J. Feuvrier

Test results of TQS03: A LARP shell-based Nb3Sn quadrupole using 108/127 conductor

Future insertion quadrupoles with large apertures and high gradients will be required for the Phase II luminosity upgrade (1035 cm−2s−1) of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Although improved designs, based on NbTi, are being considered as an intermediate step for the Phase I upgrade, the Nb3Sn conductor is presently the best option that meets the ultimate performance goals for both operating field and temperature margin. As part of the development of Nb3Sn magnet technology, the LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) developed and tested several 1-meter long, 90-mm aperture Nb3Sn quadrupoles. The first two series of magnet used OST MJR 54/61 (TQ01 series) and OST RRP 54/61 (TQ02 series) strands. The third series (TQ03) used OST RRP 108/127 conductor. The larger number of sub-elements and the consequent reduction of the effective filament size, together with an increased fraction of copper and a lower Jc were expected to improve the conductor stability. The new coils were tested in the TQS03 series using a shell structure assembled with keys and bladders. The objective of the first test (TQS03a) was to evaluate the performances of the 108/127 conductor and, in particular, its behaviour at 1.9 K, while the second test (TQS03b) investigated the impact on high azimuthal pre-stress on the magnet performance. This paper reports on TQS03 fabrication, the strain gauge measurements performed during assembly, cool-down, excitation and the quench behaviour of the two magnets.

Cold Test Results of the LARP HQ

The high gradient quadrupole magnet is a 120-mm-aperture, 1-m-long Nb3Sn quadrupole developed by the LHC Accelerator Research Program collaboration in support of the High-Luminosity LHC project. Several tests were performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2010-2011 achieving a maximum gradient of 170 T/m at 4.4 K. As a next step in the program, the latest model (HQ01e) was sent to CERN for testing at 1.9 K. As part of this test campaign, the magnet training has been done up to a maximum current of 16.2 kA corresponding to 85% of the short sample limit. The ramp rate dependence of the quench current is also identified. The efficiency of the quench heaters is then studied at 4.2 K and at 1.9 K. The analyses of the magnet resistance evolution during fast current discharge showed evidence of quench whereas high energy quenches have been successfully achieved and sustained with no dump resistor.

\hbox{Nb}_{3} \hbox{Sn}

A new protection system for superconducting magnets called coupling-loss induced quench system (CLIQ) has been recently developed at CERN. Recent tests on Nb-Ti coils have shown that CLIQ is a valid, efficient, and promising method for the protection of high-magnetic-field superconducting magnets. However, the protection of new-generation Nb3Sn accelerator magnets is even more challenging due to the much higher stored energy per unit volume and to the significantly larger enthalpy needed to initiate and propagate a normal zone in such coils. Now, the CLIQ system is tested for the first time on a Nb3Sn magnet in the CERN magnet test facility in order to investigate its performance in practice, thereby validating the method for this type of superconducting magnets as well. Furthermore, we successfully reproduced the electrothermal transients during a CLIQ discharge. Finally, the implementation of various CLIQ-based protection schemes for the full-scale Nb3Sn quadrupole magnet for the LHC high luminosity upgrade is discussed. The impact of key system parameters on CLIQ performance and the advantages and drawbacks of using multiple CLIQ units on a single magnet are discussed.

Quadrupole Magnet at 1.9 K

The HQ magnet is a 120-mm aperture, 1-m-long Nb3Sn quadrupole developed by the LARP collaboration in the framework of the High-Luminosity LHC project. A first series of coils was assembled and tested in five assemblies of the HQ01 series. The HQ01e model achieved a maximum gradient of 170 T/m at 4.5 K at LBNL in 2010-2011 and reached 184 T/m at 1.9 K at CERN in 2012. A new series of coils incorporating major design changes was fabricated for the HQ02 series. The first model, HQ02a, was tested at Fermilab where it reached 98% of the short sample limit at 4.5 K with a gradient of 182 T/m in 2013. However, the full training of the coils at 1.9 K could not be performed due to a current limit of 15 kA. Following this test, the azimuthal coil pre-load was increased by about 30 MPa and an additional current lead was installed at the electrical center of the magnet for quench protection studies. The test name of this magnet changed to HQ02b. In 2014, HQ02b was then shipped to CERN as the first opportunity for full training at 1.9 K. In this paper, we present a comprehensive summary of the HQ02 test results including: magnet training at 1.9 K with increased preload; quench origin and propagation; and ramp rate dependence. A series of powering tests was also performed to assess changes in magnet performance with a gradual increase of the MIITs. We also present the results of quench protection studies using different setting for detection, heater coverage, energy extraction and the coupling-loss induced quench (CLIQ) system.

Protecting a full-scale Nb3Sn magnet with CLIQ, the new coupling-loss-induced quench system

The Short Model Coil (SMC) assembly has been designed, as test bench for short racetrack coils wound with cable. The mechanical structure comprises an iron yoke surrounded by a 20 mm thick aluminum alloy shell, and includes four loading pads that transmit the required pre-compression from the outer shell into the two coils. The outer shell is pre-tensioned with mechanical keys that are inserted with the help of pressurized bladders and two 30 mm diameter aluminum alloy rods provide the axial loading to the coil ends. The outer shell, the axial rods, and the coils are instrumented with strain gauges, which allow precise monitoring of the loading conditions during the assembly and at cryogenic temperature during the magnet test. Two SMC assemblies have been completed and cold tested in the frame of a European collaboration between CEA (FR), CERN and STFC (UK) and with the technical support from LBNL (US). This paper describes the main features of the SMC assembly, the experience from the dummy assemblies, the fabrication of the coils, and discusses the test results of the cold tests showing a peak field of 12.5 T at 1.9 K after training.

