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Sample records for superconductivity critical current

  1. Critical currents and superconductivity ferromagnetism coexistence in high-Tc oxides

    CERN Document Server

    Khene, Samir

    2016-01-01

    The book comprises six chapters which deal with the critical currents and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides. It begins by gathering key data for superconducting state and the fundamental properties of the conventional superconductors, followed by a recap of the basic theories of superconductivity. It then discusses the differences introduced by the structural anisotropy on the Ginzburg-Landau approach and the Lawrence-Doniach model before addressing the dynamics of vortices and the ferromagnetism-superconductivity coexistence in high-Tc oxides, and provides an outline of the pinning phenomena of vortices in these materials, in particular the pinning of vortices by the spins. It elucidates the methods to improve the properties of superconducting materials for industrial applications. This optimization aims at obtaining critical temperatures and densities of critical currents at the maximum level possible. Whereas the primary objective is the basic mechanisms pushing the superco...

  2. Critical currents in multilayered superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raffy, Helene

    1977-01-01

    The superconducting critical currents Isub(c) were measured as a function of magnetic field H and temperature T, on multilayered films. These films consist of alternating layers of two different superconductors S 1 and S 2 being a weaker superconductor acting as a flux pinning barrier region. A strong anisotropy was observed between the two situations where the magnetic field H is applied parallel or perpendicular to the layers. In the case discussed, there is a peak effect in the curves Isub(c)H well defined at the highest temperatures, and disappearing at low temperatures. The anisotropy of the critical current at constant field presents a maximum at a temperature T* close to the critical temperature Tsub(c 2 ) of S 2 [fr

  3. Critical current of high Tc superconducting Bi223/Ag tapes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huang, Y.; ten Haken, Bernard; ten Kate, Herman H.J.

    1998-01-01

    The magnetic field dependence of the critical current of various high Tc superconducting Bi2223/Ag tapes indicates that the transport current is carried through two paths: one is through weakly-linked grain boundaries (Josephson junctions); another is through well-connected grains. The critical

  4. Critical current degradation in superconducting niobium-titanium alloys in external magnetic fields under loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bojko, V.S.; Lazareva, M.B.; Starodubov, Ya.D.; Chernyj, O.V.; Gorbatenko, V.M.

    1992-01-01

    The effect of external magnetic fields on the stress at which the critical current starts to degrade (the degradation threshold σ 0 e ) under mechanical loads in superconducting Nb-Ti alloys is studied and a possible mechanism of realization of the effect observed is proposed.It is assumed that additional stresses on the transformation dislocation from the external magnetic fields are beneficial for the growth of martensite inclusions whose superconducting parameters (critical current density j k and critical temperature T k ) are lower then those in the initial material.The degradation threshold is studied experimentally in external magnetic fields H up to 7 T.The linear dependence σ 0 e (H) is observed.It is shown that external magnetic fields play an important role in the critical current degradation at the starting stages of deformation.This fact supports the assumption that the degradation of superconducting parameters under loading are due to the phenomenon of superelasticity,i.e. a reversible load-induced change in the martensite inclusions sizes rather than the reversible mechanical twinning.The results obtained are thought to be important to estimating superconducting solenoid stability in a wide range of magnetic fields

  5. Magnetic response and critical current properties of mesoscopic-size YBCO superconducting samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lisboa-Filho, P N; Deimling, C V; Ortiz, W A

    2010-01-01

    In this contribution superconducting specimens of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ were synthesized by a modified polymeric precursor method, yielding a ceramic powder with particles of mesoscopic-size. Samples of this powder were then pressed into pellets and sintered under different conditions. The critical current density was analyzed by isothermal AC-susceptibility measurements as a function of the excitation field, as well as with isothermal DC-magnetization runs at different values of the applied field. Relevant features of the magnetic response could be associated to the microstructure of the specimens and, in particular, to the superconducting intra- and intergranular critical current properties.

  6. Magnetic response and critical current properties of mesoscopic-size YBCO superconducting samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lisboa-Filho, P N [UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Grupo de Materiais Avancados, Departamento de Fisica, Bauru (Brazil); Deimling, C V; Ortiz, W A, E-mail: plisboa@fc.unesp.b [Grupo de Supercondutividade e Magnetismo, Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos (Brazil)

    2010-01-15

    In this contribution superconducting specimens of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} were synthesized by a modified polymeric precursor method, yielding a ceramic powder with particles of mesoscopic-size. Samples of this powder were then pressed into pellets and sintered under different conditions. The critical current density was analyzed by isothermal AC-susceptibility measurements as a function of the excitation field, as well as with isothermal DC-magnetization runs at different values of the applied field. Relevant features of the magnetic response could be associated to the microstructure of the specimens and, in particular, to the superconducting intra- and intergranular critical current properties.

  7. Improved critical current densities and compressive strength in porous superconducting structures containing calcium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walsh, D; Hall, S R; Wimbush, S C

    2008-01-01

    Templated control of crystallization by biopolymers is a new technique in the synthesis of high temperature superconducting phases. By controlling the way YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (Y123) materials crystallize and are organized in three dimensions, the critical current density can be improved. In this work, we present the results of doping superconducting sponges with calcium ions, which result in higher critical current densities (J c ) and improved compressive strength compared to that of commercially available Y123, in spite of minor reductions in T c . Y123 synthesis using the biopolymer dextran achieves not only an extremely effective oxygenation of the superconductor but also an in situ template-directing of the crystal morphology producing high J c , homogeneous superconducting structures with nano-scale crystallinity

  8. Advances in superconductivity: new materials, critical currents and devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinto, R.; Malik, S.K.; Grover, A.K.; Ayyub, P.

    1997-01-01

    The discovery of superconductivity in the cuprates produced an explosive growth in research, driven by the quest for higher and higher superconducting transition temperatures. In the initial stages, the excitement was tremendous both in the physical sciences and in engineering. However, the complexity of the new materials on the one hand, and the absence of a viable theory on the other, have made further developments much more difficult. It is to be expected therefore, that the early excitement and the subsequent rapid advances have paved the way for more systematic and detailed studies of all aspects of superconductivity. The International Symposium was intended to provide a forum to review the progress in selected areas in superconductivity. The emphasis was on experimental and theoretical studies of the new superconductors, advances in the theoretical understanding, progress in studies of flux pinning and vortex dynamics which affect critical currents, and developments of novel material synthesis methods. Recent developments in the twin areas of thin films and devices were extensively discussed during the symposium. Papers relevant to INIS are indexed separately

  9. Simulation of the d.c. critical current in superconducting sintered ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riedinger, R.; Habig, P.; Hlil, E.K.; Arnaud, M.; Boulesteix, C.

    1990-01-01

    The new superconducting high-T c sintered ceramics can be described in some case as a lattice of interconnected rods, in other cases as a more or less random packing of parallelepiped crystallites; their size is about a few microns. The d.c. critical current at zero voltage of such a material is not related to the critical current of the bulk material, but to its granular structure. Indeed, the critical current between two adjacent cells is governed by the critical current of the weak link between them; this link behaves within some limits as a Josephson junction, the critical current of which is known. For our present problem, the system can be modeled as a lattice of Josephson junctions. We present here results for the d.c. critical current at zero voltage of lattices of identical Josephson junctions in two dimensions. The influence of the finiteness of size of the sample is examined. The relationship with normal conductivity simulations and percolation is discussed

  10. Stable superconducting magnet. [high current levels below critical temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boom, R. W. (Inventor)

    1967-01-01

    Operation of a superconducting magnet is considered. A method is described for; (1) obtaining a relatively high current in a superconducting magnet positioned in a bath of a gas refrigerant; (2) operating a superconducting magnet at a relatively high current level without training; and (3) operating a superconducting magnet containing a plurality of turns of a niobium zirconium wire at a relatively high current level without training.

  11. Preparation and characterization of high-Tc superconducting thin films with high critical current densities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vase, P.

    1991-08-01

    The project was carried out in relation to possible cable and electronics applications of high-T c materials. Laser ablation was used as the deposition technique because of its stoichiometry conservation. Films were made in the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 compound due to its relatively simple stoichiometry compared to other High-T c compounds. Much attention was paid to the critical current density. A very high critical current density was reached. By using texture analysis by X-ray diffraction, it was found that films with high critical current densities were epitaxial, while films with low critical current densities contained several crystalline orientations. Four techniques for patterning the films were used - photo lithography and wet etch, laser ablation lithography, laser writing and electron beam lithography and ion milling. Sub-micron patterning has been demonstrated without degradation of the superconducting properties. The achieved patterning resolution is sufficient for preparation of many superconducting components. (AB)

  12. Critical current properties in superconducting melt processed Y-Ba-Cu-O

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsushita, Teruo

    1993-01-01

    The critical current density in bulk superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O has been remarkably improved by employing the so-called melt process. However, its value is still far below those reported in single-crystalline thin films. Important key factors that determine the critical current density are the flux pinning mechanism and defective structures such as cracks or weak links. In this article, these factors in melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O are argued from various measurements of the critical current density on the microstructure dependence, the magnetic field dependence, the temperature dependence, the history effect, the longitudinal field effect and the imaginary ac susceptibility. As for the pinning mechanism, it is concluded that the dominant pinning centers in the high temperature region around 77 K are normal 211 (Y 2 BaCuO 5 ) particles, while small defects such as lattice defects or oxygen deficiencies seem to be dominant in the lower temperature region. It is suggested that much finer normal particles should be introduced in order to improve the critical current density especially at higher temperatures. From the rapid decrease of the critical current density with elevating temperature below 30 K, some kind of weak links are considered to still remain in these materials. However, the observed critical current density did not depend on the history of application of the magnetic field and a large enhancement of the critical current density was observed in the longitudinal field geometry at 4.2 K. These results suggest that the weak links in these materials are of much different kind from those at large angle grain boundaries in sintered polycrystalline materials. From the X-ray diffraction measurements, a domain structure of a mean domain size of about 100 μm was found. These domain boundaries may cause weak links in melt-processed Y-Ba-Cu-O. It is also shown that the typical size of channels of flowing current can be obtained by the imaginary ac susceptibility

  13. Critical current measurement in superconducting rings using an automatic inductive technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez-Jorge, H.; Linares, B.; Quelle, I.; Carballo, E.; Romani, L.; Domarco, G.

    2007-01-01

    A measurement technique was developed to identify the critical current of superconducting rings. It is based on the detection of the voltage on a secondary coil when the current induced in the superconductor by a primary one go beyond to the critical value. The technique uses a DC power supply to control the AC current circulating by the primary circuit. Such circuit mainly consists on an AC power supply which gives a constant AC voltage, a primary inducting coil and a control coil with iron core. The AC current circulating by this circuit is modified with the change in the impedance of the control coil due to the fact of the DC current supplied by the power supply in parallel with it

  14. Superconductivity, intergrain, and intragrain critical current densities of materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, J.R.; Brynestad, J.; Kroeger, D.M.; Kim, Y.C.; Sekula, S.T.; Christen, D.K.; Specht, E.D.

    1989-01-01

    Bulk sintered and powdered samples of the high-temperature superconductive compounds Tl 2 Ca 2 Ba 2 Cu 3 O/sub 1+//sub δ/ (Tl-2:2:2:3) and Tl 2 Ca 2 Ba 2 Cu 2 O/sub 8+//sub δ/ (Tl-2:1:2:2) have been synthesized with phase purity of approximately 90%. The materials were characterized by x-ray-diffraction, metallographic, and electron microprobe analyses. The electronic and superconductive properties were investigated through measurement of the electrical resistivity and the critical current density J/sub c/ using transport methods and by extensive magnetization measurements. Primary results and conclusions are that (1) the intragrain J/sub c/ values were large, much larger than the transport values; (2) both sintered and powdered materials exhibited large flux creep; (3) and the J/sub c/ decreased exponentially with temperature. These features are qualitatively very similar to those found in the corresponding YBa 2 Cu 3 O/sub z/ (with z≅7) series of compounds

  15. Critical current enhancement driven by suppression of superconducting fluctuation in ion-gated ultrathin FeSe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harada, T.; Shiogai, J.; Miyakawa, T.; Nojima, T.; Tsukazaki, A.

    2018-05-01

    The framework of phase transition, such as superconducting transition, occasionally depends on the dimensionality of materials. Superconductivity is often weakened in the experimental conditions of two-dimensional thin films due to the fragile superconducting state against defects and interfacial effects. In contrast to this general trend, superconductivity in the thin limit of FeSe exhibits an opposite trend, such as an increase in critical temperature (T c) and the superconducting gap exceeding the bulk values; however, the dominant mechanism is still under debate. Here, we measured thickness-dependent electrical transport properties of the ion-gated FeSe thin films to evaluate the superconducting critical current (I c) in the ultrathin FeSe. Upon systematically decreasing the FeSe thickness by the electrochemical etching technique in the Hall bar-shaped electric double-layer transistors, we observed a dramatic enhancement of I c reaching about 10 mA and corresponding to about 107 A cm‑2 in the thinnest condition. By analyzing the transition behavior, we clarify that the suppressed superconducting fluctuation is one of the origins of the large I c in the ion-gated ultrathin FeSe films. These results indicate the existence of a robust superconducting state possibly with dense Cooper pairs at the thin limit of FeSe.

  16. Non-equilibrium properties of Josephson critical current in Nb-based three terminal superconducting tunnel devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ammendola, G.; Parlato, L.; Peluso, G.; Pepe, G.

    1998-01-01

    Tunnel quasi-particle injection into a superconducting film provides useful information on the non-equilibrium state inside the perturbed superconductor as well as on the potential application to electronic devices. Three terminal injector-detector superconducting devices have a long history in non-equilibrium superconductivity. In the recent past non-equilibrium phenomena have attracted again considerable attention because of many superconducting based detectors involve processes substantially non-equilibrium in nature. The possibility of using a stacked double tunnel junction to study the influence of non-equilibrium superconductivity on the Josephson critical current is now considered. An experimental study of the effect of quasi-particle injection on the Josephson current both in steady-state and pulsed experiments down to T=1.2 K is presented using 3 terminal Nb-based stacked double tunnel devices. The feasibility of a new class of particle detectors based on the direct measurement of the change in the Josephson current following the absorption of a X-ray quantum is also discussed in terms of non-equilibrium theories. (orig.)

  17. Critical current characteristics and history dependence in superconducting SmFeAsOF bulk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni, B; Ge, J; Kiuchi, M; Otabe, E S; Gao, Z; Wang, L; Qi, Y; Zhang, X; Ma, Y

    2010-01-01

    The superconducting SmFeAsO 1-x F x (x=0.2) polycrystalline bulks were prepared by the powder-in-tube (PIT) method. The magnetic field and temperature dependences of critical current densities in the samples were investigated by resistive and ac inductive (Campbell's) methods. It was found that a fairly large shielding current density over 10 9 A/m 2 , which is considered to correspond to the local critical current density, flows locally with the perimeter size similar to the average grain size of the bulk samples, while an extremely low transport current density of about 10 5 A/m 2 corresponding to the global critical current density flows through the whole sample. Furthermore, a unique history dependence of global critical current density was observed, i.e., it shows a smaller value in the increasing-field process than that in the decreasing-field process. The history dependence of global critical current characteristic in our case can be ascribed to the existence of the weak-link property between the grains in SmFeAsO 1-x F x bulk.

  18. Magnetic field dependence of the critical superconducting current induced by the proximity effect in silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishino, T.; Kawabe, U.; Yamada, E.

    1986-01-01

    The magnetic field dependence of the critical superconducting current induced by the proximity effect in heavily-boron-doped Si is studied experimentally. It is found that the critical current flowing through the p-type-Si-coupled junction decreases with increasing applied magnetic field. The critical current can be expressed as the product of three factors: the current induced by de Gennes's proximity effect, the exponential decrease due to pair breaking by the magnetic field, and the usual diffraction-pattern-like dependence on the magnetic field due to the Josephson effect. The second factor depends on the carrier concentration in the semiconductor. The local critical current shows a rapid decrease at the edge of the electrodes

  19. Method for measuring the resistive transition and critical current in superconductors using pulsed current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGinnis, W.C.; Jones, T.E.

    1993-01-01

    A method is described for measuring the intragranular critical current of a granular superconductive material, comprising the steps of: conducting a substantially rectangular electronic pulse through said material so as to conduct a current through said material such that when said intragranular critical current of said material is exceeded, any grains present in said material are in a superconducting state when said current is less than said intragranular critical current, said material having a critical temperature; measuring said current through said material while conducting said pulse; measuring a voltage difference across said material while conducting said pulse; and determining said intragranular critical current through said material by varying said current to discern a current level at which an electrical resistance of said material increases to that of a non-superconducting state as the grains of said material transition from said superconducting to said non-superconducting state

  20. Development of Bi-based high critical current density superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swaminathan, G.

    1995-01-01

    In order to achieve the aim of developing suitable superconducting materials the main emphasis has to be made in the following areas viz., synthesizing powders, detailed study of sintering and phase conversion process in relation to the critical current density (J c ) on pellets and optimising of tape processing parameters. The bismuth system has been found to be more favourable for making wires and tapes because of its high transition temperature, good stability, does not require oxygen on cooling and is non-toxic. These have been the most convenient properties which made the BiSCO material the most popular one

  1. Transport currents along c-axis and (a,b) planes in YBCO single domain materials. Critical current densities and normal-superconducting transitions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porcar, L.; Bourgault, D.; Chaud, X.; Noudem, J.G.; Tournier, R.; Tixador, P.

    1998-01-01

    High transport currents along the (a,b) planes and along the c-axis have been measured in pulsed current of different pseudo-frequencies. Self field losses and transport current of 8000 A (20000 A cm -2 ) have been measured in Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ bars textured by the melting zone technique. Critical currents as high as 500 A (90000 A cm -2 ) along the (a,b) planes or 3000 A (7500 A cm -2 ) along the c-axis have been measured. For both orientations, the transition from the normal state to the superconducting state has been observed. Electric field of 1000 V m -1 and study of the superconducting state recovery are reported. (orig.)

  2. Hysteresis of critical currents of superconducting bridges in low perpendicular magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aomine, T.; Tanaka, E.; Yamasaki, S.; Tani, K.; Yonekura, A.

    1989-01-01

    Hysteresis of critical currents I c of superconducting bridges with In, Nb, and NbN has been studied in low perpendicular magnetic fields. Influences of bridge geometry, small field sweep, trapped flux, and bombardment of argon ions on the hysteresis were made clear. The experimental results suggest that the edge pinning and trapped flux in the bank of bridges are associated with the hysteresis. The peak value of I c of NbN bridges, as well as granular Al and In bridges reported before, in decreasing fields agrees with the calculated pair-breaking current. The origin of the hysteresis is discussed

  3. Phonon-induced enhancements of the energy gap and critical current in superconducting aluminum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seligson, D.

    1983-01-01

    The enhancement of the energy gap, Δ, and critical current, i/sub c/, in superconducting aluminum thin films were under the influence of 8 to 10 GHz phonons. The phonons were generated by piezoelectric transduction of a 1 kW microwave pulse of about 1 μsec duration. By means of a quartz delay line, the phonons were allowed to enter the aluminum only after the microwaves had long since disappeared. The critical current was measured in long narrow Al strips, in which the current flow is 1-dimensional and well described by Ginsburg-Landau theory. To measure Δ the Al film was used as one electrode in a superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction whose current-voltage characteristic gave Δ directly. For the measurements of i/sub c/, the total critical current was measured in the presence of the phonon perturbation. For the measurements of Δ the change of Δ away from its equilibrium value was measured. In both cases the first measurements of enhancement of these macroscopic variables under phonon irradiation is reported. The gap-enhancement was found to be in good agreement with theory, but only for relatively and surprisingly low input power. The critical current measurements are predicted to be in rough agreement with the Δ measurements but this was not observed

  4. Determination of the inter- and intra-granular critical currents in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 welds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bozzo, B; Iliescu, S; Bartolome, E; Palau, A; Granados, X; Puig, T; Obradors, X; Amoros, J; Carrera, M

    2005-01-01

    A method for determining simultaneously the inter- and intra-grain critical currents has been developed in welded YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) ceramics by solving the Inverse Problem for local maps of the magnetic field in the remanent state. From that current distribution, the current density flowing through the superconducting weld as well as the current density circulating inside the grains can be deduced. The method is discussed and it is applied to several examples of YBCO/Ag/YBCO welds. The results obtained show that it is possible to obtain superconducting joints with a quality at the same level as that of the starting material

  5. Distribution of local critical current along sample length and its relation to overall current in a long Bi2223/Ag superconducting composite tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochiai, S; Doko, D; Okuda, H; Oh, S S; Ha, D W

    2006-01-01

    The distribution of the local critical current and the n-value along the sample length and its relation to the overall critical current were studied experimentally and analytically for the bent multifilamentary Bi2223/Ag/Ag-Mg alloy superconducting composite tape. Then, based on the results, it was attempted to simulate on a computer the dependence of the critical current on the sample length. The main results are summarized as follows. The experimentally observed relation of the distributed local critical current and n-value to the overall critical current was described comprehensively with a simple voltage summation model, in which the sample was regarded as a one-dimensional series circuit. The sample length dependence of the critical current was reproduced on the computer by a Monte Carlo simulation incorporating the voltage summation model and the regression analysis results for the local critical current distribution and the relation of the n-value to the critical current

  6. Toward superconducting critical current by design

    OpenAIRE

    Sadovskyy, I. A.; Jia, Y.; Leroux, M.; Kwon, J.; Hu, H.; Fang, L.; Chaparro, C.; Zhu, S.; Welp, U.; Zuo, J. -M.; Zhang, Y.; Nakasaki, R.; Selvamanickam, V.; Crabtree, G. W.; Koshelev, A. E.

    2015-01-01

    We present the new paradigm of critical current by design. Analogous to materials by design, it aims at predicting the optimal defect landscape in a superconductor for targeted applications by elucidating the vortex dynamics responsible for the bulk critical current. To highlight this approach, we demonstrate the synergistic combination of critical current measurements on commercial high-temperature superconductors containing self-assembled and irradiation tailored correlated defects by using...

  7. Toward Superconducting Critical Current by Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadovskyy, Ivan A; Jia, Ying; Leroux, Maxime; Kwon, Jihwan; Hu, Hefei; Fang, Lei; Chaparro, Carlos; Zhu, Shaofei; Welp, Ulrich; Zuo, Jian-Min; Zhang, Yifei; Nakasaki, Ryusuke; Selvamanickam, Venkat; Crabtree, George W; Koshelev, Alexei E; Glatz, Andreas; Kwok, Wai-Kwong

    2016-06-01

    A new critical-current-by-design paradigm is presented. It aims at predicting the optimal defect landscape in superconductors for targeted applications by elucidating the vortex dynamics responsible for the bulk critical current. To this end, critical current measurements on commercial high-temperature superconductors are combined with large-scale time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations of vortex dynamics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Thermal instability and current-voltage scaling in superconducting fault current limiters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeimetz, B [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB1 3QZ (United Kingdom); Tadinada, K [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Eves, D E [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Coombs, T A [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Evetts, J E [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge University, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB1 3QZ (United Kingdom); Campbell, A M [Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2004-04-01

    We have developed a computer model for the simulation of resistive superconducting fault current limiters in three dimensions. The program calculates the electromagnetic and thermal response of a superconductor to a time-dependent overload voltage, with different possible cooling conditions for the surfaces, and locally variable superconducting and thermal properties. We find that the cryogen boil-off parameters critically influence the stability of a limiter. The recovery time after a fault increases strongly with thickness. Above a critical thickness, the temperature is unstable even for a small applied AC voltage. The maximum voltage and maximum current during a short fault are correlated by a simple exponential law.

  9. Electron mean free path dependence of the critical currents and the pair-breaking limit in superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fedorov, N.; Rinderer, L.

    1977-01-01

    We have studied the current-induced breakdown of superconductivity in wide (100--980 μm) and thin (0.25--0.98 μm) films of tin. It is shown that the current at which the resistance of the sample begins to rise rapidly in the process of the destruction of superconductivity by a current can be fairly well associated with the theoretical value of the pair-breaking current in the Ginzburg-Landau phenomenological approach (I/sub c//sup G L/). This effect is observed over a rather wide temperature region (up to ΔTapprox.0.7 K), depending on the electron mean free path in the films. The values of the critical currents outside the above-mentioned region correlate qualitatively with those determined by inhomogeneities of the films as proposed by Larkin and Ovchinnikov

  10. Analysis of strain distribution and critical current of superconductors based on a strain-critical current measurement system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Fang; Wu Yu; Long Feng

    2010-01-01

    Based on Pacman device which is widely used to investigate the axial strain dependence of the critical current in superconductors, the finite element analysis method is employed to carry out the force analysis of the spring and the superconducting strand, thereby the axial and lateral strain distributions of the superconducting strand are obtained. According to the two extreme assumptions(low inter-filament resistance and high inter-filament resistance), the effects of the strain homogeneity at the cross section of the superconductor on the critical current is analyzed combined with the Nb 3 Sn deviatoric strain-critical current scaling law. (authors)

  11. Theory of flux cutting and flux transport at the critical current of a type-II superconducting cylindrical wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clem, John R.

    2011-01-01

    I introduce a critical-state theory incorporating both flux cutting and flux transport to calculate the magnetic-field and current-density distributions inside a type-II superconducting cylinder at its critical current in a longitudinal applied magnetic field. The theory is an extension of the elliptic critical-state model introduced by Romero-Salazar and Perez-Rodriguez. The vortex dynamics depend in detail on two nonlinear effective resistivities for flux cutting (ρ(parallel)) and flux flow (ρ(perpendicular)), and their ratio r = ρ(parallel)/ρ(perpendicular). When r c (φ) that makes the vortex arc unstable.

  12. Phonon-induced enhancement of the energy gap and critical current of superconducting aluminum films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seligson, D.; Clarke, J.

    1983-01-01

    Enhancements of the energy gap Δ and the critical current I/sub c/ have been induced in thin superconducting aluminum films near the transition temperature T/sub c/ by pulses of phonons at approximately 9 GHz. In terms of the change in temperature Vertical BardeltaT/T/sub c/Vertical Bar necessary to produce the same enhancement in equilibrium, the gap enhancement increased smoothly with phonon power at fixed temperature and decreasing temperature at fixed phonon power; however, very close to T/sub c/ the enhancement rolled off. At relatively low phonon powers, the data were in good agreement with the theory of Eckern, Schmid, Schmutz, and Schoen, but at higher power levels the data fell markedly below the predictions of the theory. The critical-current enhancements in terms of Vertical BardeltaT/T/sub c/Vertical Bar were always larger than the gap enhancements at the same temperature and phonon power. At fixed phonon power the critical-current enhancements were nearly independent of temperature, except very close to T/sub c/ where the enhancement became small. The inclusion of the nonequilibrium quasiparticle distribution and the kinetic energy of the supercurrent in the theory relating the critical-current enhancement to the gap enhancement did not resolve the discrepancies between the two enhancements. It appears likely that there is an additional mechanism for critical-current enhancement that has not yet been identified

  13. Controlling superconductivity by tunable quantum critical points.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, S; Park, E; Bauer, E D; Ronning, F; Kim, J N; Shim, J-H; Thompson, J D; Park, Tuson

    2015-03-04

    The heavy fermion compound CeRhIn5 is a rare example where a quantum critical point, hidden by a dome of superconductivity, has been explicitly revealed and found to have a local nature. The lack of additional examples of local types of quantum critical points associated with superconductivity, however, has made it difficult to unravel the role of quantum fluctuations in forming Cooper pairs. Here, we show the precise control of superconductivity by tunable quantum critical points in CeRhIn5. Slight tin-substitution for indium in CeRhIn5 shifts its antiferromagnetic quantum critical point from 2.3 GPa to 1.3 GPa and induces a residual impurity scattering 300 times larger than that of pure CeRhIn5, which should be sufficient to preclude superconductivity. Nevertheless, superconductivity occurs at the quantum critical point of the tin-doped metal. These results underline that fluctuations from the antiferromagnetic quantum criticality promote unconventional superconductivity in CeRhIn5.

  14. Current-ripple effect on superconductive dc critical current measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodrich, L.F.; Bray, S.L.; Clark, A.F.

    1988-01-01

    The effect of sample-current power-supply ripple on dc critical current measurement in multifilamentary NbTi superconductors was evaluated. In general the ripple in a current supply became more significant above 500 A because effective filtering was hard to achieve. Ripple also caused noise at the input of the voltmeter used for the measurements. The quantitative effect of current ripple was studied using a battery current supply modified to allow the creation of ripple current with variable frequency and amplitude. Problems common to all large-conductor critical current measurements are discussed

  15. Characterization of superconducting coil for fault current limitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polasek, Alexander; Dias, Rodrigo; Niedu, Daniel Brito; Ogasawara, Tsuneharu; Oliveira Filho, Orsino Borges de; Serra, Eduardo Torres; Gomes Junior, George; Amorim, Helio Salim

    2010-01-01

    The increasing power demand has been raising fault currents up to dangerous levels. Superconducting fault current limiters are a promising solution for this problem. In the present work, we studied a superconducting Bi-2212 coil that is used for fault current limitation. Samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM/EDS and measurement of critical temperature (Tc). The Rietveld method was employed for phase quantification. Relatively high Bi-2212 fractions were found. However, Tc varies from a sample to another one. Variations of local Tc are attributed to variations of oxygen content in Bi- 2212 phase. (author)

  16. Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7 on biaxially textured (001) Ni: An approach to high critical current density superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norton, D.P.; Goyal, A.; Budai, J.D.

    1997-01-01

    In-plane aligned, c-axis oriented YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) films with superconducting critical current densities, J c , as high as 700,000 amperes per square centimeter at 77 kelvin have been grown on thermo-mechanically, rolled-textured (001) Ni tapes using pulsed-laser deposition. Epitaxial growth of oxide buffer layers directly on biaxially textured Ni, formed by recrystallization of cold-rolled pure Ni, enables the growth of 1.5 micrometer-thick YBCO films with superconducting properties that are comparable to those observed for epitaxial films on single crystal oxide substrates. This result represents a viable approach for producing long-length superconducting tapes for high current, high field applications at 77 kelvin

  17. Characterization of the critical current and physical properties of superconducting epitaxial NbTiN sub-micron structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klimov, A., E-mail: aklimov@ite.waw.pl [Institute of Electron Technology, Al. Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw (Poland); Słysz, W.; Guziewicz, M. [Institute of Electron Technology, Al. Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw (Poland); Kolkovsky, V.; Zaytseva, I.; Malinowski, A. [Institute of Physics Polish Academy of Science, Al. Lotników 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw (Poland)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • This manuscript presents investigation of the critical current dependence of Nb(Ti)N nanostructured superconducting single photon detectors (SNSPD) in function of temperature and applied magnetic field. • Presented results are complimentary and compared with the same data received for submicron-wide single bridge Nb(Ti)N structures. • Our data demonstrate significant influence of local constrictions on physical properties of our SNSPD detectors. - Abstract: Measurements of critical current in NbTiN as a function of applied magnetic field and temperature are reported for two samples: 700-nm-wide bridge and 100-nm-wide meander. In 700-nm-wide NbTiN bridge we pinpointed the limiting factors for the critical current density to be current-driven vortex de-pinning at low temperatures and thermally activated flux flow closer to the transition temperature. In 100-nm-wide NbTiN meander we found phase slips activation, accompanied by hotspots formation at all measured temperatures. These two types of structures demonstrate different dependence of the critical current on the applied magnetic field. Although our NbTiN meander structures has high de-pairing critical current densities ∼10{sup 7} A/cm{sup 2} at low temperatures, the real critical currents are smaller due to the presence of the local constrictions.

  18. Contradiction between the results of observations of resistance and critical current quantum oscillations in asymmetric superconducting rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurtovoi, V. L.; Dubonos, S. V.; Karpii, S. V.; Nikulov, A. V.; Tulin, V. A.

    2007-01-01

    Magnetic field dependences of critical current, resistance, and rectified voltage of asymmetric (half circles of different widths) and symmetrical (half circles of equal widths) aluminum rings close to the super-conducting transition were measured. All these dependences are periodic magnetic field functions with periods corresponding to the flux quantum in the ring. The periodic dependences of critical current measured in opposite directions were found to be close to each other for symmetrical rings and shifted with respect to each other by half the flux quantum in asymmetric rings with ratios between half circle widths of from 1.25 to 2. This shift of the dependences by a quarter of the flux quantum as the ring becomes asymmetric makes critical current anisotropic, which explains the effect of alternating current rectification observed for asymmetric rings. Shifts of the extrema of the periodic dependences of critical current by a quarter of the flux quantum directly contradict the results obtained by measuring asymmetric ring resistance oscillations, whose extrema are, as for symmetrical rings, observed at magnetic fluxes equal to an integer and a half of flux quanta

  19. Superconducting current in a bisoliton superconductivity model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ermakov, V.N.; Kruchinin, S.P.; Ponezha, E.A.

    1991-01-01

    It is shown that the transition into a superconducting state with the current which is described by a bisoliton superconductivity model is accompanied by the deformation of the spectrum of one-particle states of the current carriers. The deformation value is proportional to the conducting current force. The residuaby resistance in such state is absent

  20. Critical current density, irreversibility line, and flux creep activation energy in silver-sheathed Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, D.; Wang, Z.; Sengupta, S.; Smith, M.; Goodrich, L.F.; Dou, S.X.; Liu, H.K.; Guo, Y.C.

    1992-08-01

    Transport data, magnetic hysteresis and flux creep activation energy experimental results are presented for silver-sheathed high-T c Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O x superconducting tapes. The 110 K superconducting phase was formed by lead doping in a Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-0 system. The transport critical current density was measured at 4.0 K to be 0.7 x 10 5 A/cm 2 (the corresponding critical current is 74 A) at zero field and 1.6 x 10 4 A/cm 2 at 12 T for H parallel ab. Excellent grain alignment in the a-b plane was achieved by a short-melting method, which considerably improved the critical current density and irreversibility line. Flux creep activation energy as a function of current is obtained based on the magnetic relaxation measurements

  1. Superconducting dc fault current limiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cointe, Y.

    2007-12-01

    Within the framework of the electric power market liberalization, DC networks have many interests compared to alternative ones, but their protections need to use new systems. Superconducting fault current limiters enable by an overstepping of the critical current to limit the fault current to a preset value, lower than the theoretical short-circuit current. For these applications, coated conductors offer excellent opportunities. We worked on the implementation of these materials and built a test bench. We carried out limiting experiments to estimate the quench homogeneity at various short-circuit parameters. An important point is the temperature measurement by deposited sensors on the ribbon, results are in good correlation with the theoretical models. Improved quench behaviours for temperatures close to the critical temperature have been confirmed. Our results enable to better understand the limitation mechanisms of coated conductors. (author)

  2. Bi-based superconducting fibers with high critical parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huo Yujing; He Yusheng; Liu Menglin; Mao Sining; Cai Liying; Wang Ying; Zhang Jincang; He Aisheng; Wang Jinsong

    1991-01-01

    Superconducting fibers of Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O high Tc superconducting materials have been prepared by means of the laser-heated pedestal growth (LHPG) method. The highest zero resistance temperature T c0 reaches is 114K, and the highest critical current density J c (77K, O T) is greater than 5000 A/cm 2 . As-grown superconducting fibers were successfully fabricated without post growth heat treatment. Amorphous materials were used for the first time to make high quality fibers. The influence of growth conditions, thermal treatment and the composition of the fibers were discussed. (author). 5 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs

  3. Microstructural and crystallographic imperfections of MgB2 superconducting wire and their correlation with the critical current density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahabuddin, Mohammed; Alzayed, Nasser S.; Oh, Sangjun; Choi, Seyong; Maeda, Minoru; Hata, Satoshi; Shimada, Yusuke; Hossain, Md Shahriar Al; Kim, Jung Ho

    2014-01-01

    A comprehensive study of the effects of structural imperfections in MgB2 superconducting wire has been conducted. As the sintering temperature becomes lower, the structural imperfections of the MgB2 material are increased, as reflected by detailed X-ray refinement and the normal state resistivity. The crystalline imperfections, caused by lattice disorder, directly affect the impurity scattering between the π and σ bands of MgB2, resulting in a larger upper critical field. In addition, low sintering temperature keeps the grain size small, which leads to a strong enhancement of pinning, and thereby, enhanced critical current density. Owing to both the impurity scattering and the grain boundary pinning, the critical current density, irreversibility field, and upper critical field are enhanced. Residual voids or porosities obviously remain in the MgB2, however, even at low sintering temperature, and thus block current transport paths.

