Quench detection of superconducting magnets using ultrasonic wave

Abstract

An ultrasonic quench-detection method for superconducting magnets is presented. This nondestructive method monitors the change of the acoustic transfer function of a superconducting magnet induced by a local temperature rise or an epoxy crack. Experiments were carried out on a small epoxy-impregnated magnet. The experimental results show that a local temperature rise of about 2-3 K can be detected by this method. It is concluded that the technique can provide early quench warning by monitoring continuously the change of the acoustic transfer function of the magnet.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>