Conduction-Cooled Superconducting Magnet Elastic Pressure Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing superconducting magnets face issues with non-uniform contact thermal resistance and excessive strain due to heat shrinkage differences between cooling members and coil winding sections, leading to reduced cooling efficiency and critical current density.
Innovation Solution
A superconducting magnet design that includes a thermal conductor, a superconducting coil in thermal contact, a winding section support, and elastic bodies to apply a uniform bearing stress across the coil winding section, using plate springs and fasteners to maintain constant pressure and accommodate thermal expansion differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the cooling member is bonded to the coil winding section by a resin or the like to maintain uniform contact thermal resistance, then contact thermal resistance uniformity is improved, but heat shrinkage difference during cooling causes excessive strain in the coil winding section, reducing superconducting critical current density
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling member is divided into multiple independent pressing sections, each capable of applying pressure locally to different regions of the coil winding section. This segmentation allows uniform thermal contact without requiring rigid bonding that would transmit strain throughout the entire coil structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing force applied by the cooling member is made adjustable and independently controllable for each pressing section. By changing the pressure parameters locally rather than uniformly across the entire cooling member, the patent achieves uniform thermal contact while accommodating differential thermal shrinkage without excessive strain.
2Use of energy by moving object
If one end of the spring is connected to a heat transfer path directly connected to the superconducting coil and the other end is connected to a member sufficiently higher in temperature than the superconducting coil, then the thermal effusion to the superconducting coil increases, but this results in reduction of cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is extracted from the thermal path between the cooling member and the coil winding section. By removing the spring from this thermal pathway, unwanted thermal effusion through the spring is eliminated while the spring's mechanical function of applying pressing force is preserved through alternative thermal conduction paths.
Solution Approach 2:
A dedicated thermal conduction structure serves as an intermediary between the cooling member and the coil winding section, separate from the spring mechanism. This intermediary structure provides controlled thermal conduction without the thermal effusion problems associated with spring materials, decoupling the mechanical pressing function from the thermal conduction path.
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 design ensures uniform thermal contact and minimizes strain caused by heat shrinkage, maintaining cooling efficiency and critical current density while preventing one-sided stress application.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic body capable of applying a displacement greater than shrinkages of the thermal conductor and the winding section of the superconducting coil when the thermal conductor and the superconducting coil are cooled from an ambient temperature down to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 2
a thermal conductor connected to a refrigerator; a superconducting coil coming in thermal contact with the thermal conductor
Implementation Method 3
a fastener joined to the elastic body and fastened to the winding section support
Data Source
AI summary
The objective of the present invention is to provide a conduction-cooling-type super-conducting magnet, wherein a surface pressure is applied between a super-conducting coiled wire portion and a cooling member, the non-uniformity of the surface pressure in the diameter direction of the coiled wire portion has been improved, whereby the uniformity of contact heat resistance has been improved, moreover, warping due to a thermal contraction difference between the cooling member and the coiled wire portion arising at cooling time has been decreased sufficiently, and a surface pressure application mechanism can be installed solely in the low-temperature portion where the super-conducting coiled wire portion is installed. Provided is a conduction-cooling-type super-conducting magnet characterized by: an adequate heat conductor, which is connected to a cooler, in contact with the super-conducting coiled wire portion; the inclusion of an elastic body, which is capable of imparting, in the form of a displacement, an amount of contraction that is sufficiently greater than the amount of contraction of the adequate heat conductor and the wound wire portion at cooling time; and at least one elastic body disposed on each of the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the coiled wire portion in the same radial direction of the coiled wire portion.