A compact conduction cooled flux pump operating below 77 K

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Iftikhar, Muhammad H and Ertekin, Ercan and Zhang, Min and Yuan, Weijia (2025) A compact conduction cooled flux pump operating below 77 K. Superconductor Science and Technology, 38 (3). 035012. ISSN 1361-6668 (https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6668/adaf5c)

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Abstract

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets are widely used in high field applications due to their exceptional current-carrying capabilities. Traditionally, these magnets are powered by high current power supplies via current leads, which complicates insulation between cryogenic and room temperature environments and introduces significant heat leaks. Recent advancements in flux pumps for HTS magnets now allow charging currents in the kA range without the need for traditional power supplies. However, while some research has realized conduction-cooled traveling wave HTS flux pumps, much of the focus for transformer rectifier flux pumps remains on operating them to charge magnets at liquid cryogen temperatures, with limited attention given to the heat load and cooling capabilities of modern dry cryocoolers. This study presents a compact, modular flux pump designed for operation in conduction-cooled environments. It examines the impact of cooling power on the flux pump’s performance in such settings. A lumped element model implemented in PLECS is validated through experiments conducted at 70 K and 30 K, demonstrating consistent results. Based on this validation, we demonstrate the capability to charge an HTS magnet to 300 mT (≈ 800 A) in a conduction-cooled environment using a compact, self-regulating HTS flux pump.

ORCID iDs

Iftikhar, Muhammad H ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5537-1827, Ertekin, Ercan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0583-1754, Zhang, Min ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4296-7730 and Yuan, Weijia ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7953-4704;
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