Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC

Novum Industria LLC

Ion Beam Applications S.a.

Alexey L Radovinsky

Leslie Bromberg

Philip Michael

Joseph V Minervini

Timothy A Antaya

Zachary S Hartwig

John D Wright

Rui Vieira

William Beck

Brandon N Sorbom

Martin Greenwald

James Irby

Brian Labombard

Robert Mumgaard

Daniel Brunner

Jeffrey Doody

Lihua Zhou

Robert S Granetz

Alexander Zhukovsky

Phillip C Michael

Syun'ichi Shiraiwa

Chiping Chen

Jing Zhou

Joel Henry Schultz

Ronak J Bhatt

Eric Forton

Jun Feng

Shunichi Shiraiwa

Stanislaw P Sobczynski

Emma Pearson

Peisi Le

Valery Fishman

Peter H Titus

Bradford A Smith

Described herein are concepts, system and techniques which provide a means to construct robust high-field superconducting magnets using simple fabrication techniques and modular components that scale well toward commercialization. The resulting magnet assembly&#x2014;which utilizes non-insulated, high temperature superconducting tapes (HTS) and provides for optimized coolant pathways&#x2014;is inherently strong structurally, which enables maximum utilization of the high magnetic fields available with HTS technology. In addition, the concepts described herein provide for control of quench-induced current distributions within the tape stack and surrounding superstructure to safely dissipate quench energy, while at the same time obtaining acceptable magnet charge time. The net result is a structurally and thermally robust, high-field magnet assembly that is passively protected against quench fault conditions.

Grooved, stacked-plate superconducting magnets and electrically conductive terminal blocks and related construction techniques

Grooved, stacked-plate superconducting magnets and electrically conductive terminal blocks

A magnet for transporting a particle beam in a target magnet field may include a first set of coils and a second set of coils. According to some aspects, the first and second set of coils may be configured to generate a combined desired magnetic field within the bore and may be configured to generate a combined magnetic field weaker than the desired magnetic field outside the bore.

Ironless, actively-shielded, variable field magnet for medical gantries

Ions are released over time from an ion source into a beam area proximate a central axis. A radiofrequency (RF) system with a variable frequency and variable voltage accelerates the ions in orbiting trajectories expanding outward from the central axis. The ions are accelerated to different extraction energy levels within a given design range at a shared extraction radius from the central axis. An RF-frequency versus ion-time-of-flight scenario is set such that the frequency versus time scenario is the same for any ion extraction energy from the given design range, and a constant-or-variable-RF-voltage versus ion-time-of-flight scenario is adjusted to provide ion acceleration from injection to extraction for ions with different respective extraction energy levels within the given design range; and the ions are extracted at the different energy levels at the shared extraction radius.

Particle acceleration in a variable-energy synchrocyclotron by a single-tuned variable-frequency drive

A method of connecting prefabricated pieces of an HTS cable onsite is disclosed. This quick and reliable procedure of connecting pieces of HTS cable adds to the flexibility of designing and installing power transmission and distribution grids. The joint can also be dissembled such that it can be dismantled for replacing the cable on one side of the connection. The joint can then be reassembled with a new cable in its place. This facilitates repairing the electrical grid in case of local damage to the cable, as well as reconfiguring the grid in case this is required. The complexity of creating demountable HTS cable joints is due to the necessity to create and maintain continuity of several media across the joint along the length of the cable. Various combinations of design options satisfying these requirements are possible.

Field makeable cryostat/current connections for an HTS tape power cable

Various SMES systems that include two magnets in a single cryostat are disclosed. These dual SMES systems can be used, for example, to provide uninterrupted power to a data center. The two coil sets are arranged such that they are magnetically decoupled from each other. In one embodiment, a toroidal coil set is used as the primary coil set. The toroidal coil set has a plurality of toroidal field (TF) coils extending radially outward and evenly spaced in the circumferential direction. The second coil set may be a solenoidal coil set having a main coil and a plurality of shielding coils. The toroidal coil set may be disposed in the space between the main coil and the shielding coils of the solenoidal coil set. Alternate designs are also presented.

Inductively decoupled dual SMES in a single cryostat

The invention specifies the use of feedback in the radio frequency (RF) drive for a synchrocyclotron, controlling the phase and/or amplitude of the accelerating field as a means to assure optimal acceleration of the beam, to increase the average beam current and to alter the beam orbit in order to allow appropriate extraction as the beam energy is varied. The effect of space charge is reduced by rapid acceleration and extraction of the beam, and the repetition rate of the pulses can be increased. Several means are presented to monitor the phase of the beam in synchrocyclotrons and to adjust the phase and amplitude of the RF to optimize the acceleration of the beam and to adjust the extraction and injection of the beam. Also, the use of a pulsed ion source that matches the acceptance window of the synchrocyclotron is described.

