An anomaly detection system comprising a diagnostic interface and a data acquisition system capable of recording data indicating variation of voltages at tapping points in a superconducting magnet. Data representing those variations in voltages may be stored as a data log and a processor may analyze the data in order to identify a mechanical impact.

There is described a magnet assembly comprising a superconducting coil, a cryogenic system, a DC voltage source, an SMPS, current leads, and a controller. The cryogenic system comprises a cryostat and is configured to maintain the superconducting coil at an operating temperature below the critical temperature of the superconductor. The DC voltage is source located outside the cryostat. The SMPS is located inside the cryostat and configured to supply power from the DC voltage source to the superconducting coil. The SMPS comprises a voltage step-down transformer having a primary and a secondary winding. The current leads connect the DC voltage source to the SMPS. The controller is configured to cause the SMPS to supply a first amount of power to the magnet in order to ramp up the magnet to operating current, and a second amount of power to the magnet during steady state operation of the magnet, wherein the first amount of power is greater than the second amount of power.

A toroidal field coil comprising a central column, a plurality of return limbs, a quench protection system, and a cooling system. The central column comprises IITS material. Each return limb comprises a quenchable section, two IITS sections, and a quenching 5 system. The quenchable section comprises superconducting material, and is configured to contribute towards a magnetic field of the toroidal field coil. The IITS sections comprise IITS material. The IITS sections electrically connect the quenchable section to the central column and are in series with the central column and the quenchable section. The quenching system is associated with the quenchable section 10 and configured to quench the quenchable section. The quench protection system is configured to detect quenches in the toroidal field coil and, in response to detection of a quench, cause the quenching system to quench the superconducting material in one or more of the quenchable sections in order to dump energy from the toroidal field coil into the one or more quenchable sections. The cooling system is configured to cool each 15 quenchable section to a temperature at which the superconducting material is superconducting. Each quenchable section has a heat capacity sufficient to cause a temperature of the quenchable section to remain below a first predetermined temperature when energy is dumped from the toroidal field coil into the quenchable section, and a resistivity sufficient to cause decay of the magnet's current quickly 20 enough that the temperature of the quenched part of the HTS section remains below a second predetermined temperature.

A superconducting magnet device including a superconducting coil formed of a high-temperature superconducting wire, a power supply which supplies current to the superconducting coil, and a protector capable of forming a short-circuit path which short-circuits both ends of the superconducting coil to each other is installed. Current is made to flow from the power supply to the superconducting coil in a superconducting state, and the superconducting coil thereby generates a magnetic field. After the magnetic field is generated, when an abnormality of the superconducting magnet device is detected, or when the power supply and the superconducting coil are disconnected from each other, the short-circuit path is formed by the protector.

A protection system capable of safely quenching a high temperature superconductor (HTS) magnet coil. The protection circuit provides for a frequency loss induced quench design that advances the protection technology for HTS magnet coils and provides a protection system that is capable of quickly distributing the heat energy uniformly in all the coil sections when a localized hot-spot is created.

A superconducting magnet comprising: a field coil comprising high temperature superconducting material and having a joint; a bypass resistance comprising a non-superconducting conductive material, wherein the bypass resistance is electrically connected to the field coil on both sides of the joint; wherein the joint is openable to break the field coil such that current flowing in the superconductor flows though the bypass resistance in order to dump energy from the field coil, and wherein the superconducting magnet is configured to open the joint in response to detection of a quench in the magnet.

A wind turbine includes a superconducting generator having an armature and a superconducting field winding set. The armature includes at least one multiphase armature winding set having a plurality of armature windings. The superconducting field winding set is separated by a gap from the armature. The superconducting field winding set includes a plurality of field windings, wherein one of the armature winding set and superconducting field winding set is connectable to rotate with a rotating component of the wind turbine and another of the armature and the superconducting field winding set being non-rotating. The wind turbine also includes a controllable power converter coupled to the at least one multiphase armature winding set and a controller configured to control switching operations of the controllable power converter to effect a phase shift among the plurality of armature windings.

A monitoring device for use in a cryogenic system. The monitoring device comprises first and second conducting elements and a current detector. The first conducting element comprises high temperature superconducting, HTS, material and is configured for connection to a current source and insertion into the cryogenic system. The second conducting element comprises HTS material and is connected in parallel to the first conducting element by first and second joints. The current detector is configured to detect a current in the second conducting element. When the HTS material in each of the first and second conducting elements is in a superconducting state, the resistance, R.sub.T, of the first conducting element between the first and second joints, is less than the sum, R.sub.B, of the resistance of the second conducting element between the first and second joints and the resistances of the first and second joints.

A high temperature superconductor, HTS, tape (100) for detecting a quench in a superconducting magnet. The HTS tape comprises an HTS layer (101) of HTS material supported by a substrate (102). The HTS layer is divided into a plurality of strips (104,105,107). The strips are connected (106) in series along an open path.

A superconducting magnet comprising a field coil comprising high temperature superconducting material and having a joint; a bypass resistance comprising a non-superconducting conductive material, wherein the bypass resistance is electrically connected to the field coil on both sides of the joint; wherein the joint is openable to break the field coil such that current flowing in the superconductor flows though the bypass resistance in order to dump energy from the field coil, and wherein the superconducting magnet is configured to open the joint in response to detection of a quench in the magnet.