AC losses in multifilamentary Bi(2223) tapes with an interfilamentary resistive carbonate barrier

For the most common AC application frequencies, the main component of the AC losses in multifilamentary Bi(2223) tapes are caused by hysteresis- and coupling losses. These losses can be reduced enhancing the matrix resistivity and applying a twist to the filaments. We report on the AC loss properties of 37-filament tapes with AgAu (8 wt.%) matrix, and novel 19-filament tapes with SrCO₃ barriers between the filaments. We performed transport AC loss and magnetic AC loss measurements in parallel and perpendicular magnetic fields. Both kinds of tapes were also prepared with filament twists below a twist pitch of 20 mm. The influence of the different tape modifications on the AC loss behaviour is presented and compared with theoretical models to understand the effect of the resistive matrix. In the case of magnetic AC loss measurements, reduced AC losses due to decoupled filaments were observed for the twisted tapes with a resistive matrix in low parallel fields.     

Finite element analysis of AC loss in non-twisted Bi-2223 tape carrying AC transport current and/or exposed to DC or AC external magnetic field

AC losses in Bi-2223 superconducting tapes carrying AC transport current and/or exposed to DC or AC magnetic field are calculated with a numerical model based on the finite element method. Superconducting property is given by the E–J characteristic represented by a power law using equivalent conductivity. First, transport loss and magnetization loss are calculated numerically and compared with measured values. The calculated losses almost agree with the measured losses. Frequency dependencies of calculated and measured transport losses are compared with each other. Next, the influence of DC external magnetic field on the transport loss is studied. DC external magnetic field reduces n that is an exponent in the power law connecting resistivity and current density. The numerically calculated transport loss increases with increasing DC magnetic field. Finally, the total loss of superconducting tape carrying AC transport current in AC magnetic field is calculated. In the perpendicular magnetic field, the calculated total loss is lager than the sum of the transport loss and the magnetization loss, while they almost agree with each other in the parallel magnetic field.     

外场下机械振动对高温超导带材交流损耗的影响

高温超导带材在磁场中传输交变电流时,将受到电磁力的作用而产生机械振动,振动对带材的交流损耗将产生影响.本文讨论了振动情况下交流损耗的测量方法,在平行于带面的直流磁场下,测量了Bi-2223/Ag高温超导带材在不同振动情况下的交流损耗.结果显示:当传输电流频率偏离样品的共振频率时,振动对带材的交流损耗影响不大;只有当电流频率在共振频率附近时,样品产生剧烈振动,交流损耗才有明显的增加;另外,带材振动时的交流损耗随频率变化曲线的斜率比不振动时略有增加.     

Investigation of Bi-2223 high temperature superconducting tape as the material for gradient coil in MRI

The use of Bi-2223 high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape as a material for gradient coils in MRI is evaluated in this paper. Bi-2223 tapes have a very high critical current and a very low power loss. A HTS tape gradient coil is expected to provide much higher gradient strength and generate much lower heating than a copper coil. Measurements of the AC power loss of Bi-2223 tapes at typical operating frequencies for gradient coils are presented. The degradation of the critical current and its effect on the increase of AC power loss is analyzed. Practical technical issues such as resistance, gradient strength and mechanical performance are also discussed. A prototype Bi-2223 HTS tape gradient coil is evaluated to verify the concept.     

Comparison of transport and magnetic AC losses in Bi-2223/Ag tapes — the role of superconducting core geometry

AC losses were measured by 4-probe transport method and by external magnetization method in three samples of Bi-2223/Ag tape: a multifilamentary tape with separated filaments, another multifilamentary tape with ‘bridges' between filaments, and a two-shell tape. The transport losses agreed with those calculated using I_c from DC experiment. Magnetization experiments gave indications about the various paths of induced currents. For the tape with well separated filaments the main part of screening current closes inside individual filaments. Additional screening of the whole filamentary zone involves the normal metal matrix, leading to frequency dependent losses. In the case of tape with ‘bridged' filaments, supercurrents interconnect the filaments into bundles whose screening (and loss) is frequency-independent. Matching the experimental data indicates that a typical bundle was composed of 8 filaments. Magnetic losses of the two-shell tape were explained by a model for magnetization of superconducting wire with elliptical cross-section.     