  4. Measuring the critical current in superconducting samples made of NT-50 under pulse irradiation by high-energy particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasilev, P.G.; Vladimirova, N.M.; Volkov, V.I.; Goncharov, I.N.; Zajtsev, L.N.; Zel'dich, B.D.; Ivanov, V.I.; Kleshchenko, E.D.; Khvostov, V.B.

    1981-01-01

    The results of tests of superconducting samples of an uninsulated wire of the 0.5 mm diameter, containing 1045 superconducting filaments of the 10 μm diameter made of NT-50 superconductor in a copper matrix, are given. The upper part of the sample (''closed'') is placed between two glass-cloth-base laminate plates of the 50 mm length, and the lower part (''open'') of the 45 mm length is immerged into liquid helium. The sample is located perpendicular to the magnetic field of a superconducting solenoid and it is irradiated by charged particle beams at the energy of several GeV. The measurement results of permissible energy release in the sample depending on subcriticality (I/Isub(c) where I is an operating current through the sample, and Isub(c) is a critical current for lack of the beam) and the particle flux density, as well as of the maximum permissible fluence depending on subcriticality. In case of the ''closed'' sample irradiated by short pulses (approximately 1 ms) for I/Isub(c) [ru

  5. Critical temperature gradient and critical current density in thin films of a type I superconductor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heubener, R P

    1968-12-16

    Measurements of the critical temperature gradient and the critical current density in superconducting lead films in a transverse magnetic field indicate that the critical current flows predominantly along the surface of the films and that the critical surface currents contribute only very little to the Lorentz force on a fluxoid.

  6. Magnetization, critical current, and injection field harmonics in superconducting accelerator magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, A.K.; Sampson, W.B.; Wanderer, P.

    1985-01-01

    The very large energy ratio of machines such as the SSC dictates rather low injection field (for 6T, 20 TeV it is approximately 0.3T). Since the harmonic content at such low fields is largely determined by magnetization currents in the superconductor, the random errors depend on the uniformity of the superconducting wire. In principle the magnitude of the residual fields can be reduced indefinitely by using finer filaments, but in practice there is a lower limit of a few microns. We have compared the injection field harmonics for a number of accelerator dipoles with magnetization measurements made on samples of the conductor used to wind the coils. In addition both the magnetization and harmonics have been compared with short sample critical current measurements made at 5T. The results indicated that an accurate estimate of the variation in injection field harmonics can only be obtained from direct measurements of the magnetization of the cable. It appears feasible to use such measurements to ''shuffle'' magnets for a large accelerator by predicting the low field properties of a magnet before actually winding the coils. 10 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

  7. The low-temperature, high-magnetic-field critical current characteristics of Zr-added (Gd, Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selvamanickam, V; Yao, Y; Chen, Y; Shi, T; Liu, Y; Khatri, ND; Liu, J; Lei, C; Galstyan, E; Majkic, G

    2012-10-26

    Critical current performances of state-of-the-art Zr-added (Gd, Y)BaCuO tapes have been investigated over a temperature range of 20-77 K, in magnetic fields up to 9 T and over a wide angular range of magnetic field orientations. The peak in critical current that is commonly observed in the field orientation perpendicular to the tape in BaZrO3 (BZO) containing superconducting tapes is found to vanish at 30 K in magnetic fields at 1-9 T. While the critical current of 15% Zr-added tapes was about 40% lower than that of 7.5% Zr-added tapes at 77 K, the pinning force values of the former were found to be 18-23% higher than those of the latter in the temperature range of 20-40 K and in magnetic fields of 3-5 T. The results from this study emphasize the importance of optimization of coated conductor fabrication processes for optimum performance not just in low magnetic fields at 77 K but also at the operating conditions of low temperatures and high magnetic fields that are of interest, especially for rotating superconducting machinery applications.

  8. The low-temperature, high-magnetic-field critical current characteristics of Zr-added (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selvamanickam, V; Yao, Y; Shi, T; Liu, Y; Khatri, N D; Liu, J; Galstyan, E; Majkic, G; Chen, Y; Lei, C

    2012-01-01

    Critical current performances of state-of-the-art Zr-added (Gd, Y)BaCuO tapes have been investigated over a temperature range of 20–77 K, in magnetic fields up to 9 T and over a wide angular range of magnetic field orientations. The peak in critical current that is commonly observed in the field orientation perpendicular to the tape in BaZrO 3 (BZO) containing superconducting tapes is found to vanish at 30 K in magnetic fields at 1–9 T. While the critical current of 15% Zr-added tapes was about 40% lower than that of 7.5% Zr-added tapes at 77 K, the pinning force values of the former were found to be 18–23% higher than those of the latter in the temperature range of 20–40 K and in magnetic fields of 3–5 T. The results from this study emphasize the importance of optimization of coated conductor fabrication processes for optimum performance not just in low magnetic fields at 77 K but also at the operating conditions of low temperatures and high magnetic fields that are of interest, especially for rotating superconducting machinery applications. (paper)

  9. Superconducting current generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genevey, P.

    1970-01-01

    After a brief summary of the principle of energy storage and liberation with superconducting coils,two current generators are described that create currents in the range 600 to 1400 A, used for two storage experiments of 25 kJ and 50 kJ respectively. The two current generators are: a) a flux pump and b) a superconducting transformer. Both could be developed into more powerful units. The study shows the advantage of the transformer over the flux pump in order to create large currents. The efficiencies of the two generators are 95 per cent and 40 to 60 per cent respectively. (author) [fr

  10. Microstructural and crystallographic imperfections of MgB{sub 2} superconducting wire and their correlation with the critical current density

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shahabuddin, Mohammed; Alzayed, Nasser S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, P. O. Box 2455, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia); Oh, Sangjun [Materials Research Team, National Fusion Research Institute, Yueeong, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Seyong [Busan Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Geumjeong, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Maeda, Minoru [Department of Physics, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, 1-8 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8308 (Japan); Hata, Satoshi; Shimada, Yusuke [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasugakoen, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Hossain, Md Shahriar Al [Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, North Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia); Kim, Jung Ho, E-mail: jhk@uow.edu.au [Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, P. O. Box 2455, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia); Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong, North Wollongong, New South Wales 2500 (Australia)

    2014-01-15

    A comprehensive study of the effects of structural imperfections in MgB{sub 2} superconducting wire has been conducted. As the sintering temperature becomes lower, the structural imperfections of the MgB{sub 2} material are increased, as reflected by detailed X-ray refinement and the normal state resistivity. The crystalline imperfections, caused by lattice disorder, directly affect the impurity scattering between the π and σ bands of MgB{sub 2}, resulting in a larger upper critical field. In addition, low sintering temperature keeps the grain size small, which leads to a strong enhancement of pinning, and thereby, enhanced critical current density. Owing to both the impurity scattering and the grain boundary pinning, the critical current density, irreversibility field, and upper critical field are enhanced. Residual voids or porosities obviously remain in the MgB{sub 2}, however, even at low sintering temperature, and thus block current transport paths.

  11. Microtraps for neutral atoms using superconducting structures in the critical state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emmert, A.; Brune, M.; Raimond, J.-M.; Nogues, G.; Lupascu, A.; Haroche, S.

    2009-01-01

    Recently demonstrated superconducting atom chips provide a platform for trapping atoms and coupling them to solid-state quantum systems. Controlling these devices requires a full understanding of the supercurrent distribution in the trapping structures. For type-II superconductors, this distribution is hysteretic in the critical state due to the partial penetration of the magnetic field in the thin superconducting film through pinned vortices. We report here an experimental observation of this memory effect. Our results are in good agreement with the predictions of the Bean model of the critical state without adjustable parameters. The memory effect allows to write and store permanent currents in micron-sized superconducting structures and paves the way toward engineered trapping potentials.

  12. Superconducting critical-current densities of commercial multifilamentary Nb3Sn(Ti) wires made by the bronze process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suenaga, M.; Tsuchiya, K.; Higuchi, N.; Tachikawa, K.

    1985-01-01

    Superconducting critical-current densities Jsub(c) in fields up to 24 T and at 4.2 and 1.8 K were measured for a number of commercial Nb 3 Sn wires which were alloyed with Ti. The best values of Jsub(c) at 20 T and at 4.2 and 1.8 K were 78 and 156 A mm -2 , respectively. In order to achieve these high current densities at H>20 T, it was shown that nonuniformity of the filaments had to be minimized. It was also shown that the grain size of Nb 3 Sn is not very important in determining Jsub(c) at these high magnetic fields, and that achieving high values of critical magnetic field Hsub(c2) is more important than small grain size. (author)

  13. Depairing critical current achieved in superconducting thin films with through-thickness arrays of artificial pinning centers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinner, Rafael B; Wimbush, Stuart C; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L; Blamire, Mark G; Robinson, Adam P

    2011-01-01

    Large area arrays of through-thickness nanoscale pores have been milled into superconducting Nb thin films via a process utilizing anodized aluminum oxide thin film templates. These pores act as artificial flux pinning centers, increasing the superconducting critical current, J c , of the Nb films. By optimizing the process conditions including anodization time, pore size and milling time, J c values approaching and in some cases matching the Ginzburg-Landau depairing current of 30 MA cm -2 at 5 K have been achieved-a J c enhancement over as-deposited films of more than 50 times. In the field dependence of J c , a matching field corresponding to the areal pore density has also been clearly observed. The effect of backfilling the pores with magnetic material has then been investigated. While backfilling with Co has been successfully achieved, the effect of the magnetic material on J c has been found to be largely detrimental compared to voids, although a distinct influence of the magnetic material in producing a hysteretic J c versus applied field behavior has been observed. This behavior has been tested for compatibility with currently proposed models of magnetic pinning and found to be most closely explained by a model describing the magnetic attraction between the flux vortices and the magnetic inclusions.

  14. Critical current densities in superconducting materials

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    in them cannot be raised beyond a point (about 1000 amps/cm2), and they are ... a superconducting material, the zero resistance property of the ..... force as a function of field (h = H/HC2 is in reduced units) for CeRu2 samples (Roy et al. 1998) ...

  15. Effect of strain on the critical-current density of Cu-Nb composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klein, J.D.; Rose, R.M.

    1987-01-01

    Microfilamentary superconducting composites of Nb fibers in Cu matrices prepared by the stack and draw method were tested for tensile critical-current performance at 4.2 K. The superconducting critical-current densities increased exponentially under the influence of an applied mechanical strain until the onset of Nb fiber plastic deformation. In the elastic range, the critical-current densities conformed to log 10 J/sub c/ = m (strain)+b. In several tests the critical current was increased by more than an order of magnitude by the applied strain. This behavior is consistent with an increase in the upper critical field of the Nb fibers by the applied stress

  16. Anisotropy of critical current density in the superconducting Nb/sub 3/Sn tape wires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glowacki, B A [Technical Univ., Wroclaw (Poland). Inst. of Fundamental Electrotechnics and Electrotechnology

    1985-04-01

    In this letter the results are presented of an investigation of Isub(c parallel) and Isub(c perpendicular) in Nb/sub 3/Sn layers obtained in the process diffusion of tin atoms from liquid bronze solution Cu-80% Sn to the Nb-1.5% Zr substrate. Measurements of critical current density in Nb/sub 3/Sn layers were carried out in a perpendicular magnetic field of the induction value 4.25 T for different sample surface orientations in relation to the magnetic field strength vector defined by the value of angle. The critical current density was measured at a temperature of 4.2 K. Phase identification and investigation of the microstructure of superconducting Nb-Sn layers were performed on the Moessbauer spectrometer and scanning electron microscope, respectively. Classification measurements of grains in Nb-Sn layers were carried out with TV automatic image analyser. The texture and lattice parameter in Nb/sub 3/Sn layers were investigated by means of an X-ray diffractometer. The surface zone of Nb/sub 3/Sn layer was removed with the use of an argon ion gun. Results are presented and discussed.

  17. Calculation of persistent currents in superconducting magnets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Völlinger

    2000-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a semianalytical hysteresis model for hard superconductors. The model is based on the critical state model considering the dependency of the critical current density on the varying local field in the superconducting filaments. By combining this hysteresis model with numerical field computation methods, it is possible to calculate the persistent current multipole errors in the magnet taking local saturation effects in the magnetic iron parts into consideration. As an application of the method, the use of soft magnetic iron sheets (coil protection sheets mounted between the coils and the collars for partial compensation of the multipole errors during the ramping of the magnets is investigated.

  18. Critical current survival in the YBCO superconducting layer of a delaminated coated conductor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Feng; Fu, Qishu; Qu, Timing; Mu, Hui; Gu, Chen; Yue, Yubin; Wang, Linli; Yang, Zhirong; Han, Zhenghe; Feng, Pingfa

    2018-04-01

    A high-temperature superconducting coated conductor can be practically applied in electric equipment due to its favorable mechanical properties and critical current (I c) performance. However, the coated conductor can easily delaminate because of its poor stress tolerance along the thickness direction. It would be interesting to investigate whether the I c of the delaminated YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) layer can be preserved. In this study, coated conductor samples manufactured through the metal organic deposition route were delaminated by liquid nitrogen immersion. Delaminated samples, including the YBCO layer and silver stabilizer, were obtained. Delamination occurred inside the YBCO layer and near the YBCO-CeO2 interface, as suggested by the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction. A scanning Hall probe system was employed to measure the I c distribution of the original sample and the delaminated sample. It was found that approximately 50% of the I c can be preserved after delamination, which was verified by I c measurements using the four-probe method. Dense and crack-free morphologies of the delaminated surfaces were observed by SEM, which accounts for the I c survival of the delaminated YBCO layer. The potential application of the delaminated sample in superconducting joints was discussed based on the oxygen diffusion estimation.

  19. Fatigue-damage evolution and damage-induced reduction of critical current of a Nb3Al superconducting composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochiai, S; Sekino, F; Sawada, T; Ohno, H; Hojo, M; Tanaka, M; Okuda, H; Koganeya, M; Hayashi, K; Yamada, Y; Ayai, N; Watanabe, K

    2003-01-01

    We have studied the fatigue-damage mechanism of a Nb 3 Al superconducting composite at room temperature, and the influences of the fatigue damages introduced at room temperature on the critical current at 4.2 K and the residual strength at room temperature. The main (largest) fatigue crack arose first in the clad copper and then extended into the inner core with an increasing number of stress cycles. The cracking of the Nb 3 Al filaments in the core region occurred at a late stage (around 60-90% of the fatigue life). Once the fracture of the core occurred, it extended very quickly, resulting in a quick reduction in critical current and the residual strength with increasing stress cycles. Such a behaviour was accounted for by the crack growth calculated from the S-N curves (the relation of the maximum stress to the number of stress cycles at failure) combined with the Paris law. The size and distribution of the subcracks along the specimen length, and therefore the reduction in critical current of the region apart from the main crack, were dependent on the maximum stress level. The large subcracks causing fracture of the Nb 3 Al filaments were formed when the maximum stress was around 300-460 MPa, resulting in large reduction in critical current, but not when the maximum stress was outside such a stress range

  20. Density and critical current of metal-sheathed superconducting YBa2Cu3Oy ceramics deformed by hydroextrusion and subsequent drawing-rolling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karpov, M.I.; Korzhov, V.P.; Gnesin, B.A.; Snegirev, A.A.

    1994-01-01

    The critical-current density j c in ceramic superconductors is strongly dependent on texture, which is determined by the orientation of ceramic grains with respect to the specimen axes and by the misalignment between grains. Y ceramics with prolate grains aligned parallel to the long axis of the specimen were obtained by melt solidification. Such ceramics exhibited j c = 18500 A/cm 2 at 77 K in zero magnetic field. Texturing was also achieved by rolling Ag-sheathed powder of superconducting ceramics. This method ensured critical current densities (2-7) x 10 3 A/cm 2 in Y, Bi, and Tl ceramics. In flat ceramic samples, the grains of a superconducting phase were oriented in such a way that the crystallographic c axis was perpendicular to the rolling plane. In this work, the authors studied the effect of rolling deformation on the current-carrying capacity j c and density p of metal-sheathed YBa 2 Cu 3 O y ceramics that were first subjected to hydroextrusion and drawing at ∼20, 550, and 700 degrees C. The data obtained for j c and p were compared with the texture factor

  1. Superconducting fault current-limiter with variable shunt impedance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llambes, Juan Carlos H; Xiong, Xuming

    2013-11-19

    A superconducting fault current-limiter is provided, including a superconducting element configured to resistively or inductively limit a fault current, and one or more variable-impedance shunts electrically coupled in parallel with the superconducting element. The variable-impedance shunt(s) is configured to present a first impedance during a superconducting state of the superconducting element and a second impedance during a normal resistive state of the superconducting element. The superconducting element transitions from the superconducting state to the normal resistive state responsive to the fault current, and responsive thereto, the variable-impedance shunt(s) transitions from the first to the second impedance. The second impedance of the variable-impedance shunt(s) is a lower impedance than the first impedance, which facilitates current flow through the variable-impedance shunt(s) during a recovery transition of the superconducting element from the normal resistive state to the superconducting state, and thus, facilitates recovery of the superconducting element under load.

  2. Effect of the critical current density and the junction size on the leakage current of Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb superconducting tunnel junctions for radiation detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joosse, K.; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Akoh, Hiroshi; Takada, Susumu; Maehata, Keisuke; Ishibashi, Kenji.

    1996-01-01

    Nb/Al-AlO x /Nb superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ's) designed for X-ray detection have been fabricated. The behavior of the low-temperature subgap leakage current, which severely limits the energy resolution obtained in such devices, is investigated. From trends in the dependence of the leakage currents on the critical current density and the size of the STJ, as well as from the low-temperature current-voltage characteristics, and an analysis of the base electrode surface morphology, it is concluded that physical defects in the barrier region are the most probable cause of the leakage currents. Suggestions are given for optimization of the device processing. (author)

  3. Critical currents of variable thickness bridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapir, G.M.; Likharev, K.K.; Maslova, L.A.; Semenov, V.K.

    1975-01-01

    A variable thickness bridge (VTB) is a short strip of thin normal or superconducting electrodes - 'banks'. This type of weak link has the peculiarity of having the changes of the modulus of the orderparameter localized in the film of the bridge. Only changes of the phase of the orderparameter take place in the banks, and so the electrodynamics of the banks is linear. The problem of the distribution of the linear density of current Jsub(s)(psi) and of the phase difference of the banks psi along the VTB width is considered and the critical current Isub(c) for the important case of a VTB deposited over a superconducting ground plate - 'screen' is calculated. (Auth.)

  4. Effect of stress on the critical current of NbTi multifilamentary composite wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ekin, J.W.; Fickett, F.R.; Clark, A.F.

    1977-01-01

    Superconducting composites within large-scale magnets can be subjected to high stresses. These stresses arise from several sources, chief among them being the winding tension and prestressing during construction of the magnet, the thermomechanical forces incurred during thermal cycling to cryogenic temperatures, and especially in large-scale systems, the magnetomechanical forces generated when the magnet is energized. Typically, data on the critical-current characteristics of superconducting composites are obtained on wires that are in an unstressed state. Very little is known, however, about how the critical current behaves in wires experiencing stresses of the type described above. To measure these effects, short sample critical current tests were made under conditions simultaneously simulating the mechanical and magnetic environments of high-field superconducting magnets. The program was initiated both to form a basis for the fundamental understanding of stress effects on superconductor stability and to provide engineering data for optimizing design and construction of high-field magnets. The preliminary results indicate that NbTi multifilamentary superconducting composite wires are not characterized by a single critical current vs. field curve, but rather by a family of curves, each corresponding to a different operating stress level

  5. Model for the resistive critical current transition in composite superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warnes, W.H.

    1988-01-01

    Much of the research investigating technological type-II superconducting composites relies on the measurement of the resistive critical current transition. We have developed a model for the resistive transition which improves on older models by allowing for the very different nature of monofilamentary and multifilamentary composite structures. The monofilamentary model allows for axial current flow around critical current weak links in the superconducting filament. The multifilamentary model incorporates an additional radial current transfer between neighboring filaments. The development of both models is presented. It is shown that the models are useful for extracting more information from the experimental data than was formerly possible. Specific information obtainable from the experimental voltage-current characteristic includes the distribution of critical currents in the composite, the average critical current of the distribution, the range of critical currents in the composite, the field and temperature dependence of the distribution, and the fraction of the composite dissipating energy in flux flow at any current. This additional information about the distribution of critical currents may be helpful in leading toward a better understanding of flux pinning in technological superconductors. Comparison of the models with several experiments is given and shown to be in reasonable agreement. Implications of the models for the measurement of critical currents in technological composites is presented and discussed with reference to basic flux pinning studies in such composites

  6. Superconducting current transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuchnir, M.; Ozelis, J.P.

    1990-10-01

    The construction and performance of an electric current meter that operates in liquid He and mechanically splits apart to permit replacement of the current carrying conductor is described. It permits the measurement of currents induced in a loop of superconducting cable and expeditious exchange of such loops. It is a key component for a short sample cable testing facility that requires no high current power supplies nor high current leads. Its superconducting pickup circuit involves a non-magnetic core toroidal split-coil that surrounds the conductor and a solenoid whose field is sensed by a Hall probe. This toroidal split-coil is potted inside another compensating toroidal split-coil. The C shaped half toroids can be separated and brought precisely together from outside the cryostat. The Hall probe is energized and sensed by a lock-in amplifier whose output drives a bipolar power supply which feeds the compensating coil. The output is the voltage across a resistor in this feedback circuit. Currents of up to 10 kA can be measured with a precision of 150 mA. 3 refs., 4 figs

  7. Assessment of the impact of HTSCs on superconducting fault-current limiters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giese, R.F.; Runde, M.

    1992-01-01

    The possible impact of nitrogen-cooled superconductors on the design and cost of superconducting fault-current limiters is assessed by considering the technical specifications such devices must meet and by comparing material properties of 77-K and 4-K superconductors. The main advantage of operating superconducting at 77 K is that the refrigeration operating cost is reduced by a factor of up to 25, and the refrigeration capital cost is reduced by a factor of up to 10. The heat capacity at 77 K is several orders of magnitude larger than at 4 K. This phenomenon increases conductor stability against flux jumps but makes switching from the superconducting to normal state slow and difficult. Therefore, a high critical current density, probably at least 10 5 A/cm 2 , is required

  8. Current leads for superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishibashi, Kenji

    1989-01-01

    Current leads for superconducting magnets have been studied since 1960's. The technology of current leads may seem to have been established both in theory and experiment before the middle of 1970's. Nevertheless, a wide variety of superconducting magnets have been introduced in the last 15 years, and the demands for special current leads have increased in accordance to the variety. A steady advance has been made in the design theory and fabrication of current leads. This paper describes the recent current lead technology regarding the design theory, safety in accidents, and high current capability. (author)

  9. Superconducting fault current limiter for railway transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fisher, L. M., E-mail: LMFisher@niitfa.ru; Alferov, D. F.; Akhmetgareev, M. R.; Budovskii, A. I.; Evsin, D. V.; Voloshin, I. F.; Kalinov, A. V. [National Technical Physics and Automation Research Institute (Russian Federation)

    2015-12-15

    A resistive switching superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for DC networks with voltage of 3.5 kV and nominal current of 2 kA is developed. The SFCL consists of two series-connected units: block of superconducting modules and high-speed vacuum breaker with total disconnection time not more than 8 ms. The results of laboratory tests of superconducting SFCL modules in current limiting mode are presented. The recovery time of superconductivity is experimentally determined. The possibility of application of SFCL on traction substations of Russian Railways is considered.

  10. Superconducting fault current limiter for railway transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, L. M.; Alferov, D. F.; Akhmetgareev, M. R.; Budovskii, A. I.; Evsin, D. V.; Voloshin, I. F.; Kalinov, A. V.

    2015-01-01

    A resistive switching superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for DC networks with voltage of 3.5 kV and nominal current of 2 kA is developed. The SFCL consists of two series-connected units: block of superconducting modules and high-speed vacuum breaker with total disconnection time not more than 8 ms. The results of laboratory tests of superconducting SFCL modules in current limiting mode are presented. The recovery time of superconductivity is experimentally determined. The possibility of application of SFCL on traction substations of Russian Railways is considered

  11. Critical energy of superconducting composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayakumar, R.

    1987-01-01

    The stability of superconducting composites is studied in one-dimensional geometry and critical quench energies are calculated by solving for the steady state temperature profile which gives the minimum energy. The present calculations give lower values for the critical energy than previous estimates. The calculations are shown to be applicable to both direct cooled and impregnated conductors. Critical energies are also calculated including the effect of temperature dependence of conductor properties. (author)

  12. Superconducting nanostructured materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metlushko, V.

    1998-01-01

    Within the last year it has been realized that the remarkable properties of superconducting thin films containing a periodic array of defects (such as sub-micron sized holes) offer a new route for developing a novel superconducting materials based on precise control of microstructure by modern photolithography. A superconductor is a material which, when cooled below a certain temperature, loses all resistance to electricity. This means that superconducting materials can carry large electrical currents without any energy loss--but there are limits to how much current can flow before superconductivity is destroyed. The current at which superconductivity breaks down is called the critical current. The value of the critical current is determined by the balance of Lorentz forces and pinning forces acting on the flux lines in the superconductor. Lorentz forces proportional to the current flow tend to drive the flux lines into motion, which dissipates energy and destroys zero resistance. Pinning forces created by isolated defects in the microstructure oppose flux line motion and increase the critical current. Many kinds of artificial pinning centers have been proposed and developed to increase critical current performance, ranging from dispersal of small non-superconducting second phases to creation of defects by proton, neutron or heavy ion irradiation. In all of these methods, the pinning centers are randomly distributed over the superconducting material, causing them to operate well below their maximum efficiency. We are overcome this drawback by creating pinning centers in aperiodic lattice (see Fig 1) so that each pin site interacts strongly with only one or a few flux lines

  13. Critical currents and fields of disordered nanocrystalline superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yavary, H.; Shahzamanian, M.A.; Rabbani, H.

    2007-01-01

    Full text: There is an enormous effort directed at increasing the upper critical field of the superconducting materials because this upper critical field provides a fundamental limit to the maximum field a magnet system can produce. High-energy particle accelerators and medical resonance imaging body scanners are limited by the for NbTi (10 T). Gigahertz class nuclear-magnetic-resonance and high field laboratory magnets are limited by for Nb 3 Sn (23 T) [1]. However, the values of critical current density are too low for industrial use, possibly because of degraded or nonsuperconducting phases, such as MoS 2 or Mo 2 S 3 , at the grain boundaries or because the pinning site density is not high enough. It has long been known that decreasing the grain size of low-temperature superconducting (LTS) materials, such as Nb 3 Sn, increases the density of flux pinning sites and hence. Nanocrystalline materials are characterized by ultrafine grains and a high density of grain boundaries [2]. Hence nanocrystalline materials can exhibit unusual physical, chemical, and mechanical properties with respect to conventional polycrystalline materials. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structure of currents and fields in disordered nanocrystalline superconducting materials by the use of quasiclassical many body techniques. The Keldish Greens functions are used to calculate the current density of the system. Since the disorder and microstructure of these nanocrystalline materials are on a sufficiently short length scale as to increase both the density of pinning site and the upper critical field. (authors)

  14. Method for critical current testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddall, M.B.; Smathers, D.B.

    1989-01-01

    Superconducting critical current testing software was developed with four important features not feasible with analog test equipment. First, quasi-steady-state sample current conditions are achieved by incrementing sample current, followed by holding some milliseconds until the transient voltage decays before voltage sampling. Then the self-field correction from a helically wound sample is computed and subtracted from each sampled field reading. A copper wire inductively wound shunt which is used for quench protection has a constant measured resistance from which the shunt leakage current is computed and subtracted from the sample current by measuring the shunt voltage after each sample current reading. Finally, the critical current is recomputed from a least squares curve fit to the power law: E=A*In when the correlation coefficient for the fit is high enough to ensure a better result than the raw datum. Comparison with NBS Standard Reference Material (NbTi) and current round robin Nb/sub 3/Sn testing is examined

  15. Critical current studies on fine filamentary NbTi accelerator wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garber, M.; Sabatini, R.L.; Sampson, W.B.; Suenaga, M.

    1986-01-01

    The magnets for the Superconducting Super Collider, a high energy proton colliding beam accelerator, require a superconductor with very high current density (> 2400 A/mm 2 at 5 T) and very small filaments ( about 2μ m in diameter). Previous work has shown that by controling the formation of Cu 4 Ti compound particles on the filament surfaces it is possible to make fine filamentary NbTi wire with high critical current density. The performance of multi-filamentary wire is characterized by the current density and the quantity ''n'' which describes the superconducting-normal transition. Micrographs of wires having high J /SUB c/ and high n show smooth, uniform filaments. Recently wires of very high critical current and high n have been produced in experimental quantities by commercial manufacturers

  16. Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

    2018-01-01

    High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (Hc2) and critical temperature (Tc). The critical current (Ic) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new Ic measurement system that can carry out accurate Ic measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The Ic measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa2Cu3O7-x(YBCO) tapes Ic determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

  17. Critical current measurements of high-temperature superconducting short samples at a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Hongjun; Liu, Huajun; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Huahui; Ci, Lu; Shi, Yi; Lei, Lei

    2018-01-01

    High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) are potential materials for high-field magnets, low-loss transmission cables, and Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) due to their high upper critical magnetic field (H c2 ) and critical temperature (T c ). The critical current (I c ) of HTS, which is one of the most important parameters for superconductor application, depends strongly on the magnetic fields and temperatures. A new I c measurement system that can carry out accurate I c measurement for HTS short samples with various temperatures (4.2-80 K), magnetic fields (0-14 T), and angles of the magnetic field (0°-90°) has been developed. The I c measurement system mainly consists of a measurement holder, temperature-control system, background magnet, test cryostat, data acquisition system, and DC power supply. The accuracy of temperature control is better than ±0.1 K over the 20-80 K range and ±0.05 K when measured below 20 K. The maximum current is over 1000 A with a measurement uncertainty of 1%. The system had been successfully used for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) tapes I c determination with different temperatures and magnetic fields.

  18. Dependence of critical current on sample length analyzed by the variation of local critical current bent of BSCCO superconducting composite tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsubayashi, H.; Mukai, Y.; Shin, J.K.; Ochiai, S.; Okuda, H.; Osamura, K.; Otto, A.; Malozemoff, A.

    2008-01-01

    Using the high critical current type BSCCO composite tape fabricated at American Superconductor Corporation, the relation of overall critical current to the distribution of local critical current and the dependence of overall critical current on sample length of the bent samples were studied experimentally and analytically. The measured overall critical current was described well from the distribution of local critical current and n-value of the constituting short elements, by regarding the overall sample to be composed of local series circuits and applying the voltage summation model. Also the dependence of overall critical current on sample length could be reproduced in computer satisfactorily by the proposed simulation method

  19. Direct observation of in-plane anisotropy of the superconducting critical current density in Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hecher, J.; Ishida, S.; Song, D.; Ogino, H.; Iyo, A.; Eisaki, H.; Nakajima, M.; Kagerbauer, D.; Eisterer, M.

    2018-01-01

    The phase diagram of iron-based superconductors exhibits structural transitions, electronic nematicity, and magnetic ordering, which are often accompanied by an electronic in-plane anisotropy and a sharp maximum of the superconducting critical current density (Jc) near the phase boundary of the tetragonal and the antiferromagnetic-orthorhombic phase. We utilized scanning Hall-probe microscopy to visualize the Jc of twinned and detwinned Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 (x =5 %-8 % ) crystals to compare the electronic normal state properties with superconducting properties. We find that the electronic in-plane anisotropy continues into the superconducting state. The observed correlation between the electronic and the Jc anisotropy agrees qualitatively with basic models, however, the Jc anisotropy is larger than predicted from the resistivity data. Furthermore, our measurements show that the maximum of Jc at the phase boundary does not vanish when the crystals are detwinned. This shows that twin boundaries are not responsible for the large Jc, suggesting an exotic pinning mechanism.

  20. Superconductivity versus quantum criticality: Effects of thermal fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huajia; Wang, Yuxuan; Torroba, Gonzalo

    2018-02-01

    We study the interplay between superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behavior of a Fermi surface coupled to a massless SU(N ) matrix boson near the quantum critical point. The presence of thermal infrared singularities in both the fermionic self-energy and the gap equation invalidates the Eliashberg approximation, and makes the quantum-critical pairing problem qualitatively different from that at zero temperature. Taking the large N limit, we solve the gap equation beyond the Eliashberg approximation, and obtain the superconducting temperature Tc as a function of N . Our results show an anomalous scaling between the zero-temperature gap and Tc. For N greater than a critical value, we find that Tc vanishes with a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless scaling behavior, and the system retains non-Fermi liquid behavior down to zero temperature. This confirms and extends previous renormalization-group analyses done at T =0 , and provides a controlled example of a naked quantum critical point. We discuss the crucial role of thermal fluctuations in relating our results with earlier work where superconductivity always develops due to the special role of the first Matsubara frequency.

  1. Critical current of Josephson contacts with accidental position of vortexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fistul', M.V.

