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The development of coils that can survive a quench is crucial for demonstrating the viability of MgB2-based main magnet coils used in MRI systems. Here we have studied the performance and quench properties of a large (outer diameter: 901 mm; winding pack: 44 mm thick × 50.6 mm high) conduction-cooled, react-and-wind, MgB2 superconducting coil. Minimum quench energy (MQE) values were measured at several coil operating currents (Iop), and distinguished from the minimum energy needed to generate a normal zone (MGE). During these measurements, normal zone propagation velocities (NZPV) were also determined using multiple voltage taps placed around the heater zone. The conduction cooled coil obtained a critical current (Ic) of 186 A at 15 K. As the operating currents (Iop) varied from 80 to 175 A, MQE ranged from 152 to 10 J, and NZPV increased from 1.3 to 5.5 cm s−1. Two kinds of heater were involved in this study: (1) a localized heater (‘test heater’) used to initiate the quench, and (2) a larger ‘protection heater’ used to protect the coil by distributing the normal zone after a quench was detected. The protection heater was placed on the outside surface of the coil winding. The test heater was also placed on the outside surface of the coil at a small opening made in the protection heater. As part of this work, we also developed and tested an active protection scheme for the coil. Such active protection schemes are of great interest for MgB2-based MRIs because they permit exploitation of the relatively large MQE values of MgB2 to enable the use of higher Je values which in turn lead to competitive MgB2 MRI designs. Finally, the ability to use a quench detection voltage to fire a protection heater as part of an active protection scheme was also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A react-and-wind MgB2 coil segment for a conduction-cooled magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine has been fabricated and tested. The coil was developed as part of a collaborative effort on a conduction-cooled, MgB2-based, whole-body MRI image guided radiation therapy device. This study focuses on the fabrication, winding, instrumentation, cooling, and initial critical current (Ic) testing of this near-full-size MgB2 segment coil. The coil was 0.9 m in diameter; the winding pack, 44.0 mm wide × 50.6 mm high, used 1.7 km of an 18 filament MRI-style conductor with Nb chemical barriers, Cu interfilamentary matrices, and an outer monel sheath. The conductor was insulated and reacted before winding onto a stainless steel former. The coil was instrumented with Cernox and E-type thermocouple temperature sensors, strain sensors, and voltage taps. The conduction-cooled coil was mounted in a cryostat capable of accepting coils of up to 0.9 m in diameter and 0.5 m in height. Critical current measurements were performed as a function of temperature during a controlled heating of the coil. The operational target was I = 200 A at 13 K. The full magnet was designed to produce 0.75 T in the imaging area (at I = 200 A), with a maximum field of 1.93 T in the winding. The single segment coil measured here exceeded this operation specification, with an Ic of 280 A at 15 K and a maximum field 1.93 T in the winding. The coil was modeled using a finite element method, and a load line plot showed that 100% of short sample was reached at 21.5 K and above. These measurements demonstrate the viability of conduction-cooled MgB2 background coils as replacements for liquid helium cooled NbTi background coils in future MRI devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation and propagation of quench induced by a local heat disturbance or by overcurrents in MgB2 Rutherford cables have been studied experimentally. The analysed cable is composed of 12 strands of monocore MgB2/Nb/Cu10Ni wire and has a transposition length of about 27 mm. Measurements of intra- and inter-strand voltages have been performed to analyse the superconducting-to-normal transition behaviour of these cables during quench. In case of external hot-spots, two different time-dynamic regimes have been observed, a slow stage for the formation of the minimum propagation zone (MPZ), and a fast dynamics once the quench is triggered and propagates to the rest of the cable. Significant local variations of the quench propagation velocity across the strands around the MPZ have been observed, but with average quench propagation velocities closely correlated with the predictions given by one-dimensional-geometry models. For quench induced by overcurrents (i.e. with applied currents higher than the critical current) the nucleation of many normal zones distributed within the cable, which overlap during quench propagation, gives a distinctive and faster quench dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two types of Rutherford cables made of two strand layers of commercial MgB2 wires manufactured by Hyper Tech Research, Inc. have been made. Flat rectangular cables consisting of 12 single-core MgB2/Nb/Cu10Ni, or 6-filaments MgB2/Nb/Cu strands, both of diameter 390 mewm, were assembled using a back-twist cabling machine with transposition length of 20 mm. In order to analyze impact of the cable compaction on