A Compact Rapid Cooldown System for High Temperature Superconducting Magnets using a Hybrid N2/Ne Thermosiphon

Canyon Magnet Energy (CME) in collaboration with Tulane University proposes a hybrid N2/Ne thermosiphon system for rapid cooldown of a 2000 lb HTS magnet. The system uses liquid nitrogen for initial cooling to 80 K, followed by liquid neon for final cooling to below 40 K. The novel design will be compared to traditional cold helium gas circulators, with a focus on efficiency, cost, and heat transfer rates. For this phase I STTR project, a thermal and stress analysis will be conducted to determine the safe cooling rate and max tolerable temperature gradient for a 2000 lb HTS magnet, focusing on minimizing thermal stress during the initial stage from 300 K to 80 K. The analysis involves modeling thermal simulation, stress analysis, temperature distribution, and analyzing thermal strain within the coil.  The design of LN2 and LNe thermosiphons, as well as a helium gas refrigerator option, is also explored to achieve the desired cooldown rate from 80 K to 40 K. A miniature prototype may also be built to demonstrate the engineering feasibility and prepare a solid foundation for Phase II, which aims to experiment with the rapid cooldown of large-scale HTS magnet systems and optimize the fast cooling method.