Experimental study on AC losses in Ag sheathed PbBi2223 tapes with twist filaments

Experimental measurements of AC losses were carried out on Ag sheathed PbBi2223 tapes with twisted and untwisted filaments. Losses were measured at 77 K as function of frequency and magnetic field parallel and perpendicular to the tape surface, using appropriate pick-up loops. Both the first and third harmonics of the signal were measured, in order to distinguish between the hysteresis loss and other types of loss. The effect of filaments uncoupling by twisting was clearly identified. For a tape with a twist pitch of 10 mm and I_c=40 A (20 kA cm⁻²) operating at 43 Hz, the filaments are uncoupled in fields less than 40 mT, which is greater than the full penetration field for both the filaments and the tape. Hence, a reduction in the hysteretic loss of the superconducting core is realised at power frequency between 10 and 40 mT. Results form the self-field loss measurement implies the uncoupling of twisted filaments at relative low transport current (I<0.5I_c)     

AC transport current loss of assembled conductor of HTS tapes

We study experimentally and theoretically the AC transport current loss characteristics of a tape in multiple tapes assembled in single layer and subject to external field produced by transport currents of adjacent tapes. We measured the AC transport current losses of a Bi2223 silver-sheathed tape in a single layer arrangement of three tapes using our newly developed potential leads arrangement to avoid spurious loss components caused by the magnetization in the adjacent tapes. In the paper, the influence of the external AC field produced by adjacent tapes on the loss characteristics is studied based on the experimental results and theoretical analysis.     

Magnetic ac loss in multi-filamentary Bi-2223 / Ag tapes

The ac loss in high-T_c superconducting tapes with twisted and non-twisted filaments has been studied by a magnetic method. A brief overview of the theoretical background and the experimental set-up is presented. Measurements were made at 77 K in a magnetic field of 50 Hz frequency and 0.001–0.7 T amplitude. Application of dc transport current made it possible to distinguish between the loss components, arising from intra-grain and from filament currents. The magnitude of the filament loss component indicates that the filaments are fully coupled, which agrees with theory. In other measurements, the orientation of the external field with respect to the tape was varied. Knowledge of the ac loss in parallel and in perpendicular field is sufficient to predict the ac loss for any intermediate orientations of the field.     

Interfilamentary coupling properties of Bi2223/Ag tapes with oxide barriers subjected to AC perpendicular magnetic field

In this paper, we fabricated Bi2223 tapes with interfilamentary oxide barriers and evaluated interfilamentary coupling properties under an AC perpendicular magnetic field at 77 K. To avoid the side effect on Bi2223 phase formation during sintering process, SrZrO₃ was selected for barrier materials. Moreover, 20 wt.% Bi2212 was mixed with SrZrO₃ to improve its ductility for cold working. Monocore Ag-sheathed rods were coated by the oxide barriers with slurry before stacking with a honeycomb structure. By twisting the filament with twist pitch length below 10 mm and introducing interfilamentary barriers, the coupling frequency (f_c) under an AC perpendicular field, which is inversely proportional to the decay time constant (τ_c) of coupling current, exceeded 100 Hz. At perpendicular field amplitude above full-penetration field, the magnetization losses of the twisted barrier tape were reduced by 30–40% around power-grid frequency, compared with analytical values for fully-coupled filaments. However, the loss values were still considerably higher than the prediction of the hysteresis loss (Q_h) for the completely decoupled filaments. From the frequency dependence of losses, it was suggested that the loss reduction of twisted barrier tape around power-grid frequency were limited by not only the contribution of coupling current loss (Q_c) but also the insufficient Q_h reduction due to the presence of physical connection among the filaments positioned near the center of a tape section.     

