RHIC insertion region shunt power supply simulation

A new heavy ion collider called the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is now under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and is scheduled to be completed in June 1999. The collider requires superconducting magnets. Power supplies are required to supply currents to these highly inductive superconducting electromagnet loads. The RHIC Insertion Region contains many shunt power supplies to trim current of different magnet elements in a large superconducting magnet circuit. Shunt power supplies were chosen over all trim magnets or individual power supplies to reduce construction costs. The power supplies in the Insertion Region must be tunable. An understanding of the interaction between these power supplies was critical in determining what type of technology should be chosen in procuring these power supplies. The circuit analysis program MicroCap V by Spectrum Software/sup TM/ was used to simulate the entire RHIC collider ring Insertion Region power supply network. Results of the absolute and dynamic error of the magnet currents are presented over the entire ramping cycle from acceleration to storage. A description of the power supplies regulation loop models is also discussed.