Test Coil for the Development of a Compact 3 T ${\rm MgB}_{2}$ Magnet

An test coil was manufactured and tested as the first step in the development of a 3 T MgB₂ magnet system. Due to the fact that MgB₂ has a higher critical temperature, replacing conventional NbTi superconductor with MgB₂, higher temperature operation will be possible. It will make the cryogenic design much simpler and less expensive. Furthermore, operating the magnet at higher temperature results in larger heat capacity of the materials and surrounding structures. Higher heat capacity, therefore, results in increased thermal stability of the magnet against quench initiation. The 3 T magnet design consists of several coils. One of the center coils was manufactured for testing the performance at higher temperatures. The test coil was conduction cooled and the quench performance of the coil was good, which means there were no critical issues during the coil manufacturing process. However, AC loss heating, as well as a small resistance of the coil was found, both of which might result from wire design, manufacture, and quality.