Description:
Quench Protection of Superconducting Coils using Inductively Coupled Conductors
Princeton Docket # 24-4076-1
Inventors at PPPL have conceived an invention focused on the protection of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) electromagnets. The innovation hinges on an integrated design method that employs inductively coupled normal-conducting elements embedded within the HTS coil winding. During a quench event, when the superconducting current decreases rapidly, the embedded conductor is induced with current, facilitating uniform propagation of the quench and effectively protecting the superconducting coil. Moreover, this technology doubles as a quench detector, simplifying the detection process with local sensors, such as Hall sensors or Rogowski sensors. During normal operation, the embedded conductors function as thermal conductors, helping to cool and stabilize the superconducting coil. This ensures robust quench protection for a wide range of HTS coils and is especially beneficial for large or high-field magnets.
This new approach solves existing challenges by integrating engineered dump inductors into the coil design. These inductors serve as both normal-metal insulators during standard coil operation and fast energy extractors during quench events. This not only boosts coil winding pack current density and structural integrity but also eliminates the need for organic insulation and vacuum impregnation in the coil winding process.
Applications
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Fusion energy
- Medical proton therapy
- High-temperature superconducting electromagnets research
Advantages
Inventor
Michael Zarnstorff is Chief Scientist at PPPL, where he oversees research that ranges from testing ideas for harnessing fusion to developing rockets for space flight. His job encompasses keeping projects aligned with DOE goals and envisioning new research opportunities for PPPL. An award-winning physicist and a co-discoverer of the bootstrap current in magnetically confined fusion plasmas, he joined PPPL in 1984 and was Deputy Director for Research from 2009 to 2019.
Yuhu Zhai is the head of the PPPL superconducting magnet program and lead engineer for the NSTX-U recovery project.
Intellectual Property Status
Princeton is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Contact
Tony Williams
Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing
(609) 258-3769 • anthonyw@princeton.edu
Laurie Bagley
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(609) 243-2425 • lbagley@pppl.gov