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The cold powering test of the first two prototypes of the MQXFB quadrupoles (MQXFBP1, now disassembled, and MQXFBP2), the Nb3Sn inner triplet magnets to be installed in the HL-LHC, has validated many features of the design, such as field quality and quench protection, but has found performance limitations. In fact, both magnets showed a similar phenomenology, characterized by reproducible quenches in the straight part inner layer pole turn, with absence of training and limiting the performance at 93% (MQXFBP1) and 98% (MQXFBP2) of the nominal current at 1.9 K, required for HL-LHC operation at 7 TeV. Microstructural inspections of the quenching section of the limiting coil in MQXFBP1 have identified fractured Nb3Sn sub-elements in strands located at one specific position of the inner layer pole turn, allowing to determine the precise origin of the performance limitation. In this paper we outline the strategy that has been defined to address the possible sources of performance limitation, namely coil manufacturing, magnet assembly and integration in the cold mass.

For the high luminosity upgrade of the CERN large hadron collider, lower β∗ quadrupole magnets based on advanced Nb3Sn conductors will be installed on each side of the ATLAS and compact muon solenoid (CMS) experiment insertion zones. As part of the technological developments needed to achieve the required field gradient of 132.6 T/m within a 150-mm aperture, short length model magnets, named MQXFS, are tested both at the CERN SM18 and Fermilab test facilities. The model magnets rely on two types of Nb3Sn conductors (restack rod process (RRP) and powder-in-tube (PIT)) and on an innovative bladders and keys design to provide mechanical support against the Lorentz forces. In 2016 and 2017, the powering tests of the first two models MQXFS3 (RRP) and MQXFS5 (PIT) proved that nominal performance (16.5 kA) could be reached with excellent memory of the quench current after thermal cycle. However both magnets showed a slow training behavior with clear observations of voltage disturbances before the quench. Besides, only MQXFS5 could reach ultimate current (17.9 kA) whereas erratic behavior was observed on MQXFS3 due to conductor local degradation at the head of one of the coils. In 2018, this limiting coil was changed and the applied azimuthal prestress increased. While ultimate current could then be reached, no stable current could be maintained due to identified defect on the outer layer of the new coil. Finally the outcome of the test of the new model MQXFS4, featuring the final RRP conductors that will be used for the series production and variation on the inner layer quench heater designs are here reported in details.

In order to reduce the beam size by a factor two in the inter-action points, and to increase the rate of collisions by a factorof five, the HL-LHC Project [1] is planning to install in the LHC Interaction Regions (IR) new inner triplet (or low-β) quadru-pole magnets, called MQXF [2]-[6]. With respect to the current triplet quadrupole magnets, MQXF will feature a larger aper-ture, from 70 to 150 mm, a higher peak field, from 8.6 to 11.4 T, and a new superconducting material, Nb3Sn instead of Nb-Ti. Out of the 30 triplets magnets (including spares) that will be installed in the HL-LHC, 20 magnets, called MQXFA and 4.2 m long, will be fabricated by the US Accelerator Research Program (AUP), a continuation of the LARP Program [7]. Among the components to be upgraded in LHC inter- action regions for the HiLumi-LHC projects are the inner triplet (or low-β) quadrupole magnets, denoted as Q1, Q2a, Q2b, and Q3. The new quadrupole magnets, called MQXF, are based on Nb3 Sn superconducting magnet technology and operate at a gradient of 132.6 T/m, with a conductor peak field of 11.4 T. Q1 and Q3 are composed of magnets (called MQXFA) fabricated by the U.S. Ac- celerator Upgrade Project (AUP), with a magnetic length of 4.2 m. Q2a and Q2b consist of magnets (called MQXFB) fabricated by CERN, with a magnetic length of 7.15 m. After a series of short models, constructed in close collaboration by the US and CERN, the development program is now entering in the prototyping phase, with CERN on one side and BNL, FNAL, and LBNL on the other side assembling and testing their first long magnets We provide in this paper a description of the status of the MQXF program, with a summary of the short model test results, including quench performance, and mechanics, and an update on the fabrication, assembly, and test of the long prototypes.

