Double-helix / multi-helix magnets

[DeltaV]

Control of B-field direction (charged particle steering).
Cooling advantages (better exposure to coolant or heat sink, more area).
Mechanically stronger.





http://www.magnetlab.com/technology/double-helix/
What is Double Helix™?

http://www.magnetlab.com/page_attachmen ... on_AML.wmv
Double-Helix Coil Animation

http://www.osti.gov/bridge/purl.cover.j ... 07-XYJjtd/
Design, Fabrication, and Test of a Superconducting Dipole Magnet Based on Tilted Solenoids

http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/accelconf/ ... PAS055.PDF
Combined Function Magnets Using Double-Helix Coils

http://www.magnetlab.com/web-support/co ... s_2010.pdf
Designing New Magnet Technology - A Multiphysics Challenge

http://www.comsol.com/shared/downloads/ ... Masson.pdf
MultiPhysics Simulation of Direct Double Helix Magnets for Charged Particle Applications

[ladajo]

This is what I have been thinking about. Good find, I should've taken the time to search it out myself. The standoffs alone would benefit, although I wonder how the field and physical structure would respond/be when you twist this into a toroid? I say this without having delved into the links yet.

[DeltaV]

I wasn't thinking of using this for the magrid toroids, since the aspect ratio is wrong.

Maybe just for alpha steering/focusing. The design can have a curved axis and flared shape combined and still give a smooth field, per their literature.

Now that you mention it, though, curving this into a toroid would be interesting. If it truly has full 3D B-vector control as they claim, you could possibly emulate a conventional toroid. I think you'd have to segment it around the circumference, but if there was a fourfold symmetry...

[ladajo]