    1989-01-01

    Josephson contact critical current dependence on magnetic field under different concentrations of Abrikosov vortices (AV) in superconducting shores is found. Pinned vortex concentration as well as correlation in the vortex position can be determined by Josephson current dependence on magnetic field

  2. Design and application consideration of high temperature superconducting current leads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    As a potential major source of heat leak and the resultant cryogen boiloff, cryogenic current leads can significantly affect the refrigeration power requirement of cryogenic power equipment. Reduction of the heat leak associated with current leads can therefore contribute to the development and application of this equipment. Recent studies and tests have demonstrated that, due to their superconducting and low thermal conductivity properties, ceramic high temperature superconductor (HTSC) can be employed in current leads to significantly reduce the heat leak. However, realization of this benefit requires special design considerations pertaining to the properties and the fabrication technology of the relatively new ceramic superconductor materials. Since processing and fabrication technology are continuously being developed in the laboratories, data on material properties unrelated to critical states are quite limited. Therefore, design analysis and experiments have to be conducted in tandem to achieve a successful development. Due to the rather unique combination of superconducting and thermal conductivities which are orders of magnitude lower than copper, ceramic superconductors allow expansion of the operating scenarios of current leads. In addition to the conventional vapor-cooled lead type application, low heat leak conduction-cooled type current leads may be practical and are being developed. Furthermore, a current lead with an intermediate heat leak intercept has been successfully demonstrated in a multiple current lead assembly employing HTSC. These design and application considerations of high temperature superconducting current leads are addressed here

  3. A current controlled variable delay superconducting transmission line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anlage, S.M.; Snortland, H.J.; Beasley, M.R.

    1989-01-01

    The authors present a device concept for a current-controlled variable delay for superconducting transmission line. The device makes use of the change in kinetic inductance of a superconducting transmission line under the application of a DC bias current. The relevant materials parameters and several promising superconducting materials have been identified

  4. Comparison of AC losses, magnetic field/current distributions and critical currents of superconducting circular pancake coils and infinitely long stacks using coated conductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yuan Weijia; Campbell, A M; Hong, Z; Ainslie, M D; Coombs, T A, E-mail: wy215@cam.ac.u [Electronic, Power and Energy Conversion Group, Electrical Engineering Division, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA (United Kingdom)

    2010-08-15

    A model is presented for calculating the AC losses, magnetic field/current density distribution and critical currents of a circular superconducting pancake coil. The assumption is that the magnetic flux lines will lie parallel to the wide faces of tapes in the unpenetrated area of the coil. Instead of using an infinitely long stack to approximate the circular coil, this paper gives an exact circular coil model using elliptic integrals. A new efficient numerical method is introduced to yield more accurate and fast computation. The computation results are in good agreement with the assumptions. For a small value of the coil radius, there is an asymmetry along the coil radius direction. As the coil radius increases, this asymmetry will gradually decrease, and the AC losses and penetration depth will increase, but the critical current will decrease. We find that if the internal radius is equal to the winding thickness, the infinitely long stack approximation overestimates the loss by 10% and even if the internal radius is reduced to zero, the error is still only 60%. The infinitely long stack approximation is therefore adequate for most practical purposes. In addition, the comparison result shows that the infinitely long stack approximation saves computation time significantly.

  5. Fluctuation current in superconducting loops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, Jorge

    2012-01-01

    A superconducting loop that encloses noninteger flux holds a permanent current. On the average, this current is also present above T c , and has been measured in recent years. We are able to evaluate the permanent current within the TDGL or the Kramer-Watts-Tobin models for loops of general configuration, i.e., we don't require uniform cross section, material or temperature. We can also consider situations in which the width is not negligible in comparison to the radius. Our results agree with experiments. The situations with which we deal at present include fluctuation superconductivity in two-band superconductors, equilibrium thermal fluctuations of supercurrent along a weak link, and ratchet effects.

  6. Characteristic Of Induction Magnetic Field On The Laboratory Scale Superconducting Fault Current Limiter Circuit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adi, Wisnu Ari; Sukirman, E.; Didin, S.W.; Yustinus, P.M.; Siregar, Riswal H.

    2004-01-01

    Model construction of the laboratory scale superconducting fault current limiter circuit (SFCL) has been performed. The SFCL is fault current limiter and used as electric network security. It mainly consists of a copper coil, a superconducting ring and an iron core that are concentrically arranged. The SFCL circuit is essentially a transformer where the secondary windings are being replaced by the ring of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x superconductor (HTS). The ring has critical transition temperature Tc = 92 K and critical current Ic = 3.61 A. Characterization of the SFCL circuit is simulated by ANSYS version 5.4 software. The SFCL circuit consists of load and transformer impedances. The results show that the inductions of magnet field flux in the iron core of primer windings and ring disappear to one other before fault state. It means that impedance of the transformer is zero. After the condition a superconductivity behavior of the ring is disappear so that the impedance of the transformer becomes very high. From this experiment, we concluded that the SFCL circuit could work normally if the resultant of induction magnetic in the iron core (transformer) is zero

  7. Design and Test of a Thermal Triggered Persistent Current System using High Temperature Superconducting Tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Dong Keun [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Shinchon-Dong 134, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyoungku [Electro-Mechanical Research Institute, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Yongin (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Min Cheol [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Shinchon-Dong 134, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Yang, Seong Eun [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Shinchon-Dong 134, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Yong Soo [Department of Electrical Engineering, Ansan College of Technology, 671 Choji-Dong, Danwon-Gu, Ansan, 425-792 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Jin [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Shinchon-Dong 134, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ko, Tae Kuk [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Shinchon-Dong 134, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-06-01

    A superconducting magnet which is operated in persistent current mode in SMES, NMR, MRI and MAGLEV has many advantages such as high uniformity of magnetic field and reduced thermal loss. A high temperature superconducting (HTS) persistent current switch (PCS) system was designed and tested in this research. The HTS PCS was optimally designed using two different HTS tapes, second generation coated conductor (CC) HTS tape and Bi-2223 HTS tape by the finite element method (FEM) in thermal quench characteristic view. The CC tape is more prospective applicable wire in these days for its high n value and critical current independency from external magnetic field than Bi-2223 tape. Also a prototype PCS system using Bi-2223 tape was manufactured and tested. The PCS system consists of a PCS part, a heater which induces the PCS to quench, and a superconducting magnet. The test was performed in various conditions of transport current. An initial current decay appeared when the superconducting magnet was energized in a PCS system was analyzed. This paper would be foundation of HTS PCS researches.

  8. Fault-current limiter using a superconducting coil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boenig, H.J.; Paice, D.A.

    1982-01-01

    A novel circuit, consisting of solid-state diodes and a biased superconducting coil, for limiting the fault currents in three-phase ac systems is presented. A modification of the basic circuit results in a solid-state ac breaker with current-limiting features. The operating characteristics of the fault-current limiter and the ac breaker are analyzed. An optimization procedure for sizing the superconducting coil is derived

  9. Protection for low current superconducting coils wound with insulated strand cable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satti, J.

    1980-09-01

    The insulated strand cable concept for winding of low current superconducting coil leads to an ideal quench protection by induction coupling. A superconducting secondary loop was made within a cable of a 6.2 Henry dipole coil. When quenching occurred, current was induced in the secondary strand above the critical value. The normal strand quenched the whole cable due to good thermal contact. The secondary loop works as a heater turned on as the wire becomes normal throughout the coil. With a well spread quench, the energy dissipation density is decreased thus preventing local burnout. The mechanism is possible because of close coupling that is present in the insulated cable as in bifilar winding. For the coil tested a 12 strand cable was used, thus a favorable 11 to 1 turn ratio was obtained for the primary to secondary. The superconductor in the secondary had a lower resistance until the critical current was achieved. A theoretical explanation is described for a simplified circuit. Test on the dipole coil with four individual shells showed that the one shell protected with the induced coupling heater always had a more rapid reduction of current. The induced coupling heater tested and explained in this paper works automatically and does not rely on mechanical or electrical devices

  10. Superconducting critical temperature under pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Pedreros, G. I.; Baquero, R.

    2018-05-01

    The present record on the critical temperature of a superconductor is held by sulfur hydride (approx. 200 K) under very high pressure (approx. 56 GPa.). As a consequence, the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on pressure became a subject of great interest and a high number of papers on of different aspects of this subject have been published in the scientific literature since. In this paper, we calculate the superconducting critical temperature as a function of pressure, Tc(P), by a simple method. Our method is based on the functional derivative of the critical temperature with the Eliashberg function, δTc(P)/δα2F(ω). We obtain the needed coulomb electron-electron repulsion parameter, μ*(P) at each pressure in a consistent way by fitting it to the corresponding Tc using the linearized Migdal-Eliashberg equation. This method requires as input the knowledge of Tc at the starting pressure only. It applies to superconductors for which the Migdal-Eliashberg equations hold. We study Al and β - Sn two weak-coupling low-Tc superconductors and Nb, the strong coupling element with the highest critical temperature. For Al, our results for Tc(P) show an excellent agreement with the calculations of Profeta et al. which are known to agree well with experiment. For β - Sn and Nb, we found a good agreement with the experimental measurements reported in several works. This method has also been applied successfully to PdH elsewhere. Our method is simple, computationally light and gives very accurate results.

  11. Critical current density improvements in MgB2 superconducting bulk samples by K2CO3 additions  

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grivel, J.-C.

    2018-01-01

    MgB2 bulk samples with potassium carbonate doping were made by means of reaction of elemental Mg and B powders mixed with various amounts of K2CO3. The Tc of the superconducting phase as well as its a-axis parameter were decreased as a result of carbon doping. Potassium escaped the samples during...... reaction. The critical current density of MgB2 was improved both in self field and under applied magnetic field for T ≤ 30 K, with optimum results for 1 mol% K2CO3 addition. The normalized flux pinning force (f(b)) shows that the flux pinning mechanism at low field is similar for all samples, following...

  12. Prospects for enhancement of critical current of HTSC: thin films with artificial pinning centres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mozhaev, P.B. (Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation)); Mozhaev, J.E.; Khoryushin, A.V.; Bindslev Hansen, J.; Jacobsen, C.S. (Technical Univ. of Denmark, Dept. of Physics, Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)); Kotelyanskil, I.M.; Luzanov, V.A. (Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation)); Puriy, A.V. (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow (Russian Federation)); Yurchenko, V.; Johansen, T. (Univ. of Oslo, Dept. of Physics, Oslo (Norway))

    2008-10-15

    Improvement of the critical current of YBCO thin films and heterostructures remains one of the main tasks for fabrication of modern superconducting wires and connectors. Possible ways of achieving the goal are choice of superconductor composition, engineering of artificial pinning centres, and combination of the superconducting layer with other materials. The team of the Department of Physics at Technical University of Denmark is working in all these fields and this paper is a short review of our achievements in an attempt to improve the critical current density of YBCO thin films. (au)

  13. Critical current characteristics in high T/sub c/ oxide superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsushita, T.; Ni, B.

    1989-01-01

    Critical current densities are theoretically estimated for single-crystalline thin films, polycrystalline bulk materials with oriented and random textures of superconducting oxides. The percolation theory is used and the effect of depression of the transport current through grain boundaries is taken into account. A comparison is made with existing experimental results

  14. Limiting currents in superconducting composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keilin, V.E.; Romanovskii, V.R.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper the results of numerical and analytical calculations of the process of current charging into a round superconducting composite with properties homogenized over cross-section are presented. In the numerical solution taken was into account a common proceeding of the thermal and electromagnetic processes. A wire with real volt-ampere characteristics approximated by exponential dependence was considered. The calculations carried out at various rates of current charging, voltampere characteristics, matrix materials, heat transfer coefficients and other parameters showed: the existence of characteristic limiting value of current below which the wire remains in a superconducting state if the current charging ceases and above which changes into a normal state; this current is somewhat less than a quench current; the existence of finite value for limiting current at any low heat transfer from a surface. The analytical solution of the problem is given. It permitted to write the stability criterion from which the dependence of limiting currents on initial parameters follows. The wire nonisothermality, its heat capacity, thermal and electric conductivities are taken into account additionally, as compared to results published earlier

  15. Electric currents in REBaCuO superconducting tapes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jirsa, Miloš; Rameš, Michal; Ďuran, Ivan; Melíšek, T.; Kováč, P.; Viererbl, L.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 30, č. 4 (2017), 1-8, č. článku 045010. ISSN 0953-2048 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 633053 - EUROfusion Institutional support: RVO:68378271 ; RVO:61389021 Keywords : superconducting tapes * REBaCuO * critical currents * induction and transport * pinning force density * magnetic relaxation * neutron irradiation Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism; BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics (UFP-V) OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.); Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) (UFP-V) Impact factor: 2.878, year: 2016

  16. Critical field measurements in a superconducting networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pannetier, B.; Chaussy, J.; Rammal, R.

    1984-01-01

    We have measured the critical field of a periodic two-dimensional network of superconducting indium. At low fields, the critical line Hsub(c)(T) reflects the network topology and exhibits well-defined cusps due to flux quantization corresponding to both integer and rational number of flux quanta phi 0 = h/2e per unit loop of the network [fr

  17. Transmission Level High Temperature Superconducting Fault Current Limiter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stewart, Gary [SuperPower, Inc., Schenectady, NY (United States)

    2016-10-05

    The primary objective of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of utilizing high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials in a Transmission Level Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL) application. During the project, the type of high-temperature superconducting material used evolved from 1st generation (1G) BSCCO-2212 melt cast bulk high-temperature superconductors to 2nd generation (2G) YBCO-based high-temperature superconducting tape. The SFCL employed SuperPower's “Matrix” technology, that offers modular features to enable scale up to transmission voltage levels. The SFCL consists of individual modules that contain elements and parallel inductors that assist in carrying the current during the fault. A number of these modules are arranged in an m x n array to form the current-limiting matrix.

  18. Simulation of Field Dependence of Critical Current Densities of Bulk High Tc Superconducting Materials regarding Thermally Activated Flux Motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santosh, M.; Naik, S. Pavan Kumar; Koblischka, M. R.

    2017-07-01

    In the upcoming generation, bulk high temperature superconductors (HTS) will play a crucial and a promising role in numerous industrial applications ranging from Maglev trains to magnetic resonance imaging, etc. Especially, the bulk HTS as permanent magnets are suitable due to the fact that they can trap magnetic fields being several orders of magnitude higher than those of the best hard ferromagnets. The bulk HTS LREBa2Cu3O7-δ (LREBCO or LRE-123, LRE: Y, Gd, etc.,) materials could obtain very powerful compact superconducting super-magnets, which can be operated at the cheaper liquid nitrogen temperature or below due to higher critical temperatures (i.e., ∼90 K). As a result, the new advanced technology can be utilized in a more attractive manner for a variety of technological and medical applications which have the capacity to revolutionize the field. An understanding of the magnetic field dependence of the critical current density (J c(H)) is important to develop better adapted materials. To achieve this goal, a variety of Jc (H) behaviours of bulk LREBCO samples were modelled regarding thermally activated flux motion. In essence, the Jc (H) curves follows a certain criterion where an exponential model is applied. However, to fit the complete Jc (H) curve of the LRE-123 samples an unique model is necessary to explain the behavior at low and high fields. The modelling of the various superconducting materials could be understood in terms of the pinning mechanisms.

  19. Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, D.N.; Xiang, J.Y.; Lang, P.L.; Li, J.Q.; Che, G.C.; Zhao, Z.W.; Wen, H.H.; Tian, H.Y.; Ni, Y.M.; Zhao, Z.X.

    2004-01-01

    A series of Al-doped Mg 1-x Al x B 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2 , measurements on the superconducting transition temperature T c , irreversible field B irr and critical current density J c were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration

  20. Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, D. N.; Xiang, J. Y.; Lang, P. L.; Li, J. Q.; Che, G. C.; Zhao, Z. W.; Wen, H. H.; Tian, H. Y.; Ni, Y. M.; Zhao, Z. X.

    2004-08-01

    A series of Al-doped Mg 1- xAl xB 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2, measurements on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, irreversible field Birr and critical current density Jc were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration.

  1. Limits to the critical transport current in superconducting (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 silver-sheathed tapes: The railway-switch model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hensel, B.; Grasso, G.; Fluekiger, R.

    1995-01-01

    We have proposed the ''railway-switch'' model to describe the superconducting transport current in (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 silver-sheathed tapes. The model assumes that in the textured polycrystalline filament the frequent small-angle c-axis tilt grain boundaries (''railway switches'') constitute strong links for the supercurrent. With the objective to identify the mechanisms that limit the critical-current density in the tapes we present measurements of the transport critical current normal to the tape plane and of the current-transfer length along the tape axis. From I-V curves we obtain the longitudinal critical-current distribution and compare it to the thickness variation of the filament. The experiments have been performed on monofilamentary powder-in-tube samples prepared in long lengths by rolling as the only tape-forming process. For all investigated samples the critical-current density at T=77 K in self-field was in the range j c =20--30 kA/cm 2 . We conclude that the dominant limitation for the transport critical current in the tapes is imposed by the low intragrain critical-current density j c c along the c axis (as compared to the in-plane critical-current density j c ab ) and by the even lower critical-current density j c t across twist boundaries or intergrowths. Possibilities for an improvement of the performance of the (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 silver-sheathed tapes are discussed

  2. Critical unpairing currents in narrow niobium films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gershenzon, M.E.; Gubankov, V.N.

    1979-01-01

    Investigated are the dependences of critical currents of narrow ( with the width of W=0.5-15 μm) superconducting niobium films on temperature and a magnetic field. The proposed method of film production with the width of the 1μm order and with small edge inhomogeneities ((<=500 A) permitted to realize the Ginsburg-Landau unpairing currents in the wide range of temperatures. The correct comparison with the theory showed that the unpairing currents are observed if W(< or approximately) 2delta, where delta is the effective depth of the penetration of the perpendicular magnetic field

  3. Transport critical current measurement apparatus using liquid nitrogen cooled high-T(c) superconducting magnet with variable temperature insert.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishijima, G; Kitaguchi, H; Tshuchiya, Y; Nishimura, T; Kato, T

    2013-01-01

    We have developed an apparatus to investigate transport critical current (I(c)) as a function of magnetic field and temperature using only liquid nitrogen. The apparatus consists of a (Bi,Pb)(2)Sr(2)Ca(2)Cu(3)O(10) (Bi-2223) superconducting magnet, an outer dewar, and a variable temperature insert (VTI). The magnet, which is operated in depressurized liquid nitrogen, generates magnetic field up to 1.26 T. The sample is also immersed in liquid nitrogen. The pressure in the VTI is controlled from 0.02 to 0.3 MPa, which corresponds to temperature ranging from 66 to 88 K. We have confirmed the long-term stable operation of the Bi-2223 magnet at 1 T. The temperature stability of the sample at high transport current was also demonstrated. The apparatus provides easy-operating I(c) measurement environment for a high-T(c) superconductor up to 500 A in magnetic fields up to 1 T and in temperatures ranging from 66 to 88 K.

  4. Critical current studies of a HTS rectangular coil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhong, Z. [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom); Chudy, M., E-mail: Michal.chudy@stuba.sk [Graduate School of Technology Management, University of Pretoria (South Africa); Institute of Power and Applied Electrical Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (Slovakia); Ruiz, H.S. [Department of Engineering, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Zhang, X.; Coombs, T. [Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

    2017-05-15

    Highlights: • Unique square pancake coil was manufactured. • Measurements in relatively high magnetic field were performed. • Different sections of the coil were characterized. • Parts of the coil which are limiting critical current were identified. - Abstract: Nowadays, superconducting high field magnets are used in numerous applications due to their superior properties. High temperature superconductors (HTS) are usually used for production of circular pancake or racetrack coils. However different geometries of HTS coils might be required for some specific applications. In this study, the HTS coil wound on a rectangular frame was fully characterized in homogeneous DC background field. The study contains measurements of critical current angular dependencies. The critical current of the entire coil and two selected strands under different magnitudes and orientations of external magnetic fields are measured. The critical regions of the coil in different angular regimes are determined. This study brings better understanding of the in- field performance of HTS coils wound on frames with right-angles.

  5. Magnetic imaging of superconducting tapes to determine current flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, G. W. (Geoffrey W.); Hawley, M. E. (Marilyn E.); Foltyn, S. R. (Stephen R.); Mueller, F. M. (Fred M.)

    2001-01-01

    We have developed a magnetic imaging system that uses magnetoresistive read heads from computer hard disk drives to map the transport-current-induced magnetic field at the surface of superconducting tapes at liquid nitrogen temperature. Transport current pathways are determined from the 2-dimensional magnetic field maps using established inversion schemes. We examined the current flow in pulsed-laser-deposited YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} a films patterned on single crystal SrTiO{sub 3} substrates and on a textured yttria-stabilized-zirconia layer deposited on an Inconel ribbon by ion beam assisted deposition. The transport current densities in all cases were consistent with the Critical State Model. For the Inconel-based sample, the transport current density maps have allowed us to observe defects and determine the region that limits the current carrying capacity of the structure.

  6. Electric field effect on the critical current of SNS-contact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rakhmanov, A.L.; Rozhkov, A.V.

    1995-01-01

    Electric field effect on the SNS-contact critical current is investigated in the Ginzburg-Landau theory approximation. It is shown that the electric field may cause a notable increase of the contact critical current especially if the sample temperature is close to the temperature of a superconducting transition of T sc normal layer. Electric field effect is increased with the reduction of film thickness, but it can strong enough for thick films as well at temperature close to T sc . 11 refs.; 4 figs

  7. Influence of self-field on the critical current of Bi-2223/Ag tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lehtonen, Jorma; Korpela, Aki; Nah, Wansoo; Kang, Joonsun; Kovac, Pavol; Melisek, Tibor

    2004-01-01

    The knowledge of critical current density in a superconducting wire is essential in order to compute AC losses. In HTS tapes the critical current density is difficult to estimate from the measured critical current because self-field tends to reduce the current carrying capacity. In this paper the critical current is measured with a single sample and with two similar samples connected in antiparallel in order to compensate the self-field. Both types of measurement are simulated with finite element method. The simulations help to understand the relation between the measured critical current and material properties. The results suggest that in a high quality tape the self-field effect reduced the measured critical current ∼25% if compared to the real critical current at the zero external field

  8. Superconductivity in Strong Magnetic Field (Greater Than Upper Critical Field)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tessema, G.X.; Gamble, B.K.; Skove, M.J.; Lacerda, A.H.; Mielke, C.H.

    1998-01-01

    The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, funded by the National Science Foundation and other US federal Agencies, has in recent years built a wide range of magnetic fields, DC 25 to 35 Tesla, short pulse 50 - 60 Tesla, and quasi-continuous 60 Tesla. Future plans are to push the frontiers to 45 Tesla DC and 70 to 100 Tesla pulse. This user facility, is open for national and international users, and creates an excellent tool for materials research (metals, semiconductors, superconductors, biological systems ..., etc). Here we present results of a systematic study of the upper critical field of a novel superconducting material which is considered a promising candidate for the search for superconductivity beyond H c2 as proposed by several new theories. These theories predict that superconductors with low carrier density can reenter the superconducting phase beyond the conventional upper critical field H c2 . This negates the conventional thinking that superconductivity and magnetic fields are antagonistic

  9. Critical current and flux dynamics in Ag-doped FeSe superconductor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galluzzi, A.; Polichetti, M.; Buchkov, K.; Nazarova, E.; Mancusi, D.; Pace, S.

    2017-02-01

    The measurements of DC magnetization as a function of the temperature M(T), magnetic field M(H), and time M(t) have been performed in order to compare the superconducting and pinning properties of an undoped FeSe0.94 sample and a silver doped FeSe0.94 + 6 wt% Ag sample. The M(T) curves indicate an improvement of the superconducting critical temperature and a reduction of the non-superconducting phase Fe7Se8 due to the silver doping. This is confirmed by the field and temperature dependent critical current density Jc(H,T) extracted from the superconducting hysteresis loops at different temperatures within the Bean critical state model. Moreover, the combined analysis of the Jc(T) and of the pinning force Fp(H/Hirr) indicate that the pinning mechanisms in both samples can be described in the framework of the collective pinning theory. The U*(T, J) curves show a pinning crossover from an elastic creep regime of intermediate size flux bundles, for low temperatures, to a plastic creep regime at higher temperatures for both the samples. Finally, the vortex hopping attempt time has been evaluated for both samples and the results are comparable with the values reported in the literature for high Tc materials.

  10. Field mapping measurements to determine spatial and field dependence of critical current density in YBCO tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leclerc, J.; Berger, K.; Douine, B.; Lévêque, J.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • A method for characterizing superconducting tapes from field mapping is presented. • A new and efficient field mapping apparatus has been setup. • This method allows the spatial characterization of superconducting tapes. • The critical current density is obtained as a function of the flux density. • This method has been experimentally tested on an YBCO tape. -- Abstract: In this paper a measurement method that allows the determination of the critical current density of superconducting tape from field mapping measurements is presented. This contact-free method allows obtaining characteristics of the superconductor as a function of the position and of the applied flux density. With some modifications, this technique can be used for reel-to-reel measurements. The determination of the critical current density is based on an inverse calculation. This involves calculating the current distribution in the tape from magnetic measurements. An YBaCuO tape has been characterized at 77 K. A defect in this superconductor has been identified. Various tests were carried out to check the efficiency of the method. The inverse calculation was tested theoretically and experimentally. Comparison with a transport current measurement was also performed

  11. Design considerations for high-current superconducting ion linacs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delayen, J.R.; Bohn, C.L.; Micklich, B.J.; Roche, C.T.; Sagalovsky, L.

    1993-01-01

    Superconducting linacs may be a viable option for high-current applications such as fusion materials irradiation testing, spallation neutron source, transmutation of radioactive waste, tritium production, and energy production. These linacs must run reliably for many years and allow easy routine maintenance. Superconducting cavities operate efficiently with high cw gradients, properties which help to reduce operating and capital costs, respectively. However, cost-effectiveness is not the sole consideration in these applications. For example, beam impingement must be essentially eliminated to prevent unsafe radioactivation of the accelerating structures, and thus large apertures are needed through which to pass the beam. Because of their high efficiency, superconducting cavities can be designed with very large bore apertures, thereby reducing the effect of beam impingement. Key aspects of high-current cw superconducting linac designs are explored in this context

  12. Quantum Critical Quasiparticle Scattering within the Superconducting State of CeCoIn_{5}.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paglione, Johnpierre; Tanatar, M A; Reid, J-Ph; Shakeripour, H; Petrovic, C; Taillefer, Louis

    2016-07-01

    The thermal conductivity κ of the heavy-fermion metal CeCoIn_{5} was measured in the normal and superconducting states as a function of temperature T and magnetic field H, for a current and field parallel to the [100] direction. Inside the superconducting state, when the field is lower than the upper critical field H_{c2}, κ/T is found to increase as T→0, just as in a metal and in contrast to the behavior of all known superconductors. This is due to unpaired electrons on part of the Fermi surface, which dominate the transport above a certain field. The evolution of κ/T with field reveals that the electron-electron scattering (or transport mass m^{⋆}) of those unpaired electrons diverges as H→H_{c2} from below, in the same way that it does in the normal state as H→H_{c2} from above. This shows that the unpaired electrons sense the proximity of the field-tuned quantum critical point of CeCoIn_{5} at H^{⋆}=H_{c2} even from inside the superconducting state. The fact that the quantum critical scattering of the unpaired electrons is much weaker than the average scattering of all electrons in the normal state reveals a k-space correlation between the strength of pairing and the strength of scattering, pointing to a common mechanism, presumably antiferromagnetic fluctuations.

  13. Critical current of the nonuniform Josephson transition at intergranular boundary with random dislocation distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mejlikhov, E.Z.; Farzetdinova, R.M.

    1997-01-01

    Critical current of inhomogeneous intergranular Josephson transition is calculated in the assumption concerning superconductivity suppression by local strains of boundary dislocations with random distribution

  14. Superconducting materials for large scale applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dew-Hughes, D.

    1975-01-01

    Applications of superconductors capable of carrying large current densities in large-scale electrical devices are examined. Discussions are included on critical current density, superconducting materials available, and future prospects for improved superconducting materials. (JRD)

  15. Hybrid superconducting a.c. current limiter extrapolation 63 kV-1 250 A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tixador, P.; Levêque, J.; Brunet, Y.; Pham, V. D.

    1994-04-01

    Following the developement of a.c. superconducting wires a.c. current superconducting limiters have emerged. These limiters limit the fault currents nearly instantaneously, without detection nor order giver and may be suitable for high voltages. They are based on the natural transition from the superconducting state to the normal resistive state by overstepping the critical current of a superconducting coil which limits or triggers the limitation. Our limiter device consists essentially of two copper windings coupled through a saturable magnetic circuit and of a non inductively wound superconducting coil with a reduced current compared to the line current. This design allows a simple superconducting cable and reduced cryogenic losses but the dielectric stresses are high during faults. A small model (150 V/50 A) has experimentally validated our design. An industrial scale current limiter is designed and the comparisons between this design and other superconducting current limiters are given. Les courants de court-circuit sur les grands réseaux électriques ne cessent d'augmenter. Dans ce contexte sont apparus les limiteurs supraconducteurs de courant suite au développement des brins supraconducteurs alternatifs. Ces limiteurs peuvent limiter les courants de défaut presque instantanément, sans détection de défaut ni donneur d'ordre et ils sont extrapolables aux hautes tensions. Ils sont fondés sur la transition naturelle de l'état supraconducteur à l'état normal très résistif par dépassement du courant critique d'un enroulement supraconducteur qui limite ou déclenche la limitation. Notre limiteur est composé de deux enroulements en cuivre couplés par un circuit magnétique saturable et d'une bobine supraconductrice à courant réduit par rapport au courant de la ligne. Cette conception permet un câble supraconducteur simple et des pertes cryogéniques réduites mais les contraintes diélectriques en régime de défaut sont importantes. Une maquette

  16. Critical current density of four-CuO2-layer T1Ba2Ca3Cu4O11-δ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, L.; Liu, J.Z.; Shelton, R.N.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: A key requirement for technological application is to have superconductors with high critical current density at practical operating temperatures and magnetic fields. The critical current density is strongly related to underlying properties of high T c superconductors, such as layering, anisotropy and other intrinsic material structures. The thallium-based superconductors attracted much attention at early stage mainly due to their high superconducting transitions. Recent studies show that these materials appear to be a better choice for achieving higher critical current density because of a stronger interlayer coupling between superconducting layers. Single crystals of TlBa 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 O 11-δ were grown by a self-flux method. This material is a strong-layered superconductor with four-CuO 2 -planes in a unit cell and a superconducting transition temperature of 128K. Our experimental results show that TlBa 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 O 11-δ crystals have high irreversibility line, large critical current density and high upper critical field. The impact of layering and the number of Cu-O layers on flux pinning, critical current density and other magnetic properties will also be discussed

  17. Current Redistribution around the Superconducting-to-normal Transition in Superconducting Nb-Ti Rutherford Cables

    CERN Document Server

    Willering, G P; ten Kate, H H J

    2008-01-01

    Sufficient thermal-electromagnetic stability against external heat sources is an essential design criterion for superconducting Rutherford cables, especially if operated close to the critical current. Due to the complex phenomena contributing to stability such as helium cooling, inter-strand current and heat transfer, its level is difficult to quantify. In order to improve our understanding, many stability tests were performed on different cable samples, each incorporating several point-like heaters. The current redistribution around the heat front is measured after inducing a local normal zone in one strand of the cable. By using voltage taps, expansion of the normal zone is monitored in the initially quenched strand as well as in adjacent strands. An array of Hall probes positioned at the cable edge is used to scan the selffield generated by the cable by which it becomes possible to estimate the inter-strand current transfer. In this paper it is demonstrated that two different stability regimes can be disti...

  18. Crack problem in superconducting cylinder with exponential distribution of critical-current density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yufeng; Xu, Chi; Shi, Liang

    2018-04-01

    The general problem of a center crack in a long cylindrical superconductor with inhomogeneous critical-current distribution is studied based on the extended Bean model for zero-field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) magnetization processes, in which the inhomogeneous parameter η is introduced for characterizing the critical-current density distribution in inhomogeneous superconductor. The effect of the inhomogeneous parameter η on both the magnetic field distribution and the variations of the normalized stress intensity factors is also obtained based on the plane strain approach and J-integral theory. The numerical results indicate that the exponential distribution of critical-current density will lead a larger trapped field inside the inhomogeneous superconductor and cause the center of the cylinder to fracture more easily. In addition, it is worth pointing out that the nonlinear field distribution is unique to the Bean model by comparing the curve shapes of the magnetization loop with homogeneous and inhomogeneous critical-current distribution.

  19. Self-triggering superconducting fault current limiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Xing [Albany, NY; Tekletsadik, Kasegn [Rexford, NY

    2008-10-21

    A modular and scaleable Matrix Fault Current Limiter (MFCL) that functions as a "variable impedance" device in an electric power network, using components made of superconducting and non-superconducting electrically conductive materials. The matrix fault current limiter comprises a fault current limiter module that includes a superconductor which is electrically coupled in parallel with a trigger coil, wherein the trigger coil is magnetically coupled to the superconductor. The current surge doing a fault within the electrical power network will cause the superconductor to transition to its resistive state and also generate a uniform magnetic field in the trigger coil and simultaneously limit the voltage developed across the superconductor. This results in fast and uniform quenching of the superconductors, significantly reduces the burnout risk associated with non-uniformity often existing within the volume of superconductor materials. The fault current limiter modules may be electrically coupled together to form various "n" (rows).times."m" (columns) matrix configurations.

  20. Magnetic field and temperature dependence of the critical vortex velocity in type-II superconducting films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grimaldi, G; Leo, A; Cirillo, C; Attanasio, C; Nigro, A; Pace, S [CNR-INFM Laboratorio Regionale SuperMat, Via Salvador Allende, I-84081 Baronissi (Italy)], E-mail: grimaldi@sa.infn.it

    2009-06-24

    We study the vortex dynamics in the instability regime induced by high dissipative states well above the critical current in Nb superconducting strips. The magnetic field and temperature behavior of the critical vortex velocity corresponding to the observed dynamic instability is ascribed to intrinsic non-equilibrium phenomena. The Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) theory of electronic instability in high velocity vortex motion has been applied to interpret the temperature dependence of the critical vortex velocity. The magnetic field dependence of the vortex critical velocity shows new features in the low-field regime not predicted by LO.

