Quench localization and current redistribution after quench in superconducting dipole magnets wound with Rutherford-type cables

Quench development is studied for the first few milliseconds after the start of a quench with the help of voltage taps and pickup coils in the LHC accelerator dipole models. The reliability of the pickup coil method (the so called quench antenna) is discussed. By studying the flux through the pick-up coils as a function of time information about the current redistribution after the quench in the magnet cable is obtained. Several possible current redistribution models are studied: current transfer between the two layers of the cable, adjacent strand current transfer and redistribution governed by magnetoresistance, strand and interstrand resistance. Comparison of the simulations with the measurements in the magnets shows that the magnetoresistance of the copper in the cable matrix is the main mechanism responsible for current redistribution just after a quench.