SBIR-STTR Award

Advanced magnet systems for fusion would greatly benefit from the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). Quench detection in HTS magnets is challenging due to the low quench propagation speed in these materials. Advanced quench detection methods need to be developed to allow safe operation of HTS magnets. This proposal seeks to develop smart terminations for HTS Conductor on Round Core (CORC®) cables for fusion magnets with integrated Hall probe arrays for quench detection. The Hall probe arrays would allow detection of current redistribution in multi-tape magnet cables that is caused by the development of a local hot spot that may result in a quench. During Phase I of the program, we will develop Hall probe arrays that will be integrated within, or located near the termination of CORC® cables. Short cables will be manufactured and the ability of the Hall probe arrays to detect changes in current distribution between the tapes in the cable will be tested when a local hot spot is induced by a heater at some distance away from the Hall probe array. The quench detection method will also be tested during high current ramp rates that would occur when the fusion magnet is energized. Algorithms to separate the change in current distribution caused by the local hot spot from that caused by the varying current ramp rates will be developed. During Phase II, a small CORC® cable magnet will be manufactured for use as a test bed for quench detection, allowing the quench detection method to be developed into a commercial system.High-temperature superconducting magnet cable terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays will allow reliable quench detection in HTS magnets and enable safe operation of the next generation of fusion magnets, accelerator magnets for high-energy physics experiments and proton cancer treatment facilities, and scientific magnets. HTS cables with smart terminations will also benefit superconducting magnetic energy storage systems for use in the power grid and within the Department of Defense.

Advanced magnet systems for fusion would greatly benefit from the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). Quench detection in HTS magnets is challenging due to the low quench propagation speed in these materials. Advanced quench detection methods need to be developed to allow safe operation of HTS magnets. This proposal seeks to develop smart terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays for quench detection for HTS Conductor on Round Core (CORC®) cables and cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICC) for fusion magnets. The Hall probe arrays would allow detection of current redistribution in multi-tape magnet cables, and between cables in CICC, caused by the development of a local hot spot that may result in a quench. During the Phase I program, we’ve successfully demonstrated the feasibility of Hall probe arrays integrated within, or near the terminations of CORC® cables and CICC to detect the onset of a quench. The method, based on local sensors, was able to reliably detect the formation of a hotspot located some distance away, which presents a breakthrough in quench detection that typically depends on voltage wires that are co-wound with the magnet windings. During Phase II, the quench detection method will be developed into a commercial product. CORC® cable and CICC terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays will be manufactured, together with the associated hardware and algorithms needed to generate the quench trigger signal that would activate the magnet quench protection system. The system will be rigorously tested on long CORC® cables and a small CORC®-CICC magnet. High-temperature superconducting magnet cable and CICC terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays will allow reliable quench detection in HTS magnets and enable safe operation of the next generation of fusion magnets, accelerator magnets for high-energy physics experiments and proton cancer treatment facilities, and scientific magnets. HTS cables with smart terminations will also benefit superconducting magnetic energy storage systems for use in the power grid and within the Department of Defense.