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

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 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

Effects of temperature and mechanical strain on Ni-Fe alloy CRYOPHY for magnetic shields

The twofold goals of this work are (i) to reduce the lack of experimental data in literature concerning the effectsof temperature and mechanical strain on magnetic properties of the Ni-Fe alloy Cryophy, and (ii) to validate itsuse as magnetic shield material for last-generation cryomodule prototypes of crab cavities used in particle ac-celerators for transverse deflection. The relative magnetic permeability was measured at room and cryogenictemperature, and its lowest value at 4 Kfits the minimum design criteria of 100,000 for the crab cavities ex-periment at CERN. Permeability after uniaxial plastic deformation between 0% and 3% was also measured bymeans of an Epstein frame. Results show that deformation induces a significant decrease in the magnetic per-formances, underlining that particular care must be taken during all stages of handling and operation. Finally,the attenuation inside the magnetic shields was tested for the prototype Super Proton Synchrotron at CERN.Results highlight that at 150 mm from the opening, the magneticfield is shielded as required

Perceptions of love across the lifespan

This study investigated perceptions of love across the lifespan using Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, which distinguishes between passion, intimacy, and commitment. The study aimed to (a) investigate the psychometric properties of the short Triangular Love Scale (TLS-short) in adolescents and adults (see Appendix), and (b) track age and gender differences in the three love components of the TLS-short in a sample of 12- to 88-year-olds (N = 2791). The three-factor structure of the TLS-short was confirmed in both the adolescent and adult sample. Adolescents (12-17 years) reported lower levels of all love components compared to young adults (18-30 years). Late adults (50+) reported lower levels of passion and intimacy, but similar levels of commitment compared to young (18-30 years) and middle adults (30-50 years). Gender differences in the perceptions of all three love components were present but less sizeable than suggested in popular accounts and earlier academic research

Characterization of low temperature high voltage axial insulator breaks for the ITER cryogenic supply line

Cable-in-conduit conductors of the ITER magnet system are directly cooled by supercritical helium. Insulation breaks are required in the liquid helium feed pipes to isolate the high voltage system of the magnet windings from the electrically grounded helium coolant supply line. They are submitted to high voltages and significant internal helium pressure and will experience mechanical forces resulting from differential thermal contraction and electro-mechanical loads. Insulation breaks consist essentially of stainless steel tubes overwrapped by an outer glass – fiber reinforced composite and bonded to an inner composite tube at each end of the stainless steel fittings. For some types of insulator breaks Glass – Kapton – Glass insulation layers are interleaved in the outer composite. Following an extensive mechanical testing campaign at cryogenic temperature combined with leak tightness tests, the present paper investigates through non-destructive and destructive techniques the physical and microstructural characteristics of the low temperature high voltage insulation breaks and of their individual components, thus allowing to correlate the structure and properties of the constituents to their overall performance. For all the tests performed, consistent and reproducible results were obtained within the range of the strict acceptance criteria defined for safe operation of the insulation breaks