The hydraulic lifting and positioning systems supplied by FPT – Fluid Power Technology was used to perform the movement and the alignment of a superconducting coil inside the cryogenic vacuum chamber.

Superconducting materials have a transition temperature below which they reach superconductivity. It is therefore imperative to keep the coil at very low temperatures – we are talking about tens of degrees below zero – and for this reason it is very important to minimize heat exchanges with the external environment. Therefore, for energy efficiency reasons, the coil, in addition to being suspended inside a hermetic and vacuum-sealed casing, is held in position by 4 Inconel tie rods to reduce as much as possible the thermal bridge with the external environment being this material a bad conductor heat.

FPT has designed and built the hydraulic equipment to be able to independently tension the 4 tie rods so as to be able to align the 2 elements reciprocally. Each lifting system is equipped with 4 hydraulic actuators, a control unit for synchronous management of operations, valves, fittings and the whole system for correct operation. Furthermore, the system is equipped with manifolds with 4 integrated needle valves to be able to act on the 4 delivery lines and therefore be able to separately manage the 4 lifting points. Different lifting systems have been built and have a total nominal capacity of 40 tons and 80 tons respectively.

Final positioning is characterized by a high degree of precision and meets the manufacturer’s specification.

FPT is specialized in designing production of hydraulic lifting systems which are an excellent solution for lifting, lowering, tensioning and supporting loads used for the production of superconducting magnetic systems, cryogenic systems, magnets, turbines and components for the energy sector. The first commissioning of the equipment was carried out by FPT at the customer’s operational headquarters.