• S.A. Kahn, R.P. Johnson, M. Turenne
  Muons, Inc, Batavia
• F. Hunte, J. Schwartz
  NHMFL, Tallahassee, Florida

High temperature superconductors (HTS) have been shown to carry significant current density in the presence of extremely high magnetic fields when operated at low temperature. The successful design of magnets needed for high energy physics applications using such high field superconductor depends critically on the detailed wire or conductor parameters which are still under development and not yet well-defined. The HTS is being developed for accelerator use by concentrating on the design of solenoid magnet that will have a useful role in cooling muon beam phase space. A conceptual design of a high field solenoid using YBCO conductor is being analyzed. Mechanical properties of the HTS conductors will be measured along with engineering current densities (JE) as a function of temperature and strain to extend the HTS specifications to conditions needed for low temperature applications. HTS quench properties are proposed to be measured and quench protection schemes developed for the solenoid magnet.

• M. Turenne, R.P. Johnson
  Muons, Inc, Batavia
• F. Hunte, J. Schwartz
  NHMFL, Tallahassee, Florida

Funding: Supported in part by DOE SBIR grant DE-FG02-08ER85024

Optical fibers can be imbedded within new high temperature superconductor (HTS) magnets to monitor strain and temperature, to detect quenches, and, in the case of AgX/Ag/Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox, (Bi2212) wire magnets, to serve as a heat treatment process monitor for wind-and-react (W&R) manufacturing. The W&R process requires that the optical fibers be installed before the Bi2212 heat treatment, one important issue is whether the fibers survive the 890 oC heat treatment so as to monitor the heat treatment and to serve subsequently as a low temperature monitor. Here, Au-coated optical fibers are attached to Bi2212 wires and processed with the typical reaction cycle. The Bi2212 superconductor is then evaluated for performance degradation due to the presence of the fiber and the fiber is evaluated for performance degradation due to the heat treatment and viability as a heat treatment process monitor. Two approaches to fiber optic sensing are used: a fiber Bragg grating and Rayleigh scattering

• F. Hunte, J. Schwartz, H. Song
  NHMFL, Tallahassee, Florida
• R.P. Johnson, M. Turenne
  Muons, Inc, Batavia

Magnetic confinement fusion reactors (tokamaks) require the development of magnets capable of generating large fields under stringent structural constraints. High temperature superconducting magnets which are well suited to this application are however vulnerable to quench occurrence during operation. Temperature and strain sensors based on fiber optics are being developed as a countermeasure to this contingency. Optical fibers with Bragg gratings are amenable to embedding within superconducting magnets to monitor temperature, strain, irradiation, and to detect quench occurrence. In a length of YBCO tape where quench propagation velocities are slow, we show that it is possible to detect the event occurrence using fiber optic sensors even with a sampling rate as low as 1 Hz. This preliminary result demonstrates the feasibility of using fiber optic sensors to monitor the temperature and strain condition along the length within a coil. These sensors could be used to provide feedback to or trigger magnet protection systems. This would be an invaluable method for mitigating damage to superconducting magnets and increasing up-time for reactors.