The superconducting magnet test facility at CERN, (SM18), has been using the Automatic Quench Analysis (AQA) software to analyse the quench data during the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) magnet test campaign. This application was developed using LabVIEW in the early 2000's by the Measurement Test and Analysis section (MTA) at CERN. During the last few years, the SM18 has been upgraded for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) magnet prototypes. These HL-LHC magnets demand a high flexibility of the software. The new requirements were that the analysis algorithms should be open, allowing contributions from engineers and physicists with basic programming knowledge, execute automatically a large number of tests, generate reports and be maintainable by the MTA team. The paper contains the description, present status and future evolutions of the new AQA soft-ware that replaces the LabVIEW application., Proceedings of the 16th Int. Conf. on Accelerator and Large Experimental Control Systems, ICALEPCS2017, Barcelona, Spain

A large number of training quenches at various currents, temperatures, and ramp rates, have been performed on six 11 T dipole model magnets. Quenches in the midplane of these magnets were of special interest, since the quench current in the last three models measured in 2016 was limited to between 84% and 92% of the magnets short sample limit. Measurements of quench propagation velocity, based on both voltage taps and quench antennas, yield a high propagation velocity of 50 to 80 m/s. Due to the high magnetic field gradient over the width of the midplane turn such a high propagation speed cannot be explained by propagation in longitudinal direction of the strand following the twist pitch. In these cases, current and heat sharing at the thin cable edge (where the field, stress, and cable compaction are high) are likely to provoke strand-to-strand quench propagation at higher velocities than along the strands. This investigation is focused on analyzing the quench propagation along the strands and strand-to-strand of various measured cases.

The affordable, robust, compact (ARC) reactor is the product of a conceptual design study aimed at reducing the size, cost, and complexity of a combined fusion nuclear science facility (FNSF) and demonstration fusion Pilot power plant. ARC is a ∼200–250 MWe tokamak reactor with a major radius of 3.3 m, a minor radius of 1.1 m, and an on-axis magnetic field of 9.2 T. ARC has rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting toroidal field coils, which have joints to enable disassembly. This allows the vacuum vessel to be replaced quickly, mitigating first wall survivability concerns, and permits a single device to test many vacuum vessel designs and divertor materials. The design point has a plasma fusion gain of Q[subscript p] ≈ 13.6, yet is fully non-inductive, with a modest bootstrap fraction of only ∼63%. Thus ARC offers a high power gain with relatively large external control of the current profile. This highly attractive combination is enabled by the ∼23 T peak field on coil achievable with newly available REBCO superconductor technology. External current drive is provided by two innovative inboard RF launchers using 25 MW of lower hybrid and 13.6 MW of ion cyclotron fast wave power. The resulting efficient current drive provides a robust, steady state core plasma far from disruptive limits. ARC uses an all-liquid blanket, consisting of low pressure, slowly flowing fluorine lithium beryllium (FLiBe) molten salt. The liquid blanket is low-risk technology and provides effective neutron moderation and shielding, excellent heat removal, and a tritium breeding ratio ≥ 1.1. The large temperature range over which FLiBe is liquid permits an output blanket temperature of 900 K, single phase fluid cooling, and a high efficiency helium Brayton cycle, which allows for net electricity generation when operating ARC as a Pilot power plant., United States. Department of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-94ER54235), United States. Department of Energy (Grant DE-SC008435), United States. Department of Energy. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (Grant DE-FC02-93ER54186), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1122374)

A concept of demountable toroidal field magnets for a compact fusion reactor is discussed. The magnets generate a magnetic field of 9.2 T on axis, in a 3.3 m major radius tokamak. Subcooled YBCO conductors have a critical current density adequate to provide this large magnetic field, while operating at 20 K reduces thermodynamic cooling cost of the resistive electrical joints. Demountable magnets allow for vertical replacement and maintenance of internal components, potentially reducing cost and time of maintenance when compared to traditional sector maintenance. Preliminary measurements of contact resistance of a demountable YBCO electrical joint between are presented.