Phase-lock loop synchronization between beam orbit and RF drive in synchrocyclotrons

A cyclotron for ion acceleration is magnetically shielded during ion acceleration by passing electrical current in the same direction through both the first and second superconducting primary coils. A first magnetic-field-shielding coil is on the same side of the mid plane as the first superconducting primary coil, while a second magnetic-field-shielding coil is on the same side of the midplane as the second superconducting primary coil and beyond the outer radius of the second superconducting primary coil. Electrical current is also passed through the magnetic-field-shielding coils in a direction opposite to the direction in which electrical current is passed through the superconducting primary coils and generates a canceling magnetic field that reduces the magnetic field generated at radii from the central axis beyond the magnetic-field-shielding coils.

Ultra-light, magnetically shielded, high-current, compact cyclotron

A plurality of magnetic extraction bumps are incorporated into a cyclotron that further includes (a) a pair of magnetic coils encircling a central axis and positioned on opposite sides of a median acceleration plane and (b) a magnetic yoke encircling the central axis and including a return yoke that crosses the median acceleration plane and a first and second pole on opposite sides of the median acceleration plane. The magnetic extraction bumps extend in series radially from the central axis on opposite sides of the median acceleration plane and can be used to extract an orbiting accelerated ion from the cyclotron.

Compensated precessional beam extraction for cyclotrons

A system and method to connect a cryocooler (refrigerator) to a superconducting magnet or cooled object allows for replacement without the need to break the cryostat vacuum or the need to warm up the superconducting magnet or other cooled object. A pneumatic or other type of actuator establishes a thermo-mechanical coupling. The mechanical closing forces are directed perpendicular (cross-axially) to the cryocooler axis and are not applied to the thin wall cryocooler body or to the thin cryostat walls or to the cooled object or to its shield. It is also possible that some of the compressive force be transferred to the cryocooler body. In that case, the extensions are designed so that the forces transferred to the cryocooler thermal stages do not exceed allowable stresses in the cryocooler stage. Additionally the device provides the possibility of easy inspection and cleaning of the thermal contacting surfaces of the cryostat cold and intermediate stations from the bonded chips of compressible gasket after the cryocooler retraction.

Cryogenic vacuum break thermal coupler with cross-axial actuation

A novel thermal coupler apparatus and method to couple a cryocooler or another cooling device to a superconducting magnet or cooled object allows for replacement without a need to break the cryostat vacuum or to warm up the superconducting magnet or other cooled object. A method uses a pneumatic actuator for coupling, and a retractable mechanical actuator for uncoupling. Mechanical closing forces are balanced between the intermediate temperature and low temperature cooling surfaces and do not transfer to the cooled object. The pneumatic actuator provides permanent control under mechanical closing forces in the thermal coupling.

Cryogenic vacuum break thermal coupler

A permanent magnet focusing system includes an electron gun that provides an electron ribbon beam having an elliptical shape. A plurality of permanent magnets provide transport for the electron ribbon beam. The permanent magnets produce a non-axisymmetric periodic permanent magnet (PPM) focusing field to allow the electron ribbon beam to be transported in the permanent magnet focusing system.

Non-axisymmetric periodic permanent magnet focusing system

A magnet structure for particle acceleration includes at least two coils that include a continuous path of superconducting material [e.g., niobium tin (NbSn) having an A15-type crystal structure] for electric current flow there through. The coils can be mounted in a bobbin, which together with the coils form a cold-mass structure. The coils are cooled to their superconducting temperatures via cryocoolers. Radial-tension members are coupled with the cold-mass structure to keep it centered, such that it remains substantially symmetrical about a central axis and is not pulled out of alignment by magnetic forces acting thereon. A wire can be wrapped around the coils, and a voltage can be applied thereto to quench the coils to prevent their operation of the coils in a partially superconducting condition, which may otherwise cause damage thereto. A magnetic yoke surrounds the cold-mass structure and includes a pair of poles that, in part, define an acceleration chamber there between. The inner surfaces of the poles have tapered profiles that establish a correct weak focusing requirement for ion and that reduce pole diameter by increasing energy gain versus radius. An integral magnetic shield is positioned about the yoke to contain magnetic fields emanating there from and can have a tortuous configuration to contain magnetic fields having a variety of orientations. The magnet structure can be very compact and can produce particularly high magnetic fields.

Magnet structure for particle acceleration

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Brookline, MA, United States of America

Alexey L Radovinsky