Superconducting magnet device

• US 9,620,272 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakayama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ISMAIL, SHAWKI SAIF
• Assistant Examiner(s): Homza, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US14/618,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20150270045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 335216
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 19/006 Thermal coupling structure or interface
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/04 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/06 Coils, e.g. winding, insulating, terminating or casing arrangements therefor

Abstract

A permanent current switch device of a refrigerator cooling-type superconducting magnet includes a superconducting coil cooled by solid thermal conduction and a permanent current switch. A heat transfer member is thermally connected to a cooling stage and is structured to be inserted into and removable from a former of the permanent current switch. Due to differences in thermal expansion between the heat transfer member and the former, a permanent current mode can be stably maintained.

Claims

1. A superconducting magnet device comprising:

a refrigerator having a cooling stage;

a tubular former having a hollow structure;

a permanent current switch formed by a superconducting wire wound on the former;

a heater to heat the former;

a heat transfer member that has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than the former and that has a shape that is insertable in the former when the former is thermally expanded by the heater;

an elastic thermal conductor connecting the heat transfer member and the cooling stage; and

a superconducting coil connected in parallel to the permanent current switch.

2. The superconducting magnet device according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the heat transfer member on a plane perpendicular to a vertical direction is equal to or smaller than the inner-diameter cross section of the former when the former is thermally expanded, and greater than the inner-diameter cross section of the former when the former is thermally contracted.

3. The superconducting magnet device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a thermal insulation support member connected to the heat transfer member; and

a drive unit which is connected to the thermal insulation support member and moves the heat transfer member via the thermal insulation support member;

wherein the drive unit moves the heat transfer member in a first direction to insert the heat transfer member into the former when the former is thermally expanded by the heater, and the drive unit moves the heat transfer member in a second direction to extract the heat transfer member from the former when the former is thermally expanded by the heater.

4. The superconducting magnet device according to claim 3, wherein the cooling stage includes a high-temperature cooling stage and a low-temperature cooling stage,

the heat transfer member includes a first heat transfer member and a second heat transfer member,

the elastic thermal conductor includes a first elastic thermal conductor and a second elastic thermal conductor

the high-temperature cooling stage is thermally connected to the first heat transfer member by the first elastic thermal conductor,

the low-temperature cooling stage is thermally connected to the second heat transfer member by the second elastic thermal conductor, and

the first heat transfer member and the second heat transfer member are connected to the thermal insulation support member and spaced apart from each other by a longer length than a vertical length of the former.

5. The superconducting magnet device according to claim 2, wherein the heat transfer member is fixed by a predetermined contact pressure with the former in the hollow structure of the former when the former is thermally contracted.