Use of steel substrates in diffractive optics: Near field of high surface quality steel tape gratings

Steel tape is used in optical applications due to its mechanical properties. However, roughness of steel surfaces affects to wave propagation. The effect can be observed using diffraction gratings with low periods. In such a case, self-images of the grating appear at certain periodic distances from the grating (Talbot planes). When standard steel is used, the contrast of Talbot self-images strongly decreases with the distance from the grating. In this work, we prove that controlling the surface quality of steel, it is possible to improve its optical behavior and, as a consequence, high quality surface steel represents a good choice for diffractive optics when the use of chrome-on-glass masks is not indicated. As an example, we have manufactured a diffraction grating over a high quality steel surface by means of an ablation process with a nanosecond pulsed laser. The contrast of the self-images for these gratings decreases very slowly with the distance, in comparison with the self-images obtained with standard steel tape gratings.     

Coupling current control in Rutherford cables wound with NbTi, Nb3Sn, and Bi:2212/Ag

Calorimetric measurements of AC loss have been performed on Rutherford cables wound with NbTi, Nb₃Sn, and Bi:2212/Ag strands, respectively. For the NbTi cables Ni and stabrite coatings had been applied, while for the Nb₃Sn and Bi:2212/Ag cables the strand surfaces were just bare Cu or Ag, respectively. Most of the cables contained resistive cores: ribbons of kapton, or titanium (NbTi), stainless steel (NbTi and Nb₃Sn), and nichrome-80 (Bi:2212/Ag). In all cases the cores were found to lead to a strong suppression of the face-on (field normal to the broad cable face) coupling current loss; to such an extent that even the Bi:2212/Ag cables, which would otherwise be severely cross-sintered, show the possibility of acceptable coupling loss. Effective crossover interstrand contact resistances are calculated and normalized to a standard cable specification (‘LHC inner') for the purpose of intercomparison.     

Measuring transport current loss of BSCCO/Ag tapes exposed to external AC magnetic field

BSCCO/Ag tape superconductors are developed for electrical power applications at liquid nitrogen temperatures. In these applications, e.g., superconducting transformers and power cables, an AC transport current and an AC magnetic field are present at the same time. A set-up to measure the influence of external AC magnetic field on the transport current loss, i.e., the voltage drop across a sample supplied with an AC transport current, has been developed. The magnetic field can be applied both parallel and perpendicular to the broad side of the tape conductor. An increase of the transport current loss due to the external AC magnetic field is observed. When a DC external magnetic field is applied the increase of the self-field loss can be described well by the decrease of the critical current due to the magnetic field. In the case of an AC external magnetic field this is only a minor effect. For magnetic field amplitudes higher than a certain threshold value the transport current loss is described reasonably well by the self-field loss and a dynamic resistance contribution calculated from the DC voltage–current relation in AC magnetic field.     

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)     

Comparison between self-field AC losses of a single-phase Bi-2223 cable measured by electric and calorimetric methods

High-T_c power cables based on Bi-2223 tapes are under development worldwide. An important parameter for design and cost optimization is the AC loss expected during 50/60 Hz operation. Its measurement can be affected by several experimental problems that may alter the results. For this purpose, the 50 Hz losses of a 1.5 m long conductor, made by helically winding four layers of Bi-2223 tapes, were measured simultaneously by electrical and calorimetric methods in a wide range of currents up to 2 kA in order to investigate the reasons for possible discrepancies. The present, specifically designed, calorimetric system is not based on temperature distribution analysis but on the measurement of the gas boil-off rate of the liquid nitrogen bath.     

