Superconducting Magnet Assembly and Associated Systems and Methods
A superconducting magnet system having a dipole magnet, a superconducting short-circuited secondary coil(s), a magnetizer, and a magnetizing primary coil. The dipole magnet comprises a magnet core having along its diameter a core back leg and a magnet gap. The High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) secondary coil(s) enwrap the core back leg of the dipole magnet. The magnetizer, positioned in magnetic communication with the dipole magnet, creates a closed magnetic circuit about the magnet gap. The non-superconducting magnetizing primary coil enwraps the magnetizer substantially opposite the secondary coil(s) with respect to the magnet gap. The magnetizing primary coil generates a common magnetic flux with the superconducting short-circuited secondary coil(s), initially operating in a non-superconducting state. Cooling the secondary coil(s) to a superconducting state transitions operation to frozen flux mode. After depowering the magnetizing primary coil, moving the magnetizer away from the magnet gap leaves the dipole magnet in persistent current mode.
1 . A superconducting magnet system comprising:
a dipole magnet comprising a magnet core characterized by a core back leg positioned substantially opposite a magnet gap along a first diameter of the magnet core,
at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil mounted circumferentially around the core back leg of the dipole magnet substantially proximate the first diameter of the magnet core,
a magnetizer configured in magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet, to define a closed magnetic circuit about the magnet gap of the dipole magnet, and
a magnetizing primary coil mounted circumferentially around the magnetizer substantially proximate a second diameter of the magnetizer;
wherein the magnetizing primary coil is configured to generate along the closed magnetic circuit a common magnetic flux with the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil operating in a non-superconducting state;
wherein the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil is configured to, upon cooling to a superconducting state, transition to operating in a frozen flux mode; and
wherein the magnetizer is configured to, upon depowering of the magnetizing primary coil, detach from the magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet.
2 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the dipole magnet and the magnetizer is of a C-type configuration.
3 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the dipole magnet and the magnetizer is of a ferromagnetic material type.
4 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 3 wherein at least one of the magnetizer and of the magnet core of the dipole magnet comprises low-carbon steel.
5 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil is of a High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) material type.
6 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 5 wherein the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil comprises a plurality of parallel short-circuited loops.
7 . The superconducting magnet system according to claim 1 wherein the magnetizing primary coil is of a non-superconducting material type.
8 . A method of manufacturing a superconducting magnet system comprising:
a dipole magnet comprising a magnet core characterized by a core back leg positioned substantially opposite a magnet gap along a first diameter of the magnet core,
at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil,
a magnetizer, and
a magnetizing primary coil;
the method comprising the steps of:
mounting the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil circumferentially around the core back leg of the dipole magnet substantially proximate the first diameter of the magnet core;
mounting the magnetizing primary coil circumferentially around the magnetizer substantially proximate a second diameter of the magnetizer;
detachably mounting the magnetizer in magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet along a system diameter colinear with the first diameter of the magnet core and the second diameter of the magnetizer, to define a closed magnetic circuit about the magnet gap of the dipole magnet operable to electrically loop a common magnetic flux between the magnetizing primary coil and the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil.
9 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
configuring the magnetizing primary coil to generate along the closed magnetic circuit a common magnetic flux with the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil operating in a non-superconducting state;
configuring the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil to, upon cooling to a superconducting state, transition to operating in a frozen flux mode; and
configuring the magnetizer to, upon depowering of the magnetizing primary coil, detach from the magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet.
10 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 9 , wherein the configuring the magnetizer to detach further comprises at least one of:
configuring the magnetizer to detach from the magnet gap in a first detachment direction along the system diameter; and
configuring the magnetizer to detach from the magnet gap in a second detachment direction perpendicular to the system diameter.
11 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the dipole magnet and the magnetizer is of a C-type configuration.
12 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the dipole magnet and the magnetizer is of a ferromagnetic material type.
13 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil is of a High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) material type.
14 . The method of manufacturing the superconducting magnet system according to claim 8 , wherein the magnetizing primary coil is of a non-superconducting material type.
15 . A method of operating a superconducting magnet system comprising:
a dipole magnet comprising a magnet core characterized by a core back leg positioned substantially opposite a magnet gap along a first diameter of the magnet core,
at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil mounted around the core back leg of the dipole magnet substantially proximate the first diameter of the magnet core,
a magnetizer, and
a magnetizing primary coil mounted around the magnetizer substantially proximate a second diameter of the magnetizer;
the method comprising the steps of:
detachably mounting the magnetizer in magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet along a system diameter colinear with the first diameter of magnet core and the second diameter of the magnetizer, to define a closed magnetic circuit about the magnet gap of the dipole magnet;
generating, using the magnetizing primary coil, a common magnetic flux along the closed magnetic circuit with the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil operating in a non-superconducting state;
cooling the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil to a superconducting state;
depowering, upon the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil transitioning to a frozen flux operation mode, the magnetizing primary coil; and
detaching the magnetizer from the magnetic communication with the magnetic core of the dipole magnet.
16 . The method of operating the superconducting magnet system according to claim 15 wherein the detaching the magnetizer further comprises detaching the magnetizer from the magnet gap in a first detachment direction along the system diameter.
17 . The method of operating the superconducting magnet system according to claim 15 wherein the detaching the magnetizer further comprises detaching the magnetizer from the magnet gap in a second detachment direction perpendicular to the system diameter.
18 . The method of operating the superconducting magnet system according to claim 15 wherein at least one of the dipole magnet and the magnetizer is of a ferromagnetic material type.
19 . The method of operating the superconducting magnet system according to claim 15 wherein the at least one superconducting short-circuited secondary coil is of a High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) material type.
20 . The method of operating the superconducting magnet system according to claim 15 wherein the magnetizing primary coil is of a non-superconducting material type.