Bitter Electromagnet

CRYONAO designs and manufactures Bitter-type DC electromagnets engineered for generating high magnetic fields with exceptional thermal stability, making them ideal for demanding applications such as gyrotrons, accelerator physics, plasma research, and high-power microwave systems.

Our Bitter magnets follow the classic Francis Bitter design, offering superior heat dissipation and scalability compared to conventional wire-wound coils.

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Power Through Innovation : Bitter Magnets

The Bitter magnet, first developed by Francis Bitter in the 1930s, represents a powerful and enduring design for generating intense magnetic fields. Modern Florida Bitter magnets, perfected in the 1990s, are a significant evolution of this technology, achieving a 40 percent increase in efficiency through optimized cooling hole geometry.

They are constructed from stacked copper and insulating sheets, precisely aligned into a helix and perforated with a patterned array of holes. When operational, these coils carry enormous currents around 40,000 amps while cold water is forced through the cooling channels at approximately 45 miles per hour. This rapid cooling is absolutely critical, as without it, the immense electrical current would cause the magnet to melt in a mere fraction of a second. This innovative balance of robust design and aggressive thermal management allows us to deliver exceptionally strong and reliable magnetic fields for your most demanding applications.

Features

CRYONANO supplies matched constant-current DC power supplies optimized for Bitter magnet operation.

Our Key Power Supply features are the following:

Input: 415 V, 50 Hz, 3-phase, 4-wire AC
Output: Regulated DC suitable for generating up to 1.1 T field
Current Capability: ~1000 A and above
Power Rating:
- Nominal: 30–40 kW
- Maximum: Up to 50 kW

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Our magnet systems are engineered with reliability as a core principle, incorporating a comprehensive suite of built-in electrical and thermal protections. This integrated safety system continuously monitors operation, automatically guarding against potential faults with over-temperature, over-current, and short-circuit protection. Furthermore, the design ensures stable performance by including both under-voltage and over-voltage input protection, safeguarding the coil and power supply from electrical irregularities. These features work seamlessly to provide a robust and dependable platform for your most demanding high-field applications.

Efficient cooling is critical for Bitter magnets due to the square-law increase in heat dissipation with magnetic field strength. CryoNano magnets employ:

De-ionized water cooling
Typical inlet temperature: ~10 °C
High flow rate with inlet pressure up to 12 bar
Axial flow through precisely aligned cooling holes in each Bitter plate

This ensures safe operation at high currents while maintaining coil integrity and field stability.

CRYONANO Bitter magnets are engineered to order, precisely configured to your experimental needs. We offer comprehensive customization for critical parameters, including bore size and axial length, magnetic field strength and profile, specific cooling requirements, and seamless integration with your power supply and control interfaces. Every system is backed by our complete in-house capabilities from design and precision manufacturing to rigorous testing and ensuring we deliver a reliable, research-grade, high-field magnet solution that is fully tailored to your application.

Magnet Construction Details

Our Bitter electromagnets achieve their exceptional performance through a unique and robust architecture. Each magnet is constructed from a precision stack of copper Bitter plates, separated by high-strength insulating spacers. Unlike conventional wound solenoids, this design creates a helical current path, enabling the extremely high current densities required for intense magnetic fields. The system efficiently manages the resulting resistive heat with integrated, axial water-cooling channels that run directly through the plates, allowing de-ionized water to provide uniform and powerful heat removal.

This core architecture is engineered to deliver superior performance: a higher magnetic field per unit of input power, excellent thermal stability for precise measurements, the capability for continuous or long-duration operation, and the mechanical robustness necessary to withstand significant electromagnetic stresses.

Technical Specifications

Our systems utilize a precisely engineered air-core DC Bitter electromagnet, designed for robust and stable high-field performance. The configuration features a 65 mm inner bore and a 300 mm axial length, generating a maximum central field of 1.1 Tesla. This powerful, symmetric field is produced by a dual concentric coil assembly connected in series with the outer coil employing our advanced multi-layer Bitter plate construction for enhanced durability and efficiency. This foundational architecture serves as a versatile platform, allowing key parameters such as field profile, bore size, and mechanical form to be tailored to the precise needs of your application.