Question about making a coaxial magnetic field in a pipe

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around creating a 1-2 Tesla magnetic field in a stainless steel pipe for collimating an ion beam. The initial concept involves using iron cylinders with wire coils attached, but participants suggest that this design may not effectively generate the desired magnetic field in the pipe due to the iron's influence. There is a consensus that a more thoughtful coil design is necessary, and alternatives such as using non-ferrous materials for the pipes are proposed. The user clarifies that the goal is to achieve around 50 to 100 mT instead of the initially stated 1T for practical purposes. Overall, the feasibility of the project hinges on optimizing the magnetic field generation method.
ItsGameTime
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hi, for a particular project, I would like to create a 1~2 Tesla magnetic field in a stainless steel pipe along the z axis. I was wondering if my concept would work, or if anyone had better ideas.

Here's my concept.

Fig1. So I got a few pipes about 1 inch in diameter. I would like to have a 1T magnetic field through it along the vertical direction (z axis)

Fig2. My idea was to get a 2 cylinder blocks of iron, drill some holes in it to allow the pipes to fit in as shown in the diagram.

Fig3. Then attach some wire coils to the iron cylinders like as shown in the diagram.

My question is, if I actually create a device like this, how would the magnetic field be...

...directly above the cylinder (region A)
...in the pipe space area inside the cylinder (region B)
...in the pipe area between the two cylinders (region C)
...in the pipe space area inside the bottom cylinder (region D)
...directly below the bottom cylinder (region E)

Thanks in advance all!

20170614_205258_zpszuydxcsy.jpg
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If you wind a coil around an iron pipe I think most of the field will stay in the iron with the field in the hole being small.
 
I think you need more thought on the coil design than just "attach some coils".
 
ItsGameTime said:
Hi, for a particular project, I would like to create a 1~2 Tesla magnetic field in a stainless steel pipe along the z axis.
CWatters said:
If you wind a coil around an iron pipe I think most of the field will stay in the iron with the field in the hole being small.
I agree with @CWatters -- winding a coil around a ferrous metal pipe is not the right approach.

@ItsGameTime -- What is your project? What are you trying to do? If the pipe has to be metal, can it be a non-ferrous metal (like Al)?
 
ItsGameTime said:
create a 1~2 Tesla magnetic field
BTW, that's a pretty strong magnetic field that will take quite a bit of power to produce. Why do you need such a strong field filling a long volume?
 
berkeman said:
BTW, that's a pretty strong magnetic field that will take quite a bit of power to produce. Why do you need such a strong field filling a long volume?

sounds like a coil gun :rolleyes: :smile:
 
  • Like
Likes berkeman
Thanks for all the replies so far. I guess I should explain a bit more.

I am trying to collimate an ion beam. I need gas ions to go straight through one end of the pipe and out the other. The pipes can be non magnetic. The pipes don't need to be that long, I think actually several centimeters should be fine. The diameter of the pipes hasn't been confirmed, but shouldn't exceed 3 or 4 cm.

I redrew the picture again. The upper half is the side view, the bottom half is the top view. I hope ions can go through the holes and that the magnetic field will help it "straighten out."

The giant helmholtz coil can extent out any size.

I said 1T for planning purposes. Realistically I am hoping this can be accomplished with around 50 to 100 mT.

Or is my physics completely out of whack here?

20170615_220215_zpsrgjoxvbs.jpg
 
Back
Top