An FPGA-Based Quench Detector and Data Acquisition System for Superconducting Insertion Devices

A novel quench detector and acquisition system for superconducting insertion devices has been developed. This module consists of two functional components: quench detection and output latch signals for interlock purposes, which is based on a field-programmable gate array, and a data acquisition system based on a set of simultaneously sampling ACQ425ELF (ADC) modules. The data acquisition system has two concurrent modes of operation: A fast capture mode that is triggered by coil quench event or accelerator system-wide event like beam trip with sampling rate of up to 500 kHz, and a continuous data collection mode that can monitor data at 10 Hz in real time using the same acquisition system. The system was designed in a modular structure based on commercially available hardware. This approach makes the new system easy to scale for superconducting insertion devices with coil and lead voltage tap configurations. A more detailed description of the system along with test results is presented in this paper.