Influences of Cu composition and sintering condition in Bi-2223 tapes using Ag---Cu alloy sheath doped with Ti, Zr or Hf

Bi-2223 Ag---Cu alloy sheathed tapes doped with Ti, Zr or Hf were fabricated by a powder-in-tube technique using intermediate uniaxial presses and variations in total sintering times. Increasing Cu compositions in the Ag---Cu alloy sheath doped with certain elements into the sheath, combined with appropriate total sintering times were found to lead good superconducting properties. Furthermore, the best total sintering time varied according to the amount of Cu in the Ag---Cu alloy sheath and the existence of doping elements. A transport critical current density, J_c, of 4.1 × 10⁴ A/cm² at 4.2 K, 14 T and 2.2 × 10⁴ A/cm² at 77 K, 0 T was achieved in Ag-10 at% Cu-0.1 at% Hf sheathed Bi-2223 tapes sintered for total 200 h.     

前驱粉末对（Bi，Pb）-2223／Ag超导带材临界电流密度的影响

采用双相粉工艺即分别制备出2212粉末和（Ca2CuO3＋CuO）粉末，将它们分别热处理后，按照2223比例混合均匀，分别在四个不同温度下（800℃，815℃，830℃，845℃）进行了10h的烧结，并采用PIT技术制备出37芯超导带材．通过X射线衍射、SEM观察和临界电流的测试，分析了粉末不同烧结温度对（Bi，Pb）-2223／Ag超导带材临界电流密度的影响．结果表明：采用不同的前驱粉末制备的带材具有不同的临界电流密度，最佳的前驱粉末最终烧结温度是830℃左右．     

Magnetic coupling and self-field AC losses of two neighbouring Ag sheathed PbBi2223 tapes

The magnetic interaction between two neighbouring superconducting tapes has significant influences on their self-field AC losses. While the two tapes are independent of each other when separated far apart, they are expected to be fully coupled and behave as a single tape when placed very near. One of the consequences of such coupling is the increase in the self-field loss per tape, which is double of that for an uncoupled tape carrying the same current. In order to assess the interactions among tapes in systems such as a power cable, a better understanding is necessary on the critical distance where the coupling becomes important. Experimental measurements on the self-field losses in two neighbouring Ag sheathed PbBi2223 tapes were carried out with the two tapes separated by various distances, while placed either side by side (side-configuration) or one on top of the other (top-configuration). The results indicates that the critical coupling distance for the top-configuration is about 5 mm, where the increase in loss per tape is about 10%. The critical length for the side-configuration is found to be of the same order of magnitude.     

新型Bi系高温超导用银合金力学性能研究

为开发新型Bi系高温超导用银合金，使其具有良好的机械性能，我们制备了AgMg0．05V0．05和AgMg0．10V0．075合金，研究了这两种合金经过不同条件退火处理后的室温拉伸性能．实验结果表明，合金化对提高材料的强度有显著效果；由光学金相照片观察到，银合金经过空气气氛退火后，形成了氧化物析出相，使强度进一步提高．AgMg0．05V0．05合金经820℃、40h空气退火处理后，屈服强度和抗拉强度分别高达110MPa和217MPa，克服了AgMgNi合金在较高温度退火强度下降的缺点．获得在高温长时处理后保持高强度的包套合金材料．对提高超导带材的机械强度和传输性能以及工程上的应用具有重要的意义．     

Bi系多芯丝超导带材的超导性能与微观组织分析

本文采用XRD和SEM技术分析了具有不同临界电流密度（Jc）的Bi系多芯超导带材．结果表明，样品中Bi-2223晶粒高度取向排列，其取向因子F值在0．947-0．977范围内．SEM分析结果发现，高Jc样品中在平行于带材平面的片状的Bi-2223晶粒的晶界处残留的杂质主要为CuO晶粒，它与Bi-2223晶体结合紧密．在低Jc的样品中，Bi-2223晶片边界存在的杂质颗粒尺寸较大，其成分为（St，Ca）CuO和CuO的混合体．样品的横断面和纵断面的SEM观察发现，在高性能的样品中，芯丝烧结体的致密度较高．枝条状Bi-2223晶体穿过银层，在芯丝之间形成了很强的连接体．本文讨论了临界电流密度与微观组织的关系．