Control system for charging of non/partially insulated superconducting magnets and related techniques

A system comprising:

• a superconducting magnet comprising a coil of superconducting material, the coil comprising two electrical terminals, wherein windings of the coil are separated by a metallic conductor, wherein the superconducting magnet has no or partial electrical insulation between respective turns of the superconducting magnet;
• a control circuit coupled to the two electrical terminals to drive a current through the coil to charge the superconducting magnet, and configured to provide a current through the coil that is sufficiently small to avoid a quenching effect of the superconducting magnet but also large enough to charge the superconducting magnet within a predetermined time period wherein the control circuit is configured to:
• receive a sensed physical characteristic of the superconducting magnet from a sensor;
• determine an electrical parameter to supply to the superconducting magnet based on the sensed physical characteristic and a model of the superconducting magnet stored in a computer-readable storage medium;
• and
• provide the determined electrical parameter to the superconducting magnet having no or partial electrical insulation between respective turns of the superconducting magnet;
• and
• a cooling structure thermally coupled to the coil to remove heat caused by charging the superconducting magnet with the current to allow for the current to be sufficiently large to charge the superconducting magnet within the predetermined time period without causing the quenching effect.