Selection of a quench detection system for the ITER CS magnet

At variance with most of the existing superconducting systems operating in the world, the ITER central solenoid (CS) magnet is a fast pulsed system. This peculiarity creates a specific situation regarding the quench detection system, as a small resistive signal associated with a quench has to be discriminated from the high inductive signals imposed by the plasma scenario. The quench detection is based on an inductive compensation built from three adjacent double pancakes. The ITER protection rules for a superconducting magnet impose to respect the so-called maximum hot spot temperature criterion of 250 K in the quenched cable at the end of the fast discharge. A careful analysis of the residual inductive signals in the detection voltage shows that a blanking of the quench detection cannot be avoided during the early times of the plasma discharge (i.e. during 3.5 s). It is demonstrated that this blanking is, however, acceptable while fulfilling the hot spot criterion because the plasma initiation phase (PIP) is very similar to a fast safety discharge and corresponds to a fast decrease of the modules currents, which is favourable for the magnet protection. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.