Design of superconducting MHD saddle magnets

As part of the Italian National project on superconductive and cryogenic technologies, the design of superconductive magnets for MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) applications has been carried out. The design of a prototype magnet (active length 2 m) and the conceptual magnetic design of a demonstration magnet (active length 8 m) are reported. The computation techniques used and the optimization procedure developed are described for the set of saddle magnets investigated. The study performed for the prototype has been scaled up to define the basic parameters of the demonstration magnet, and optimization studies have also been performed for this magnet size. Comparisons of results obtained for cylindrical and rectangular saddle magnets, in both sizes, show the possibility of designing magnets meeting design specifications and lead to the choice of the rectangular saddle magnet as the one offering the best performance.>