The Quench Detection System Based on Programmable FPGA and Its Application at IMP

The High Intensity heavy ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) and Low Energy heavy ion Accelerator Facility (LEAF) of IMP are under construction. They will comprise many superconducting devices and components, such as magnets and current leads, with the superconducting materials covering NbTi, Nb
₃
Sn and HTS. On the other hand, most of the superconducting devices have a high energy density and complex structure, requiring a targeted and active protection. In previous quench protection systems implemented at IMP, the quench detection was implemented in software or as microcontroller-based equipment, where power supplies in superconducting circuit provided quench detection functionality as well. These systems have some disadvantages, such as limited functionalities, poor reliability and high susceptibility to interference. Therefore, a new type of quench detection system (QDS) based on programmable FPGA and Isolated analogue input front-ends was developed to overcome these challenges. It is important to note that in the test facilities, there is no ionizing radiation, the QDS does not require radiation tolerance, thus a commercial programmable FPGA product was chosen as the development platform. The QDS is currently being put into operation, and some good results have been obtained in the cold tests of MCBRDP2 (belongs to HL-LHC, NbTi magnet) and FECR (belongs to LEAF, Nb
₃
Sn magnet). Based on these successful applications, the new QDS has proven its functionality. The recorded data and practical experience also provided relevant information for the detection algorithms and functional upgrades.