  1. Tensile damage and its influence on the critical current of Bi2223/Ag superconducting composite tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochiai, S; Nagai, T; Okuda, H; Oh, S S; Hojo, M; Tanaka, M; Sugano, M; Osamura, K

    2003-01-01

    We have studied the tensile behaviour of Bi2223 superconducting composite tapes at room temperature, and the influence of the tensile damages introduced at room temperature on the critical current I c and the n values at 77 K. In the measurement of the I c and n values, the overall composite with a gauge length 60 mm was divided into six elements with a gauge length of 10 mm in order to find the correlation of the I c and n values of the overall composite to those of the local elements which constitute the composite. From the measured stress-strain curve of the composite and the calculated residual strain of the Bi2223 filaments, the intrinsic fracture strain of Bi2223 filaments was estimated to be 0.09-0.12%. When the applied strain was lower than the onset strain of the filament damage, the original I c and n values were retained both in the overall composite and the elements. In this situation, while the overall voltage at the transition from superconductivity to normal conductivity of the composite was the sum of the voltages of the constituent elements, among all elements the overall voltage was affected more by the element with the lower I c (higher voltage). The damage of the filaments arose first locally, resulting in a reduction of the I c and n values in the corresponding local element, even though the other elements retained the original I c and n values. In this situation, the voltage of the overall composite stemmed dominantly from that of the firstly damaged weakest element, and the overall I c and n values were almost determined by the values of such an element. After the local element was fully damaged, the damage arose also in other elements, resulting in segmentation of the filaments. Thus, the I c and n values were reduced in all elements. The correlation of I c between the overall composite and the elements could be described comprehensively for non-damaged and damaged states from the voltage-current relation

  2. Upper critical fields and critical current densities of Fe-based superconductors as compared to those of other technical superconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pallecchi, I., E-mail: ilaria.pallecchi@spin.cnr.it [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Tropeano, M. [Columbus Superconductors S.p.A, Via delle Terre Rosse 30, 16133 Genova (Italy); Lamura, G. [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Pani, M. [Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Palombo, M. [Columbus Superconductors S.p.A, Via delle Terre Rosse 30, 16133 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy); Palenzona, A. [Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genova (Italy); Putti, M. [CNR-SPIN, Corso Perrone 24, 16152 Genova (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova (Italy)

    2012-11-20

    Three years since the discovery by the Hosono's group of Fe-based superconductors, an enormous number of compounds, belonging to several different families have been discovered and fundamental properties have been deeply investigated in order to clarify the interplay between magnetisms and superconductivity in these compounds. Indeed, the actual potential of these compounds for practical applications remains still unclear. Fe-based superconductors are midway between high temperature superconductors (HTSCs) and MgB{sub 2}. In Fe-based superconductors the critical current is rather independent of the field, similarly to HTSCs, as a consequence of the exceptionally high upper critical field and strong pinning associated with nm-scale local modulations of the order parameter. They exhibit low anisotropy of the critical current with respect to the crystalline directions, as in the case of MgB{sub 2}, which allows current flow along the c-axis. However, Fe-based superconductor polycrystalline materials currently available still exhibit electromagnetic granularity, like the HTSCs, which suppresses superconducting current flow over long length. Whether the nature of such granularity is extrinsic, as due to spurious phases or cracks between grains or intrinsic, as related to misalignment of adjacent grains, is under debate. These aspects will be reviewed in the light of the recent literature.

  3. Anisotropic critical fields in superconducting superlattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banerjee, I.; Yang, Q.S.; Falco, C.M.; Schuller, I.K.

    1983-01-01

    The temperature and angular dependence of critical fields (H/sub c/) have been studied as a function of layer thickness for superconducting Nb/Cu superlattices. For layer thicknesses between 100 and 300 A, dimensional crossover has been observed in the temperature dependence of H/sub c/. Associated with the crossover we find a change in the angular dependence of H/sub c/ to that given by the effective-mass theory. This is the first time that a relationship has been found between dimensional crossover observed in the temperature dependence and that in the angular dependence of critical fields

  4. Functional model of a high-current high-voltage superconducting switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menke, Kh.; Shishov, Yu.A.

    1977-01-01

    Considered are problems of superconducting switches (SS) for energy extraction from magnets at a current of several kiloamperes and a voltage of several kilovolts with a time for transition to the normal state of <0.5 ms. SS is made of a wire of 0.5 mm diameter containing 19 strands of Nb-Ti alloy of 65 μm diameter. The wire matrix was etched out, 19 wires of 4.5 m length were braided together. On each of three groups of wires a heater wire of constantan of 0.12 mm diameter and 6 m length was wound. A second heater intended for slow heating during current feeding into the magnet, is wound over the braid. The wires and heaters are parallel connected and impregnated by an epoxy compound. The following main parameters were obtained in SS testing: critical current of 920 A, resistance in the normal state of 2.5 Ohm, and minimum delay time of 0.2 ms at a nominal current of 0.8 of the critical one

  5. Current distribution characteristics of superconducting parallel circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, K.; Suzuki, Y.; Hara, N.; Kitamura, M.; Tominaka, T.

    1994-01-01

    In order to increase the current carrying capacity of the current path of the superconducting magnet system, the portion of parallel circuits such as insulated multi-strand cables or parallel persistent current switches (PCS) are made. In superconducting parallel circuits of an insulated multi-strand cable or a parallel persistent current switch (PCS), the current distribution during the current sweep, the persistent mode, and the quench process were investigated. In order to measure the current distribution, two methods were used. (1) Each strand was surrounded with a pure iron core with the air gap. In the air gap, a Hall probe was located. The accuracy of this method was deteriorated by the magnetic hysteresis of iron. (2) The Rogowski coil without iron was used for the current measurement of each path in a 4-parallel PCS. As a result, it was shown that the current distribution characteristics of a parallel PCS is very similar to that of an insulated multi-strand cable for the quench process

  6. Molybdenum-rhenium superconducting suspended nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aziz, Mohsin; Christopher Hudson, David; Russo, Saverio [Centre for Graphene Science, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF (United Kingdom)

    2014-06-09

    Suspended superconducting nanostructures of MoRe 50%/50% by weight are fabricated employing commonly used fabrication steps in micro- and nano-meter scale devices followed by wet-etching with Hydro-fluoric acid of a SiO{sub 2} sacrificial layer. Suspended superconducting channels as narrow as 50 nm and length 3 μm have a critical temperature of ≈6.5 K, which can increase by 0.5 K upon annealing at 400 °C. A detailed study of the dependence of the superconducting critical current and critical temperature upon annealing and in devices with different channel widths reveals that desorption of contaminants is responsible for the improved superconducting properties. These findings pave the way for the development of superconducting electromechanical devices using standard fabrication techniques.

  7. Improvements in the critical current densities of Nb3Sn by solid solution additions of Sn in Nb

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, T.; Suenaga, M.

    1975-01-01

    The effectiveness of solid solution additions of Sn to Nb in improving the superconducting properties of diffusion processed Nb 3 Sn conductors was examined. It was found that an increase in the superconducting critical current density, Jc, as function of layer thickness (d) may be obtained for thick Nb 3 Sn layers by solid solution additions of Sn in Nb. A large increase in J/sub c/ (d) is also achieved by increasing the Sn content in the bronze matrix material. In addition to uses of this material in magnet fabrications a potential application of these improved J/sub c/(d) values may lie in the use of Nb 3 Sn in power transmission lines. Here, a high superconducting critical current density is necessary throughout the material to carry the increased current during fault conditions. The magnetic field dependence of J/sub c/ is a function of alloy content but the alloying changes studied here do not increase the high field critical current capability of Nb 3 Sn. (auth)

  8. Hall probe for measuring high currents in superconducting coils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferendeci, A.M.

    1986-01-01

    Constructional details of a compact Hall probe for measuring high currents in superconducting coils are given. The Hall probe is easy to assemble and can be inserted or removed from the system without breaking the superconducting loop. Upper current limit of the probe can be increased by using larger magnetic core material. Shielding becomes necessary if the probe holder is to be placed near large current dependent magnetic fields

  9. Critical current and electric transport properties of superconducting epitaxial Nb(Ti)N submicron structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimov, A.; Słysz, W.; Guziewicz, M.; Kolkovsky, V.; Wegrzecki, M.; Bar, J.; Marchewka, M.; Seredyński, B.

    2016-12-01

    Critical current and current-voltage characteristics of epitaxial Nb(Ti)N submicron ultrathin structures were measured as function of temperature. For 700-nm-wide bridge we found current-driven vortex de-pinning at low temperatures and thermally activated flux flow closer to the transition temperature, as the limiting factors for the critical current density. For 100-nm-wide meander we observed combination of phase-slip activation and vortex-anti-vortex pair (VAP) thermal excitation. Our Nb(Ti)N meander structure demonstrates high de-pairing critical current densities 107 A/cm2 at low temperatures, but the critical currents are much smaller due to presence of the local constrictions.

  10. Development of MgB2 superconductor wire with high critical current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chan Joong; Jun, Byung Hyuk; Park, Soon Dong; Kim, Nam Kyu; Kim, Yi Jeong; Yi, Ji Hye; Lee, Ji Hyun; Tan, Kai Sin

    2009-07-01

    The MgB 2 superconductor with smaller grain size could improve its critical properties by providing flux pinning centers with high grain boundary density. The effects of C doping such as charcoal, paper ash and glycerin on the superconducting properties was investigated for in situ processed MgB 2 samples using low purity semi-crystalline B powder. The results show a decrease in Tc and an enhancement of Jc at high fields for the C-doped samples as compared to the un-doped samples. A combined process of a mechanical ball milling and liquid glycerin (C 3 H 8 O 3 ) treatment of B powder has been conducted to enhance the superconducting properties of MgB 2 . The mechanical ball milling was effective for grain refinement, and a lattice disorder was easily achieved by glycerin addition. With the combined process, the critical properties was further increased due to a higher grain boundary density and a greater C substitution. To get fine grain structure of MgB 2 with high critical current properties, mechanical milling for as-received B powder and low temperature solid-state reaction of 550 or 600 .deg. C were attempted to in situ powder-in-tube processed MgB 2 /Fe wires. The critical current properties of the MgB 2 wires using the milled B powder were enhanced due to a smaller grain size and an increased volume of the superconducting phase. The solid-state reaction of a low temperature process for the samples using the milled B powder resulted in a poorer crystallinity with a smaller grain size, which improved superconducting properties. We established the system to measure the transport current properties of the MgB 2 wires. The field dependence of the transport Jc was evaluated for the MgB 2 wires heat-treated at different heat treatment conditions using ball-milled and glycerin-treated B powder. The MgB 2 magnet was developed and the AC loss of MgB 2 wire was also investigated. A conduction cooling device to cool the MgB 2 coil down to 4 K has been fabricated and the

  11. An investigation into preparation of silver sheathed superconducting wires with a high critical temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaffron, Laurent

    1992-01-01

    We have shown that the critical current density of YBaCuO superconducting wires prepared using 'powder in tube' method is limited by the following principal factors: - cracks and porosity arising from the shrinkage of the powder during sintering, - irregularities in the wire section, - presence of secondary phases in the phase diagram of the three oxides, - incomplete re-oxidation at the centre of the wire, - insufficient, or complete lack of, texture in the wire, - presence of amorphous, non superconducting phase across the grains that blocks grain boundary migration. We have reduced the deleterious effects due to the first four factors by modifying prior nature of the powder, by reinforcing the sheath and by modifying the thermal treatments. We also used creep sintering to produce a strong texture; however, our study shows that texture, though necessary, is not a sufficient condition for a high current. This is because the latter is limited by the presence of the amorphous phase at too many grain boundaries. Finally, we have obtained wires in which grain boundaries are clean and which have very high critical currents by melting the wire in a thermal gradient and by passing it through the gradient very slowly. Such a technique, however, is too slow for producing superconductors. (author) [fr

  12. Excessive current in wide superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volotskaya, V.G.; Sivakov, A.G.; Turutanov, O.G.

    1986-01-01

    The resistive state of a wide long film due to superconductivity destruction by current is studied. The voltage-independent excess current I 0 is observed on I-V curves at high transport currents. The two-dimensional image of the current-carrying sample obtained by laser scanning technique in this current range indicates that the whole film is in the resistive state. The current I 0 is measured as a function of magnetic field and SHF power

  13. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for YBCO film fabrication of superconducting fault-current limiter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jun, Byung Hyuk; Kim, Chan Joong

    2006-05-15

    Since the high-temperature superconductor of oxide type was founded, many researches and efforts have been performed for finding its application field. The YBCO superconducting film fabricated on economic metal substrate with uniform critical current density is considered as superconducting fault-current limiter (SFCL). There are physical and chemical processes to fabricate superconductor film, and it is understood that the chemical methods are more economic to deposit large area. Among them, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a promising deposition method in obtaining film uniformity. To solve the problems due to the high deposition temperature of thermal CVD, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is suggested. This report describes the principle and fabrication trend of SFCL, example of YBCO film deposition by PECVD method, and principle of plasma deposition.

  14. Use of high current density superconducting coils in fusion devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.

    1979-11-01

    Superconducting magnets will play an important role in fusion research in years to come. The magnets which are currently proposed for fusion research use the concept of cryostability to insure stable operation of the superconducting coils. This paper proposes the use of adiabatically stable high current density superconducting coils in some types of fusion devices. The advantages of this approach are much lower system cold mass, enhanced cryogenic safety, increased access to the plasma and lower cost

  15. Superconducting joint of Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes by diffusion bonding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Wei; Zou Guisheng; Wu Aiping; Wang Yanjun; Bai Hailin; Ren Jialie

    2009-01-01

    61-Filaments Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes have been joined by diffusion bonding. The critical currents (I C s) of the joints are obtained by using standard four probe method under no magnetic field in the liquid nitrogen. The microstructures of the joints are evaluated by the electron microscope in electron backscatter diffraction mode and the phase compositions of the superconducting cores of the joint and the original tape are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show diffusion bonding is effective bonding technique for HTS tapes, and the bonding time is reduced greatly from hundreds of hours to a few hours, and the bonding pressure also changes from 140-4000 MPa to 3 MPa. Furthermore, the diffusion bonding joints sustain superconducting properties, and the critical current ratios (CCR O ) of the joints are in the range of 35%-80%. Microstructures of the typical joint display a good bonding and some defects existed in traditional method are avoided. XRD results show that the phase compositions of the superconducting cores have no obvious changes before and after diffusion bonding, which offers physical and material bases for high superconducting property of the joints.

  16. Strand critical current degradation in $Nb_{3}$ Sn Rutherford cables

    CERN Document Server

    Barzi, E; Higley, H C; Scanlan, R M; Yamada, R; Zlobin, A V

    2001-01-01

    Fermilab is developing 11 Tesla superconducting accelerator magnets based on Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor. Multifilamentary Nb/sub 3/Sn strands produced using the modified jelly roll, internal tin, and powder-in-tube technologies were used for the development and test of the prototype cable. To optimize the cable geometry with respect to the critical current, short samples of Rutherford cable with packing factors in the 85 to 95% range were fabricated and studied. In this paper, the results of measurements of critical current, n-value and RRR made on the round virgin strands and on the strands extracted from the cable samples are presented. (5 refs).

  17. Quench protection and design of large high-current-density superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.

    1981-03-01

    Although most large superconducting magnets have been designed using the concept of cryostability, there is increased need for large magnets which operate at current densities above the cryostable limit (greater than 10 8 Am -2 ). Large high current density superconducting magnets are chosen for the following reasons: reduced mass, reduced coil thickness or size, and reduced cost. The design of large high current density, adiabatically stable, superconducting magnets requires a very different set of design rules than either large cryostable superconducting magnets or small self-protected high current density magnets. The problems associated with large high current density superconducting magnets fall into three categories; (a) quench protection, (b) stress and training, and (c) cryogenic design. The three categories must be considered simultaneously. The paper discusses quench protection and its implication for magnets of large stored energies (this includes strings of smaller magnets). Training and its relationship to quench protection and magnetic strain are discussed. Examples of magnets, built at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and elsewhere using the design guidelines given in this report, are presented

  18. Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Søren Krüger; Kühle (fratrådt), Anders Van Der Aa; Træholt, Chresten

    1999-01-01

    The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current......-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce-the inductive...... voltage. The 1 mu V cm(-1) critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6 +/- 0.15 W m(-1). This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far...

  19. The Consequence of Self-field and Non-uniform Current Distribution on Short Sample Tests of Superconducting Cables

    CERN Document Server

    Verweij, A P

    1998-01-01

    Electrical measurements on samples of superconducting cables are usually performed in order to determine the critical current $I_c$ and the n-value, assuming that the voltage U at the transition from the superconducting to the normal state follows the power law, U\\sim($I/I_c$)$^n$. An accurate measurement of $I_c$ and n demands, first of all, good control of temperature and field, and precise measurement of current and voltage. The critical current and n-value of a cable are influenced by the self-field of the cable, an effect that has to be known in order to compare the electrical characteristics of the cable with those of the strands from which it is made. The effect of the self-field is dealt with taking into account the orientation and magnitude of the applied field and the n-value of the strands. An important source of inaccuracy is related to the distribution of the currents among the strands. Non-uniform distributions, mainly caused by non-equal resistances of the connections between the strands of the...

  20. Development of superconducting equipment for fusion device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konno, Masayuki; Ueda, Toshio; Hiue, Hisaaki; Ohgushi, Kouzou

    1993-01-01

    At Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., the development of superconductivity was started from 1960, and superconducting equipment for fusion device has been developed for ten years. The superconducting equipment, which is developed for fusion by Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., are able to be grouped in three categories which are current lead, superconducting coil and superconducting bus-line. The current lead is an electrical feeder between a superconducting coil and an electrical power supply. The rated current of developed current lead is 30kA at continuous use and 100kA at short time use respectively. The advanced disk type coil is developed for the toroidal field coil and some coils are developed for critical current measurement. Superconductor is applied to the superconducting bus-line between the superconducting coils and the current leads, and the bus-line is being developed for the Large Helical Device. This report describes an abstract of these equipment. (author)

  1. Critical current studies on fine filamentary NbTi accelerator wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garber, M.; Suenaga, M.; Sampson, W.B.; Sabatini, R.L.

    1985-01-01

    The magnets for the Superconductig Super Collider, a high energy proton colliding beam accelerator, require a superconductor with very high current density (>2400 A/mm 2 at 5 T) and very small filaments (approx. 2μm in diameter). Previous work has shown that by controlling the formation of Cu 4 Ti compound particles on the filament surfaces it is possible to make fine filamentary NbTi wire with high critical current density. The performance of multi-filamentary wire is characterized by the current density and the quantity ''n'' which describes the superconducting-normal transition. Micrographs of wires having high J/sub c/ and high n show smooth, uniform filaments. Recently wires of very high critical current and high n have been produced in experimental quantities by commercial manufactures

  2. Tetracritical point and current circulations in superconducting state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belyavskij, V.I.; Kopaev, Yu.V.; Smirnov, M.Yu.

    2005-01-01

    Phase diagram reflecting the key peculiar features of the standard diagram of the cuprate superconductors was studied in terms of the Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology near the tetracritical point resulting from the competition of superconducting and dielectric channels of pairing. Two-component parameter of order the relative phase of which is associated with antiferromagnetic dielectric ordering corresponds to the superconducting pairing at repulsion. In case of slight doping the dielectric order coexists with superconductivity below the temperature of superconducting phase transition and manifests itself as a slight pseudoslit above the mentioned temperature. A segment of pseudoslit region adjacent to the superconducting state corresponds to the matured fluctuations of the order parameter in the form of quasi-stationary states of noncoherent superconducting pairs and may be interpreted as a region of a strong pseudoslit. At increase of doping one observes a phase transition from the coexistence region and the orbital antiferromagnetism to the conventional superconducting state covering the region of matured fluctuations of the order parameter in the form of quasi-stationary states of the noncorrelated orbital circulation currents adjacent to the line of phase transition [ru

  3. Magnetic Field Dependence of the Critical Current in S-N Bilayer Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadleir, John E.; Lee, Sang-Jun; Smith, Stephen James; Bandler, Simon; Chervenak, James; Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Porter, Frederick S.; Kelley, Richard L.; Adams, Joseph S.; hide

    2013-01-01

    Here we investigate the effects a non-uniform applied magnetic field has on superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) critical current. This has implications on TES optimization. It has been shown that TESs resistive transition can be altered by magnetic fields. We have observed critical current rectification effects and explained these effects in terms of a magnetic self-field arising from asymmetric current injection into the sensor. Our TES physical model shows that this magnetic self-field can result in significantly degraded or improved TES performance. In order for this magnetically tuned TES strategy to reach its full potential we are investigating the effect a non-uniform applied magnetic field has on the critical current.

  4. Acute enhancement of the upper critical field for superconductivity approaching a quantum critical point in URhGe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levy, F; Huxley, A [CEA, SPSMS, DRFMC, F-38054 Grenoble, (France); Levy, F; Sheikin, I [CNRS, GHMFL, F-38042 Grenoble, (France); Huxley, A [Univ Edinburgh, Scottish Univ Phys Alliance, Sch Phys, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, Midlothian, (United Kingdom)

    2007-07-01

    When a pure material is tuned to the point where a continuous phase-transition line is crossed at zero temperature, known as a quantum critical point (QCP), completely new correlated quantum ordered states can form. These phases include exotic forms of superconductivity. However, as superconductivity is generally suppressed by a magnetic field, the formation of superconductivity ought not to be possible at extremely high field. Here, we report that as we tune the ferromagnet, URhGe, towards a QCP by applying a component of magnetic field in the material's easy magnetic plane, superconductivity survives in progressively higher fields applied simultaneously along the material's magnetic hard axis. Thus, although superconductivity never occurs above a temperature of 0.5 K, we find that it can survive in extremely high magnetic fields, exceeding 28 T. (authors)

  5. High-current applications of superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komarek, P.

    1995-01-01

    The following topics were dealt with: superconducting materials, design principles of superconducting magnets, magnets for research and engineering, superconductivity for power engineering, superconductivity in nuclear fusion technology, economical considerations

  6. High-Tc superconducting electric motors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schiferl, R.; Stein, J.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper, the advantages and limitations of using superconductors in motors are discussed. A synchronous motor with a high temperature superconducting field winding for pump and fan drive applications is described and some of its unique design features are identified. A 10,000 horsepower superconducting motor design is presented. The critical field and current density requirements for high temperature superconducting wire in motors is discussed. Finally, recent progress in superconducting wire performance is presented

  7. Interactions between superconductivity and quantum criticality in CeCoIn5, URhGe and UCoGe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howald, L.

    2011-01-01

    The subject of this thesis is the analyze of the superconducting upper critical field (Hc2) and the interaction between superconductivity and quantum critical points (QCP), for the compounds CeCoIn 5 , URhGe and UCoGe. In CeCoIn 5 , study by mean of resistivity of the Fermi liquid domain allows us to localize precisely the QCP at ambient pressure. This analyze rule out the previously suggested pinning of Hc2(0) at the QCP. In a second part, the evolution of Hc2 under pressure is analyzed. The superconducting dome is unconventional in this compound with two characteristic pressures: at 1.6 GPa, the superconducting transition temperature is maximum but it is at 0.4 GPa that physical properties (maximum of Hc2(0), maximum of the initial slope dHc2/dT, maximum of the specific heat jump DC/C,... ) suggest a QCP. We explain this antagonism with pair-breaking effects in the proximity of the QCP. With these two experiments, we suggest a new phase diagram for CeCoIn 5 . In a third part, measurements of thermal conductivity on URhGe and UCoGe are presented. We obtained the bulk superconducting phase transition and confirmed the unusual curvature of the slope dHc2/dT observed by resistivity. The temperatures and fields dependence of thermal conductivity allow us to identify a non-electronic contribution for heat transport down to the lowest temperature (50 mK) and probably associated with magnon or longitudinal fluctuations. We also identified two different domains in the superconducting region, These domains are compatible with a two bands model for superconductivity. Thermopower measurements on UCoGe reveal a strong anisotropy to current direction and several anomaly under field applied in the b direction. We suggest a Lifshitz transition to explain our observations in these two compounds. (author) [fr

  8. Critical currents and flux-pinning properties in PbMo6S8 superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noto, K.; Hamasaki, K.; Komata, T.; Saito, T.; Watanabe, K.; Yamashita, T.

    1986-01-01

    We report on recent investigations of the fabrication of PbMo 6 S 8 tapes prepared using an electro-plating and diffusion technique. Measurement of critical currents was carried out in either 16.5 T superconducting magnet, or 20.5 T (HM-3) and 23 T (HM-2) hybrid magnets in High Field Laboratory for Superconducting Materials RIISOM, Tohoku University in Japan. After optimal reaction the critical temperature measured by a resistive method reaches about 14.5 K, and a transition width was less than 0.5 K. Critical current densities are relatively high in a low magnetic field, and reached 1X10 4 A/cm 2 in a 15 T magnetic field at 4.2 K. However, J /SUB c/ 's in a strong magnetic field above 15 T are still insufficient for practical applications. In some of these samples pinning force densities were found to obey a simple scaling law, and in most cases the scaling is not obey. Poor J /SUB c/ -B characteristics in a strong magnetic field may be due to inhomogeneities of this compound

  9. Critical current fluctuation in a microwave-driven Josephson junction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong Ning; Sun Guozhu; Wang Yiwen; Cao Junyu; Yu Yang; Chen Jian; Kang Lin; Xu Weiwei; Han Siyuan; Wu Peiheng

    2007-01-01

    Josephson junction devices are good candidates for quantum computation. A large energy splitting was observed in the spectroscopy of a superconducting Josephson junction. The presence of the critical current fluctuation near the energy splitting indicated coupling between the junction and a two-level system. Furthermore, we find that this fluctuation is microwave dependent. It only appears at certain microwave frequency. This relation suggested that the decoherence of qubits is influenced by the necessary computing operations

  10. Investigation of inter-grain critical current density in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ superconducting wires and its relationship with the heat treatment protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pallecchi, I.; Leveratto, A.; Braccini, V.; Zunino, V.; Malagoli, A.

    2017-09-01

    In this work we investigate the effect of each different heat treatment stage in the fabrication of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ superconducting wires on intra-grain and inter-grain superconducting properties. We measure magnetic critical temperature T c values and transport critical current density J c at temperatures from 4 K to 40 K and in fields up to 7 T. From an analysis of the temperature dependence of the self-field critical current density J c(T) that takes into account weak link behavior and the proximity effect, we study grain boundary (GB) transparency to supercurrents; we also establish a relationship between GB oxygenation in the different steps of the fabrication process and GB transparency to supercurrents. We find that GB oxygenation starts in the first crystallization stage, but it becomes complete in the plateau at 836 °C and in slow cooling stages and is further enhanced in the prolonged post-annealing step. Such oxygenation makes GBs more conductive, thus improving the inter-grain J c value and temperature dependence. On the other hand, from inspection of the T c values in the framework of the phase diagram dome, we find that grains are already oxygenated in the crystallization step up to the optimal doping, while successive slow cooling and post-annealing treatments further enhance the degree of overdoping, especially if carried out in oxygen atmosphere rather than in air.

  11. A statistical rationale for establishing process quality control limits using fixed sample size, for critical current verification of SSC superconducting wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pollock, D.A.; Brown, G.; Capone, D.W. II; Christopherson, D.; Seuntjens, J.M.; Woltz, J.

    1992-03-01

    The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a statistical method for verifying superconducting wire process stability as represented by I c . The paper does not propose changing the I c testing frequency for wire during Phase 1 of the present Vendor Qualification Program. The actual statistical limits demonstrated for one supplier's data are not expected to be suitable for all suppliers. However, the method used to develop the limits and the potential for improved process through their use, may be applied equally. Implementing the demonstrated method implies that the current practice of testing all pieces of wire from each billet, for the purpose of detecting manufacturing process errors (i.e. missing a heat-treatment cycle for a part of the billet, etc.) can be replaced by other less costly process control measures. As used in this paper process control limits for critical current are quantitative indicators of the source manufacturing process uniformity. The limits serve as alarms indicating the need for manufacturing process investigation

  12. Contactless estimation of critical current density and its temperature dependence using magnetic measurements

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Youssef, A.; Baničová, L.; Švindrych, Zdeněk; Janů, Zdeněk

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 118, č. 5 (2010), s. 1036-1037 ISSN 0587-4246. [Czech and Slovak Conference on Magnetism /14./. Košice, 06.07.2010-09.07.2010] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10069 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : superconductivity * critical state * Bean model * critical current density Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.467, year: 2010

  13. Self-field AC losses and critical currents in multi-tube Ag-Bi-2223 conductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ciszek, M; Ashworth, S P; Campbell, A M [IRC in Superconductivity, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); James, M P; Glowacki, B A [IRC in Superconductivity, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ (United Kingdom); Garre, R; Conti, S [Centro Ricerche Europa Metalli, Fornaci di Barga, LU (Italy)

    1996-05-01

    The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of different technological treatments of silver sheathed Bi-2223 tapes on the critical current density and the AC transport losses. The tapes were produced using the 'tube-in-tube' technique, by including a silver rod in the centre of the superconducting powder during packing of the silver tube. The aim of the process is to increase the silver to superconductor surface area and thus also the alignment at the centre of the conductor ceramic core. AC transport losses were measured by means of an electrical method using sinusoidally varying currents in the frequency range 30-180 Hz. In this range the power losses are hysteretic. The measured variation in losses from those predicted by a critical state model is attributed to the complex geometry of superconducting regions existing in these tapes. (author)

  14. Enhancement of critical current density of in situ processed MgB sub 2 tapes by WB addition

    CERN Document Server

    Fujii, H; Kumakura, H

    2003-01-01

    The effect of tungsten boride (WB) addition on the microstructure and superconducting properties of Fe-sheathed MgB sub 2 tapes has been investigated. The microstructure was not influenced appreciably by the addition, whereas the superconducting properties changed. Even by a 5 mol% addition, the critical temperature (T sub c) decreased by about 0.5 K. However, the field dependence of the inductive critical current density (J sub c sub i) became smaller with the increase in the amount of addition, suggesting that pinning centres effective in a high-field region were possibly introduced. The transport critical current density (J sub c sub t) at 4.2 K increased about twice by the 5 mol% addition and reached 15 and 5 kA cm sup - sup 2 at 8 and 10 T, respectively.

  15. Thermal studies of a superconducting current limiter using Monte-Carlo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leveque, J.; Rezzoug, A.

    1999-01-01

    Considering the increase of the fault current level in electrical network, the current limiters become very interesting. The superconducting limiters are based on the quasi-instantaneous intrinsic transition from superconducting state to normal resistive one. Without detection of default or given order, they reduce the constraints supported by electrical installations above the fault. To avoid the destruction of the superconducting coil, the temperature must not exceed a certain value. Therefore the design of a superconducting coil needs the simultaneous resolution of an electrical equation and a thermal one. This papers deals with a resolution of this coupled problem by the method of Monte-Carlo. This method allows us to calculate the evolution of the resistance of the coil as well as the current of limitation. Experimental results are compared with theoretical ones. (orig.)

  16. A superconducting direct-current limiter with a power of up to 8 MVA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fisher, L. M.; Alferov, D. F., E-mail: DFAlferov@niitfa.ru; Akhmetgareev, M. R.; Budovskii, A. I.; Evsin, D. V.; Voloshin, I. F.; Kalinov, A. V. [National Technical Physics and Automation Research Institute (Russian Federation)

    2016-12-15

    A resistive switching superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for DC networks with a nominal voltage of 3.5 kV and a nominal current of 2 kA was developed, produced, and tested. The SFCL has two main units—an assembly of superconducting modules and a high-speed vacuum circuit breaker. The assembly of superconducting modules consists of nine (3 × 3) parallel–series connected modules. Each module contains four parallel-connected 2G high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. The results of SFCL tests in the short-circuit emulation mode with a maximum current rise rate of 1300 A/ms are presented. The SFCL is capable of limiting the current at a level of 7 kA and break it 8 ms after the current-limiting mode begins. The average temperature of HTS tapes during the current-limiting mode increases to 210 K. After the current is interrupted, the superconductivity recovery time does not exceed 1 s.

  17. A superconducting direct-current limiter with a power of up to 8 MVA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, L. M.; Alferov, D. F.; Akhmetgareev, M. R.; Budovskii, A. I.; Evsin, D. V.; Voloshin, I. F.; Kalinov, A. V.

    2016-12-01

    A resistive switching superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for DC networks with a nominal voltage of 3.5 kV and a nominal current of 2 kA was developed, produced, and tested. The SFCL has two main units—an assembly of superconducting modules and a high-speed vacuum circuit breaker. The assembly of superconducting modules consists of nine (3 × 3) parallel-series connected modules. Each module contains four parallel-connected 2G high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. The results of SFCL tests in the short-circuit emulation mode with a maximum current rise rate of 1300 A/ms are presented. The SFCL is capable of limiting the current at a level of 7 kA and break it 8 ms after the current-limiting mode begins. The average temperature of HTS tapes during the current-limiting mode increases to 210 K. After the current is interrupted, the superconductivity recovery time does not exceed 1 s.

  18. Low field critical currents and ac losses of thin film niobium--tin superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howard, R.E.

    1977-01-01

    The results of a study of the low field critical current and ac loss properties of niobium-tin thin films and layered composites fabricated by electron-beam coevaporation are presented. Particular emphasis is placed upon determining the suitability of this material for use as a conductor in a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter I contains a summary of this work and its major results together with an introduction to the scientific and engineering concepts associated with a superconducting power transmission line. Chapter II is a discussion of the physics of current transport and the associated loss mechanisms in a type-II superconductor. Chapter III gives the details of the electron-beam coevaporation technique developed to fabricate the samples for this study. Also discussed in this chapter are the effects of the evaporation conditions on the growth morphology of the niobium-tin films. Chapter IV presents the details of the experimental techniques developed to measure the ac loss and critical current in these samples as a function of temperature. Chapter V shows the dependence of the critical current of these films and composites on temperature, magnetic field, and on the number of artificially introduced pinning centers in the layered composites. Experimental results are also presented concerning the stability of these conductors against flux jumps. Chapter VI is a discussion of the ac losses in these samples. Detailed comparisons are made between the measured loss and the predictions of the critical state model

  19. Strongly enhanced current densities in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn superconducting tapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, He; Yao, Chao; Zhang, Xianping; Zhang, Haitao; Wang, Dongliang; Zhang, Qianjun; Ma, Yanwei; Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo

    2014-03-01

    Improving transport current has been the primary topic for practical application of superconducting wires and tapes. However, the porous nature of powder-in-tube (PIT) processed iron-based tapes is one of the important reasons for low critical current density (Jc) values. In this work, the superconducting core density of ex-situ Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 + Sn tapes, prepared from optimized precursors, was significantly improved by employing a simple hot pressing as an alternative route for final sintering. The resulting samples exhibited optimal critical temperature (Tc), sharp resistive transition, small resistivity and high Vickers hardness (Hv) value. Consequently, the transport Jc reached excellent values of 5.1 × 104 A/cm2 in 10 T and 4.3 × 104 A/cm2 in 14 T at 4.2 K, respectively. Our tapes also exhibited high upper critical field Hc2 and almost field-independent Jc. These results clearly demonstrate that PIT pnictide wire conductors are very promising for high-field magnet applications.

  20. Pulse measurement of the hot spot current in a NbTiN superconducting filament

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrabi, K.; Mekki, A.; Kunwar, S.; Maneval, J. P.

    2018-02-01

    We have studied the voltage response of superconducting NbTiN filaments to a step-pulse of over-critical current I > Ic. The current induces the destruction of the Cooper pairs and initiates different mechanisms of dissipation depending on the bath temperature T. For the sample investigated, and for T above a certain T*, not far from Tc, the resistance manifests itself in the form of a phase-slip center, which turns into a normal hot spot (HS) as the step-pulse is given larger amplitudes. However, at all temperatures below T*, the destruction of superconductivity still occurs at Ic(T), but leads directly to an ever-growing HS. By lowering the current amplitude during the pulse, one can produce a steady HS and thus define a threshold HS current Ih(T). That is achieved by combining two levels of current, the first and larger one to initiate an HS, the second one to search for constant voltage response. The double diagram of the functions Ic(T) and Ih(T) was plotted in the T-range Tc/2 < T < Tc, and their crossing found at T* = (8.07 ± 0.07) K.

  1. Enhancement of critical currents in superconducting cylindrical samples by circular magnetization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sikora, A; Makiej, B

    1986-07-16

    Evidence is presented for an enhancement of the critical current by a circular magnetization in cylindrical samples of superconductors such as Sn, In, and In-Pb alloy containing 20 wt% ferromagnetic carbon steel particles. The mechanism of this phenomenon is explained.