Numerical modelings of superconducting wires for AC loss calculations

Superconducting properties of superconducting wires as well as the influence of their composite structure and twisting should be taken into account for their numerical modeling for AC loss calculations. Furthermore, complicated electromagnetic conditions in electrical apparatuses under which superconducting wires are used influence their AC loss properties; superconducting wires carry their transport current and are exposed to the external magnetic field whose direction and magnitude vary spatially. A series of numerical models of superconducting tapes based on the finite element method has been developed. In each model, some of the above-mentioned factors that could influence the AC loss properties are taken into account. The models are formulated with the current vector potential and the scalar magnetic potential (T–Ω method). Superconducting property is given by the E–J characteristic represented by a power law. The current distributions in non-twisted and twisted superconducting tapes carrying their transport current and/or exposed to the external magnetic field are calculated with these models to estimate their AC loss. The current distribution in a short piece of superconducting tape exposed to AC magnetic field is also calculated.     

Bi-2223复合导体直流磁场下自场损耗热稳定性分析

对于一种Bi-2223的复合导体,利用ANSYS软件,我们分析了在直流磁场下励磁过程中,自场损耗对复合导体热稳定性的影响;然后假定Bi-2223超导带内不同的损耗值,通过计算,确定了达到超导带分流温度的最小损耗值。     

AC losses in multifilamentary HTS-composite tapes based on BiPbSrCaCuO

Some results of AC loss measurements are presented for 19, 61, 127-filamentary Bi-2223/Ag tapes prepared by the ‘powder-in-tube' method. All measurements have been made at T=77 K under sinusoidal transport current with frequency in the range of 30–600 Hz and the current amplitude up to 30 A. The measurements have been carried out both in self field conditions and at the external magnetic field applied to the tape at the different angles. The dependencies of the AC losses on current amplitude and frequency have been obtained. It is found that for all tapes the current amplitude dependencies of the AC losses show good agreement with the Norris prediction for an elliptical or strip geometry. The AC loss dependencies on frequency were linear. The measurements of AC losses in external magnetic field show that the change of AC losses is only through the change of the critical current. So the transport AC losses in the tapes are the ‘saturation losses' that is they are different from classic hysteresis losses.     

ITER电流引线高温超导叠制作工艺及性能测试

ITER高温超导电流引线载流能力最大要达到68 kA,一根电流引线共需要1000多根银金基Bi-2223高温超导带并联.这些高温超导带分成90叠,每叠由12层带组成.银金基Bi-2223带价格是普通银基Bi系带的4～5倍,而目前欧洲超导公司提供的超导叠的报价几乎是其带价格加倍,所以开发超导叠的制作工艺是非常有价值的.本文详细的介绍了超导叠的真空钎焊制作工艺,并进行了77 K下超导带的接头电阻测试和77 K自场下的临界电流测试,以及模拟在实际运行温度65～5 K条件下高温超导叠的载流能力测试和接头电阻的测试.测试结果证明了此工艺的可行性.     

Influence of Precursor Powder Fabrication Methods on the Superconducting Properties of Bi-2223 Tapes

Bi-2223 precursor powders are prepared by both oxalate co-precipitation(CP) and spray pyrolysis(SP) methods.The influence of fabrication methods on the superconducting properties of Bi-2223 tapes are systematically studied. Compared to the CP method, SP powder exhibits spherical particle before calcination and smaller particle size after calcinations with more uniform chemical composition, which leads to a lower reaction temperature during calcination process for Bi-2223 tapes. Meanwhile, the non-superconducting phases in SP powder are more uniformly distributed with smaller particle sizes. These features result in finer homogeneity of critical current in large-length of Bi-2223 tape, higher density of filaments and better texture after heat treatment. Therefore,the SP method could be considered as a better route to prepare precursor powder for large-length Bi-2223 tape fabrication.     

Influence of tape-specific properties on local stress and strain in Bi-2223/Ag tapes

Superconductors are typically fragile, and their superconducting properties are reduced under strain. Moreover, superconductor wires operate under large mechanical loads in most applications. Thus, a careful mechanical analysis is essential when designing superconducting applications. So far, plenty of experimental and computational studies concerning stress and strain in, e.g. Bi-2223/Ag tapes have been carried out. However, Bi-2223 tapes contain several properties that vary between different tapes and are often unknown when designing a specific application. The largest uncertainties are related to the creep at high temperatures, stiffness and anisotropy of filaments and the yield strength of silver. In this paper, the influence of uncertainties on the local stress and strain in Bi-2223/Ag tapes is studied computationally to determine efficient strategies to reduce inaccuracy of the results. The results suggest that the filaments can be described as an isotropic material and the filament stiffness is the most important input parameter to estimate the total stiffness of the tape.     

