Superconducting Magnet Quench Circuit With Thermal Shield Energy Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional quench protection methods for superconducting magnet systems result in excessive liquid helium boil-off or prolonged re-cooling times due to inefficient energy transfer during quench events, leading to increased operational costs and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A quench protection circuit incorporating a superconducting unit with diode integrated elements and a thermal shield connected in parallel, which transfers magnetic energy to the thermal shield and vacuum vessel during quench events, reducing heat absorption within the magnet system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional quench protection methods are used to protect the superconducting magnet, then the magnet is protected from damage, but excessive liquid helium boil-off occurs and re-cooling time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the thermal energy that would otherwise be deposited locally in the superconducting magnet by introducing a thermal shield connected through a diode element. During quench, the circuit switch connects the thermal shield to absorb magnetic energy, removing the harmful thermal effect from the magnet system and preventing excessive helium boil-off while maintaining magnet protection.
2Reliability
If conventional quench protection methods are used to protect the superconducting magnet, then the magnet is protected from damage, but re-cooling time becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts thermal energy from the superconducting magnet during quench by connecting the thermal shield through the diode element to the magnet. This removes excess heat that would otherwise require prolonged re-cooling, thereby reducing re-cooling time while maintaining effective magnet protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal shield acts as an intermediary component between the superconducting magnet and the heat sink. During quench, it mediates the thermal energy transfer by absorbing magnetic energy and conducting heat away from the magnet, preventing direct thermal deposition and enabling faster thermal management.
3Loss of substance
If magnetic energy is transferred to the thermal shield during quench, then liquid helium boil-off is reduced and re-cooling time is shortened, but the circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a thermal shield as an intermediary component connected through a diode element to the superconducting magnet. This mediator enables magnetic energy transfer during quench to reduce helium boil-off, while the simple diode-based connection minimizes circuit complexity compared to more elaborate protection schemes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the non-linear electrical characteristics of the diode element to change the circuit configuration dynamically. During normal operation, the diode blocks current flow; during quench, it conducts to enable thermal energy transfer. This parameter-based control achieves protection functionality without requiring complex active control circuits.
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 solution effectively protects the superconducting magnet from damage, reduces liquid helium boil-off, and shortens re-cooling times by transferring magnetic energy to external components, thereby minimizing energy conversion to thermal energy within the magnet.
Implementation Method 1
The thermal shield is used to transfer the magnetic energy in the superconducting coil during the quench process
Implementation Method 2
A quench protection circuit incorporating a superconducting unit with diode integrated elements and a thermal shield connected in parallel
Implementation Method 3
the superconducting magnet is in a superconducting state, that is, a state with zero resistance
Implementation Method 4
the secondary cold head of a refrigerator 15 is thermally connected to the cryogenic container 17
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure discloses a superconducting magnet system and a quench protection circuit thereof. The quench protection circuit includes: a superconducting unit, a first diode integrated element, a second diode integrated element, a third diode integrated element, a low-temperature superconducting switch, a thermal shield and a vacuum vessel. The superconducting unit is composed of M superconducting coils connected in series. The low-temperature superconducting switch is connected to the first superconducting coil and the M-th superconducting coil. The first diode integrated element is connected in parallel with the low-temperature superconducting switch; the thermal shield and the second diode integrated element are connected in series and then connected in parallel at both ends of any symmetrical coil subsets in the superconducting unit. The vacuum vessel and the third diode integrated element are connected in series and then connected in parallel at both ends of any symmetrical coil subset of the superconducting unit.