Speaker
Description
Large particle accelerator facilities for medium-high proton and heavy ion beamlines extensively rely on normal conducting magnets which, while effective, suffer from significant energy losses due to resistive heating in their copper coils. One successful strategy for improving these facilities involves upgrading their existing infrastructure by replacing resistive magnets with magnesium diboride (MgB2) or high-temperature superconductor (HTS) based alternatives. By retaining the iron yoke while substituting copper coils with MgB2 or HTS windings, the operational cost and energy consumption of the magnet can be significantly reduced while maintaining the same performance.
In this framework, the Energy Saving Accelerator and Beam Line Magnets (ESABLiM) project was launched to develop and implement superconducting-based magnets specifically tailored for existing accelerator facilities, including the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO). The project’s primary objective is to lower the overall energy consumption of accelerator magnets by reducing power losses and optimizing cryogenic systems required to maintain superconducting conditions. The integration of MgB2 and HTS technologies promises to enhance magnet efficiency by decreasing the energy consumption of the cooling systems operating at cryogenic temperatures above 20 K. In this paper, superconducting models of superferric dipoles are compared with equivalent resistive configurations, through a semi-analytic script that integrates a FEM electromagnetic optimization of the magnet cross-section. Mechanical and thermal designs are optimized to minimize the power consumption of the superconducting magnet and heat load on the coils. The calculated investment and operational cost of the new superconducting configuration and its power consumption are compared by evaluating the parameter region where superconducting designs are more cost-efficient than a normal conductive one. The results of the comparison outline the benefit of MgB2 and HTS technologies as key elements of next-generation accelerator facilities, offering improved performance, reduced energy consumption, and enhanced sustainability.