  2. Modification of critical current in HTSC tape conductors by a ferromagnetic layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goemoery, F; Souc, J; Seiler, E; Vojenciak, M; Granados, X

    2008-01-01

    In some applications of tape conductors from high temperature superconductors (HTSC) the magnetic field is created by the transported current itself. This is e.g. the case of power transmission cables or current leads. Quite complex distribution of local magnetic field determines then the ability of the superconducting element to carry electrical current. We have investigated how much the critical current of a tape conductor can be changed by putting a ferromagnetic layer in the vicinity of the HTSC material. Numerical procedure has been developed to resolve the current and field distribution in such superconductor-ferromagnet composite tape. Theoretical predictions have been confirmed by experiments on sample made from Bi-2223/Ag composite tape. The critical current of such tape can be improved by placing a soft ferromagnetic material at the tape's edges. On the other hand, the calculations show that the ferromagnetic substrate of YBCO coated tape reduces its self-field critical current

  3. The design of a five-cell high-current superconducting cavity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yongming; Zhu Feng; Quan Shengwen; Liu Kexin; Nassiri, Ali

    2012-01-01

    Energy recovery linacs are promising for achieving high average current with superior beam quality. The key component for accelerating such high-current beams is the superconducting radio-frequency cavity. The design of a 1.3 GHz five-cell high-current superconducting cavity has been carried out under cooperation between Peking University and the Argonne National Laboratory. The radio-frequency properties, damping of the higher order modes, multipacting and mechanical features of this cavity have been discussed and the final design is presented. (authors)

  4. The influence of tensile strain to critical current of Bi2223 composite tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukai, Y.; Shin, J.K.; Ochiai, S.; Okuda, H.; Sugano, M.; Osamura, K.

    2008-01-01

    As the stress-induced damage evolution is different from position to position in the sample, the local critical current is scattered in a sample, affecting on the overall current. The present work aimed to describe the distribution of local critical current and its relation to overall critical current under tensile stress for Bi2223/Ag superconducting composite tape. In the experiment, seven voltage probes were attached in a step of 10 mm. The local critical current and n-value at 77 K under various applied stress levels were measured for a voltage probe distance 10 mm and the overall ones for a probe distance 60 mm. Main results are summarized as follows. The overall critical current and n-value were described well by using the voltage summation model in which the sample was regarded as a one dimensional series circuit. For the low applied stress, the distribution of local critical current was described with the three parameter Weibull distribution function. Using the measured distribution of the local critical current, an experimental relation of critical current to n-value and the voltage summation model, and applying the Monte Carlo method, the overall critical current was predicted, which was in good agreement with the experimental results. Based on these results, the sample length dependence of critical current of the sample damaged by tensile stress was discussed

  5. Temperature dependence of critical current and transport current losses of 4 mm YBCO coated conductors manufactured using nonmagnetic substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvitkovic, J.; Hatwar, R.; Pamidi, S. V.; Fleshler, S.; Thieme, C.

    2015-12-01

    The temperature dependence of the critical current and AC losses were measured on American Superconductor Corporation's (AMSC) second generation high temperature superconducting (2G HTS) wire produced by Rolling Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrate (RABiTS) and Metal Organic Deposition (MOD) process. Wires manufactured with two types of substrates were characterized. The magnetic substrate with composition Ni5a%W exhibits a magnetic signature and has non-negligible AC losses in AC power applications. A new nonmagnetic substrate with an alloy composition Ni9a%W has been developed by AMSC to address the AC losses in 2G HTS. The data presented show that the performance of the new conductor is identical to the conductor with magnetic substrate in terms of critical current density. The data on AC losses demonstrate the absence of ferromagnetic loss component in the new conductor and significantly reduced AC losses at low to moderate values of I/Ic. The reduced losses will translate into reduced capital costs and lower operating costs of superconducting electrical devices for AC applications.

  6. Organic superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jerome, D.

    1980-01-01

    We present the experimental evidences for the existence of a superconducting state in the Quasi One Dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF) 2 PF 6 . Superconductivity occuring at 1 K under 12 kbar is characterized by a zero resistance diamagnetic state. The anistropy of the upper critical field of this type II superconductor is consistent with the band structure anistropy. We present evidences for the existence of large superconducting precursor effects giving rise to a dominant paraconductive contribution below 40 K. We also discuss the anomalously large pressure dependence of T sb(s), which drops to 0.19 K under 24 kbar in terms of the current theories. (author)

  7. Anisotropy of the critical current in MgB2 tapes made of high energy milled precursor powder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hässler, W.; Kovac, P.; Eisterer, M.

    2010-01-01

    For applications of MgB2 wires or tapes, high critical currents in high magnetic fields are essential. By using tapes in superconducting coils the anisotropic behaviour of the critical current, i.e. the dependence on the direction of the external field in relation to the tape surface, has to be t...

  8. Effects of stress on critical current in V3Ga tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okada, Touichi; Terada, R.

    1979-01-01

    For the generation of magnetic field less than 8T NbTi conductors have been used with considerable reliability. For the higher field (which is strongly expected for advanced SCM in near future) compound type superconductors such as Nb 3 Sn or V 3 Ga are to be used. These compound superconducting materials are, however, intrinsically brittle, so that it has been said that considerable degradation cannot be avoided, if they are subjected to certain amount of strain say, --0.1%. This is the main reason that compound superconducting materials have been hesitated to the application to the LARGE magnets. To give a clearer insight to the problem we have studied stress/strain degradation effects on commercially available superconducting V 3 Ga tape using specially designed apparatus by making ''in situ'' experiment, i.e. 1) in liquid He, 2) with external magnetic field, 3) with current in the conductor and 4) with stresses. An interesting and very important results were obtained that the critical current density increases with stress (or strain) at the first stage and degraded drastically after the sample is strained higher than about ''one percent''. (author)

  9. Tensile Strain Dependence of Critical Current for RHQ-Nb3Al Wires

    OpenAIRE

    Jin, Xinzhe; Oguro, Hidetoshi; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Awaji, Satoshi; Ogitsu, Toru; Tsuchiya, Kiyosumi; Yamamoto, Akira; Kikuchi, Akihiro; Takeuchi, Takao

    2011-01-01

    KEK and NIMS have been jointly developing Nb3Al superconducting wire with a rapid heating and quenching (RHQ) method towards high field accelerator magnets in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) luminosity upgrade. A15-type superconductors such as Nb3Al and Nb3Sn exhibit strain dependence with respect to their critical currents. Therefore, a thorough understanding of strain behavior is necessary for high field accelerator magnet development, which will be critical for the luminosity upgrade of th...

  10. Microstructure and critical current density in high-Tc metal oxide superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, S.M.; Gusman, M.I.

    1992-03-01

    Superconductor powders in the U-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) and Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BSCCO) systems were synthesized by freeze-drying. Powders were characterized, and processed into samples for evaluation of superconducting behavior. Freeze-drying is attractive because the powders have high purity, are homogeneous, have a small size and are active. YBCO powders can be sintered to high density at 890 degrees C. Many compositions, processing approaches and heat treatments were explored in an effort to understand relations between microstructure and critical density, and to improve the critical current density. Powders were also formed into sputtering targets for coating preparation at Stanford University. The highest critical current density achieved with the YBCO powders was ∼15,000 A/cm 2 at 4.2K and 0.5T using powders treated to prevent carbon contamination. The BSCCO materials with the highest critical current density, ∼30,000 A/cm 2 at the same conditions were formed by heat treating melted and quenched samples. All critical current density measurements were made by Stanford University, a subcontractor to this effort. Stanford University also prepared coatings by off-axis magnetron sputtering

  11. Interacting loop-current model of superconducting networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chi, C.C.; Santhanam, P.; Bloechl, P.E.

    1992-01-01

    The authors review their recent approximation scheme to calculate the normal-superconducting phase boundary, T c (H), of a superconducting wire network in a magnetic field in terms of interacting loop currents. The theory is based on the London approximation of the linearized Ginzburg-Landau equation. An approximate general formula is derived for any two-dimensional space-filling lattice comprising tiles of two shapes. Many examples are provided illustrating the use of this method, with a particular emphasis on the fluxoid distribution. In addition to periodic lattices, quasiperiodic lattices and fractal Sierpinski gaskets are also discussed

  12. Adaptation of superconducting fault current limiter to high-speed reclosing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, T.; Yanabu, S.

    2009-01-01

    Using a high temperature superconductor, we constructed and tested a model superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). The superconductor might break in some cases because of its excessive generation of heat. Therefore, it is desirable to interrupt early the current that flows to superconductor. So, we proposed the SFCL using an electromagnetic repulsion switch which is composed of a superconductor, a vacuum interrupter and a by-pass coil, and its structure is simple. Duration that the current flow in the superconductor can be easily minimized to the level of less than 0.5 cycle using this equipment. On the other hand, the fault current is also easily limited by large reactance of the parallel coil. There is duty of high-speed reclosing after interrupting fault current in the electric power system. After the fault current is interrupted, the back-up breaker is re-closed within 350 ms. So, the electromagnetic repulsion switch should return to former state and the superconductor should be recovered to superconducting state before high-speed reclosing. Then, we proposed the SFCL using an electromagnetic repulsion switch which employs our new reclosing function. We also studied recovery time of the superconductor, because superconductor should be recovered to superconducting state within 350 ms. In this paper, the recovery time characteristics of the superconducting wire were investigated. Also, we combined the superconductor with the electromagnetic repulsion switch, and we did performance test. As a result, a high-speed reclosing within 350 ms was proven to be possible.

  13. Analysis of mechanical characteristics of superconducting field coil for 17 MW class high temperature superconducting synchronous motor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, J. H.; Park, S. I.; Im, S. H.; Kim, H. M.

    2013-01-01

    Superconducting field coils using a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires with high current density generate high magnetic field of 2 to 5 [T] and electromagnetic force (Lorentz force) acting on the superconducting field coils also become a very strong from the point of view of a mechanical characteristics. Because mechanical stress caused by these powerful electromagnetic force is one of the factors which worsens the critical current performance and structural characteristics of HTS wire, the mechanical stress analysis should be performed when designing the superconducting field coils. In this paper, as part of structural design of superconducting field coils for 17 MW class superconducting ship propulsion motor, mechanical stress acting on the superconducting field coils was analyzed and structural safety was also determined by the coupling analysis system that is consists of commercial electromagnetic field analysis program and structural analysis program.

  14. Forecasting of superconducting compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savitskii, E.M.; Gribulya, V.G.; Kiseleva, N.N.

    1981-01-01

    In forecasting new superconducting intermetallic compounds of the A15 and Mo 3 Se types most promising from the viewpoint of high critical temperature Tsub(c), high critical magnetic fields Hsub(c), and high critical currents and in estimating their transition temperature it is proposed to apply cybernetic methods of computer learning

  15. SQUID based cryogenic current comparator for measurements of the dark current of superconducting cavities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vodel, W.; Nietzsche, S.; Neubert, R.; Nawrodt, R. [Friedrich Schiller Univ. Jena (Germany); Peters, A. [GSI Darmstadt (Germany); Knaack, K.; Wendt, M.; Wittenburg, K. [DESY Hamburg (Germany)

    2005-07-01

    The linear accelerator technology, based on super-conducting L-band (1.3 GHz) is currently under study at DESY (Hamburg, Germany). The two 10 km long main Linacs will be equipped with a total of nearly 20.000 cavities. The dark current due to the emission of electrons in these high gradient field super-conducting cavities is an unwanted particle source. A newly high performance SQUID based measurement system for detecting dark currents is proposed. It makes use of the Cryogenic Current Comparator principle and senses dark currents in the pA range with a measurement bandwidth of up to 70 kHz. The use of a cryogenic current comparator as dark current sensor has some important advantages: -) the measurement of the absolute value of the dark current, -) the non-dependence on the electron trajectories, -) the accurate absolute calibration with an additional wire loop, and -) extremely high resolution.

  16. Eddy current quality control of soldered current-carrying busbar splices of superconducting magnets

    CERN Document Server

    Kogan, L; Savary, F; Principe, R; Datskov, V; Rozenfel'd, E; Khudjakov, B

    2015-01-01

    The eddy current technique associated with a U-shaped transducer is studied for the quality control of soldered joints between superconducting busbars ('splices'). Two other quality control techniques, based on X-rays and direct measurement of the electrical resistance, are also studied for comparison. A comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these three methods in relation to the quality control of soldered superconducting busbar cables enclosed in copper shells is used for benchmarking. The results of inspections with the U-shaped eddy current transducer carried out on several sample joints presenting different types of soldering defects show the potential of this type of nondestructive (ND) quality control technique.

  17. Critical current density measurement of thin films by AC susceptibility based on the penetration parameter h

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Xiao-Fen; Grivel, Jean-Claude; Abrahamsen, Asger B.

    2012-01-01

    We have numerically proved that the dependence of AC susceptibility χ of a E(J) power law superconducting thin disc on many parameters can be reduced to one penetration parameter h, with E the electric field and J the current density. Based on this result, we propose a way of measuring the critical...... current density Jc of superconducting thin films by AC susceptibility. Compared with the normally used method based on the peak of the imaginary part, our method uses a much larger range of the AC susceptibility curve, thus allowing determination of the temperature (T) dependence of Jc from a normally...

  18. Studies of the Superconducting Transition in the Mo/Au-Bilayer Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadleir, John; Smith, Stephen; Iyomoto, naoko; Bandler, Simon; Chervenak, Jay; Brown, Ari; Brekowsky, Regis; Kilbourne, Caroline; Robinson, Ian

    2007-01-01

    At NASA Goddard, microcalorimeter arrays using superconducting transition edge sensor thermometers (TESs) are under development for high energy resolution X-ray astrophysics applications. We report on our studies of the superconducting transition in our Mo/Au-bilayer TES films including: low current measurements of the superconducting bilayer's resistance transition versus temperature on pixels with different normal metal absorber attachment designs and measured temperature scaling of the critical current and critical magnetic field.

  19. Influence of pulse electric current on structure and superconducting properties of high temperature superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajchenko, A.I.; Flis, A.A.; Chernenko, L.I.; Kryuchkova, N.I.

    1998-01-01

    The influence of high-density pulse current treatment at room temperature on structure and superconducting properties of HTSC Y Ba 2 Cu 3 O x ceramics is studied. The structures of the samples are found to undergo appreciable changes as the density of pulse current is gradually increased from its minimum value; as a certain threshold value is attained, there occurs a melting-off of coarse grains with a partial destroying of intergrain contact areas followed by superconductivity loss. A further increase in the treatment current density results in a restoration of the superconducting properties probably due to the occurrence of aligned-with-current superconducting bridges between the melted-off grains. The superconducting transition temperature in the samples does not charge but subsequent thermal treatment causes this temperature to increase

  20. Fabrication of Ba-K-Bi-O thick film artefacts with improved critical currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, J.C.; Salter, C.J.; Jenkins, R.J.; Grovenor, C.R.M.; Jones, H.

    1993-01-01

    The Ba-K-Bi-O system has a maximum T c of around 30K for a composition of Ba 0.6 K 0.4 BiO 3 . Fabrication of good quality single phase samples is extremely difficult and requires careful control of the fabrication conditions. Successful synthesis procedures for Ba-K-Bi-O powder and melt cast material which allow some control of the potassium content of the product were established by Hinks et al. The process is based on a melt and sinter step in an inert atmosphere which creates oxygen vacancies and allows potassium to enter the lattice. The oxygen vacancies are then filled by a subsequent oxygen anneal to obtain superconductivity. Ba-K-Bi-O is, therefore, metastable and consequently difficult to synthesise. There have been few reports of transport measurements and even fewer reports of transport critical currents for bulk material. It is often accepted that Ba-K-Bi-O has an intrinsically low critical current, and extremely poor critical current densities of 0.05 Acm -2 have been quoted for melt cast material. It has been suggested that the presence of weak links is the cause. However, there has been little research into the relationship between process conditions and superconducting properties for melt processed Ba-K-Bi-O to confirm this. (orig.)

  1. High current and high power superconducting rectifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kate, H.H.J. ten; Bunk, P.B.; Klundert, L.J.M. van de; Britton, R.B.

    1981-01-01

    Results on three experimental superconducting rectifiers are reported. Two of them are 1 kA low frequency flux pumps, one thermally and magnetically switched. The third is a low-current high-frequency magnetically switched rectifier which can use the mains directly. (author)

  2. Cryogenic Current Comparator for Absolute Measurement of the Dark Current of the Superconducting Cavities for Tesla

    CERN Document Server

    Knaack, K; Wittenburg, K

    2003-01-01

    A newly high performance SQUID based measurement system for detecting dark currents, generated by superconducting cavities for TESLA is proposed. It makes use of the Cryogenic Current Comparator principle and senses dark currents in the nA range with a small signal bandwidth of 70 kHz. To reach the maximum possible energy in the TESLA project is a strong motivation to push the gradients of the superconducting cavities closer to the physical limit of 50 MV/m. The field emission of electrons (the so called dark current) of the superconducting cavities at strong fields may limit the maximum gradient. The absolute measurement of the dark current in correlation with the gradient will give a proper value to compare and classify the cavities. This contribution describes a Cryogenic Current Comparator (CCC) as an excellent and useful tool for this purpose. The most important component of the CCC is a high performance DC SQUID system which is able to measure extremely low magnetic fields, e.g. caused by the extracted ...

  3. Superconductivity in power engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-01-01

    This proceedings volume presents 24 conference papers and 15 posters dealing with the following aspects: 1) Principles and elementary aspects of high-temperature superconductivity (3 plenary lectures); 2) Preparation, properties and materials requirements of metallic or oxide superconductors (critical current behaviour, soldered joints, structural studies); 3) Magnet technology (large magnets for thermonuclear fusion devices; magnets for particle accelerators and medical devices); 4) Magnetic levitation and superconductivity; 5) Cryogenics; 6) Energy storage systems using superconducting coils (SMES); 7) Superconducting power transmission cables, switches, transformers, and generator systems for power plant; 8) Supporting activities, industrial aspects, patents. There are thirty-eight records in the ENERGY database relating to individual conference papers. (MM) [de

  4. Phonon-induced enhancements of the energy gap and critical current in superconducting aluminum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seligson, D.

    1983-05-01

    8 to 10 GHz phonons were generated by piezoelectric transduction of a microwave and by means of a quartz delay line, were allowed to enter the aluminum only after the microwaves had long since disappeared. The maximum enhancements detected were [deltaT/T/sub c/] = -0.07, for i/sub c/ and [deltaT/T/sub c/] = -0.03 for Δ. The power- and temperature-dependence (0.82 less than or equal to T/T/sub c/ less than or equal to 0.994) of the enhancements were compared with the prediction of a theory given by Eliashberg. The gap-enhancement was in good agreement with the theory only for low input lower. The critical current measurements are predicted to be in rough agreement with the Δ measurements but this was not observed. The magnitude of the critical current enhancements was typically more than twice the observed gap enhancements. The measured critical current enhancement was relatively independent of temperature whereas the gap enhancement decreased rapidly as the temperature was lowered

  5. Angular and magnetic field dependences of critical current in irradiated YBaCuO single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrusenko, Yu.

    2010-01-01

    The investigation of mechanisms responsible for the current-carrying capability of irradiated high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) was realized. For the purpose, experiments were made to investigate the effect of point defects generated by high-energy electron irradiation on the critical temperature and the critical current in high-Tc superconducting single crystals YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x . The transport current density measured in HTSC single crystals YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x by the dc-method was found to exceed 80000 A/cm 2 . The experiments have demonstrated a more than 30-fold increase in the critical current density in single crystals irradiated with 2.5 MeV electrons to a dose of 3·10 18 el/cm 2 . Detailed studies were made into the anisotropy of critical current and the dependence of critical current on the external magnetic field strength in irradiated single crystals. A high efficiency of point defects as centers of magnetic vortex pinning in HTSC single crystals was first demonstrated.

  6. Critical current enhancement by Lorentz force reduction in superconductor-ferromagnet nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blamire, M G; Dinner, R B; Wimbush, S C; MacManus-Driscoll, J L

    2009-01-01

    Ferromagnetic pinning centres in superconductors form much deeper potential wells than equivalent insulating or metallic non-superconducting inclusions. However, the resultant pinning forces arising from magnetic inclusions are low because the magnetic interaction takes place over the length scale of the magnetic penetration depth which is large in technological superconductors. Nonetheless, we show that a magnetic inclusion can also reduce the Lorentz force on a vortex, yielding a substantially enhanced critical current density for a given pinning force. We calculate this enhancement for a single vortex pinned by a paramagnetic cylinder as well as a vortex lattice interacting with magnetic inclusions, and find that the inclusion of ferromagnetic particles or rods offers a practical means of enhancing the critical currents in oxide high temperature superconductors.

  7. Imaging of current distributions in superconducting thin film structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doenitz, D.

    2006-01-01

    Local analysis plays an important role in many fields of scientific research. However, imaging methods are not very common in the investigation of superconductors. For more than 20 years, Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LTSEM) has been successfully used at the University of Tuebingen for studying of condensed matter phenomena, especially of superconductivity. In this thesis LTSEM was used for imaging current distributions in different superconducting thin film structures: - Imaging of current distributions in Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic interlayer, also known as SIFS junctions, showed inhomogeneous current transport over the junctions which directly led to an improvement in the fabrication process. An investigation of improved samples showed a very homogeneous current distribution without any trace of magnetic domains. Either such domains were not present or too small for imaging with the LTSEM. - An investigation of Nb/YBCO zigzag Josephson junctions yielded important information on signal formation in the LTSEM both for Josephson junctions in the short and in the long limit. Using a reference junction our signal formation model could be verified, thus confirming earlier results on short zigzag junctions. These results, which could be reproduced in this work, support the theory of d-wave symmetry in the superconducting order parameter of YBCO. Furthermore, investigations of the quasiparticle tunneling in the zigzag junctions showed the existence of Andreev bound states, which is another indication of the d-wave symmetry in YBCO. - The LTSEM study of Hot Electron Bolometers (HEB) allowed the first successful imaging of a stable 'Hot Spot', a self-heating region in HEB structures. Moreover, the electron beam was used to induce an - otherwise unstable - hot spot. Both investigations yielded information on the homogeneity of the samples. - An entirely new method of imaging the current distribution in superconducting interference devices

  8. Superconductivity: A critical analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sacchetti, Nicola

    1997-01-01

    It is some forty years now that superconductivity has entered into the field of applied Physics. Countless applications have been proposed some of which have been successfully tested in the form of prototypes and relatively few have become widely used products. This article offers an objective examination of what applied superconductivity represents in the area of modern technology highlighting its exclusive advantages and its inevitable limitations

  9. Anisotrophic currents and flux jumps in high-T-c superconducting films with self-organized arrays of planar defects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yurchenko, V.V.; Qviller, A.J.; Mozhaev, P.B.

    2010-01-01

    Regular arrays of planar defects with a period of a few nanometers can be introduced in superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) thin films by depositing them on vicinal (also called miscut or tilted) substrates. This results in the anisotropy of critical currents flowing in the plane of the film. ...

  10. Analysis of critical current-bend strain relationships in composite Nb3Sn superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luhman, T.; Welch, D.O.

    1979-01-01

    In order to be used successfully in fusion magnets, Nb 3 Sn conductors must meet several mechanical strain criteria, including tolerance to bending strains encountered during magnet construction. Since Nb 3 Sn is extremely brittle much information has been generated regarding the sensitivity of these conductros to tensile strain. A recent comparison of critical current-bend and tensile test data indicates that the strain required to initiate compound cracking during bending is significantly less than the strain required to do so by tensile of critical current on bending strains in monofilamentary Nb 3 Sn wires is calculated and compared with experimental data. The calculation takes into account a shift in the composite's neutral axis which occurs during bending. The analysis correctly predicts the observed depdndence of the critical current on bending strains

  11. Harmonic current layer method for the design of superconducting quadrupole magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zizek, F.

    1977-01-01

    The magnetic field of a superconducting quadrupole is investigated by the method of harmonic current layers of cylindrical shape. The superconducting winding is replaced by a system of thin current layers with a harmonically distributed density of the surface current along the circumference. The effect of the outer ferromagnetic circuit with an arbitrary constant permeability over the cross section is replaced analogically. The resultant magnetic field is then given by the superposition of the contributions from the individual current layers. The calculation method can be modified for the selection of the geometry of the winding for the latter to meet the demand for the high homogeneity of the gradient of magnetic induction in the working space of the superconducting quadrupole. (author)

  12. Numerical solution of critical state in superconductivity by finite element software

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hong, Z; Campbell, A M; Coombs, T A [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2006-12-15

    A numerical method is proposed to analyse the electromagnetic behaviour of systems including high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs) in time-varying external fields and superconducting cables carrying AC transport current. The E-J constitutive law together with an H-formulation is used to calculate the current distribution and electromagnetic fields in HTSCs, and the magnetization of HTSCs; then the forces in the interaction between the electromagnet and the superconductor and the AC loss of the superconducting cable can be obtained. This numerical method is based on solving the partial differential equations time dependently and is adapted to the commercial finite element software Comsol Multiphysics 3.2. The advantage of this method is to make the modelling of the superconductivity simple, flexible and extendable.

  13. Spatial characterization of the edge barrier in wide superconducting films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivakov, A. G.; Turutanov, O. G.; Kolinko, A. E.; Pokhila, A. S.

    2018-03-01

    The current-induced destruction of superconductivity is discussed in wide superconducting thin films, whose width is greater than the magnetic field penetration depth, in weak magnetic fields. Particular attention is paid to the role of the boundary potential barrier (the Bin-Livingston barrier) in critical state formation and detection of the edge responsible for this critical state with different mutual orientations of external perpendicular magnetic field and transport current. Critical and resistive states of the film were visualized using the space-resolving low-temperature laser scanning microscopy (LTLSM) method, which enables detection of critical current-determining areas on the film edges. Based on these observations, a simple technique was developed for investigation of the critical state separately at each film edge, and for the estimation of residual magnetic fields in cryostats. The proposed method only requires recording of the current-voltage characteristics of the film in a weak magnetic field, thus circumventing the need for complex LTLSM techniques. Information thus obtained is particularly important for interpretation of studies of superconducting film single-photon light emission detectors.

  14. Inhomogeneous superconductivity in a ferromagnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kontos, T.; Aprili, M.; Lesueur, J.; Genet, F.; Boursier, R.; Grison, X.

    2003-01-01

    We have studied a new superconducting state where the condensate wave function resulting from conventional pairing, is modified by an exchange field. Superconductivity is induced into a ferromagnetic thin film (F) by the proximity effect with a superconducting reservoir (S). We observed oscillations of the superconducting order parameter induced in F as a function of the distance from the S/F interface. They originate from the finite momentum transfer provided to Cooper pairs by the splitting of the spin up and down bands. We measured the superconducting density of states in F by tunneling spectroscopy and the Josephson critical current when F is coupled with a superconducting counter-electrode. Negative values of the superconducting order parameter are revealed by capsized tunneling spectra in F and a negative Josephson coupling (π-junction)

  15. Developments in the area of high-current-superconductivity in the Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maurer, W.; Arendt, F.; Bruenner, N.; Erb, J.; Fessler, N.; Hartwig, G.; Heinz, W.; Hofmann, A.; Juengst, K.P.; Katheder, H.

    1976-05-01

    In this report the development work is presented which has been done from 1971 to 1975 on High-Current-Superconducticity at the institute IEKP III. The report deals with the development, construction and operation of superconducting magnets, with material investigations and with the pursued applications of superconducting Magnettechnology in research and industry. (orig.) [de

  16. Superconducting magnetic coil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aized, Dawood; Schwall, Robert E.

    1996-06-11

    A superconducting magnetic coil includes a plurality of sections positioned axially along the longitudinal axis of the coil, each section being formed of an anisotropic high temperature superconductor material wound about a longitudinal axis of the coil and having an associated critical current value that is dependent on the orientation of the magnetic field of the coil. The cross section of the superconductor, or the type of superconductor material, at sections along the axial and radial axes of the coil are changed to provide an increased critical current at those regions where the magnetic field is oriented more perpendicularly to the conductor plane, to thereby increase the critical current at these regions and to maintain an overall higher critical current of the coil.

  17. Thin-film superconducting rings in the critical state: the mixed boundary value approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brambilla, Roberto; Grilli, Francesco

    2015-02-01

    In this paper, we describe the critical state of a thin superconducting ring (and of a perfectly conducting ring as a limiting case) as a mixed boundary value problem. The disc is characterized by a three-part boundary division of the positive real axis, so this work is an extension of the procedure used in a previous work of ours for describing superconducting discs and strips, which are characterized by a two-part boundary division of the real axis. Here, we present the mathematical tools to solve this kind of problems—the Erdélyi-Kober operators—in a frame that can be immediately used. Contrary to the two-part problems considered in our previous work, three-part problems do not generally have analytical solutions and the numerical work takes on a significant heaviness. Nevertheless, this work is remunerated by three clear advantages: firstly, all the cases are afforded in the same way, without the necessity of any brilliant invention or ability; secondly, in the case of superconducting rings, the penetration of the magnetic field in the internal/external rims is a result of the method itself and does not have to be imposed, as it is commonly done with other methods presented in the literature; thirdly, the method can be extended to investigate even more complex cases (four-part problems). In this paper, we consider the cases of rings in uniform field and with transport current, with or without flux trapping in the hole and the case without net current, corresponding to a cut ring (washer), as used in some SQUID applications.

  18. Possibility of high temperature superconducting phases in PdH

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripodi, Paolo; Di Gioacchino, Daniele; Borelli, Rodolfo; Vinko, Jenny Darja

    2003-05-01

    Possible new superconducting phases with a high critical transition temperature (Tc) have been found in stable palladium-hydrogen (PdHx) samples for stoichiometric ratio x=H/Pd⩾1, in addition to the well-known low critical transition temperature (0⩽Tc⩽9) when x is in the range (0.75⩽x⩽1.00). Possible new measured superconducting phases with critical temperature in the range 51⩽Tc⩽295 K occur. This Tc varies considerably with every milli part of x when x exceeds unit. A superconducting critical current density Jc⩾6.1×104 A cm-2 has been measured at 77 K with HDC=0 T.

  19. Superconductivity mediated by quantum critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations: The rise and fall of hot spots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaoyu; Schattner, Yoni; Berg, Erez; Fernandes, Rafael M.

    2017-05-01

    In several unconventional superconductors, the highest superconducting transition temperature Tc is found in a region of the phase diagram where the antiferromagnetic transition temperature extrapolates to zero, signaling a putative quantum critical point. The elucidation of the interplay between these two phenomena—high-Tc superconductivity and magnetic quantum criticality—remains an important piece of the complex puzzle of unconventional superconductivity. In this paper, we combine sign-problem-free quantum Monte Carlo simulations and field-theoretical analytical calculations to unveil the microscopic mechanism responsible for the superconducting instability of a general low-energy model, called the spin-fermion model. In this approach, low-energy electronic states interact with each other via the exchange of quantum critical magnetic fluctuations. We find that even in the regime of moderately strong interactions, both the superconducting transition temperature and the pairing susceptibility are governed not by the properties of the entire Fermi surface, but instead by the properties of small portions of the Fermi surface called hot spots. Moreover, Tc increases with increasing interaction strength, until it starts to saturate at the crossover from hot-spots-dominated to Fermi-surface-dominated pairing. Our work provides not only invaluable insights into the system parameters that most strongly affect Tc, but also important benchmarks to assess the origin of superconductivity in both microscopic models and actual materials.

  20. Superconducting current generators; Generateurs supraconducteurs de courant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Genevey, P [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Limeil-Brevannes (France). Centre d' Etudes

    1970-07-01

    After a brief summary of the principle of energy storage and liberation with superconducting coils,two current generators are described that create currents in the range 600 to 1400 A, used for two storage experiments of 25 kJ and 50 kJ respectively. The two current generators are: a) a flux pump and b) a superconducting transformer. Both could be developed into more powerful units. The study shows the advantage of the transformer over the flux pump in order to create large currents. The efficiencies of the two generators are 95 per cent and 40 to 60 per cent respectively. (author) [French] Apres un rappel succinct du principe de stockage d'energie dans un solenoide supraconducteur et de sa liberation, nous decrivons deux generateurs de courant qui nous ont permis d'obtenir les courants necessaires (600 a 1400 A) aux experiences de stockage d'energie envisagees (27 kJ et 50 kJ): 1) - une pompe a flux, 2) - un transformateur supraconducteur. Ces generateurs sont extrapolables. Cette etude montre que si nous voulons creer un courant intense, le transformateur grace a son rendement eleve (> 95 pour cent) est preferable actuellement aux pompes a flux dont le rendement est de 40 a 60 pour cent. (auteur)

  1. Manufacture of keystoned flat superconducting cables for use in SSC [Superconducting Super Collider] dipoles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Royet, J.; Scanlan, R.M.

    1986-09-01

    The superconducting magnets used in the construction of particle accelerators are mostly built from flat, multistrand cables with rectangular or keystoned cross sections. In this paper we will emphasize the differences between the techniques for cabling conventional wires for cabling superconducting wires. Concepts for the tooling will be introduced. The effects of cabling parameters on critical current degradation are being evaluated in collaboration with NBS-Boulder

  2. Superconducting and normal properties of metallic amorphous systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esquinazi, P.D.

    1983-02-01

    The superconducting and transport properties (superconducing critical temperature, superconducting critical currents, electric resistivity and thermal conductivity) of the amorphous alloys La 70 Cu 30 and Zr 70 Cu 30 prepared by melt spinning have been investigated. The modification of these properties when, the initial amorphous metals relax to other metastable state under thermal treatment at below crystallization temperatures, have also been studied. (M.E.L.) [es

  3. Automatic adjustment of bias current for direct current superconducting quantum interference device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makie-Fukuda, K.; Hotta, M.; Okajima, K.; Kado, H.

    1993-01-01

    A new method of adjusting the bias current of dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is described. It is shown that the signal-to-noise ratio of a SQUID magnetometer connected in a flux-locked loop configuration is proportional to the second harmonic of the output signal from the SQUID. A circuit configuration that can automatically optimize a SQUID's bias current by measuring this second harmonic and adjusting the bias current accordingly is proposed

  4. Recovery characteristics of flux-lock type superconducting fault current limiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, T.H.; Choi, H.S.; Lim, S.H.; Lee, N.Y.

