynamic mechanical behaviour, is performed at ambient as well as cryogenic temperature. An extensive characterisation including microstructural and mechanical examination is conducted, evaluating the comparative performance of both solutions, reporting, amongst others, yield strength reaching the requirement for both solutions. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved