Quench Detection for the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) Charging Coil

A NbTi charging coil (C-coil) for the levitated dipole experiment (LDX) was manufactured by the Efremov Institute for the LDX team. The C-coil is used to inductively charge and discharge the persistent-mode, Nb₃Sn floating coil (F-coil) at the start and end of each series of plasma runs in the LDX. The intentional change of F-coil state has significant impact on the inductive voltage distribution within the C-coil during each charge/discharge cycle. Various techniques have been developed to facilitate quench detection in inductively coupled coils, the success of which depends on particularities of the application. This paper summarizes the evolution of the quench detection system applied to the LDX C-coil.