Protection technique for superconducting magnets
US4956740A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 4, 1987 |
| Grant date | Sep 11, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E40/60
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electrical resistance device which comprises a resistance element and a superconducting gate element electrically connected in series therewith. The normal state resistance of the superconducting gate element is substantially greater than the resistance of the resistance element. A plurality of such devices can be used with the windings of a superconducting magnet, for example, to protect the windings thereof if the temperature of a particular winding region rises rapidly (the winding region quenches) due to operational instabilities, for example. At a quench the voltage at the winding region being quenched is applied to all the other devices at the other windings to generate heat at such devices in response to a relatively small voltage increase at the initially quenched region. Each of the other winding regions is thereby quenched and the gate elements thereof are triggered into their normal resistive states so that the current in the devices is reduced to a safe level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.