Smart CORC® Cable Terminations with Integrated Quench Detection

Advanced magnet systems for fusion would greatly benefit from the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). Quench detection in HTS magnets is challenging due to the low quench propagation speed in these materials. Advanced quench detection methods need to be developed to allow safe operation of HTS magnets. This proposal seeks to develop smart terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays for quench detection for HTS Conductor on Round Core (CORC®) cables and cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICC) for fusion magnets. The Hall probe arrays would allow detection of current redistribution in multi-tape magnet cables, and between cables in CICC, caused by the development of a local hot spot that may result in a quench. During the Phase I program, we’ve successfully demonstrated the feasibility of Hall probe arrays integrated within, or near the terminations of CORC® cables and CICC to detect the onset of a quench. The method, based on local sensors, was able to reliably detect the formation of a hotspot located some distance away, which presents a breakthrough in quench detection that typically depends on voltage wires that are co-wound with the magnet windings. During Phase II, the quench detection method will be developed into a commercial product. CORC® cable and CICC terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays will be manufactured, together with the associated hardware and algorithms needed to generate the quench trigger signal that would activate the magnet quench protection system. The system will be rigorously tested on long CORC® cables and a small CORC®-CICC magnet. High-temperature superconducting magnet cable and CICC terminations with integrated Hall probe arrays will allow reliable quench detection in HTS magnets and enable safe operation of the next generation of fusion magnets, accelerator magnets for high-energy physics experiments and proton cancer treatment facilities, and scientific magnets. HTS cables with smart terminations will also benefit superconducting magnetic energy storage systems for use in the power grid and within the Department of Defense.