US 11,749,434 B2
Strain—or magnetic field-based quench detection
Robert Slade, Abingdon (GB); and Rod Bateman, Abingdon (GB)
Assigned to Tokamak Energy Ltd, Abingdon (GB)
Appl. No. 17/776,522
Filed by Tokamak Energy Ltd, Abingdon (GB)
PCT Filed Nov. 10, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/081677
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 12, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/094333, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1916454 (GB), filed on Nov. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0384073 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. H01F 6/02 (2006.01); G21B 1/05 (2006.01); H01F 6/06 (2006.01)
CPC H01F 6/02 (2013.01) [G21B 1/057 (2013.01); H01F 6/06 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of detecting conditions likely to cause a quench in a superconducting magnet comprising a plurality of HTS field coils, each field coil comprising:
a plurality of turns comprising HTS material and metallic stabilizer; and
a conductive material connecting the turns such that current can be shared radially between turns via the conductive material;
the method comprising:
monitoring strain and/or a magnetic field of each HTS field coil;
comparing the monitored strain and/or magnetic field for each HTS field coil to the monitored strain and/or magnetic field of at least one other HTS field coil of the plurality of HTS field coils; and
in response to said comparison, determining whether one or more of the HTS field coils is likely to quench.