Recovery of a cryostable magnet following a mechanical perturbation: One-dimensional and two-dimensional calculations

When a cryostable composite conductor carrying current experiences a heat input from a mechanical perturbation, a normal region develops which initially propagates and then either collapses or continues to propagate. A computer model has been devised to study this phenomenon. The model incorporates initial or continuing heat input from mechanical perturbations, heat conducted to the neighboring elements of the conductor and, if appropriate, heat conducted through insulation to neighboring turns. Heat is transferred to the helium coolant according to a specified heat transfer coefficient. If the element of conductor is in a normal or current-sharing state, resistive heating also occurs. The (unstable) equilibrium state of heat generation and conduction has been studied; results agree with those of a static calculation. The model has been validated against experimental measurements of response to heat pulses. A study of the trade-off between cross-sectional areas and wetted perimeter of a conductor is included, with recovery current presented as a function of perturbing energy.