Test Results of the LARP HQ02b Magnet at 1.9 K

The coupling-loss induced quench system (CLIQ) is an innovative method for the protection of high-field superconducting magnets. With respect to the conventional method based on quench heaters, it offers significant advantages in terms of electrical robustness and energy-deposition velocity. Its effective intrawire heating mechanism targets a fast and homogeneous transition to the normal state of the winding pack, hence assuring a quick magnet discharge and avoiding overheating of the coils hot spot. Furthermore, it is possible to implement CLIQ as a time- and cost-effective repair solution for the protection of existing magnets with broken quench heaters. After being successfully tested on model magnets of different geometries and made of different types of superconductor, CLIQ is now applied for the first time for the protection of a full-scale quadrupole magnet at the CERN magnet test facility. One aperture of a 3.4-m-long LHC matching quadrupole magnet is equipped with dedicated terminals to allow the connection of a CLIQ system. Experimental results convincingly show that CLIQ can protect this coil over the entire range of operating conditions. The complex electrothermal transients during a CLIQ discharge are successfully reproduced by means of a 2-D model. The test is part of the R&D program of CLIQ quench protection systems, which has convincingly demonstrated the maturity of this technology and its effectiveness also for large-scale magnet systems. The proposed CLIQ-based solution for the quench protection of the LHC matching quadrupole magnet is now ready to be implemented in the LHC machine if needed.

The Short Model Coil (SMC) Dipole: An R&D Program Towards

The luminosity upgrade of the large hadron collider (HL-LHC) requires the development of new type of superconducting cables based on advanced Nb3Sn strands. In the framework of the FP7 European project EUCARD, the cables foreseen for the HL-LHC project have been tested recently in a simplified racetrack coil configuration, the so-called Short Model Coil (SMC). In 2013-2014, two SMCs wound with 40-strand (RRP 108/127) cables, with different heat treatment processes, reached during training at 1.9 K a current and peak magnetic field of 15.9 kA, 13.9 T, and 14.3 kA, 12.7 T, respectively. Using the measured signals from the voltage taps, the behavior of the quenches is analyzed in terms of transverse and longitudinal propagation velocity and hot-spot temperature. These measurements are compared with both analytical and numerical calculations from adiabatic models. The coherence of the results from the presented independent methods helps in estimating the relevance of the material properties and the adiabatic assumption for impregnated Nb3Sn conductor modeling.

{\rm Nb}_{3}{\rm Sn}

As part of the European project EuCARD, the aim of the short model coil (SMC) dipole magnet is to perform R&D on the Nb3Sn coil fabrication technology while testing Nb3Sn superconducting cables. The baseline design features two double-layer racetrack coils, within a support structure based on bladders and keys technology and surrounded by an aluminum shell. The last magnet assembled up to now of the SMC series (SMC3a) was tested in 2011 and it reached a peak field of 12.5 T in the coil, corresponding to approximately 90 % of the short sample limit. Following the successful test of SMC3a, modifications were implemented in the design of the coil parts and support structure in order to accommodate wider cables. While making a valid contribution to the development of the Nb3Sn magnets technology, the final goal of the high field magnet project is to design, build, and test the FRESCA 2 magnet. Based on the SMC structure, the racetrack model coil represents an upgrade of the SMC in order to test a FRESCA 2 cable. The first part of this paper describes the status of activities on the SMC project, the design changes for the future SMC, and their predicted magnet parameters. The second part is dedicated to the description of the magnetic and mechanical design of the racetrack model coil.

Accelerator Magnets

Over the last five years, the model MQXC quadruple, a 120-mm aperture, 120 T/m, 1.8 m long, Nb-Ti version of the LHC insertion upgrade (due in 2021), has been developed at CERN. The magnet incorporates several novel concepts to extract high levels of heat flux and provide high quality field harmonics throughout the full operating current range. Existing LHC-dipole cable with new, open cable and ground insulation was used. Two, nominally identical 1.8-m-long magnets were built and tested at 1.8 K at the CERN SM18 test facility. This paper compares in detail the two magnet tests and presents: quench performance, internal stresses, heat extraction simulating radiation loading in the superconducting coils, and quench protection measurements. The first set of tests highlighted the conflict between high magnet cooling capability and quench protection. The second magnet had additional instrumentation to investigate further this phenomenon. Finally, we present test results from a new type of superconducting magnet protection system.

First Implementation of the CLIQ Quench Protection System on a Full-Scale Accelerator Quadrupole Magnet

In the framework of the European project EuCARD, the High Field Magnet project, led by a CERN-CEA collaboration, implied the development of a large aperture Nb3Sn dipole magnet called FRESCA2. The magnet uses four double-pancake block-type coils, each about 1.5 m long. In order to characterize strand and cable properties, as well as to qualify the coil fabrication process, CERN started in 2012 the design and fabrication of the Racetrack Model Coil (RMC) magnet, a short model magnet using the same cable as FRESCA2 magnet with only two flat double-pancake coils about 0.8 m long. In 2013, two superconducting coils have been fabricated, making use of two different types of superconductor. In 2014 and 2015, the coils were tested both in a single and in a double-coil configuration in a support structure based on an external aluminum shell pre-loaded with water-pressurized bladders. In this paper, we describe the design of the RMC magnet and its coils, provide the main parameters of the superconductor, and report the results of three powering tests, focusing on quench performance, training, and quench locations.