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Abstract

An electrical resistance device which comprises a resistance element and a superconducting gate element electrically connected in series therewith. The normal state resistance of the superconducting gate element is substantially greater than the resistance of the resistance element. A plurality of such devices can be used with the windings of a superconducting magnet, for example, to protect the windings thereof if the temperature of a particular winding region rises rapidly (the winding region quenches) due to operational instabilities, for example. At a quench the voltage at the winding region being quenched is applied to all the other devices at the other windings to generate heat at such devices in response to a relatively small voltage increase at the initially quenched region. Each of the other winding regions is thereby quenched and the gate elements thereof are triggered into their normal resistive states so that the current in the devices is reduced to a safe level.

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First Claim