US contributions to the development and calibration of quench detectors for the ITER QUELL

Author

Pourrahimi, S. ; Guss, W.C. ; Minervini, J.V. ; Montgomery, D.B. ; Pierce, N.T. ; Schultz, J.H. ; Smith, S.P. ; Ezekiel, S.

Author_Institution

Plasma Fusion Center, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

Volume

5

Issue

2

fYear

1995

fDate

6/1/1995 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

491

Lastpage

494

Abstract

The ITER QUELL (quench experiment on long length) experiment calls for the development and demonstration of new methods of quench detection for cable in conduit (CIC) superconductors. These will directly monitor temperature and pressure changes within the CIC. The use of single mode optical fibers is being investigated for measurement of temperature during a quench. A full-length pressure sensor/switch consisting of two conducting strips enclosed in a flattened stainless steel capillary has also been developed. Above a threshold He pressure of about 1 MPa, tube walls will deflect enough to short the otherwise open strips to trigger a current relay switch and also reflect microwave pulses that are generated at the strips ends. These signals can independently indicate the occurrence and the location of a quench. These new sensors will be integrated with more conventional instruments which include co-wound insulated voltage sensors placed inside the CIC, strain gauge pressure transducers, and flowmeters to measure quench parameters.<>

Keywords

calibration; fibre optic sensors; flow measurement; flowmeters; fusion reactor instrumentation; fusion reactors; pressure measurement; pressure sensors; superconducting cables; superconducting magnets; temperature measurement; temperature sensors; voltage measurement; ITER QUELL; cable in conduit superconductors; calibration; co-wound insulated voltage sensors; conducting strips; current relay switch; flattened stainless steel capillary; flowmeters; microwave pulses reflection; pressure monitoring; pressure sensor; quench detectors; quench experiment on long length; single mode optical fibers; strain gauge pressure transducers; temperature monitoring; threshold He pressure; Calibration; Detectors; Optical fiber cables; Strain measurement; Strips; Superconducting cables; Superconductivity; Switches; Temperature measurement; Temperature sensors;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Applied Superconductivity, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1051-8223

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/77.402573

Filename

402573