Twist effect on hysteresis loss in Bi2223 multifilamentary wires exposed to an AC magnetic field

We fabricated Bi2223 multifilamentary sample wires with various twist pitches and investigated the electromagnetic properties experimentally. They showed monofilamentlike electromagnetic properties regardless of twisting due to the contacts among filaments and/or proximity effect. The observed AC losses in the non-twisted sample wire agreed roughly with the theoretical prediction for a homogeneous superconducting slab with the same thickness of the filamentary region on the basis of Irie–Yamafuji model. However the AC losses in the twisted wires deviated from the theoretical ones, especially for the amplitude around the theoretically predicted penetration field of the slab. We showed that the observed AC loss properties can be explained by both the twist effect for the macroscopic shielding current and the contribution of the local shielding current.     

A simple electromagnetic method of cyclic loss measurement for superconducting wires in a combined alternating transverse magnetic field and transport current

We measured cyclic losses in a superconducting wire, carrying alternating transport current, simultaneously exposed to an alternating transverse magnetic field. Samples of Bi-2223 Ag-sheathed tapes have configuration of a double-layer non-inductive coil, which itself is a pickup coil to measure the AC losses. Potential taps were attached to both terminals of the sample coil. The external field was applied along the axis of the sample coil. In this procedure, we can estimate an averaged Poynting's vector on a cylindrical surface between the two layers by means of signals from a pair of the potential taps and from pickup coils for the external magnetic field and the transport current. We can also measure a magnetization and an extended transport-current components of AC losses in addition to a total cyclic loss for a combined alternating external field and transport current. Obtained results are compared with numerical predictions of the critical state model taking into account the magnetic field dependence of critical current density.     

AC transport and magnetic characterisation of multifilamentary Ag-BSCCO(2223) tapes with different filament arrangements

AC losses in multifilamentary tapes depend on various parameters. Among them, geometrical factors such as overall tape width and thickness as well as the precise arrangement of the filaments are expected to have an important influence. Several theoretical models describe this dependency. In order to study these geometrical effects experimentally, we prepared a series of Bi(2223)/Ag tapes with gradually changing filament arrangements and tape aspect ratio, and characterised them by AC transport and magnetic measurements. The results are compared to model predictions.     

传输交流的Bi2223/Ag高温超导带在不同取向交流外场下的交流损耗

在高温超导的电力应用中，如超导电机、变压器等，多数情况下，高温超导带材在通以交流传输电流的同时还处于交变磁场中。此时，超导体的交流损耗不仅依赖于磁场的大小，还与磁场相对于超导带面的取向有关。本文在77K及工频50Hz情况下，实验研究了单根多芯Bi2223/Ag高温超导带及两带并联时的交流损耗随着外磁场与带面夹角的变化情况；以及交流磁场对临界电流的影响情况；并对单根带及两带并联的实验结果进行了比较与分析。     

Evaluation of critical current based on a new transition concept

The critical current of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes depends on temperature, magnetic field, and flux angle against the tape. Analyzing the performance of an HTS coil relies on the critical current equation, which has these dependencies. To date, the critical current equation has been obtained by fitting the measured data. However, this fitting method requires the time-consuming and laborious work of measuring the tapes. In this study, based on a new transition concept in applying a magnetic field, we show how to obtain the critical current equation, while keeping the temperature constant. From the wave function of the Cooper pair which distributes along a magnetic flux quantum, a wave function at the transition state is obtained; this yields the wave functions with perpendicular and parallel magnetic components against the tape. Combining these wave functions yields the conclusive critical current density equation. To confirm the accuracy of this equation, used Bi-2223/Ag tapes, it was compared with the measured critical current under various magnetic fields and flux angles; it was found that they agree well. The parameters of this equation can be obtained by measuring the perpendicular/parallel critical magnetic field component. This equation does not require fitting the measured data, therefore, it can be employed with any Bi-2223/Ag tape.