    2007-01-01

    The flux-lock type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) has attractive characteristics that the current limiting level can be adjusted by a winding direction and the inductance ratio between two coils. We changed the winding direction and the number of coils to compare the resistive type SFCL with the flux-lock type SFCL. The initial limiting current (I ini ) and quench characteristic were dependent on the winding direction and the inductance ratio of two coils. As a winding number was increased from 21 to 42, I ini and quench characteristic were proportionally increased. In additive polarity winding, I ini was 10.2 A and the quench time (T q ) was 0.53 ms, which was faster than that of a subtractive polarity winding. The consumed energy and recovery characteristics in a superconducting element showed the same tendency. Recovery characteristics in the flux-lock type SFCL were dependent on the consumed energy of a superconducting element. The recovery time was related to a heat energy and it was represented as the consuming time of the heat energy. As the heat energy was shown in H 0.24I 2 Rt, the recovery time was shortened in the following order: a subtractive polarity winding, a resistive type and an additive polarity winding. It was known that the recovery time was proportional to a consumed energy of a superconducting element

  5. Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling in Superconducting Junctions of β-Ag2Se Topological Insulator Nanowire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jihwan; Kim, Bum-Kyu; Kim, Hong-Seok; Hwang, Ahreum; Kim, Bongsoo; Doh, Yong-Joo

    2017-11-08

    We report on the fabrication and electrical transport properties of superconducting junctions made of β-Ag 2 Se topological insulator (TI) nanowires in contact with Al superconducting electrodes. The temperature dependence of the critical current indicates that the superconducting junction belongs to a short and diffusive junction regime. As a characteristic feature of the narrow junction, the critical current decreases monotonously with increasing magnetic field. The stochastic distribution of the switching current exhibits the macroscopic quantum tunneling behavior, which is robust up to T = 0.8 K. Our observations indicate that the TI nanowire-based Josephson junctions can be a promising building block for the development of nanohybrid superconducting quantum bits.

  6. Superconducting quantum interference monitor of charged particle beam current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gertsev, K.F.; Mikheev, M.S.

    1981-01-01

    Description and test results of the monitor of charged particle beam current on the base of the high-frequency superconducting quantum interference detector with lead slotted shield are presented. The toroidal superconducting coil, which covers the measured beam has 16 turns wound by the lead belt of 7 mm width with 0.5 mm gaps between the turns. A superconducting low-coupling monitor having two holes and point oxidated niobium contact has been used in the mode of quanta counting of magnetic flux. The lead point shield was 2 mm thick and it had 30 mm aperture. The coefficient of background shielding within 0-200 Hz frequency range constituted more than 10 8 . The threshold current resolution of the monitor had the value less than 01 μA √Hz. The suggested monitor requires helium cooling. The proposed design of the monitor is applicable for mounting on the vacuum chamber when it is surrounded by helium conductor. In other cases mounting of low-powerful autonomic system or cryostat of helium storage up to several weeks is possible [ru

  7. Alternating current losses of a 10 metre long low loss superconducting cable conductor determined from phase sensitive measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krueger Olsen, S.; Kuehle, A.; Traeholt, C.; C Rasmussen, C.; Toennesen, O.; Daeumling, M.; Rasmussen, C.N.; Willen, D.W.A.

    1999-01-01

    The ac loss of a superconducting cable conductor carrying an ac current is small. Therefore the ratio between the inductive (out-of-phase) and the resistive (in-phase) voltages over the conductor is correspondingly high. In vectorial representations this results in phase angles between the current and the voltage over the cable close to 90 degrees. This has the effect that the loss cannot be derived directly using most commercial lock-in amplifiers due to their limited absolute accuracy. However, by using two lock-in amplifiers and an appropriate correction scheme the high relative accuracy of such lock-in amplifiers can be exploited. In this paper we present the results from ac-loss measurements on a low loss 10 metre long high temperature superconducting cable conductor using such a correction scheme. Measurements were carried out with and without a compensation circuit that could reduce the inductive voltage. The 1 μV cm -1 critical current of the conductor was 3240 A at 77 K. At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the ac loss was derived to be 0.6±0.15 W m -1 . This is, to the best of our knowledge, the lowest value of ac loss of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far at these high currents. (author)

  8. Current high-temperature superconducting coils and applications in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsushita, T.

    2000-01-01

    In Japan, four projects for the application of Bi-based superconducting magnets to practical apparatus are currently underway. These projects involve the development of an insert magnet for a 1 GHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a magnet for a silicon single-crystal pulling apparatus, a magnet for a magnetic separation system, and a 1 T pulse magnet for a superconducting magnet energy storage system. For example, the magnet for the silicon single-crystal pulling apparatus is of the class with stored energy of 1 MJ to be operated at around 20 K. This review focuses on the present status of the development of these magnets, followed by a discussion of the problems of the present superconducting tapes that need to be overcome for future applications. (author)

  9. Gambling with Superconducting Fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foltyn, Marek; Zgirski, Maciej

    2015-08-01

    Josephson junctions and superconducting nanowires, when biased close to superconducting critical current, can switch to a nonzero voltage state by thermal or quantum fluctuations. The process is understood as an escape of a Brownian particle from a metastable state. Since this effect is fully stochastic, we propose to use it for generating random numbers. We present protocol for obtaining random numbers and test the experimentally harvested data for their fidelity. Our work is prerequisite for using the Josephson junction as a tool for stochastic (probabilistic) determination of physical parameters such as magnetic flux, temperature, and current.

  10. Critical current simulation in granular superconductors above the percolation threshold

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedinger, Roland

    1992-02-01

    In the phase-coherent regime without applied external magnetic field, the critical superconducting current is limited by intragranular junctions which behave like Josephson junctions. We study the percolation aspects specific to lattices of such junctions and/or the mixing of superconductor with normal grains by averaging over configurations. We illustrate on 2 and 3 dimensional examples. The power laws valid near the percolation threshold are valid well above it, in two and three dimensions. We discuss the other models limiting the superconducting current, the vortex creep and superconducting order parameter fluctuations. Dans la limite de champ magnétique nul et de cohérence de phase du paramètre d'ordre supraconducteur, le courant supraconducteur maximal dans un réseau est limité par les jonctions intergranulaires qui se comportent comme des jonctions Josephson. Nous analysons les problèmes de percolation spécifiques aux réseaux de jonctions et du mélange de grains normaux et supraconducteurs. Nous donnons des exemples bidimensionnels et tridimensionnels ; après moyenne sur les configurations et analyse en taille finie, nous montrons que les lois de puissance valables au voisinage du seuil de percolation s'étendent sur un grand domaine au-delà du seuil de percolation, à deux et trois dimensions. Nous discutons les autres modèles limitant le courant supraconducteur, ancrage de vortex et fluctuations du paramètre d'ordre.

  11. Upper critical field of complex superconducting networks in the continuum limit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santhanam, P.; Chi, C.C.

    1988-01-01

    We propose a simple method for calculating the superconducting upper critical field of complex periodic two-dimensional networks in the continuum limit. Two specific lattices with space groups P4gm and C2mm are used to demonstrate this approach. We obtain the result that the ratio of the critical field of these networks to that of a uniform film is close to but larger than 2

  12. Realisation and instrumentation of high current power station for superconducting cables testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regnaud, S.

    2000-05-01

    This report deals with the designing of a high current station able to test electric properties of superconductors. This test station will be used for testing the superconducting wires of large hadron collider detectors in CERN. The high current test station will have to generate high intensity continuous current in a magnetic field of 0 to 5 tesla and in temperature conditions of 4.2 K. The length of wire samples submitted to the uniform magnetic field is 300 mm and the installation is fitted with equipment able to measure the magnetic field perpendicular to either faces of the wire. The peculiarity of this station is to use a superconducting transformer in order to generate the high current. The first part of this work recalls important notions concerning superconductivity. The second part presents the high current station by describing the superconducting transformer and the sample-holder. We have studied the designing of a transformer able to yield a secondary current whose intensity reaches 100 kA, such intensity generates powerful electromagnetic forces (566 kN/m) in case of defect, so the sample-holder has to be carefully design to bear them. The third part presents the cryogenic component of the station, the instrumentation of the sample-holder and the method used to measure secondary currents. In the last part we present the performance of a prototype transformer, this prototype is able to deliver a 22 kA secondary current for a 160 A primary current, the uncertainty on the measured value of the secondary current is about 3%

  13. Sample-length dependence of the critical current of slightly and significantly bent-damaged Bi2223 superconducting composite tape

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochiai, S; Fujimoto, M; Okuda, H; Oh, S S; Ha, D W

    2007-01-01

    The local critical current along a sample length is different from position to position in a long sample, especially when the sample is damaged by externally applied strain. In the present work, we attempted to reveal the relation of the distribution of the local critical current to overall critical current and the sample-length dependence of critical current for slightly and significantly damaged Bi2223 composite tape samples. In the experiment, 48 cm long Bi2223 composite tape samples, composed of 48 local elements with a length of 1 cm and 8 parts with a length 6 cm, were bent by 0.37 and 1.0% to cause slight and significant damage, respectively. The V-I curve, critical current (1 μV cm -1 criterion) and n value were measured for the overall sample as well as for the local elements and parts. It was found that the critical current distributions of the 1 cm elements at 0.37 and 1.0% bending strains are described by the three-parameter- and bimodal Weibull distribution functions, respectively. The critical current of a long sample at both bending strains could be described well by substituting the distributed critical current and n value of the short elements into the series circuit model for voltage generation. Also the measured relation of average critical current to sample length could be reproduced well in the computer by a Monte Carlo simulation method. It was shown that the critical current and n value decrease with increasing sample length at both bending strains. The extent of the decrease in critical current with sample length is dependent on the criterion of the critical current; the critical current decreases only slightly under the 1 μV cm -1 criterion which is not damage-sensitive, while it decreases greatly with increasing sample length under damage-sensitive criteria such as the 1 μV one

  14. Reversible oxidation and critical current of YBa2Cu3Ox coated conductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claus, H.; Uprety, K.K.; Ma, B.; Paulikas, A.P.; Vlasko-Vlasov, V.K.; Welp, U.; Veal, B.W.; Gray, K.E.

    2004-01-01

    We were able to vary the oxygen concentration of a YBCO coated-conductor sample from the under-doped to the over-doped regime. This was achieved by secondary oxygenation treatments at temperatures between 250 deg. C and 500 deg. C employing a novel oxygenation scheme. The YBCO-coated conductor was fabricated by the inclined substrate deposition method. Superconducting transition temperature and critical current as function of temperature and magnetic field were determined by a contact-free magnetization technique on a ring sample. It is observed that for temperatures at and below 77 K, the maximum critical current is obtained in the most over-doped state where the transition temperature is significantly depressed

  15. Use of high-temperature superconducting films in superconducting bearings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cansiz, A.

    1999-01-01

    We have investigated the effect of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) films deposited on substrates that are placed above bulk HTSs in an attempt to reduce rotational drag in superconducting bearings composed of a permanent magnet levitated above the film/bulk HTS combination. According to the critical state model, hysteresis energy loss is inversely proportional to critical current density, J c , and because HTS films typically have much higher J c than that of bulk HTS, the film/bulk combination was expected to reduce rotational losses by at least one order of magnitude in the coefficient of fiction, which in turn is a measure of the hysteresis losses. We measured rotational losses of a superconducting bearing in a vacuum chamber and compared the losses with and without a film present. The experimental results showed that contrary to expectation, the rotational losses are increased by the film. These results are discussed in terms of flux drag through the film, as well as of the critical state model

  16. Anomalous enhancement of the lower critical field deep in the superconducting state of LaRu4As12

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juraszek, J.; Bochenek, Ł.; Wawryk, R.; Henkie, Z.; Konczykowski, M.; Cichorek, T.

    2018-05-01

    LaRu4As12 with the critical temperature Tc = 10.4 K displays several features which point at a non-singlet superconducting order parameter, although the bcc crystal structure of the filled skutterudites does not favour the emergence of multiple energy gaps. LaRu4As12 displays an unexpected enhancement of the lower critical field deep in superconducting state which can be attributed to the existence of two superconducting gaps. At T = 0.4 K, the local magnetization measurements were performed utilizing miniaturized Hall sensors.

  17. Josephson current and Andreev level dynamics in nanoscale superconducting weak links

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brunetti, Aldo

    2014-11-15

    In this thesis we focus on the interplay between proximity induced superconducting correlations and Coulomb interactions in a Josephson junction: i.e., in a system where two superconductors modeled as two s-wave superconductors at a phase difference φ are contacted by means of a weak link, in our case a quantum dot located in the contact. In the first part we study the Josephson current-phase relation for a multi-level quantum dot tunnel-contacted by two conventional s-waves superconductors. We determine in detail the conditions for observing a finite anomalous Josephson current, i.e. a supercurrent flowing at zero phase difference in a two-level dot with spin-orbit interactions, a weak magnetic (Zeeman) field, and in the presence of Coulomb interactions. This leads to an onset behavior I{sub a}∝sgn(B), interpreted as the sign of an incipient spontaneous breakdown of time-reversal symmetry. Moreover, we will provide conditions for realizing spatially separated - but topologically unprotected - Majorana bound states, whose signature in the system will be detectable via the current-phase relation. In the second part of the thesis, we address the Andreev bound state population dynamics in superconducting weak links (a superconducting 'atomic contact'), in which a poisoning mechanism due to the trapping of single quasiparticles can occur. Our motivation is that quantum coherent superconducting circuits are the most promising candidates for future large-scale quantum information processing devices. Moreover, quasiparticle poisoning has recently been observed in devices which contain a short superconducting weak link with few transport channels. We discuss a novel charge imbalance effect in the continuum quasiparticle population, which is due to phase fluctuations of the environment weakly coupled to the superconducting contact. This coupling enters the system as a transition rate connecting continuum quasiparticles and the Andreev bound state system. The

  18. Influence of disorder on the superconducting critical temperature in indium-opal nanocomposites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zakharchuk, I.; Januzaj, A.; Mikhailin, N. Yu.; Traito, K. B.; Chernyaev, A. V.; Romanov, S. G.; Safonchik, M.; Shamshur, D. V.; Lähderanta, E.

    2018-06-01

    Transport properties of bulk indium-opal and indium-porous glass superconducting nanocomposites possessing moderate and strong disorder are investigated. A strongly nonmonotonous dependence of the global critical temperature Tc versus normal state conductivity of samples is found. The maximum, which is observed at moderate disorder, has Tc higher than that of clean bulk indium. The increasing part can be explained by the Eliashberg equations with disorder and an additional mechanism of interaction between superconducting and dielectric granules. The descending part of the maximum at higher disorder can be explained by the increasing of long-range Coulomb repulsion due to diffusion of charges. Negative slope in magnetic field dependence of resistivity and a peak in the temperature dependence of resistivity, observed in the sample near the proximity to the disorder-induced superconductor-insulator transition (SIT). A large difference between the onset temperature of superconducting fluctuations, Tcon , and global critical temperature Tc is found and considered in the framework of the weak multifractal theory. Slow time-logarithmic relaxation of the resistivity between Tc and Tcon is observed, which assumes existence of the precursor state near the SIT. This unusual state is discussed in the scope of the many-body localization theory.

  19. Pulsed critical current measurements of NbTi in perpendicular and parallel pulsed magnetic fields using the new Cryo-BI-Pulse System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stehr, V; Tan, K S; Hopkins, S C; Glowacki, B A; Keyser, A De; Bockstal, L Van; Deschagt, J

    2006-01-01

    Rapid transport current versus high magnetic field characterisation of high-irreversibility type II superconductors is important to maximise their critical parameters. HTS conductors are already used to produce insert coils that increase the fields of conventional magnets made from NbTi (Nb, Ta) 3 Sn and Nb 3 Al wires. There is fundamental interest in the study of HTS tapes and wires in magnetic fields higher than 21T, the current limit of superconducting magnets producing a DC field. Such fields can be obtained by using pulse techniques. High critical currents cannot be routinely measured with a continuous current applied at liquid helium, hydrogen or neon temperatures because of thermal and mechanical effects. A newly developed pulsed magnetic field and pulsed current system which allows rapid J c (B, T) measurements of the whole range of superconducting materials was tested with a multifilamentary NbTi wire in perpendicular and parallel orientations

  20. Microstructure and critical current of superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/Osub(7-x)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Camps, R A; Evetts, J E; Glowacki, B A; Newcomb, S B; Somekh, R E; Stobbs, W M

    1987-09-17

    The authors present the main results of a detailed electron microscopical study of sintered YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/0sub(7-x), and discuss their relevance to observed critical current and its modification by increased silicon impurity levels. In the light of these results, the prospects are assessed for controlling microstructure development so as to optimize the critical current for technological application.

  1. Development of innovative superconducting DC power cable

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsushita, Teruo; Kiuchi, Masaru [Dept. of Computer Science and Electronics Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka (Japan)

    2017-09-15

    It is required to reduce the cost of superconducting cable to realize a superconducting DC power network that covers a wide area in order to utilize renewable energy. In this paper a new concept of innovative cable is introduced that can enhance the current-carrying capacity even though the same superconducting tape is used. Such a cable can be realized by designing an optimal winding structure in such a way that the angle between the tape and magnetic field becomes small. This idea was confirmed by preliminary experiments for a single layer model cable made of Bi-2223 tapes and REBCO coated conductors. Experiments of three and four layer cables of practical sizes were also done and it was found that the current-carrying capacity increased as theoretically predicted. If the critical current properties of commercial superconducting tapes are further improved in a parallel magnetic field, the enhancement will become pronounced and this technology will surely contribute to realization of superconducting DC power network.

  2. Enhancement of superconducting critical current by injection of quasiparticles in superconductor semiconductor devices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kutchinsky, Jonatan; Taboryski, Rafael Jozef; Sørensen, C. B.

    2000-01-01

    We report new measurements on 3-terminal superconductor semiconductor injection devices, demonstrating enhancement of the supercurrent by injection from a superconducting injector electrode. Two other electrodes were used as detectors. Applying a small voltage to the injector, reduced the maximum...

  3. Stress effect on the critical current of Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta multifilamentary superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monju, Yoshiyuki; Tatara, Isamu

    1978-01-01

    The tensile behaviour at R.T., 77K, 4.2K and the degradation of the critical current with stress have been measured on multifilamentary Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloy superconductors. The assembly of the stress effect apparatus is as follows; At the center of the 60KOe superconducting solenoid coil, sample wire is hold around an FRP spool and the wire ends are gripped to the load train. Current is supplied through helium vapourcooled flexible leads up to 2000 A. It was clear that a definite degradation of the critical current with stress was not observed up to the stress equal to one third of the fracture stress at 4.2K. This stress value should be defined the maximum allowable stress of alloy superconductors examined from stress effects. (author)

  4. Grain size dependence of the critical current density in YBa2Cu3Ox superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwabara, M.; Shimooka, H.

    1989-01-01

    The grain size dependence of the critical current density in bulk single-phase YBa 2 Cu 3 O x ceramics was investigated. The grain size of the materials was changed to range approximately from 1.0 to 25 μm by changing the conditions of power processing and sintering, associated with an increase in the sintered density of the materials with increasing grain size. The critical current density has been found to exhibit a significant grain size dependence, changing from 880 A/cm 2 to a value of 100 A/cm 2 with a small increase in the average grain size from 1.2 to 2.0 μm. This seems to provide information about the nature of the weak link between superconducting grains which might govern the critical current density of the materials

  5. Possibility of high temperature superconducting phases in PdH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tripodi, Paolo; Di Gioacchino, Daniele; Borelli, Rodolfo; Vinko, Jenny Darja

    2003-05-15

    Possible new superconducting phases with a high critical transition temperature (T{sub c}) have been found in stable palladium-hydrogen (PdH{sub x}) samples for stoichiometric ratio x=H/Pd{>=}1, in addition to the well-known low critical transition temperature (0{<=}T{sub c}{<=}9) when x is in the range (0.75{<=}x{<=}1.00). Possible new measured superconducting phases with critical temperature in the range 51{<=}T{sub c}{<=}295 K occur. This T{sub c} varies considerably with every milli part of x when x exceeds unit. A superconducting critical current density J{sub c}{>=}6.1x10{sup 4} A cm{sup -2} has been measured at 77 K with H{sub DC}=0 T.

  6. SQUID Based Cryogenic Current Comparator for Measurements of the Dark Current of Superconducting Cavities

    CERN Document Server

    Vodel, W; Neubert, R; Nietzsche, S

    2005-01-01

    This contribution presents a LTS-SQUID based Cryogenic Current Comparator (CCC) for detecting dark currents, generated e.g. by superconducting cavities for the upcoming X-FEL project at DESY. To achieve the maximum possible energy the gradients of the superconducting RF cavities should be pushed close to the physical limit of 50 MV/m. The measurement of the undesired field emission of electrons (the so-called dark current) in correlation with the gradient will give a proper value to compare and classify the cavities. The main component of the CCC is a high performance LTS-DC SQUID system which is able to measure extremely low magnetic fields, e.g. caused by the extracted dark current. For this reason the input coil of the SQUID is connected across a special designed toroidal niobium pick-up coil (inner diameter: about 100 mm) for the passing electron beam. A noise limited current resolution of nearly 2 pA/√(Hz) with a measurement bandwidth of up to 70 kHz was achieved without the pick-up coil. Now, ...

  7. High-temperature superconducting fault-current limiter - optimisation of superconducting elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    This report summarises the findings of a study initiated to continue the work of a DTI-LINK Collaborative Research Programme 'Enhancing the Properties of Bulk High Temperature Superconductors and their Potential Application as Fault Current Limiters (FCL). Details are given of computer modelling of the quenching process involving the transition from superconducting to normal conducting states undergone by the material when large currents are present. The design of compound elements, and a multi-element model are described along with FCL design covering distribution bus-coupler, embedded generator connection, larger generator connection, hazardous area safety, and interconnection to fault-prone network. The evaluation of thermal loss, test equipment and schedule, the optimised element, installed cost data, and the UK market are considered

  8. Switching Magnetism and Superconductivity with Spin-Polarized Current in Iron-Based Superconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Seokhwan; Choi, Hyoung Joon; Ok, Jong Mok; Lee, Yeonghoon; Jang, Won-Jun; Lee, Alex Taekyung; Kuk, Young; Lee, SungBin; Heinrich, Andreas J; Cheong, Sang-Wook; Bang, Yunkyu; Johnston, Steven; Kim, Jun Sung; Lee, Jhinhwan

    2017-12-01

    We explore a new mechanism for switching magnetism and superconductivity in a magnetically frustrated iron-based superconductor using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SPSTM). Our SPSTM study on single-crystal Sr_{2}VO_{3}FeAs shows that a spin-polarized tunneling current can switch the Fe-layer magnetism into a nontrivial C_{4} (2×2) order, which cannot be achieved by thermal excitation with an unpolarized current. Our tunneling spectroscopy study shows that the induced C_{4} (2×2) order has characteristics of plaquette antiferromagnetic order in the Fe layer and strongly suppresses superconductivity. Also, thermal agitation beyond the bulk Fe spin ordering temperature erases the C_{4} state. These results suggest a new possibility of switching local superconductivity by changing the symmetry of magnetic order with spin-polarized and unpolarized tunneling currents in iron-based superconductors.

  9. Role of disorder in the multi-critical region of d-wave superconductivity and antiferromagnetism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanase, Youichi; Ogata, Masao

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the disorder-induced microscopic inhomogeneity in the multi-critical region of d-wave superconductivity and antiferromagnetism on the basis of the microscopic t-t ' -U-V model. We find that a small amount of point disorder induces the nano-scale inhomogeneity of spin and superconducting fluctuations when the coherence length of superconductivity is remarkably short as in the under-doped cuprates. Then, the two fluctuations spatially segregate to avoid their competition. We show the remarkable electron-hole asymmetry in high-T c cuprates where the quite different spatial structure is expected in the electron-doped materials

  10. ac loss and dc critical current densities of Nb3Sn tapes by the solid state diffusion process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suenaga, M.; Klamut, C.; Bussiere, J.F.

    1976-01-01

    The effects of metallurgical processing on 60 Hz ac losses and dc critical currents in Nb 3 Sn tapes fabricated by the solid state diffusion technique were investigated. An addition of Al to the Cu--Sn alloy for the matrix resulted in large reduction in the ac losses of Nb 3 Sn tapes, but the highest linear critical current densities were observed in Nb 3 Sn tapes produced with a Nb-1 wt percent Zr core in a Cu-13 wt percent Sn matrix. Values of the losses and the critical currents in these tapes can meet the present requirements for the ac superconducting power cables

  11. Elimination of the induced current error in magnetometers using superconducting flux transformers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dummer, D.; Weyhmann, W.

    1987-01-01

    The changing magnetization of a sample in a superconducting flux transformer coupled magnetometer induces a current in the transformer which in turn changes the field at the sample. This ''image'' field and the error caused by it can be eliminated by sensing the current in the loop and nulling it by feedback through a mutual inductance. We have tested the technique on the superconducting transition of indium in an applied magnetic field and shown that the observed width of the transition is greatly reduced by maintaining zero current in the flux transformer

  12. Influence of the current-phase relation on the critical-current-applied-magnetic-flux dependence in parallel-connected Josephson junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsang, W.; Van Duzer, T.

    1976-01-01

    The form of the current-phase relations for the Josephson junctions is shown to have a significant influence on the relation I/sub c/(theta/sub a/) between critical current and applied flux for two junctions connected in parallel in a superconducting circuit. The observed one-flux-quantum periodicity and inversion symmetry of the I/sub c/(theta/sub a/) relation are shown to result from the fact that the current-phase, i-phi, relations of the junctions satisfy i (phi+2mπ) =i (phi) and i (-phi) =-i (phi), respectively. It is also shown that if the current-phase relations for the two junctions are different, an asymmetry appears in the I/sub c/(theta/sub a/)

  13. Differences between two definitions of the critical current of HTS coils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pitel, Jozef

    2013-01-01

    Definition of the critical current of a coil made of anisotropic high temperature superconducting conductor is rather complicated and ambiguous, since the magnetic field generated across the winding can differ considerably in relation to both its magnitude and orientation. Two definitions of the critical current of such coils are discussed. The first definition, very often used in calculations to analyze the current carrying capacity, electric field and power dissipation of individual turns, represents an operating current at which an electric field of 1 μV cm −1 appears on one turn. The second definition represents an integral approach, and is used in experiments. This definition introduces the critical current of the coil as an operating current at which an average electric field E s , usually 0.1 μV cm −1 , appears on coil terminals. As an example, the distribution of the critical current and electric field of individual turns in the winding of a BSCCO model coil was analyzed. Critical currents of the coil as a function of an external magnetic field parallel with the coil axis were calculated according to both definitions. The results show that the first definition, which characterizes the winding at the local level, is suitable for HTS coils either operating in self-field or in a low external field, because the differences between the critical currents and n-indices of individual turns are considerable. The second criterion is suitable for the HTS coils operating in high fields, i.e. like high field insert coils. The self-field of a high field insert coil is negligible if the external field is high. As a result, the critical currents of all turns are almost identical, and the anisotropy in I c (B) characteristic plays practically no role. Rather unexpected behavior of the voltage–current characteristic of the model coil is predicted if an external field is applied. (paper)

  14. Magnetic-Field-Tunable Superconducting Rectifier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadleir, John E.

    2009-01-01

    Superconducting electronic components have been developed that provide current rectification that is tunable by design and with an externally applied magnetic field to the circuit component. The superconducting material used in the device is relatively free of pinning sites with its critical current determined by a geometric energy barrier to vortex entry. The ability of the vortices to move freely inside the device means this innovation does not suffer from magnetic hysteresis effects changing the state of the superconductor. The invention requires a superconductor geometry with opposite edges along the direction of current flow. In order for the critical current asymmetry effect to occur, the device must have different vortex nucleation conditions at opposite edges. Alternative embodiments producing the necessary conditions include edges being held at different temperatures, at different local magnetic fields, with different current-injection geometries, and structural differences between opposite edges causing changes in the size of the geometric energy barrier. An edge fabricated with indentations of the order of the coherence length will significantly lower the geometric energy barrier to vortex entry, meaning vortex passage across the device at lower currents causing resistive dissipation. The existing prototype is a two-terminal device consisting of a thin-film su - perconducting strip operating at a temperature below its superconducting transition temperature (Tc). Opposite ends of the strip are connected to electrical leads made of a higher Tc superconductor. The thin-film lithographic process provides an easy means to alter edge-structures, current-injection geo - metries, and magnetic-field conditions at the edges. The edge-field conditions can be altered by using local field(s) generated from dedicated higher Tc leads or even using the device s own higher Tc superconducting leads.

  15. Effect of a superconducting coil as a fault current limiter on current density distribution in BSCCO tape after an over-current pulse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tallouli, M; Yamaguchi, S.; Shyshkin, O.

    2017-01-01

    The development of power transmission lines based on long-length high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes is complicated and technically challenging task. A serious problem for transmission line operation could become HTS power cable damage due to over-current pulse conditions. To avoid the cable damage in any urgent case the superconducting coil technology, i.e. superconductor fault current limiter (SFCL) is required. Comprehensive understanding of the current density characteristics of HTS tapes in both cases, either after pure over-current pulse or after over-current pulse limited by SFCL, is needed to restart or to continue the operation of the power transmission line. Moreover, current density distribution along and across the HTS tape provides us with the sufficient information about the quality of the tape performance in different current feeding regimes. In present paper we examine BSCCO HTS tape under two current feeding regimes. The first one is 100A feeding preceded by 900A over-current pulse. In this case none of tape protection was used. The second scenario is similar to the fist one but SFCL is used to limit an over-current value. For both scenarios after the pulse is gone and the current feeding is set up at 100A we scan magnetic field above the tape by means of Hall probe sensor. Then the feeding is turned of and the magnetic field scanning is repeated. Using the inverse problem numerical solver we calculate the corresponding direct and permanent current density distributions during the feeding and after switch off. It is demonstrated that in the absence of SFCL the current distribution is highly peaked at the tape center. At the same time the current distribution in the experiment with SFCL is similar to that observed under normal current feeding condition. The current peaking in the first case is explained by the effect of an opposite electric field induced at the tape edges during the overcurrent pulse decay, and by degradation of

  16. A numerical study on the feasibility evaluation of a hybrid type superconducting fault current limiter applying thyristors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nam, Seok Ho; Lee, Woo Seung; Lee, Ji Ho; Hwang, Young Jin; Ko, Tae Kuk [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-12-15

    Smart fault current controller (SFCC) proposed in our previous work consists of a power converter, a high temperature superconducting (HTS) DC reactor, thyristors, and a control unit [1]. SFCC can limit and control the current by adjusting firing angles of thyristors when a fault occurs. SFCC has complex structure because the HTS DC reactor generates the loss under AC. To use the DC reactor under AC, rectifier that consists of four thyristors is needed and it increases internal resistance of SFCC. For this reason, authors propose a hybrid type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). The hybrid type SFCL proposed in this paper consists of a non-inductive superconducting coil and two thyristors. To verify the feasibility of the proposed hybrid type SFCL, simulations about the interaction of the superconducting coil and thyristors are conducted when fault current flows in the superconducting coil. Authors expect that the hybrid type SFCL can control the magnitude of the fault current by adjusting the firing angles of thyristors after the superconducting coil limits the fault current at first peak.

  17. A numerical study on the feasibility evaluation of a hybrid type superconducting fault current limiter applying thyristors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, Seok Ho; Lee, Woo Seung; Lee, Ji Ho; Hwang, Young Jin; Ko, Tae Kuk

    2013-01-01

    Smart fault current controller (SFCC) proposed in our previous work consists of a power converter, a high temperature superconducting (HTS) DC reactor, thyristors, and a control unit [1]. SFCC can limit and control the current by adjusting firing angles of thyristors when a fault occurs. SFCC has complex structure because the HTS DC reactor generates the loss under AC. To use the DC reactor under AC, rectifier that consists of four thyristors is needed and it increases internal resistance of SFCC. For this reason, authors propose a hybrid type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). The hybrid type SFCL proposed in this paper consists of a non-inductive superconducting coil and two thyristors. To verify the feasibility of the proposed hybrid type SFCL, simulations about the interaction of the superconducting coil and thyristors are conducted when fault current flows in the superconducting coil. Authors expect that the hybrid type SFCL can control the magnitude of the fault current by adjusting the firing angles of thyristors after the superconducting coil limits the fault current at first peak.

  18. Design and control of a superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Y; Pei, R; Hong, Z; Song, J; Fang, F; Coombs, T A

    2007-01-01

    This paper gives a detailed description of the design of a superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor. The parameters of the motor have been identified, and the torque equation has been stated. A direct torque control algorithm is introduced and applied to a traditional permanent magnet synchronous motor and the superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor described in this paper. The motor performance shows that the direct torque control algorithm provides excellent control to the superconducting motor, and guarantees that the magnitude of the operational armature currents is smaller than the value of the critical current of the superconducting tape used for stator winding

  19. Design and control of a superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Y [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Pei, R [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Hong, Z [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom); Song, J [Huazhong University of Science of Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Fang, F [Huazhong University of Science of Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Coombs, T A [Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2007-07-15

    This paper gives a detailed description of the design of a superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor. The parameters of the motor have been identified, and the torque equation has been stated. A direct torque control algorithm is introduced and applied to a traditional permanent magnet synchronous motor and the superconducting permanent magnet synchronous motor described in this paper. The motor performance shows that the direct torque control algorithm provides excellent control to the superconducting motor, and guarantees that the magnitude of the operational armature currents is smaller than the value of the critical current of the superconducting tape used for stator winding.

  20. Superconducting wires and methods of making thereof

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Xingchen; Sumption, Michael D.; Peng, Xuan

    2018-03-13

    Disclosed herein are superconducting wires. The superconducting wires can comprise a metallic matrix and at least one continuous subelement embedded in the matrix. Each subelement can comprise a non-superconducting core, a superconducting layer coaxially disposed around the non-superconducting core, and a barrier layer coaxially disposed around the superconducting layer. The superconducting layer can comprise a plurality of Nb.sub.3Sn grains stabilized by metal oxide particulates disposed therein. The Nb.sub.3Sn grains can have an average grain size of from 5 nm to 90 nm (for example, from 15 nm to 30 nm). The superconducting wire can have a high-field critical current density (J.sub.c) of at least 5,000 A/mm.sup.2 at a temperature of 4.2 K in a magnetic field of 12 T. Also described are superconducting wire precursors that can be heat treated to prepare superconducting wires, as well as methods of making superconducting wires.

  1. Calculation of eddy-currents induced in a compact synchrotron superconducting magnet structure during a current ramp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalsi, S.; Heese, R.

    1991-01-01

    Under DARPA sponsorship, a compact Superconducting X-Ray Light Source (SXLS) is being designed and built by the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with industry participation from Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics. The SXLS machine employs two 180 degree curved 4 tesla superconducting dipole magnets. These magnets are required to produce a dipole field for bending the beam but at the same time they must produce finite amounts of higher multipoles which are required for conditioning the beam. In fact, uniformity of the field to less than 1 part in 10,000 must be maintained under all operating conditions. When a superconducting magnet is ramped from zero to full field, the changing magnetic field produces eddy-currents in the magnet structure which in turn can produce undesirable multipoles. This paper discusses a simple method for estimating these eddy-currents and their effect on the field harmonics. The paper presents the analysis basis and its application to the SXLS magnet support structure and to the beam chamber components

  2. Superconductivity in Layered Organic Metals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jochen Wosnitza

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available In this short review, I will give an overview on the current understanding of the superconductivity in quasi-two-dimensional organic metals. Thereby, I will focus on charge-transfer salts based on bis(ethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF or ET for short. In these materials, strong electronic correlations are clearly evident, resulting in unique phase diagrams. The layered crystallographic structure leads to highly anisotropic electronic as well as superconducting properties. The corresponding very high orbital critical field for in-plane magnetic-field alignment allows for the occurrence of the Fulde–Ferrell– Larkin–Ovchinnikov state as evidenced by thermodynamic measurements. The experimental picture on the nature of the superconducting state is still controversial with evidence both for unconventional as well as for BCS-like superconductivity.

