Ion beam switching magnet employing HTS coils

This paper describes the design, construction, and testing of an ion beam switching high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet installed at Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science (IGNS) in New Zealand. It was designed by a consortium comprising American Superconductor Corporation (ASC), ISYS, Applied Engineering Technologies (AET), the New Zealand Institute for Industrial Research and Development (IRL), and Alphatech. The work was also supported in part by New Zealand Foundation for Research and Technology-Technology for Business Growth Programme. The magnet generates 0.72 T in the airgap between two 410×700 mm warm iron poles. The Bi-2223 HTS coils are conduction-cooled with a single stage Gifford-McMahon (G-M) type cryocooler for steady-state operation. The magnet was fully tested at ASC during the fall of 1996. This represents the first large-scale fully operational HTS physics magnet announced so far. The successful operation of this magnet has verified maturation of HTS magnet technology employing conduction cooling techniques with G-M type cryocoolers. Long term operation of this magnet in continuous use will prove the reliability of HTS magnet systems in critical applications and is expected to open future opportunities for HTS in other related areas