Design development for the 50mm Superconducting Super Collider dipole cryostat

The cryostat of a Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) dipole magnet consists of all magnet components except the magnet assembly itself. It serves to support the magnet accurately and reliably within the vacuum vessel, provide all required cryogenic piping, and to insulate the cold mass from heat radiated and conducted from the environment. It must function reliably during storage, shipping and handling, normal magnet operation, quenches, and seismic excitations, and must be manufacturable at low cost. The major components of the cryostat are the vacuum vessel, thermal shields, multilayer insulation system, cryogenic piping, interconnections, and suspension system. The overall design of a cryostat for superconducting accelerator magnets requires consideration of fluid flow, proper selection of materials for their thermal and structural performance at both ambient and operating temperature, and knowledge of the environment to which the magnets will be subjected over the course their expected operating life. This paper describes the design of the current 50mm SSC collider dipole cryostat and includes discussions on the structural and thermal considerations involved in the development of each of the major systems. Where appropriate, comparisons will be made with the 40mm cryostat. 7 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs