HTS Magnet Sections Using Pre-Formed Housing for Compact Modular Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing high temperature superconducting magnets face challenges such as long cable lengths, high replacement costs, limited configuration options due to strain restrictions, and difficulties in joining HTS cables, which hinder the construction of large magnets and efficient magnetic field generation.
Innovation Solution
A pre-formed housing with channels for HTS tape is used, allowing for tighter bends and precise tape placement, enabling the creation of compact, modular, and easily assembled toroidal field coils with detachable sections and reduced strain, facilitating the construction of large magnets in smaller sections and improving magnetic field configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If HTS tapes are formed into long cables to create complete windings, then the magnet can achieve required current-carrying capacity, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the magnet winding into modular sections, each containing a manageable number of HTS tapes (e.g., 16 tapes per section). These sections can be manufactured independently and then assembled, replacing the need for extremely long continuous cables while maintaining the required current-carrying capacity through parallel configuration of multiple sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where HTS tapes are placed within a flexible cable former, which is then inserted into a rigid support structure. This nested arrangement allows compact packaging of multiple tapes while maintaining flexibility for assembly, reducing manufacturing complexity compared to handling long loose cables.
2Power
If HTS cables are wound to form large magnets, then the required magnetic field strength is achieved, but the completed magnet becomes too large to move easily
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the magnet into transportable modular sections that can be moved separately and then assembled on-site, the patent enables the construction of large magnets without requiring the entire structure to be transported, thus maintaining mobility while achieving the required magnetic field strength through proper configuration of sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single large-scale winding to a multi-dimensional modular assembly approach, where multiple smaller sections are arranged in space (toroidal and poloidal configurations) to collectively generate the required magnetic field, enabling easier transport and assembly.
3Quantity of substance
If stacked tapes are used to form cables, then current-carrying capacity increases, but the minimum bend radius increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible cable former as an intermediate structure that allows the HTS tape stack to bend with a much smaller radius than the stack thickness would otherwise permit. The flexible former acts as a form-giving element that constrains the tapes while enabling tight curvature, thus achieving small bend radii without compromising current-carrying capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible cable former serves as an intermediary between the rigid HTS tape stack and the curved path required in the magnet winding. This intermediary component absorbs the mechanical stress of bending, allowing the fragile tape stack to follow tight curvature paths while maintaining its structural integrity and electrical performance.
4Reliability
If cables are designed for highest magnetic field regions, then reliability in high field is ensured, but excess tape is used in lower field regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the number of HTS tapes in different sections of the magnet according to the local magnetic field requirements. High-field regions (such as the central column) receive sections with more tapes for maximum reliability, while low-field regions (return limbs) use sections with fewer tapes, optimizing material utilization while ensuring adequate performance throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the magnet into regions with different current-carrying requirements and providing appropriately sized tape sections for each region, the patent avoids the waste of using uniform high-capacity cables throughout. The segmented approach allows precise matching of tape quantity to local field demands, improving overall efficiency.
5Reliability
If HTS tapes are placed in close proximity for low-resistance joints, then joint resistance decreases, but heat load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thermal and electrical parameters of the joint region by carefully controlling the proximity and thermal contact between HTS tapes from opposite cables. By adjusting these parameters, the patent achieves low electrical resistance for current continuity while managing thermal contact to minimize heat transfer across the joint, thus reducing overall heat load.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for more compact and efficient construction of superconducting magnets, enabling the creation of larger magnets in smaller sections, reducing strain on HTS tape, and enabling precise joint configurations that minimize heat load and facilitate easier assembly and maintenance, while maintaining high current-carrying capacity.
Implementation Method 1
A superconducting magnet is an electromagnet formed from coils of a superconducting material. As the magnet coils have zero resistance, superconducting magnets can carry high currents with zero loss
Implementation Method 2
The channel includes at least one pre-formed curved section. The pre-formed curved section has a radius of curvature which is less than a total thickness of the layers of HTS tape in that section divided by twice a maximum permitted strain of the HTS tape
Data Source
AI summary
A segment of a field coil, a toroidal field coil, and a method of manufacturing is provided. The segment of a field coil is for use in a superconducting electromagnet. The segment includes an assembly for carrying electrical current in a coil of a magnet. The assembly includes a pre-formed housing comprising a channel configured to retain high temperature superconductor (HTS) tape, the channel including at least one pre-formed curved section. The assembly further includes a plurality of layers of HTS tape fixed within the channel. Wherein the pre-formed curved section has a radius of curvature which is less than a total thickness of the layers of HTS tape in that section divided by twice a maximum permitted strain of the HTS tape.