Installation, checkout and operation of the largest, uniform field, superconducting solenoid magnet

TRW's experience in installing, checking out and operating a large superconducting magnet system is described. The magnet is a solenoid 8 meters long, with 1 meter clear bore and 2 Tesla uniform field. It is a central element in a facility designed to support development of the Plasma Separation Process, an advanced technique for uranium enrichment. The emphasis in this paper is on comparisons between expected versus actual behavior and on useful lessons learned. Subjects covered are: system installation and checkout; cooldown; influence of "nonmagnetic" materials on field uniformity; addition of a room temperature trim coil; and problems involving refrigeration capacity and oil contamination in the coldbox.