AC loss in a high-temperature superconducting coil

In a typical superconducting coil made of BSCCO/Ag tape, both amplitude and direction of the magnetic field determine the critical current, resistive voltage and AC loss. The distribution of the magnetic field along and across the superconducting tape in a coil is rather complex. This gives rise to the question: how accurate can one predict the critical current, V–I characteristic and AC loss of the AC coil from results of short sample measurements? To answer this question, we have measured and compared the characteristics of a short sample and a small coil employing 14 m of the same tape at 77 K. The comparison is performed as follows. First, a short sample is characterised with regard to the field dependence of the critical current, V–I characteristic and the AC loss. Second, the distribution of the magnetic field along the tape in a coil is accurately calculated. From the data, the voltage along the tape and the loss of the tape in the coil are found. Finally, the resistive voltage and the AC loss of the complete coil are calculated and compared to measured AC losses in the frequency range of 0 to 160 Hz, typical for power applications.