Indirect measurement of AC current distributions in HTS tapes by a pickup coil method

It is necessary to develop HTS conductors with a large current capacity and low AC loss characteristics for practical use of HTS power devices. For large capacity power applications, HTS tapes such as Bi-2223 tapes and YBCO coated conductors are assembled. So, it is important to evaluate the characteristics of current distributions in such assembled HTS tapes. However, an adequate measurement method has not been established. In this study, we have tried the development of an indirect measurement method to evaluate the current distributions in stacked HTS tapes. In this method, the current distributions are indirectly found from the results of the field distributions measured by a pickup coil located around the surface of the sample tapes. To confirm the accuracy and the sensitivity of this method, current distributions in a test conductor made of copper tapes are measured. Numerical and measured current distributions are compared. Using this method, the current distributions in stacked Bi-2223 tapes are measured at room temperature and 77 K. On the basis of the obtained results, the characteristics of the AC current distributions in the HTS tapes are discussed.