Superconducting Magnet Apparatus and Method of Operating Same

• Main Authors: Parizh, Michael, Bray, James William, Wu, Anbo, Stautner, Ernst Wolfgang, Xu, Minfeng
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.05.2021
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRICITY; GENERATION; HEATING; INDUCTANCES; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MAGNETS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES; TRANSFORMERS; WEAPONS; WIND MOTORS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS

A superconducting magnet apparatus includes a plurality of superconducting magnet coil sections connected in series and housed within a cryogenically cooled, vacuum container. A power source generates a current. A first lead is electrically connected to the superconducting magnet coil sections. A second lead is enclosed entirely within the vacuum container. The second lead has a first section and a second section, and the first section is electrically connected to the power source. The second section is electrically connected to the first lead, and rigidly connected to a linear displacement device enclosed entirely within the vacuum container. The linear displacement device linearly displaces the second section relative to the first section, so that the first section contacts the second section thereby electrically connecting the first and second sections, or by creating a gap between the first section and second section thereby electrically disconnecting the first section from the second section.