A fast quench protection system for high-temperature superconducting magnets

For reaching very high magnetic fields in fully superconducting magnets, beyond 16 T for particle accelerators dipoles and beyond 23 T for solenoids, the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) is unavoidable. Due to the high minimum quench energy in HTS these coils are much more difficult to protect against quenches using conventional methods, such as quench heaters or coupling loss induced quench (CLIQ). Although it is possible to use a dump resistor on a short HTS magnet, extracting the energy externally, this does not provide a solution for longer magnets or magnets operated in a string, because the extraction voltage becomes unacceptably high. Here, a method named E 3 SPreSSO (External Energy Extraction Symbiotic Protection System for Series Operation) is proposed that allows for fast energy extraction in HTS magnets. The E 3 SPreSSO comprises of units with a near-zero self-inductance superconducting circuit, connected in series with the main magnet. When the protection is triggered, these devices are turned resistive, using quench heaters, overcurrent or CLIQ, causing them to absorb the energy of the system. The units can be located outside the main magnet and do not generate magnetic field. Therefore, it is possible to use relatively cost-efficient and robust Nb-Ti or possibly MgB 2 (at higher temperatures). This paper introduces the concept and provides an analytical method weighing the different options for designing the E 3 SPreSSO units themselves.