DEVELOPMENT OF WATER COOLED COPPER COILS FOR MULTIPOLE MAGNETS AT RRCAT

Accelerator Magnet Technology Division

Raja Ramanna Centre For Advanced Technology, Indore-452 013
INTRODUCTION
Particle Accelerator magnets are characterized by high field & homogeneous magnets, powered with relatively high current density (5 10 A/mm2 ) coils. Due to space
limitation in their magnet cores, compact geometry of coils are necessary and also require cooling with low conductivity water due to their high current density excitation.
The coils are subjected to thermal fatigue stresses during operation and are made of several insulated turns using various sizes of hollow copper conductors. A large number
of coils having different sizes & geometries have been successfully made for all multipole (dipole, quadrupole & sextupole) magnets with improved techniques for
winding, insulation and epoxy resin consolidation at in-house. The details of development for various magnet coils are given below.
DEVELOPMENT OF COIL WINDING MACHINES

MANUFACTURING PROCESS CHART FOR MAGNET COILS

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF MAGNET COILS
STAGES INVOLVED IN COIL WINDING

STAGES INVOLVED IN COIL ENCAPSULATION AND ITS ACCEPTANCE

AND ITS ACCEPTANCE

MACHINES
OFHC COPPER
SPOOL

MACHINES

COIL MANUFACTURING
PROCESS

TENSIONING
UNIT

REMOVAL OF OXIDES
&
CLEANING WITH ACETONE

AUTO TAPING HEAD

WOUND COIL

COIL MOULD

PLACING IN A
MOULD

HEATING CHAMBER
OR OVEN

ON COIL WINDING MACHINE

STRAIGHTENING
UNIT

FROM COIL WINDING

MACHINE

OPERATIONS
CONDUCTOR

OPERATIONS

PREHEATING

ON VACUUM PRESSURE
IMPREGNATION PLANT

AT 1mbar PRESSURE & 10 0 C TEM P.

FOR 4 Hr s.

VACUUM PUMP
WINDING MACHINE

STRAITENING

COIL WINDING

VACUUM MIXING
CHAMBER

TENSIONING
OF CONDUCTOR

COMPRESSOR

INSPECTION
&
TESTING

CLEANING
OF CONDUCTOR
COIL SPECIFICATIONS
AND
ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

WRAPPING OF GLASS
FIBER INSULATION
ON THE CONDUCTOR

ACCEPTANCE
?

NO

AT 1mbar PRESSURE

REMOVING OF AIR
BUBBLES

ENCAPSULATION
PLANT

COIL ENCAPSULATION

POURING OF
EPOXY RESIN
IN TO MOULD

PRESSURIZE THE
MOULD

AT 1mbar PRESSURE & 6 0 C TEM P.

FOR 4 Hr s.

AT 4 Kg/ Sq.CM & PRESSURE & 6 0 C TEM P.

FOR 1Hr .

BREAK PRESSURE AND

RAISE TEMP
OF MOULD FOR
POLYMERIZATION /
SOLIDIFICATION

REJECTION

Fig. 2: Winding machine for Dipole magnet coils.

AT 14 0 C TEM P. & ATM OSPHERIC PRESSURE.

FOR 6 Hr s.

YES
POST CURING

AT 10 0 C TEM P. & ATM OSPHERIC PRESSURE.

FOR 8 Hr s.

TERMINALS BRAZING
WINDING MANDREL
WINDING MACHINE
CONDUCTOR PRESSING UNIT

REMOVAL OF COIL
FROM MOULD

WINDING THE REQUIRED

SHAPED AND TO THE
SPECIFIED
No. OF TURNS

INSPECTION
INSTRUMENTS

COMPLETION
(READY FOR ASSEMBLY WITH CORE)

COIL DIMENSIONS
(SIZE)

FINISHING OF COIL

MICRO OHM METER

ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS
(RESISTANCE, INDUCTANCE,
Q-FACTOR, CHECK OF
INTER TURN INSULATION
AT 1 KV rms.)

LCR METER
COMPLETE THE WINDING
AND EJECTION OF COIL FROM
WINDING MACHINE

DAMPING TEST
SETUP

INSPECTION
AND
TESTING

GROUND INSULATION
AT 1 KV DC

WATER IMMERSION
TEST SETUP
INSPECTION INSTRUMENTS
COIL DIMENSIONS (SIZE)
MICRO OHM METER
LCR METER

INSPECTION
&
TESTING

ACCEPTANCE
?
YES

NO

ACCEPTANCE
?

NO

REJECTION

YES

ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS
(RESISTANCE, INDUCTANCE
Q-FACTOR, CHECK OF
INTER TURN INSULATION)

DAMPING TEST SETUP

SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATIONS

COMPLETION OF
ENCAPSULATED
COIL

BRAZING EQUIPMENT

REJECTION

HYDRAULIC
TEST SETUP

COMPLETION OF
WOUND COIL

BRAZING OF SS NOZZLES
AND COPPER BUS BARS
LEAK TESTING
AND
WATER FLOW RATE
MEASUREMENT
COIL READY FOR ASSEMBLY
WITH CORE

Fig.3: Semi-automatic winding machine for magnet coils of Quadrupole & Sextupole magnets
(Main motor H.P: 2, Winding speed: 1 5 rpm, auto taping head & pitch adjustment )

Fig. 1: Manufacturing process of magnet coils.

DEVELOPMENT OF COIL INSULATION & EPOXY RESIN ENCAPSULATION TECHNIQUES

The operating conditions of the magnet coils demand high fatigue strength in the insulation materials to counteract
alternating shear, compression stresses. Various methods of coil insulation schemes viz. pre impregnated tape turn
insulation followed by vacuum epoxy encapsulation, unvarnished glass fibre tape turn insulation followed by vacuum
pressure impregnation (VPI) or their combination were studied with the prototype coils. The penetration of the epoxy resin
(Fig. 4) uniformly up to the conductor surface and also the adhesion strength between the insulation & copper conductor
were found to be better with glass fibre tape than pre-impregnated tape turn insulation. Fig. 5 shows the shear strengths and
adhesive strengths of conductor joints (length ~ 50mm) wound with pre-impregnated tape & unvarnished glass fibre tape
turn insulations followed by VPI.
Therefore, an unvarnished glass fibre tape of high mechanical strength is chosen for inter-turn insulation of the conductor
and for impregnation & encapsulation of magnet coils, epoxy resin system CY 205, which is a composition of Bisphenol A
(F-class) epoxy resin, a modified hardener (HY 905) based on carboxylic and anhydrides of CIBA-GEIGY make is
adopted.
DEVELOPMENT OF DIPOLE, QUADRUPOLE & SEXTUPOLE MAGNET COILS

Fig. 4: Penetration of
epoxy resin in
encapsulated sample coil cross section

Fig. 5: Strength of sample joints of conductor

Fig. 6: Mass produced magnet coils of dipole, quadrupole and sextupole magnets.
TESTING OF MAGNET COILS
Each finished coil is tested for (i) dimensional
inspection (ii) water flow passage check /leak
test (iii) electrical checks [electrical
parameters (R,L& Q factor), inter-turn
insulation & ground insulation at 1 kV]. Fig.7
shows the details of test set-up for electrical &
hydraulic leak testing of quadrupole magnet
coils. The variation of electrical parameters
among similar type of coils was found to be
within 2%, which is well within the design
requirement of 5% max.

Wave Pattern of good Coil

Wave Pattern of shorted Coil

Fig. 7: Electrical testing (left) & Hydraulic leak testing (right) of quadrupole magnet coils.