  3. Highly Sensitive Measurements of the Dark Current of Superconducting Cavities for TESLA Using a SQUID Based Cryogenic Current Comparator

    CERN Document Server

    Vodel, W; Nietzsche, S

    2004-01-01

    This contribution presents a Cryogenic Current Comparator (CCC) as an excellent tool for detecting dark currents generated, e.g. by superconducting cavities for the upcoming TESLA project (X-FEL) at DESY. To achieve the maximum possible energy the gradient of the superconducting RF cavities should be pushed close to the physical limit of 50 MV/m. The undesired field emission of electrons (so-called dark current) of the superconducting RF cavities at strong fields may limit the maximum gradient. The absolute measurement of the dark current in correlation with the gradient will give a proper value to compare and classify the cavities. The main component of the CCC is a highly sensitive LTS-DC SQUID system which is able to measure extremely low magnetic fields, e.g. caused by the dark current. For this reason the input coil of the SQUID is connected across a special designed toroidal niobium pick-up coil for the passing electron beam. A noise limited current resolution of nearly 2 pA/√(Hz) with a measu...

  4. Inelastic neutron scattering from superconducting rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agafonov, A.I.

    2010-01-01

    For the first time the differential cross section for the inelastic magnetic neutron scattering by superconducting rings is derived taking account of the interaction of the neutron magnetic moment with the magnetic field generated by the superconducting current. Calculations of the scattering cross section are carried out for cold neutrons and thin film rings from type-II superconductors with the magnetic fields not exceeding the first critical field.

  5. Spin currents, relativistic effects and the Darwin interaction in the theory of hole superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirsch, J.E.

    2005-01-01

    The existence of macroscopic spin currents in the ground state of superconductors is predicted within the theory of hole superconductivity. Here it is shown that the electromagnetic Darwin interaction is attractive for spin currents and repulsive for charge currents. It is also shown that the mere existence of spin currents implies that some electrons are moving at relativistic speeds in macroscopic superconductors, which in turn implies that the Darwin interaction plays a fundamental role in stabilizing the superconducting state

  6. Higher critical current density achieved in Bi-2223 High-Tc superconductors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.S. Shalaby

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox (Bi-2223 were prepared using a solid state reaction method at different sintering times and temperatures. Structural phase identifications have been done using X-Ray analysis and refinement by Reitveld method which proves the coexistence of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases. The critical transition temperature Tc and critical current density Jc values were measured using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer (SQUID and by the magneto-optics technique. A remarkable rapid decrease to the diamagnetic signal in the magnetization versus temperature M(T at 110 K and Jc around 1.2 × 107 A/m2 at 5 K are confirmed for the Bi-2223 compound.

  7. High temperature superconducting compounds II; Proceedings of the Second Symposium, Anaheim, CA, Feb. 20, 21, 1990

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whang, S.H.; Dasgupta, A.; Laibowitz, R.

    1990-01-01

    Various topics relevant to the production and implementation of high-temperature superconducting compounds are highlighted including critical current; texturing; ceramics and novel processing; composites; deformation and consolidation; thin films; microstructures; tapes, filaments, and ribbons; and thermodynamics. The thermally activated flux creep, critical current density and current enhancement in high-temperature superconductors are addressed. Also discussed are the phase stability and microstructure of doped superconductors, mechanical considerations in the processing of high-Tc superconductors, fabrication and application of high current density, high RTc superconducting thin films and devices, the effect of substrate temperature and RF biasing on the composition of sputtered Bi-based superconducting thin films, and optical electron microanalysis of cuprate superconductors. The microstructure dependence of critical current density and fabrication of double-layered ribbons from cuprate are also discussed

  8. Development of an air coil superconducting fault current limiter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naeckel, Oliver

    2016-07-01

    Electrical power grids are the lifeline of technical infrastructure and fundamental for industry and modern lives. Fault Currents can disrupt the continuous supply of electrical energy, cause instable grid conditions and damage electrical equipment. The Air Coil Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (AC-SFCL) is a measure to effectively limit fault currents. The concept is investigated and proven experimentally by designing, building and successfully testing a 60 kV, 400 V, z=6% demonstrator.

  9. Probes for investigating the effect of magnetic field, field orientation, temperature and strain on the critical current density of anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes in a split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunwong, P; Higgins, J S; Hampshire, D P

    2014-06-01

    We present the designs of probes for making critical current density (Jc) measurements on anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes as a function of field, field orientation, temperature and strain in our 40 mm bore, split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet. Emphasis is placed on the design of three components: the vapour-cooled current leads, the variable temperature enclosure, and the springboard-shaped bending beam sample holder. The vapour-cooled brass critical-current leads used superconducting tapes and in operation ran hot with a duty cycle (D) of ~0.2. This work provides formulae for optimising cryogenic consumption and calculating cryogenic boil-off, associated with current leads used to make J(c) measurements, made by uniformly ramping the current up to a maximum current (I(max)) and then reducing the current very quickly to zero. They include consideration of the effects of duty cycle, static helium boil-off from the magnet and Dewar (b'), and the maximum safe temperature for the critical-current leads (T(max)). Our optimized critical-current leads have a boil-off that is about 30% less than leads optimized for magnet operation at the same maximum current. Numerical calculations show that the optimum cross-sectional area (A) for each current lead can be parameterized by LI(max)/A = [1.46D(-0.18)L(0.4)(T(max) - 300)(0.25D(-0.09)) + 750(b'/I(max))D(10(-3)I(max)-2.87b') × 10⁶ A m⁻¹ where L is the current lead's length and the current lead is operated in liquid helium. An optimum A of 132 mm(2) is obtained when I(max) = 1000 A, T(max) = 400 K, D = 0.2, b' = 0.3 l h(-1) and L = 1.0 m. The optimized helium consumption was found to be 0.7 l h(-1). When the static boil-off is small, optimized leads have a boil-off that can be roughly parameterized by: b/I(max)  ≈ (1.35 × 10(-3))D(0.41) l h(‑1) A(-1). A split-current-lead design is employed to minimize the rotation of the probes during the high current measurements in our high

  10. Probes for investigating the effect of magnetic field, field orientation, temperature and strain on the critical current density of anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes in a split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sunwong, P.; Higgins, J. S.; Hampshire, D. P.

    2014-01-01

    We present the designs of probes for making critical current density (J c ) measurements on anisotropic high-temperature superconducting tapes as a function of field, field orientation, temperature and strain in our 40 mm bore, split-pair 15 T horizontal magnet. Emphasis is placed on the design of three components: the vapour-cooled current leads, the variable temperature enclosure, and the springboard-shaped bending beam sample holder. The vapour-cooled brass critical-current leads used superconducting tapes and in operation ran hot with a duty cycle (D) of ∼0.2. This work provides formulae for optimising cryogenic consumption and calculating cryogenic boil-off, associated with current leads used to make J c measurements, made by uniformly ramping the current up to a maximum current (I max ) and then reducing the current very quickly to zero. They include consideration of the effects of duty cycle, static helium boil-off from the magnet and Dewar (b ′ ), and the maximum safe temperature for the critical-current leads (T max ). Our optimized critical-current leads have a boil-off that is about 30% less than leads optimized for magnet operation at the same maximum current. Numerical calculations show that the optimum cross-sectional area (A) for each current lead can be parameterized by LI max /A=[1.46D −0.18 L 0.4 (T max −300) 0.25D −0.09 +750(b ′ /I max )D 10 −3 I max −2.87b ′ ]× 10 6 A m −1 where L is the current lead's length and the current lead is operated in liquid helium. An optimum A of 132 mm 2 is obtained when I max = 1000 A, T max = 400 K, D = 0.2, b ′ = 0.3 l h −1 and L = 1.0 m. The optimized helium consumption was found to be 0.7 l h −1 . When the static boil-off is small, optimized leads have a boil-off that can be roughly parameterized by: b/I max  ≈ (1.35 × 10 −3 )D 0.41 l h ‑1  A −1 . A split-current-lead design is employed to minimize the rotation of the probes during the high current measurements in

  11. Development of microstructure and superconductivity of silver-clad Bi(2223) composite tapes in the process of heat treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Y.C.; Liu, H.K.; Dou, S.X.

    1994-01-01

    A systematic study on the development of phase composition, microstructure and superconducting properties (critical temperature Tc and critical current density J c ) in silver-clad (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 composite tapes during the process of heat treatment has been conducted using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electrical measurements. The correlation between the tape's high Tc phase purity, microstructure and superconducting properties at different heat treatment stages has been carefully analysed and explained. The results indicate that pure high Tc phase, high degree of grain alignment, high mass density and good connection between grains are all essential for superconducting tapes to carry a large current. With the optimized process parameters, a critical current density J c up to 32665 A cm -2 (corresponding critical current, 42.3 A) at 77 K and self-magnetic field for silver-clad (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10 superconducting composite tapes has been achieved. (orig.)

  12. Teledyne's historical contribution to developing superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, W.K.

    1986-01-01

    Of the contributions made to superconductivity by Teledyne Wah Change Albany (TWCA), two have been outstanding. The first is the establishment of a stable and low cost NbTi alloy. Estimates of cost savings passed along to conductor manufacturers and, subsequently, to the applications of superconductivity range between $24,000,000 and $31,000,000 over the years from 1980 to present. Secondly, TWCA has understood the necessity of cooperating with the scientific community in order to understand critical relationships of metallurgy to superconductivity characteristics. The knowledge gained is integrated into alloy production on a commercial basis. The most notable example is the recent increase in current density prospects for the proposed Superconducting Super Collider

  13. Flux-lock type of superconducting fault current limiters: A comprehensive review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badakhshan, M.; Mousavi G., S. M.

    2018-04-01

    Power systems must be developed and extended to supply the continuous enhancement of demands for electrical energy. This development of systems in addition to the integration of distributed generation (DG) units to the power systems results higher capacity of system. Hence, short circuit current of network is confronted with persistent increasing. Since exploration of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials, superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) have attracted a lot of attention all over the world. There are different types of SFCLs. Flux-lock type of SFCL because of its characteristics in fault current limitation is an important category of SFCLs. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of research activities and applications of Flux-lock type of SFCLs in power systems.

  14. Current contact device for a superconducting magnet coil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hieronymus, H.

    1987-01-01

    The invention concerns a current supply device for a superconducting magnet coil to be shortcircuited, with a separating device per coil end, which contains a fixed cooled contact and a moving contact connected to a power supply device and a mechanical actuating device for closing and opening the contacts. When closing the heated contact on to the cooled contact, relatively large quantities of heat can be transferred to the cooled contact and therefore to the connected superconducting coil end and can cause normal conduction there. The invention therefore provides that the mass ratio of the cooled contact to the moving contact is at least 5:1, preferably at least 10:1, and that the cooled contact part is provided, at the end away from the contact area, with means for increasing the area, for example cooling fins and is connected to the coil end has a thermal resistance between the contact area and the coil end of at least 0.2 k/W, preferably at least 0.5 k/W per 1000 A of current to be transmitted. (orig.) [de

  15. Factors influencing the critical current of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Kexin; Ding Shiying; Yu Zheng; Yan Jialie; Gao Peng

    1990-01-01

    Effects of doping V on the superconducting oxide YBa 2 Cu 3-x V x O y have been studied. It was found that when x≤0.6, there is a decrease, in the superconducting phase ratio of volume to the size of grain and an increase in J c , mass density and hardness of the samples, whereas the sample synthesis conditions, critical temperature T c and superconducting phase structure are not sensitive to the x values. These suggest that the impurity V stays mainly on the grain boundaries and can improve the connection between the grains considerably. In certain cases, it is more important to improve the grain connection than to increase the superconducting phase ratio

  16. High pressure driven superconducting critical temperature tuning in Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} topological insulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anversa, Jonas [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Escola de Engenharia Civil, Faculdade Meridional, 99070-220, Passo Fundo, RS (Brazil); Chakraborty, Sudip, E-mail: sudiphys@gmail.com [Condensed Matter Theory Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Box 516, Uppsala University, S-75120 Uppsala (Sweden); Piquini, Paulo [Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria, RS (Brazil); Ahuja, Rajeev [Condensed Matter Theory Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Box 516, Uppsala University, S-75120 Uppsala (Sweden); Applied Materials Physics, Department of Materials and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), S-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2016-05-23

    In this letter, we are reporting the change of superconducting critical temperature in Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} topological insulator under the influence of an external hydrostatic pressure based on first principles electronic structure calculations coupled with Migdal–Eliashberg model. Experimentally, it was shown previously that Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} was undergoing through a transition to a superconducting phase when subjected to a compressive pressure. Our results show that the critical temperature increases up to 6.15 K under the pressure unto 40 GPa and, subsequently, drops down until 70 GPa. Throughout this pressure range, the system is preserving the initial Pnma symmetry without any structural transformation. Our results suggest that the possible relevant mechanism behind the superconductivity in Sb{sub 2}Se{sub 3} is primarily the electron–phonon coupling.

  17. MICROSTRUCTURE OF SUPERCONDUCTING MGB(2).

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    ZHU,Y.; LI,Q.; WU,L.; VOLKOV,V.; GU,G.; MOODENBAUGH,A.R.

    2001-07-12

    Recently, Akimitsu and co-workers [1] discovered superconductivity at 39 K in the intermetallic compound MgB{sub 2}. This discovery provides a new perspective on the mechanism for superconductivity. More specifically, it opens up possibilities for investigation of structure/properties in a new class of materials. With the exceptions of the cuprate and C{sub 60} families of compounds, MgB{sub 2} possesses the highest superconducting transition temperature T{sub c}. Its superconductivity appears to follow the BCS theory, apparently being mediated by electron-phonon coupling. The coherence length of MgB{sub 2} is reported to be longer than that of the cuprates [2]. In contrast to the cuprates, grain boundaries are strongly coupled and current density is determined by flux pinning [2,3]. Presently, samples of MgB{sub 2} commonly display inhomogeneity and porosity on the nanoscale, and are untextured. In spite of these obstacles, magnetization and transport measurements show that polycrystalline samples may carry large current densities circulating across many grains [3,4]. Very high values of critical current densities and critical fields have been recently observed in thin films [5,6]. These attributes suggest possible large scale and electronic applications. The underlying microstructure can be intriguing, both in terms of basic science and in applied areas. Subsequent to the discovery, many papers were published [1-13], most dealing with synthesis, physical properties, and theory. There have yet been few studies of microstructure and structural defects [11, 14]. A thorough understanding of practical superconducting properties can only be developed after an understanding of microstructure is gained. In this work we review transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of sintered MgB{sub 2} pellets [14]. Structural defects, including second phase particles, dislocations, stacking faults, and grain boundaries, are analyzed using electron diffraction, electron

  18. The formation of Cooper pairs and the nature of superconducting currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weisskopf, V.F.

    1979-12-01

    A simple physical explanation is given for the formation of Cooper pairs in a superconducting metal, for the origin of the attractive force causing the binding of the pairs, for the forming of a degenerate Bose gas by the Cooper pairs, for the finite energy gap that prevents the ensemble of electrons to change its quantum state at low temperatures, and for the existence of permanent currents in a superconducting wire. (orig.)

  19. The formation of Cooper pairs and the nature of superconducting currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weisskopf, V.F.

    1981-01-01

    A simple physical explanation is given for the formation of Cooper pairs in a superconducting metal, for the origin of the attractive force causing the binding of the pairs, for the forming of a degenerate Bose gas by the Cooper pairs, for the finite energy gap that prevents the ensemble of electrons from changing its quantum state at low temperatures, and for the existence of permanent currents in a superconducting wire. (author)

  20. Superconducting property measuring system by magnetization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikisawa, K.; Mori, T.; Takasu, N.

    1988-01-01

    Superconducting property measuring system (CMS-370B) for high temperature oxide superconductor has been developed. This system adopts magnetization measurement. The superconducting properties are able to be measured automatically and continuously changing the temperature and external magnetic field. The critical current density as a function of temperature and magnetic field of high temperature superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-y (YBCO) has been measured. This paper reports how it was confirmed that this system having the high performance and the accuracy gave the significant contribution to the superconducting material development

  1. Superfluid phase stiffness in electron doped superconducting Gd-123

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, P.; Ghosh, Ajay Kumar

    2018-05-01

    Current-voltage characteristics of Ce substituted Gd-123 superconductor exhibits nonlinearity below a certain temperature below the critical temperature. An exponent is extracted using the nonlinearity of current-voltage relation. Superfluid phase stiffness has been studied as a function of temperature following the Ambegaokar-Halperin-Nelson-Siggia (AHNS) theory. Phase stiffness of the superfluid below the superconducting transition is found to be sensitive to the change in the carrier concentration in superconducting system. There may be a crucial electron density which affects superfluid stiffness strongly. Electron doping is found to be effective even if the coupling of the superconducting planes is changed.

  2. Calculation of eddy-currents induced in a compact synchrotron superconducting magnet structure during a current ramp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalsi, S.

    1991-01-01

    Under DARPA sponsorship, a compact Superconducting X-Ray Light Source (SXSL) is being designed and built by the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with industry participation from Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics. The SXLS machine employs two 180 degrees curved 4 telsa superconducting dipole magnets. These magnets are required to produce a dipole field for bending the beam but at the same time they must produce finite amounts of higher multipoles which are required for conditioning the beam. In fact uniformity of the field to less than 1 part in 10,000 must be maintained under all operating conditions. When a superconducting magnet is ramped from zero to full field, the changing magnetic field produces eddy-currents in the magnet structure which in turn can produce undesirable multipoles. This paper discusses a simple method for estimating these eddy-currents and their effect on the field harmonics. The paper present the analysis basis and its application to the SXLS magnet support structure and to the beam chamber components. 5 figs., 1 tab

  3. Loss and Inductance Investigation in Superconducting Cable Conductors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Søren Krüger; Tønnesen, Ole; Træholt, Chresten

    1999-01-01

    An important parameter in the design and optimization of a superconducting cable conductor is the control of the current distribution among single tapes and layers. This distribution is to a large degree determined by inductances, since the resistances are low. The self and mutual inductances...... of transport current and current distribution.This presentation is based on a number of experiments performed on prototype superconducting cable conductors. The critical current (1uV/cm) of the conductor at 77K was 1590 A (cable #1) and 3240 A (cable #2) respectively.At an rms current of 2 kA (50 Hz) the AC......-loss was measured on cable #2 to 0.6W/mxphase. This is, to our knowledge, the lowest AC-loss (at 2kA and 77K) of a high temperature superconducting cable conductor reported so far....

  4. Improvement in operational characteristics of KEPCO’s line-commutation-type superconducting hybrid fault current limiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yim, S.-W.; Park, B.-C.; Jeong, Y.-T.; Kim, Y.-J.; Yang, S.-E.; Kim, W.-S.; Kim, H.-R.; Du, H.-I.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A line-commutation type hybrid FCL was modified for 1st peak current limitation. ► A superconducting module of current limitation and fault detection was fabricated. ► The superconducting module was applied to a hybrid FCL system and tested. ► 7.4 kA p fault current was limited to 4.3 kA p at the first-half cycle by the FCL. -- Abstract: A 22.9 kV class hybrid fault current limiter (FCL) developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation and LS Industrial Systems in 2006 operates using the line commutation mechanism and begins to limit the fault current after the first half-cycle. The first peak of the fault current is available for protective coordination in the power system. However, it also produces a large electromagnetic force and imposes a huge stress on power facilities such as the main transformer and gas-insulated switchgear. In this study, we improved the operational characteristics of the hybrid FCL in order to reduce the first peak of the fault current. While maintaining the structure of the hybrid FCL system, we developed a superconducting module that detects and limits the fault current during the first half-cycle. To maintain the protective coordination capacity, the hybrid FCL was designed to reduce the first peak value of the fault current by up to approximately 30%. The superconducting module was also designed to produce a minimum AC loss, generating a small, uniform magnetic field distribution during normal operation. Performance tests confirmed that when applied to the hybrid FCL, the superconducting module showed successful current limiting operation without any damage

  5. Application of radiofrequency superconductivity to accelerators for high-current ion beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delayen, J.R.; Bohn, C.L.; Kennedy, W.L.; Roche, C.T.; Sagalovsky, L.

    1992-01-01

    A development program is underway to apply rf superconductivity to the design of continuous-wave (cw) linear accelerators for high-current, high-brightness ion beam. During the last few years, considerable progress has been made both experimentally and theoretically toward this application. Recent tests of niobium resonators for ion acceleration have yielded average accelerating gradients as high as 18 MV/m. In an experiment with a radio-frequency quadrupole geometry, niobium was found to sustain cw peak surface electric fields as high as 128 MV/m over large (10 cm) surface areas. Theoretical studies of beam halo, cumulative beam breakup and alternating-phase focusing have also yielded important results. This paper su-summarizes the recent progress and identifies current and future work in the areas of superconducting accelerator technology for high-current ion beams

  6. Current distributions in superconducting wires subject to a random orientation magnetic field, and corresponding to the Tokamak usual conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Artaud, J.F.

    1994-01-01

    The main themes of this thesis are: review of superconductivity principles; critical current in a random orientation magnetic field; the MHD model applied to superconductors (with comprehensive calculation of the field in a plate type conductor); the magnetization created by a variation of a random orientation magnetic field; the electric field in a superconductor in steady or quasi-steady state (MHD displacement, pinning and thermal effects). 145 figs., 166 refs

  7. Inductive fault current limiter based on multiple superconducting rings of small diameter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osorio, M R; Cabo, L; Veira, J A; Vidal, F

    2004-01-01

    We present a fault current limiter prototype based on the use of a secondary comprised of an array of magnetic cores of small sections, each one of them with several superconducting rings. The main advantage of this configuration is that it is easier to make small diameter superconducting rings which, in addition, are more homogeneous and allow better refrigeration. We then present detailed measurements that show that, in addition to these advantages, this prototype offers the same limitation performances than when using a unique core and a superconducting ring with an equivalent area as the array of small section cores

  8. An investigation of texturing by magnetic and mechanical techniques in high critical temperature superconducting ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deschanels, X.

    1992-11-01

    The principal goal of this work is to quantify the influence of texture of ceramic superconductors ReBaCuO (Re=Dy, Y) on their critical current density (Jc). The magnetic alignment of particles at ambient temperature is the first technique who has allowed us to produce superconducting (Meissner effect) and textured ceramics. However, these materials are very brittle because of their porosity and this makes it impossible to measure their Jc. Press-forging (or creep sintering) is the second technique who has allowed us to prepare highly textured ceramics materials which are also dense. We have studied the influence of various conditions of thermomechanical treatment (sintering time and temperature, applied load, rate of deformation, density of the material at the beginning) on the texture quality. We have shown that at 900 deg, the eutectic liquid formed by BaCuO 2 , CuO and YBa 2 Cu 3 0 7-Y various mechanisms that help explain the formation of observed texture. After the oxidation stage which requires heat treatment under controlled atmospheres, we obtain superconducting ceramics (Tc=85 K). Moreover, this study also shows that the texture can improve the Jc by 400%, to 750 A/cm 2 at 77 K in the best specimens. This low value is explained by the presence of non-superconducting secondary phases and amorphous phases at the grain boundaries. (Author). 120 refs., figs., tabs

  9. Nature of inhomogeneous states in superconducting junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivlev, B.I.; Kopnin, N.B.

    1982-01-01

    A superconducting structure which arises in a superconducting film under a strong injection of a current through a tunnel junction is considered. If the current density in the film exceeds the critical Ginzburg-Landau value, an inhomogeneous resistive state with phase-slip centers can arise in it. This state is charcterized by the presence of regions with different chemical potentials of the Cooper pairs. These shifts of the pair chemical potential and the nonuniform structure of the order parameter may account for the so-called multigap states which have been observed experimentally

  10. Current limiting experiment with 600 V/100A rectification type superconducting fault current limiter; 600 V-100A kyu seiryugata chodendo genryuki no genryu shiken

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuzaki, J.; Tsurunaga, K.; Urata, M. [Toshiba Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Okuma, T.; Sato, Y.; Iwata, Y. [Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., Tokyo (Japan)

    1999-06-07

    The rectification type current limiter with the current-limiting system of the new type which combined rectifier circuits with the direct current reactor has been proposed until now, and it has succeeded in the current-limiting test by the normal conduction reactor by the 6.6kV class model vessel. Since the loss of the conductor becomes fundamentally the zero, in the same current limiter, by using superconducting wire rod, because direct current always flows in the reactor, making into low-loss becomes possible. In this report, this paper describes cut-off characteristic of 600V/100A rectification type superconductive current limiter using the metal type superconductive conductor. (NEDO)

  11. Comparison study of cable geometries and superconducting tape layouts for high-temperature superconductor cables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ta, Wurui; Shao, Tianchong; Gao, Yuanwen

    2018-04-01

    High-temperature superconductor (HTS) rare-earth-barium-copper-oxide (REBCO) tapes are very promising for use in high-current cables. The cable geometry and the layout of the superconducting tapes are directly related to the performance of the HTS cable. In this paper, we use numerical methods to perform a comparison study of multiple-stage twisted stacked-tape cable (TSTC) conductors to find better cable structures that can both improve the critical current and minimize the alternating current (AC) losses of the cable. The sub-cable geometry is designed to have a stair-step shape. Three superconducting tape layouts are chosen and their transport performance and AC losses are evaluated. The magnetic field and current density profiles of the cables are obtained. The results show that arrangement of the superconducting tapes from the interior towards the exterior of the cable based on their critical current values in descending order can enhance the cable's transport capacity while significantly reducing the AC losses. These results imply that cable transport capacity improvements can be achieved by arranging the superconducting tapes in a manner consistent with the electromagnetic field distribution. Through comparison of the critical currents and AC losses of four types of HTS cables, we determine the best structural choice among these cables.

  12. Magnetic levitation force between a superconducting bulk magnet and a permanent magnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J J; He, C Y; Meng, L F; Li, C; Han, R S; Gao, Z X

    2003-01-01

    The current density J(ρ, z) in a disc-shaped superconducting bulk magnet and the magnetic levitation force F SBM z exerted on the superconducting bulk magnet by a cylindrical permanent magnet are calculated from first principles. The effect of the superconducting parameters of the superconducting bulk is taken into account by assuming the voltage-current law E = E c (J/J c ) n and the material law B = μ 0 H. The magnetic levitation force F SBM z is dominated by the remnant current density J' 2 (ρ, z), which is induced by switching off the applied magnetizing field. High critical current density and flux creep exponent may increase the magnetic levitation force F SBM z . Large volume and high aspect ratio of the superconducting bulk can further enhance the magnetic levitation force F SBM z

  13. Superconducting properties of powder-metallurgically produced Cu-Nb3Sn composite wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaper, W.; Wecker, J.; Heine, K.; Bormann, R.; Freyhardt, H.C.

    1988-01-01

    The critical current density of composite superconducting wires can be improved by ternary or quaternary additions. If these additions are incorporated into the A15 phase the upper critical field can be increased. An increase in this field, however, can only be realized if the additions do not strongly deteriorate the critical temperature. An enhanced upper critical field in connection with a favorable grain size of the A15 phase finally leads to improved critical current densities in the entire field range. With these parameters as guidelines, the effects of Ti, In, Ga, and Ge additions to the bronze and of Ta additions to the niobium on the superconducting properties of PM produced Cu-Nb 3 Sn wires were investigated

  14. Passivation of Flexible YBCO Superconducting Current Lead With Amorphous SiO2 Layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johannes, Daniel; Webber, Robert

    2013-01-01

    Adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators (ADR) are operated in space to cool detectors of cosmic radiation to a few 10s of mK. A key element of the ADR is a superconducting magnet operating at about 0.3 K that is continually energized and de-energized in synchronism with a thermal switch, such that a piece of paramagnetic salt is alternately warm in a high magnetic field and cold in zero magnetic field. This causes the salt pill or refrigerant to cool, and it is able to suck heat from an object, e.g., the sensor, to be cooled. Current has to be fed into and out of the magnets from a dissipative power supply at the ambient temperature of the spacecraft. The current leads that link the magnets to the power supply inevitably conduct a significant amount of heat into the colder regions of the supporting cryostat, resulting in the need for larger, heavier, and more powerful supporting refrigerators. The aim of this project was to design and construct high-temperature superconductor (HTS) leads from YBCO (yttrium barium copper oxide) composite conductors to reduce the heat load significantly in the temperature regime below the critical temperature of YBCO. The magnet lead does not have to support current in the event that the YBCO ceases to be superconducting. Cus - tomarily, a normal metal conductor in parallel with the YBCO is a necessary part of the lead structure to allow for this upset condition; however, for this application, the normal metal can be dispensed with. Amorphous silicon dioxide is deposited directly onto the surface of YBCO, which resides on a flexible substrate. The silicon dioxide protects the YBCO from chemically reacting with atmospheric water and carbon dioxide, thus preserving the superconducting properties of the YBCO. The customary protective coating for flexible YBCO conductors is silver or a silver/gold alloy, which conducts heat many orders of magnitude better than SiO2 and so limits the use of such a composite conductor for passing current

  15. Quantitative analysis of Josephson-quasiparticle current in superconducting single-electron transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Y.; Chen, C.D.; Tsai, J.S.

    1996-01-01

    We have investigated Josephson-quasiparticle (JQP) current in superconducting single-electron transistors in which charging energy E C was larger than superconducting gap energy Δ and junction resistances were much larger than R Q ≡h/4e 2 . We found that not only the shapes of the JQP peaks but also their absolute height were reproduced quantitatively with a theory by Averin and Aleshkin using a Josephson energy of Ambegaokar-Baratoff close-quote s value. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  16. Topology-induced critical current enhancement in Josephson networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silvestrini, P.; Russo, R.; Corato, V.; Ruggiero, B.; Granata, C.; Rombetto, S.; Russo, M.; Cirillo, M.; Trombettoni, A.; Sodano, P.

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the properties of Josephson junction networks with inhomogeneous architecture. The networks are shaped as 'square comb' planar lattices on which Josephson junctions link superconducting islands arranged in the plane to generate the pertinent topology. Compared to the behavior of reference linear arrays, the temperature dependencies of the Josephson currents of the branches of the network exhibit relevant differences. The observed phenomena evidence new and surprising behavior of superconducting Josephson arrays

  17. Topology-induced critical current enhancement in Josephson networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silvestrini, P. [Dipartimento d' Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, Aversa (Italy); Istituto di Cibernetica ' E. Caianiello' del CNR, Pozzuoli (Italy)], E-mail: p.silvestrini@cib.na.cnr.it; Russo, R. [Istituto di Cibernetica ' E. Caianiello' del CNR, Pozzuoli (Italy); Corato, V. [Dipartimento d' Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, Aversa (Italy); Ruggiero, B.; Granata, C.; Rombetto, S.; Russo, M. [Istituto di Cibernetica ' E. Caianiello' del CNR, Pozzuoli (Italy); Cirillo, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universita di Roma ' Tor Vergata' , 00173 Roma (Italy); Trombettoni, A. [International School for Advanced Studies and Sezione INFN, Via Beirut 2/4, 34104 Trieste (Italy); Sodano, P. [International School for Advanced Studies and Sezione INFN, Via Beirut 2/4, 34104 Trieste (Italy); Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, and Sezione INFN, Perugia (Italy); Progetto Lagrange, Fondazione C.R.T. e Fondazione I.S.I., Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10124 Torino (Italy)

    2007-10-29

    We investigate the properties of Josephson junction networks with inhomogeneous architecture. The networks are shaped as 'square comb' planar lattices on which Josephson junctions link superconducting islands arranged in the plane to generate the pertinent topology. Compared to the behavior of reference linear arrays, the temperature dependencies of the Josephson currents of the branches of the network exhibit relevant differences. The observed phenomena evidence new and surprising behavior of superconducting Josephson arrays.

  18. Hybrid superconducting magnetic suspensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tixador, P.; Hiebel, P.; Brunet, Y.; Chaud, X.; Gautier-Picard, P.

    1996-01-01

    Superconductors, especially high T c ones, are the most attractive materials to design stable and fully passive magnetic suspensions which have to control five degrees of freedom. The hybrid superconducting magnetic suspensions present high performances and a simple cooling mode. They consist of a permanent magnet bearing, stabilized by a suitable magnet-superconductor structure. Several designs are given and compared in terms of forces and stiffnesses. The design of the magnet bearing plays an important part. The superconducting magnetic bearing participates less in levitation but must provide a high stabilizing stiffness. This is achieved by the magnet configuration, a good material in term of critical current density and field cooling. A hybrid superconducting suspension for a flywheel is presented. This system consists of a magnet thrust bearing stabilized by superconductors interacting with an alternating polarity magnet structure. First tests and results are reported. Superconducting materials are magnetically melt-textured YBaCuO

  19. Process of producing superconducting bar magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, M.A.

    1988-01-01

    A method of forming a magnet having an established magnetic field is described comprising; (1) establishing a magnetic field of the desired extent and shape; (2) providing a superconducting material of desired shape; (3) positioning the material of (2) in field (1) while at a temperature above the critical temperature of the superconducting material so as to apply a magnetic field on the superconducting material; (4) cooling the superconducting material while in magnetic field (1) to below the critical temperature of the superconducting material; (5) removing the superconducting material from the magnetic field while in the supercooled condition; and (6) maintaining the material at or below the critical temperature

  20. Angular dependence of critical current density and magnetoresistance of sputtered high-T{sub c}-films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geerkens, A.; Frenck, H.J.; Ewert, S. [Technical Univ. of Cottbus (Germany)] [and others

    1994-12-31

    The angular dependence of the critical current density and the magnetoresistance of high-T{sub c}-films in high and low magnetic fields and for different temperatures were measured to investigate the flux pinning and the superconducting properties. A comparison of the results for the different superconductors shows their increasing dependence on the angle {Theta} between the magnetic field and the c-axis of the film due to the anisotropy of the chosen superconductor. Furthermore the influence of the current direction to the {Theta}-rotation plane is discussed.

  1. Critical Josephson current in a model Pb/YBa2Cu3O7-δ junction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkinson, W.A.; Carbotte, J.P.

    1995-01-01

    We consider a simple model for a c-axis Pb/YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ Josephson junction. The observation of a nonzero current in such a junction by Sun et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2267 (1994)] has been taken as evidence against d-wave superconductivity in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . We suggest, however, that the pairing interaction in the CuO 2 planes may well be d wave but that the CuO chains destroy the tetragonal symmetry of the system. We examine two ways in which this happens. In a simple model of an incoherent junction, the chains distort the superconducting condensate away from d x 2 -y 2 symmetry. In a specular junction the chains destroy the tetragonal symmetry of the tunneling matrix element. In either case, the loss of tetragonal symmetry results in a finite Josephson current. Our calculated values of the critical current for specular junctions are in good agreement with the results of Sun and co-workers

  2. Magnetic levitation force between a superconducting bulk magnet and a permanent magnet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, J J; He, C Y; Meng, L F; Li, C; Han, R S; Gao, Z X [Department of Physics, Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

    2003-04-01

    The current density J({rho}, z) in a disc-shaped superconducting bulk magnet and the magnetic levitation force F{sup SBM}{sub z} exerted on the superconducting bulk magnet by a cylindrical permanent magnet are calculated from first principles. The effect of the superconducting parameters of the superconducting bulk is taken into account by assuming the voltage-current law E = E{sub c}(J/J{sub c}){sup n} and the material law B = {mu}{sub 0}H. The magnetic levitation force F{sup SBM}{sub z} is dominated by the remnant current density J'{sub 2}({rho}, z), which is induced by switching off the applied magnetizing field. High critical current density and flux creep exponent may increase the magnetic levitation force F{sup SBM}{sub z}. Large volume and high aspect ratio of the superconducting bulk can further enhance the magnetic levitation force F{sup SBM}{sub z}.

