Superconducting-magnet electrical circuit offering quench protection
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorDan Arthur Gross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A superconductive-magnet electrical circuit includes a superconductive-coil assemblage having a second coil portion coupled in series with and between first and third coil portions with the third coil portion coupled in series with and between the second and a fourth coil portion. A bipolar current-bypass electrical-circuit element (such as a pair of diodes opposingly coupled together in parallel) has: an impedance less than generally one-thousandth that of the coil portions; a first terminal coupled in parallel with the first and second coil portions; and a second terminal coupled in parallel with the third and fourth coil portions. A localized quench in one coil portion will be quickly shared with the other coil portions to reduce damage from the quench.
Claims9
A superconductive-magnet electrical circuit comprising:
- a) a superconductive-coil assemblage including first, second, third, and fourth superconductive-coil portions together having a total electrical impedance, wherein said second superconductive-coil portion is coupled in series with and between said first and third superconductive-coil portions, wherein said third superconductive-coil portion is coupled in series with and between said second and fourth superconductive-coil portions, wherein said first and second superconductive-coil portions abut each other and together define a generally annular-shaped first superconductive coil having a generally longitudinally-extending first axis, wherein said third and fourth superconductive-coil portions abut each other and together define a generally annular-shaped second superconductive coil having a generally longitudinally-extending second axis, wherein said second superconductive coil is longitudinally spaced apart from said first superconductive coil, and wherein said second axis is generally coaxially aligned with said first axis;
- and
- b) a bipolar currant-bypass electrical-circuit element having a first terminal, a second terminal, and an electrical impedance less than generally one-thousandth of said total electrical impedance, wherein said bipolar current-bypass electrical-circuit element is coupled to said superconductive-coil assemblage only through said first and second terminals, wherein said first terminal is only coupled to said superconductive-coil assemblage in parallel with said first and second superconductive-coil portions, and wherein said second terminal is only coupled to said superconductive-coil assemblage in parallel with said third and fourth superconductive-coil portions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.