Stability Of Superconducting Magnet Systems Subject To Thermal Disturbances

The 1989 Cryogenic Engineering Conference, meeting jointly with the International Cryogenic Materials Conference, was held on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles from July 24 to 28. Professor T.H.K. Frederking was the conference chairman. The Conference had previously met at U.C.L.A. in 1962 and 1969. A special symposium, "A Half Century of Superfluid Helium," was a significant part of the program of CEC-89. We were especially fortunate to have Professor Jack Allen of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland present at the Conference; his paper, "Early Superfluidity in Cambridge, 1936 to 1939," was a delightful, often humorous account of the early experimental work with superfluid helium. Professors V.L. Ginzburg and J.L. Olesen could not be present for the Symposium, but provided papers which are published in these proceedings. The late Bill Fairbank, responding graciously to a last-minute invitation from Professor Frederking, presented a wonderful account of superfluid research in the United States in the post-war years.

I am indeed pleased to prepare this brief foreword for this book, written by several of my friends and colleagues in the Soviet Union. The book was first published in the Russian language in Moscow in 1975. The phenomenon of superconductivity was discovered in 1911 and promised to be important to the production of electromagnets since superconductors would not dissipate Joule heat. Unfortunate ly the first materials which were discovered to be superconducting reverted to the normal resistive state in magnetic fields of a few tesla. Thus the development that was hoped for by hundredths of a the early pioneers was destined to be delayed for over half a century. In 1961 the intermetallic compound NbaSn was found to be superconducting in a field of about 200 teslas. This breakthrough marked a turning point, and 50 years after the discovery of superconductivity an intensive period of technological development began. There are many applications of superconductivity that are now being pursued, but perhaps one of the most important is super conducting magnetic systems. There was a general feeling in the early 1960s that the intermetallic compounds and alloys that were found to retain superconductivity in the presence of high magnetic fields would make the commercialization of superconducting magnets a relatively simple matter. However, the next few years were ones of disillusionment; large magnets were found to be unstable, causing them to revert to the normal state at much lower magnetic fields than predicted.

In this definitive text in the field, the author gives a detailed account of the major problem of applied superconductivitiy-the stability of superconductors. His work focuses on the application of superconductiors to the construction of magnets. Students and engineers will discover the underlying principles of applied superconductivity and will learn how to solve mathematical problems with advanced methods of calculation.

Provides a theoretical basis for the quantitative engineering design of superconducting magnet systems, ranging from the small instrument magnets, in everyday use as research tools, to the very large magnet systems used for work on thermonuclear fusion and magnetohydrodynamic power generation.

Designed for graduate students in mechanical engineering, this textbook discusses the basic concepts of superconducting magnet technology. Important topics covered include field distribution, magnets, force, thermal stability, dissipation, and protection. To help the students excel in the field, each chapter contains tutorial problems, accompanied by solutions, utilizing solenoidal magnets as examples.