critical currents, cables were two-axially rolled, each by a single step reduction of 3.5%−29.7% to thickness range of 0.775−0.62 mm. It was found that by increasing the packing factor (PF) of cable above 0.79, the critical current begins to increase. It is improved nearly two times up to the PF limit 0.89. Compaction over the PF limit introduced cable degradation and decrease of critical current. Bending tests applied to cables showed that critical current degradation starts below the bending diameter 120 mm for 6-filaments Cu sheath and 70 mm for single-core Cu10Ni sheath cable. Tensile tests showed similar irreversible strain values for the both types of cables. Rutherford cables assembled of single-core strands are promising for low field (2.7−4 T) applications where low bending diameters are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present the results of critical current (Ic) measurements of MgB2 wires made with two different set-ups of the four-point probe method: current sweep type—constant magnetic field and increasing current, and field sweep type—constant current and rapidly increasing magnetic field. Results from magnet field sweep type measurements can be interpreted by a new physical concept—a jump of the electric field in low magnetic fields. This physical concept can be correlated with damages in the Nb-barrier existing in the MgB2 wire and be employed as a detection scheme. The damage in Nb barrier reduces critical current density (Jc) and complicates the study on critical temperature (Tc), upper critical field (Bc2), irreversible magnetic field (Birr), pinning force (Fp), and pinning centers in superconducting MgB2 wires. Our proposed method to detect damages in Nb barrier would benefit efforts in development and applications of MgB2 wires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifilamentary MgB2 wires were annealed under the high pressure of low-friction, solid state media such as BN and graphite powders. The idea was to replace the hot isostatic pressing in argon medium, which is beneficial to wires transport properties but is difficult for application on an industrial scale. The experimental results show that annealing in BN or graphite under 200 MPa leads to enhancement of the critical current, similar to that observed earlier for high pressure argon annealing. An unwanted effect of the process is the flattening of the round wires, which after the treatment yields an elliptical cross section with b to a ratio of around 85 ± 5%. Comparison of critical currents and microstructure of samples synthesized with different parameters are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unreacted MgB2 wires were made at Hyper Tech Research, USA by a continuous tube forming and filling method using mixtures of Mg and B with and without SiC powder additions. All of the wires underwent hot isostatic pressure (HIP) treatment at the Institute of High Pressure. The first part of the wire was annealed at a pressure of 1 GPa, and the second part was annealed at 0.1 MPa. In this work, we show the influence of high pressure on critical current density (Jc), pinning force (Fp), critical temperature (Tc), irreversible magnetic fields (Birr) and the Fp scaling and microstructure of MgB2 wires. The results obtained indicate that after annealing at high pressure, the MgB2 wires show increases of Jc and Fp in high magnetic fields (8 T–12 T); in SiC doped MgB2 wires, Fpmax shifts to higher magnetic fields. We also compared the Jc of the doped and undoped MgB2 wires (without HIP and with HIP). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that HIP increases the density of MgB2 material and improves its uniformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 12.5 kVA, MgB2 superconductor transformer was designed as five alternating stacked coils between the primary and the secondary windings. Hyper Tech Research Inc. (Hyper Tech) manufactured multifilament MgB2 superconductor wire by using a patented process called the continuous tube filling and forming (CTFF) process. The CTFF MgB2 conductor was insulated with yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) using the chemical solution coating process. An all-copper former was designed and fabricated with an OD of 71 mm, ID of 42 mm and heights of 12 mm and 8 mm for primary and secondary coils, respectively. Two primary and three secondary coils were fabricated using the sol-gel insulated MgB2 wire using the W&R coil technology. One of the primary coils was tested at 4.2 K which showed better than 250 A engineering critical current. These five coils were then stacked as in the design in alternating fashion and connected and instrumented for testing. The transformer was cooled in He gas first then in liquid helium. The tests showed that the individual coils, the primary and the secondary windings performed better than the design currents. Also the open-circuit tests of the transformer showed that 1:1 transfer was achieved. This article was originally submitted for the special issue 'Selected papers from the International Conference on Superconductivity and Magnetism (ICSM2008) (Side, Turkey, 25-29 August 2008)', Superconductor Science and Technology, volume 22, issue 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]