Reducing Modeling Domain to Speed-Up Quench Simulations of HTS Coils

Three-dimensional quench analyses of large magnet systems, such as low- and high-temperature superconductor hybrids for particle accelerators of future, are computationally very heavy when cable level details are taken into account. Mesh based modelling methods, like finite-element method, will result in a large amount of elements and consequently degrees of freedom in these simulations. In this paper we simulate the quench using mesh structures including cable and insulation layers in some parts of the coil system. Elsewhere we consider the coil as a homogenous mixture of cable and insulation. Futhermore, in some simulations we completely neglect parts of the magnet system. Then we study how these modelling decisions affect the simulated hot spot temperature rise and development of resistive voltage. Using this kind of geometry adaptation in an appropriate way we can considerably shorten simulations without losing reliability of the results. In this paper we compare how modeling decisions related to representing the magnet in a modelling software affect the important quench parameters and computation time. Examples are computed with an in-house programmed quench software for a 6 T HTS insert designed within the EuCARD project.