SMART Coil-to-Coil Insulation for Non-Insulated (RE)Ba₂Cu₃O_7-x Pancake Coils

Coils wound with High Temperature Superconductors have found increasing use in recent years in the development of high field magnets for several applications, including nuclear fusion. This is primarily due to their unparalleled ability to carry large currents in the presence of high magnetic fields, as well as their mechanical robustness. This work presents a novel approach to hot-spot detection and coil diagnostics that is applicable to both insulated and non-insulated REBCO pancake coils. The essence of the idea consists of embedding one or more optical fibers within the coil-to-coil insulation, or spacer material, that is typically used in magnets made of single or double pancake coils. We show a proof of concept of this approach via fabrication of SMART insulation samples and experimental demonstration of its capabilities on a REBCO NI Coil.