R. Hanft

About the mechanics of SSC dipole magnet prototypes

During the last two years, nine 4‐cm aperture, 17‐m‐long dipole magnet prototypes were produced by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under contact with the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Laboratory. These prototypes are the last phase of a half‐decade‐long R&D program, carried out in collaboration with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of the SSC main‐ring dipole magnets. They also lay the groundwork for the 5‐cm‐aperture dipole magnet program now underway. After reviewing the design features of the BNL 4‐cm‐aperture, 17‐m‐long dipole magnets, we describe in detail the various steps of their fabrication. For each step, we discuss the paramaters that need to be mastered, and we compare the values that were achieved for the nine most recent prototypes. The data appear coherent and reproducible, demonstrating that the assembly process is under control. We then analyze the mechanical behavior of these magnets during cool...

Fermilab r & d Test Facility for SSC Magnets

The test facility used for R&D testing of full scale development dipole magnets for the SSC is described. The Fermilab Magnet Test Facility, originally built for production testing of Tevatron magnets, has been substantially modified to allow testing also of SSC magnets. Two of the original six test stands have been rebuilt to accommodate testing of SSC magnets at pressures between 1.3 Atm and 4 Atm and at temperatures between 1.8 K and 4.8 K and the power system has been modified to allow operation to at least 8 kA. Recent magnets have been heavily instrumented with voltage taps to allow detailed study of quench location and propagation and with strain gage based stress, force and motion transducers. A data acquisition system has been built with a capacity to read from each SSC test stand up to 220 electrical quench signals, 32 dynamic pressure, temperature and mechanical transducer signals during quench and up to 200 high precision, low time resolution, pressure, temperature and mechanical transducer signals. The quench detection and protection systems is also described.

Tests of full scale SSC R&D dipole magnets

Four full-scale SSC (Superconducting Super Collider) research and development dipole magnets, incorporating successive mechanical design improvements, have been quench-tested. Three of the magnets are heavily instrumented with sensors to measure their mechanical behavior and verify the effectiveness of the mechanical improvements and with multiple voltage taps to locate the origin of quenches. The last two magnets of this series reach the SSC design operating field of 6.6 T in two or fewer quenches. Load cells and motion sensors show that in these two magnets the azimuthal clamping stress is higher at zero current and drops more slowly with excitation that in previous long magnets, and that the axial motion of the coil upon excitation has been greatly reduced. Quenches are found to originate preferentially in several locations, suggesting other design improvements. >

Performance of full-length SSC model dipoles: Results from 1988 tests

Over the past year, magnets that meet the SSC field and quench training criteria have been developed as a result of the detailed understanding of magnet performance made possible by tests on a series of model magnets. The SSC dipole magnet design is a cos θ style coil with a 4-cm aperture and a magnetic length of 16.6 m. The design operating field is 6.6 T at a current of 6.5 kVA. Design, fabrication, and testing of full-length model magnets has been a cooperative effort among the SSC Central Design group and three major national laboratories: BNL, FNAL, and LBL.

Full length prototype SSC dipole test results

Results are presented from tests of the first full length prototype SSC dipole magnet. The cryogenic behavior of the magnet during a slow cooldown to 4.5K and a slow warmup to room temperature has been measured. Magnetic field quality was measured at currents up to 2000 A. Averaged over the body field all harmonics with the exception of b 2 and b 8 are at or within the tolerances specified by the SSC Central Design Group. (The values of b 2 and b 8 result from known design and construction defects which will be corrected in later magnets.) Using an NMR probe the average body field strength is measured to be 10.283 G/A with point to point variations on the order of one part in 1000. Data are presented on quench behavior of the magnet up to 3500 A (approximately 55% of full field) including longitudinal and transverse velocities for the first 250 msec of the quench.

Quench Characteristics of Full-Length SSC R&D Dipole Magnets

Several 17-meter-long SSC R&D dipole magnets, instrumented with numerous voltage taps on the inner quarter coils, have been tested. These magnets, protected with quench heaters, differed in mechanical details as well as in the cables used for the winding. The voltage taps enabled us to measure longitudinal and azimuthal quench propagation velocities. Summary plots of these velocities are presented showing that, even though the Fourier conduction model doesn’t apply, the mechanism of the quench is reproducible from magnet to magnet. Correlations are established between the velocities and the fraction of short sample. After showing that for currents higher than 5000 A the magnet is self-protected, we investigate the relation between the number of MIITs and the quench characteristics.

Status of 4-cm Aperture, 17-m-Long SSC Dipole Magnet R&D Program at BNL Part I: Magnet Assembly

Over the last year-and-a-half, several 4-cm-aperture, 17-m-long dipole magnet prototypes were built by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) under contract with the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Laboratory. These prototypes are the last phase of a half-decade-long R D program, carried out in collaboration with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of the SSC main ring dipole magnets. They also prepare the way of the 5-cm-aperture dipole magnet program to be started soon. In this paper, we analyze the mechanical behavior of the BNL prototypes during cool-down and excitation, and we attempt to relate this behavior to the magnet features. The data reveal that the mechanical behavior is sensitive to the vertical collar-yoke interference, and that the magnets exhibited somewhat erratic changes in coil end-loading during cool-down. 9 refs., 6 figs.

Results of magnetic field measurements of 40 mm aperture 17-m long SSC model collider dipole magnets

Magnetic field measurements have been made on twelve 17-m-long, 40-mm-aperture R&D superconducting dipoles. Data on dipole field strength, multipole coefficients, and alignment have been obtained. The data indicate that the magnets as built are generally within the expectations for this design. >

Test results of BNL built 40-mm aperture, 17-m-long SSC collider dipole magnets

Eleven 17-m-long, 40-mm-aperture SSC (Superconducting Super Collider) R&D superconducting collider dipole magnets, built at BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory), have been extensively tested at BNL and Fermilab during 1990-1. Quench performance of these magnets and details of their mechanical behavior are presented. Although the quench performance of the most recent magnets shows slightly more quenches than expected, there is now a better understanding of the mechanical behavior of these magnets. The baseline design leads to reasonable quench performance. The quench performance of the DC series magnets seems to indicate a strong sensitivity to change in design parameters, key among them being the collar-yoke interference and the coil end loading. >

Investigation of Heater-Induced Quenches in a Full-Length SSC R&D Dipole

A 17-m-long SSC R&D dipole magnet instrumented with quench heaters and numerous voltage taps has been tested. These voltage taps enable (1) accurate localization of the quench start, (2) detailed studies of quench development, and (3) determination of coil temperature rise during a quench. The hot-spot temperature is determined by measuring the resistance of the conductor in the vicinity of the heater and is plotted versus number of MIITs. Measured temperatures are found to be in good agreement with predictions based on the assumption that the conductor is heated adiabatically. Finally, a limit to be imposed on the number of MIITs to operate the magnet safely is determined.