Quench Propagation and Detection in a YBCO Racetrack

G. Escamez[1], C. Lorin[1], T. Wu[1], P. J. Masson[1]
[1]University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Published in 2013

High temperature superconductors (HTS) such as YBCO coated conductors show great promise for future applications where high magnetic fields are needed. The superconducting state only exists under a critical surface defined in the (J,T,B) space. Quench is the process by which a current-carrying superconducting conductor changes rapidly and irreversibly from the superconducting state to the non-superconducting state, creating a dissipative area leading to an increase in temperature. A COMSOL Multiphysics® model was developed to simulate the quench propagation in a HTS magnet as well as detection and protection. This work was performed as part of a NASA sponsored project on the influence of the conductor and winding configuration on the quench behavior in the rotor winding of a superconducting machine.