  3. Experimental and numerical study of influence of ferromagnetic cover on critical current of BiSCCO-2223/Ag tape superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vojenciak, M; Souc, J; Goemoery, F

    2009-01-01

    Samples of commercially available BiSCCO-2223/Ag tape have been partially covered by the ferromagnetic material. Improvement of the self-field critical current up to 15 % has been achieved by this procedure. A critical current of such tape strongly depends on geometric and magnetic properties of both, the superconducting tape as well as the ferromagnetic cover. Numerical simulations, based on the critical state model using commercial finite element method (FEM) code, have been performed. Properties of superconductor are characterized by anisotropic dependence of the critical current density on magnetic field as well as detail geometry of filaments. The ferromagnetic material is characterized by nonlinear magnetization curve. Nonlinear dependences of the critical current on selected parameters are shown in this work. Optimization of the cover parameters using these curves has been made. Samples with various parameters have been manufactured for the confirmation of numerical simulations results. Experimental results are in good qualitative agreement with results obtained by numerical simulations.

  4. Effect of coupling currents on the dynamic inductance during fast transient in superconducting magnets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Marinozzi

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available We present electromagnetic models aiming to calculate the variation of the inductance in a magnet due to dynamic effects such as the variation of magnetization or the coupling with eddy currents. The models are studied with special regard to the calculation of the inductance in superconducting magnets which are affected by interfilament coupling currents. The developed models have been compared with experimental data coming from tests of prototype Nb_{3}Sn magnets designed for the new generation of accelerators. This work is relevant for the quench protection study of superconducting magnets: quench is an unwanted event, when part of the magnet becomes resistive; in these cases, the current should be discharged as fast as possible, in order to maintain the resistive zone temperature under a safe limit. The magnet inductance is therefore a relevant term for the description of the current discharge, especially for the high-field new generation superconducting magnets for accelerators, and this work shows how to calculate the correct value during rapid current changes, providing a mean for simulations of the reached temperature.

  5. Negative effects of crystalline-SiC doping on the critical current density in Ti-sheathed MgB2(SiC)y superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, G; Fang, H; Luo, Z P; Hoyt, C; Yen, F; Guchhait, S; Lv, B; Markert, J T

    2007-01-01

    Ti-sheathed MgB 2 wires doped with nanosize crystalline-SiC up to a concentration of 15 wt% SiC have been fabricated, and the effects of the SiC doping on the critical current density (J c ) and other superconducting properties studied. In contrast with the previously reported results that nano-SiC doping with a doping range below 16 wt% usually enhances J c , particularly at higher fields, our measurements show that SiC doping decreases J c over almost the whole field range from 0 to 7.3 T at all temperatures. Furthermore, it is found that the degradation of J c becomes stronger at higher SiC doping levels, which is also in sharp contrast with the reported results that J c is usually optimized at doping levels near 10 wt% SiC. Our results indicate that these negative effects on J c could be attributed to the absence of significant effective pinning centres (mainly Mg 2 Si) due to the high chemical stability of the crystalline-SiC particles

  6. Characterization of high-current, high-temperature superconductor current lead elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemann, R.C.; Evans, D.J.; Fisher, B.L.; Brockenborough, W.E.; Roberts, P.R.; Rodenbush, A.J.

    1996-08-01

    The refrigeration loads of current leads for superconducting magnets can be significantly reduced by using high-temperature superconductor (HTS) leads. An HTS conductor type that is well suited for this application is a laminated sintered stack of HTS powder-in-tube (PIT) tapes. The superconducting elements are normally characterized by their manufacturer by measuring critical currents at 77 K in self field. Additional characterization, which correlates electrical performance at 77 K and at lower temperatures with applied magnetic fields, provides the current lead designer and conductor element manufacturer with critical information. For HTS conductor elements comprising a laminated and sintered stack of Bi-2223 PIT tapes having an alloyed Ag sheath, this characterization uses variable applied fields and operating temperatures

  7. Generation of high magnetic fields using superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiyoshi, T.; Otsuka, A.; Kosuge, M.; Yuyama, M.; Nagai, H.; Matsumoto, F.

    2006-01-01

    High-field superconducting magnets have opened new frontiers for several kinds of applications, such as fusion reactors, particle accelerators, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers. The present record for the highest field in a fully superconducting state is 23.4 T. It was achieved with a combination of NbTi, Nb 3 Sn, and Bi-2212 conductors in 1999. Since high T c (critical temperature) superconductors (HTS) have sufficiently high critical current density even in excess of 30 T, they are promising for use as high-field superconducting magnets. However, several problems still remain to be resolved for practical applications, and the use of HTS coils will be limited to the inner part of a high-field magnet system in the near future. The required technologies to develop a high-field superconducting magnet with a field of up to 28 T have already been established. Such a magnet is certain to provide information to all leading research areas

  8. Energy of magnetic moment of superconducting current in magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurtovoi, V.L.; Nikulov, A.V.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Quantization effects observed in superconducting loops are considered. • The energy of magnetic moment in magnetic field can not be deduced from Hamiltonian. • This energy is deduced from a history of the current state in the classical case. • It can not be deduced directly in the quantum case. • Taking this energy into account demolishes agreement between theory and experiment. - Abstract: The energy of magnetic moment of the persistent current circulating in superconducting loop in an externally produced magnetic field is not taken into account in the theory of quantization effects because of identification of the Hamiltonian with the energy. This identification misleads if, in accordance with the conservation law, the energy of a state is the energy expended for its creation. The energy of magnetic moment is deduced from a creation history of the current state in magnetic field both in the classical and quantum case. But taking this energy into account demolishes the agreement between theory and experiment. Impartial consideration of this problem discovers the contradiction both in theory and experiment

  9. Bipolar programmable current supply for superconducting nuclear magnetic resonance magnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koivuniemi, Jaakko; Luusalo, Reeta; Hakonen, Pertti

    1998-09-01

    In high resolution continuous-wave nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) work well-reproducible, linear sweeps of current are needed. We have developed a microcontroller based programmable current supply, tested with superconducting magnets with inductance of 10 mH and 10 H. We achieved a resolution and noise of 4 ppm. The supply has an internal sweep with programmable ramping rate and a possibility for remote operation from a computer with either GPIB or RS232 interface. It is based on an 18-bit D/A converter. The maximum output current is ±10 A, the sweep rate can be set between 1 μA/s-140 mA/s, and the maximum output voltage is ±2.5 V. In work at ultralow temperatures, especially in superconducting quantum interference device NMR, all rf interference to the experiment should be avoided. One of the sources of this kind of unwanted input is the digital switching noise of fast logic devices. We discuss this problem in the context of our design.

  10. State of the art of superconducting fault current limiters and their application to the electric power system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morandi, Antonio

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The state of the art of superconducting fault current limiters is reviewed. ► An innovative concept of FCL is discussed and the potential of MgB 2 is outlined. ► The use of FCL to allow more interconnection of MV bus-bar is discussed. ► The use of FCL to increase the immunity from voltage dips is discussed. ► The use of FCL to integrate more distributed generation is pointed out. -- Abstract: Modern electric power systems are becoming more and more complex in order to meet new needs. Nowadays a high power quality is mandatory and there is the need to integrate increasing amounts of on-site generation. All this translates in more sophisticated electric network with intrinsically high short circuit rate. This network is vulnerable in case of fault and special protection apparatus and procedures needs to be developed in order to avoid costly or even irreversible damage. A superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is a device with a negligible impedance in normal operating conditions that reliably switches to a high impedance state in case of extra-current. Such a device is able to increase the short circuit power of an electric network and to contemporarily eliminate the hazard during the fault. It can be regarded as a key component for future electric power systems. In this paper the state of the art of superconducting fault current limiters mature for applications is briefly resumed and the potential impact of this device on the paradigm of design and operation of power systems is analyzed. In particular the use of the FCL as a mean to allow more interconnection of MV bus-bars as well an increased immunity with respect to the voltage disturbances induced by critical customer is discussed. The possibility to integrate more distributed generation in the distribution grid is also considered

  11. Superconducting pulsed magnets

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2006-01-01

    Lecture 1. Introduction to Superconducting Materials Type 1,2 and high temperature superconductors; their critical temperature, field & current density. Persistent screening currents and the critical state model. Lecture 2. Magnetization and AC Loss How screening currents cause irreversible magnetization and hysteresis loops. Field errors caused by screening currents. Flux jumping. The general formulation of ac loss in terms of magnetization. AC losses caused by screening currents. Lecture 3. Twisted Wires and Cables Filamentary composite wires and the losses caused by coupling currents between filaments, the need for twisting. Why we need cables and how the coupling currents in cables contribute more ac loss. Field errors caused by coupling currents. Lecture 4. AC Losses in Magnets, Cooling and Measurement Summary of all loss mechanisms and calculation of total losses in the magnet. The need for cooling to minimize temperature rise in a magnet. Measuring ac losses in wires and in magnets. Lecture 5. Stab...

  12. Overview of superconducting RF technology and its application to high-current linacs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delayen, J.R.; Bohn, C.L.

    1994-01-01

    Superconducting linacs may be a viable option for high-current applications such as copious neutron production like that needed for transmutation of radioactive waste. These linacs must run reliably for many years and allow easy routine maintenance. superconducting cavities operate efficiently with high cw gradients, properties which help to reduce operating and capital costs. However, cost effectiveness is not the sole consideration in these applications. For example, beam impingement must be essentially eliminated to prevent unsafe radioactivation of the accelerating structures, and thus large apertures are needed through which to pass the beam. Because of their high efficiency, superconducting cavities can be designed with very large bore apertures, thereby reducing the effect of beam impingement

  13. Computational methods in calculating superconducting current problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, David John, II

    Various computational problems in treating superconducting currents are examined. First, field inversion in spatial Fourier transform space is reviewed to obtain both one-dimensional transport currents flowing down a long thin tape, and a localized two-dimensional current. The problems associated with spatial high-frequency noise, created by finite resolution and experimental equipment, are presented, and resolved with a smooth Gaussian cutoff in spatial frequency space. Convergence of the Green's functions for the one-dimensional transport current densities is discussed, and particular attention is devoted to the negative effects of performing discrete Fourier transforms alone on fields asymptotically dropping like 1/r. Results of imaging simulated current densities are favorably compared to the original distributions after the resulting magnetic fields undergo the imaging procedure. The behavior of high-frequency spatial noise, and the behavior of the fields with a 1/r asymptote in the imaging procedure in our simulations is analyzed, and compared to the treatment of these phenomena in the published literature. Next, we examine calculation of Mathieu and spheroidal wave functions, solutions to the wave equation in elliptical cylindrical and oblate and prolate spheroidal coordinates, respectively. These functions are also solutions to Schrodinger's equations with certain potential wells, and are useful in solving time-varying superconducting problems. The Mathieu functions are Fourier expanded, and the spheroidal functions expanded in associated Legendre polynomials to convert the defining differential equations to recursion relations. The infinite number of linear recursion equations is converted to an infinite matrix, multiplied by a vector of expansion coefficients, thus becoming an eigenvalue problem. The eigenvalue problem is solved with root solvers, and the eigenvector problem is solved using a Jacobi-type iteration method, after preconditioning the

  14. Critical current densities in thick yttrium-barium cuprate (1-2-3) films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryvkina, G.G.; Gorlanov, S.F.; Vedernikov, G.E.; Telegin, A.B.; Ryabin, V.A.; Khodos, M.Ya.

    1993-01-01

    The study of critical current densities j c of oxide superconductors and their thick films is a very important practical task because the value of j c is one of the main criteria for their utilization in modern cryoelectronics. For most devices based on the Josephson effect, the value of j c ∼ 10 2 - 10 3 A/cm 2 is acceptable, which is easily attainable for polycrystalline thick films obtained by stenciling. The study of the current-transport phenomenon involves a number of difficulties, especially for direct current, because both the sample itself and the lead-in contacts are resistance-heated during the measurements, which, in turn, results in lower values of the j c . Measurements with pulsed currents allow one to lower the power that is applied to the sample; the heat that is released in the sample is reduced, in comparison to measurements with direct current, by a factor of the pulsed-current duty cycle. In addition, measurements with direct current detects only the appearance of resistance; it provides no information on the rest of the transition from the normal to the superconductive state, i.e., on the so-called 'tail' of the transition. In this work, the authors studied critical current densities of thick HTSC yttrium-barium cuprate films of the 1-2-3 composition using pulsed current

  15. Optimization of superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor Josephson junctions for high critical-current density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golub, A.; Horovitz, B.

    1994-01-01

    The application of superconducting Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 wires or tapes to electronic devices requires the optimization of the transport properties in Ohmic contacts between the superconductor and the normal metal in the circuit. This paper presents results of tunneling theory in superconductor--normal-metal--superconductor (SNS) junctions, in both pure and dirty limits. We derive expressions for the critical-current density as a function of the normal-metal resistivity in the dirty limit or of the ratio of Fermi velocities and effective masses in the clean limit. In the latter case the critical current increases when the ratio γ of the Fermi velocity in the superconductor to that of the weak link becomes much less than 1 and it also has a local maximum if γ is close to 1. This local maximum is more pronounced if the ratio of effective masses is large. For temperatures well below the critical temperature of the superconductors the model with abrupt pair potential on the SN interfaces is considered and its applicability near the critical temperature is examined

  16. Resistive transition of superconducting-wire networks. Influence of pinning and fluctuations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giroud, M.; Buisson, O.; Wang, Y.Y.; Pannetier, B.; Mailly, D.

    1992-01-01

    The authors studied the resistive transition of several 2-D superconducting-wire networks of various coupling strengths, which they characterize in terms of the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature and the ratio ξ/a of the coherence length to the array period. In the extreme strong-coupling limit where the mesh size is of the order of the zero-temperature coherence length, the superconducting behavior is well described by the mean-field properties of the superconducting wave function. Extending to 2-D array, the 1-D phase-slippage model explains the dissipative regime observed above the Ginzburg-Landau depairing critical current. On the other hand, when the coupling is weak, phase fluctuations below the Ginzburg-Landau transition and vortex depinning dominate the resistive behavior. An activated dissipation is observed even below the depairing critical current. Results obtained in this regime for critical temperature, magnetoresistance, or critical current versus temperature, and magnetic field are shown; their periodic oscillations are discussed in terms of depinning of vortices on the array. A simple periodic pinning potential for a vortex in a wire network is calculated, and compared with the case of pinning in Josephson junction arrays. It is shown that this model explains qualitatively the experimental results observed for small ξ/a

  17. Use of a High-Temperature Superconducting Coil for Magnetic Energy Storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fagnard, J-F; Crate, D; Jamoye, J-F; Laurent, Ph; Mattivi, B; Cloots, R; Ausloos, M; Genon, A; Vanderbemden, Ph

    2006-01-01

    A high temperature superconducting magnetic energy storage device (SMES) has been realised using a 350 m-long BSCCO tape wound as a ''pancake'' coil. The coil is mounted on a cryocooler allowing temperatures down to 17.2 K to be achieved. The temperature dependence of coil electrical resistance R(T) shows a superconducting transition at T = 102.5 K. Measurements of the V(I) characteristics were performed at several temperatures between 17.2 K and 101.5 K to obtain the temperature dependence of the critical current (using a 1 μV/cm criterion). Critical currents were found to exceed 100 A for T < 30 K. An electronic DC-DC converter was built in order to control the energy flow in and out of the superconducting coil. The converter consists of a MOS transistor bridge switching at a 80 kHz frequency and controlled with standard Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques. The system was tested using a 30 V squared wave power supply as bridge input voltage. The coil current, the bridge input and output voltages were recorded simultaneously. Using a 10 A setpoint current in the superconducting coil, the whole system (coil + DC-DC converter) can provide a stable output voltage showing uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capabilities over 1 s

  18. Control of the Superconducting Magnets current Power Supplies of the TJ-II Gyrotrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ros, A.; Fernandez, A.; Tolkachev, A.; Catalan, G.

    2006-01-01

    The TJ-II ECRH heating system consists of two gyrotrons, which can deliver a maximum power of 300 kW at a frequency of 53.2 GHz. Another 28 GHz gyrotron is going to be used in the Bernstein waves heating system. In order to get the required frequency, the gyrotrons need and homogeneous magnetic field of several tesla, which is generated by a superconducting coil field by a current source. This document describes the current source control as well as the high precision ammeters control. These ammeters measure the current in the superconducting coils. The user interface and the programming of the control system are described. The communication between devices is also explained. (author) 9 Refs

  19. The superconducting proximity effect in epitaxial Al/Pb nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, H; Vantomme, A; Temst, K; Picot, T; Houben, K; Moorkens, T; Van Haesendonck, C; Van Bael, M J; Grigg, J; Brown, S A; Biermans, E; Bals, S

    2014-01-01

    We have investigated the superconducting properties of Pb nanoparticles with a diameter ranging from 8 to 20 nm, synthesized by Pb + ion implantation in a crystalline Al matrix. A detailed structural characterization of the nanocomposites reveals the highly epitaxial relation between the Al crystalline matrix and the Pb nanoparticles. The Al/Pb nanocomposites display a single superconducting transition, with the critical temperature T c increasing with the Pb content. The dependence of T c on the Pb/Al volume ratio was compared with theoretical models of the superconducting proximity effect based on the bulk properties of Al and Pb. A very good correspondence with the strong-coupling proximity effect model was found, with an electron–phonon coupling constant in the Pb nanoparticles slightly reduced compared to bulk Pb. Our result differs from other studies on Pb nanoparticle based proximity systems where weak-coupling models were found to better describe the T c dependence. We infer that the high interface quality resulting from the ion implantation synthesis method is a determining factor for the superconducting properties. Critical field and critical current measurements support the high quality of the nanocomposite superconducting films. (paper)

  20. Uranium doping and neutron irradiation of Bi-2223 superconduction tapes for improved critical current density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moss, S.D.; Wang, W.G.; Dou, S.X.; Weinstein, R.

    1998-01-01

    It is demonstrated that a combination of neutron irradiation with uranium doping introduce fission tracks through a Bi-2223 tape which act as effective pinning centres, leading to a substantial increase in critical current. Preliminary data suggests that the combination of uranium doping and neutron irradiation produces improved flux pinning in Bi-2223 tapes over neutron irradiation alone. Before irradiation, SEM, DTA and XRD analyses were performed on the tapes. Both before and after irradiation the trapped maximum magnetic flux was measured at 77K. Before neutron irradiation, uranium doping has no effect on critical current. Preliminary SEM data suggested that the uranium is homogeneously distributed throughout the oxide core of the tape. The presence of 2212 and other secondary phases in the doped tapes suggest further refinement of the sintering procedure is necessary. (authors)

  1. High temperature superconducting current lead test facility with heat pipe intercepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blumenfeld, P.E.; Prenger, C.; Roth, E.W.; Stewart, J.A.

    1998-01-01

    A high temperature superconducting (HTS) current lead test facility using heat pipe thermal intercepts is under development at the Superconducting Technology Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The facility can be configured for tests at currents up to 1,000 A. Mechanical cryocoolers provide refrigeration to the leads. Electrical isolation is maintained by intercepting thermal energy from the leads through cryogenic heat pipes. HST lead warm end temperature is variable from 65 K to over 90 K by controlling heat pipe evaporator temperature. Cold end temperature is variable up to 30 K. Performance predictions in terms of heat pipe evaporator temperature as a function of lead current are presented for the initial facility configuration, which supports testing up to 200 A. Measurements are to include temperature and voltage gradient in the conventional and HTS lead sections, temperature and heat transfer rate in the heat pipes. as well as optimum and off-optimum performance of the conventional lead sections

  2. metrological performance improvement of a superconducting cable test station

    CERN Document Server

    Montenero, Giuseppe; Ballarino, Amalia

    The work presented in this PhD thesis concerns the metrological performance improvement of a superconducting cable test station based on superconducting transformers. The main cable’s parameter to be assessed –as a function of temperature and magnetic field– is the critical current, i.e. beyond this limit the phase transition to the normal state occurs. Ramping the current at levels in the order of the tens of kA can be achieved with superconducting transformers at moderate capital and operational cost. But, issues such as (i) accurate/precise measurements and (ii) monitoring of the secondary current during the device operation have to be addressed. In this regard, the goals of the thesis are the design, prototyping, and validation of a new cryogenic current transducer and effective monitoring system for test stations transformer-based. Among the available transducers for current sensing at room temperature, the DC current transformer (DCCT) provides measurement accuracy in the order of the hundreds of ...

  3. Rapid characterization of superconducting wires and tapes in strong pulsed magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bockstal, L. van; Keyser, A. de; Deschagt, J.; Hopkins, S.C.; Glowacki, B.A.

    2007-01-01

    A new measurement system for rapid characterization of superconducting wires and tapes is developed. The CryoPulse-BI is a system to provide a direct measurement of critical material parameters for superconducting materials when high long pulsed magnetic fields and strong currents are applied. In the experiments, synchronized magnetic fields up to 30 T and current pulses up to 5 kA are generated with adjustable timing. Varying the magnetic field strength, the current through the sample and the BI timing allows for a thorough characterization of the sample and the determination of critical currents. The rapid cycle time of the experiments yields a rapid and thorough determination of the critical parameters. The method has been tested on low T c as well as high T c materials with the field parallel or perpendicular to the current. The discussion covers the current state of the art including a comparison of our results to classical DC characterization measurements

  4. Modelling of hysteresis in thin superconducting screens for mixed-mu suspension systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asher, G.M.; Williams, J.T.; Walters, C.R.; Joyce, H.; Paul, R.J.A.

    1982-01-01

    Mixed-mu levitation is the principle whereby iron is levitated in a magnetic field and stabilized by the proximity of diamagnetic superconducting screens. In a dynamic environment, the screens are subject to changing magnetic fields thus causing hysteresis losses in the superconducting material. This paper is concerned with the modeling of such hysteresis. A finite difference approximation to the current and field distributions is employed, the current distribution being made consistent with critical current values by iteration. Square and disc shaped screen samples are studied and hysteresis curves computed. It is shown that the method represents a fair approximation to the hysteresis behavior of thin superconducting screens. 8 refs

  5. Current Feedthroughs for Superconducting Magnets Operating Below 2 K

    CERN Document Server

    Benda, V

    1998-01-01

    For superconducting magnets working in superfluid helium, a thermal and pressure barrier between liquid helium baths at different temperatures, so called "lambda plate", is required. Bus bars connecte d to current leads of magnets to be powered, pass through current feedthroughs. These feedthroughs have to stand high pressure, thermal shock, high voltage, and mechanical stresses, must be leak tight and introduce minimum heat inleak. This article describes a possible solution. Three prototypes were built and measured. Design of this feedthrough and preliminary results are presented.

  6. A simple technique for measuring the superconducting critical temperature of small (>= 10 μg) samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, R.F.R.; Meyer, E.; Silveira, M.F. da.

    1983-01-01

    A simple technique for measuring the superconducting critical temperature of small (>=10μg) samples is described. The apparatus is built in the form of a probe, which can be introduced directly into a liquid He storage dewar and permits the determination of the critical temperature, with an imprecision of +- 0.05 K above 4.2 K, in about 10 minutes. (Author) [pt

  7. Origin of the Nonsinusoidal current-phase relation of a superconducting bridge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugahara, M.

    1977-01-01

    The current-phase relation of a long superconducting bridge is investigated with the use of the Aslamazov-Larkin model and the Ginzburg-Landau equation. The feedback effect of the supercurrent to the phase difference in the weak link is taken into consideration. The derived nonsinusoidal current-phase relation explains the experiments of Jackel et al. very well

  8. Majorana splitting from critical currents in Josephson junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cayao, Jorge; San-Jose, Pablo; Black-Schaffer, Annica M.; Aguado, Ramón; Prada, Elsa

    2017-11-01

    A semiconducting nanowire with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling and coupled to a superconductor can be tuned by an external Zeeman field into a topological phase with Majorana zero modes. Here we theoretically investigate how this exotic topological superconductor phase manifests in Josephson junctions based on such proximitized nanowires. In particular, we focus on critical currents in the short junction limit (LN≪ξ , where LN is the junction length and ξ is the superconducting coherence length) and show that they contain important information about nontrivial topology and Majoranas. This includes signatures of the gap inversion at the topological transition and a unique oscillatory pattern that originates from Majorana interference. Interestingly, this pattern can be modified by tuning the transmission across the junction, thus providing complementary evidence of Majoranas and their energy splittings beyond standard tunnel spectroscopy experiments, while offering further tunability by virtue of the Josephson effect.

  9. Magnetic properties and critical current density of bulk MgB2 polycrystalline with Bi-2212 addition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, T M; Li, G; Zhu, X T; Cheng, C H; Zhao, Y

    2005-01-01

    Bulk samples of MgB 2 were prepared with 0, 3, 5, and 10 wt% Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 (Bi-2212) particles, added using a simple solid-state reaction route in order to investigate the effect of inclusions of a material with higher T c than the superconducting matrix. The density, diamagnetic signal, and critical current density, J c , of the samples change significantly with the doping level. It is found that J c is significantly enhanced by the Bi-2212 addition. Microstructural analysis indicates that a small amount of Bi-2212 is decomposed into Cu 2 O and other impurity phases while a significant amount of unreacted Bi-2212 particles remains in MgB 2 matrix, and these act as effective pinning centres for vortices. The enhanced pinning force is mainly attributable to these highly dispersed inclusions inserted in the MgB 2 grains. Despite the effectiveness of the high-T c inclusions in increasing superconducting critical currents in our experiment, our results seem to demonstrate the superiority of attractive centres over repulsive ones. A pinning mechanism is proposed to account for the contribution of this type of pinning centre in MgB 2 superconductors. (rapid communication)

  10. Thermal domains in inhomogeneous current-carrying superconductors. Current-voltage characteriscs and dynamics of domain formation after current jumps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bezuglyj, A.I.; Shklovskij, V.A.

    1984-01-01

    The static and dynamic behavior of thermal domains in inhomogeneous superconducting films, where the inhomogeneity behaves like a portion of the film with a reduced critical current, have been studied theoretically within the framework of the phenomenological approach, using the heat balance equation and the dependence of the superconductor critical current on temperature. Depending on the size of the inhomogeneity (local or extended) and on the relative values of parameters of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous regions, different types of current-voltage characteristics are obtained. The nonstationary problem of thermal domain formation near the inhomogeneity after a current jump has been solved, and the domain boundary (kink) dynamics at a distance from the inhomogeneity has been analyzed. A combination of the results allows one to describe the whole process of normal phase formation and its spread throughout the superconducting film

  11. Influence of two-stage annealing treatment on critical current of bronze-processed multifilamentary Nb/sub 3/Sn superconducting materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochiai, S.; Osamura, K.; Ryoji, M.

    1987-01-01

    The influence of changes of volume fraction of Nb/sub 3/Sn, grain size and upper critical magnetic field due to two-stage annealing treatment (low temperature annealing to form fine grains + high temperature annealing to raise upper critical magnetic field) on overall critical current and critical current density were studied at magnetic field of 3-15 T. When annealing temperature was low (773-923 K) and the volume fraction of Nb/sub 3/Sn was low in first stage annealing, second stage annealing could raise the overall critical current over the range of the applied magnetic field due to increase in upper critical magnetic field H/sub c2/ and volume fraction of Nb/sub 3/Sn accompanying with reduction in Sn concentration in the bronze matrix, which played a role to reduce residual strain in Nb/sub 3/Sn, leading to high H/sub c2/ although the loss in pinning force arose from the coarsening of the grains. When the annealing temperature was high (973 K) and the Nb/sub 3/Sn was formed until the Sn was consumed in the first stage, second stage annealing could not raise the critical current due to increase in grain size and no effective increase in H/sub c2/. The critical current density at low magnetic fields below several Teslas was reduced by the second stage annealing due to increase in grain size but that at high fields was raised due to increase in high H/sub c2/. The reverse two-stage annealing treatment (high temperature annealing in the first stage+low temperature annealing in the second stage) reduced the H/sub c2/ slightly with increasing second stage annealing temperature and time. The critical current density at low magnetic fields was determined mainly by the grain size and that at high fields was determined by the combination of the upper critical field and grain size

  12. Theory, analysis and applications of the operation of the superconducting transformer supplying a direct current to a non-dissipative superconducting charge circuit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sole, J.

    1967-01-01

    The author derives the very simple equations governing the operation of a transformer with superconducting windings supplying direct current to a non-dissipative superconducting charge circuit. An analysis of the various possible modes of operation with direct or slowly varying current raises the problem of the magnetic core. The study. leads to a conclusion which a priori might be surprising: the elimination of the magnetic core and the use of a primary super-conductor. An example of a possible realization of such a transformer is given as an indication, and the present prospects for different applications are considered. (author) [fr

  13. Effect of copper additions in tin molten pool on stability temperature and critical current of Nb3Sn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruzliak, J.; Hutka, P.; Tomasich, M.

    1979-01-01

    Tested is the effect of 55 at% copper addition into the tin bath on the stability temperature and crytical current of Nb 3 Sn, prepared by the diffusion method. It is shown that copper presence in the tin bath transfers the stability temperature of NbSn 2 and Nb 6 Sn 5 phases below the annealing temperature of 700 deg C. It results in Nb 3 Sn appearance at the annealing temperatures above 600 deg C. The critical current increase is explained as follows: lower Nb 3 Sn appearance temperatures provide fine-grained structure of superconducting Nb 3 Sn layer with greater density of binning centers and with higher critical current in accordance with NbSn prepared by the diffusion of pure tin into niobium

  14. Effect of increasing disorder on superconductivity of Mo/Nb superlattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereiro, Juan; Saerbeck, Thomas; Schuller, Ivan K

    2015-01-01

    We investigated the superconducting properties of Nb/Mo superlattices (SLs). The structural changes as a function of Nb and Mo layer thickness allow us to investigate the effect of disorder on the superconducting properties in a controlled fashion. Systematic structural studies provide quantitative measures of disorder parameters, such as roughness, interdiffusion, and strain, which allow separating their effect on the individual superconducting layers. The Mo critical temperature does not change as the layer thickness decreases below its coherence length. Thus, the SL critical temperatures in the presence of disorder and proximity effects can be modeled by considering only the effects of the Nb mean free path and coherence length. With increasing layer thickness, the SL critical temperatures approach Nb bulk values. Contrary to expectations the T c of Mo remains below the Nb T c . We discuss the results using existing theories based on Coulomb repulsion or changes in the density of states at the Fermi surface as a function of disorder. Questions about current understanding of the effect of disorder on superconductivity arise from the results. (paper)

  15. Effect of increasing disorder on superconductivity of Mo/Nb superlattices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereiro, Juan; Saerbeck, Thomas; Schuller, Ivan K.

    2015-08-01

    We investigated the superconducting properties of Nb/Mo superlattices (SLs). The structural changes as a function of Nb and Mo layer thickness allow us to investigate the effect of disorder on the superconducting properties in a controlled fashion. Systematic structural studies provide quantitative measures of disorder parameters, such as roughness, interdiffusion, and strain, which allow separating their effect on the individual superconducting layers. The Mo critical temperature does not change as the layer thickness decreases below its coherence length. Thus, the SL critical temperatures in the presence of disorder and proximity effects can be modeled by considering only the effects of the Nb mean free path and coherence length. With increasing layer thickness, the SL critical temperatures approach Nb bulk values. Contrary to expectations the Tc of Mo remains below the Nb Tc. We discuss the results using existing theories based on Coulomb repulsion or changes in the density of states at the Fermi surface as a function of disorder. Questions about current understanding of the effect of disorder on superconductivity arise from the results.

  16. Dislocation structure, aging processes and critical currents of vanadium-gallium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, V.M.; Beletskii, Yu.I.; Flis, V.S.; Firstov, S.A.; Sarzhan, G.F.

    1976-04-01

    An electron microscopical investigation of the structural and phase changes in vanadium-gallium alloys was carried out in the range of concentrations corresponding to a supersaturated mixed crystal with bcc lattice during plastic deformation and annealing. The determined data were compared with the measured results of the electrophysical and superconducting properties. It was shown that the deformed and aged vanadium-gallium samples at 4.2 K could conduct a dissipation-free transport current with a density of 8 x 10 3 A/cm 2 in the transversal magnetic field of 60 kOe. Based on the experimental results of the dislocation structure, the mechanism and kinetics of the separation process, conclusions were drawn as to the character of the exceeding of the critical current density in the presence of a magnetic field in these compounds. (orig.) [de

  17. Thermodynamic parameters of single- or multi-band superconductors derived from self-field critical currents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Talantsev, Evgueni [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); Crump, Wayne P.; Tallon, Jeffery L. [Robinson Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington, Lower Hutt (New Zealand); MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Lower Hutt (New Zealand)

    2017-12-15

    Key questions for any superconductor include: what is its maximum dissipation-free electrical current (its 'critical current') and can this be used to extract fundamental thermodynamic parameters? Present models focus on depinning of magnetic vortices and implicate materials engineering to maximise pinning performance. But recently we showed that the self-field critical current for thin films is a universal property, independent of microstructure, controlled only by the penetration depth. Here, using an extended BCS-like model, we calculate the penetration depth from the temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap thus allowing us to fit self-field critical current data. In this way we extract from the T-dependent gap a set of key thermodynamic parameters, the ground-state penetration depth, energy gap and jump in electronic specific heat. Our fits to 79 available data sets, from zinc nanowires to compressed sulphur hydride with critical temperatures of 0.65 to 203 K, respectively, are excellent and the extracted parameters agree well with reported bulk values. Samples include thin films, wires or nanowires of single- or multi-band s-wave and d-wave superconductors of either type I or type II. For multiband or multiphase samples we accurately recover individual band contributions and phase fractions. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  18. Detection of second harmonic of phase dependence of superconducting current in Nb/Au/YBCO heterojunctions

    CERN Document Server

    Komissinskij, F V; Ilichev, E V; Ivanov, Z G

    2001-01-01

    The results of the experimental study on the current phase dependence (CPD) of the heterotransitions, consisting of the niobium and the YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub x (YBCO) film with an additional interlayer from gold (Nb/Au/YBCO) are presented. The CPD measurement is carried out through the radiofrequency superconducting quantum interferometer. The CPD second harmonic is determined in the Nb/Au/YBCO heterotransitions. Possible causes of its appearance are discussed within the frames of the d +- s combined symmetry of the YBCO order parameter. One of the causes of the CPD second harmonic appearance is the twinning of the YBCO films (001). The second cause of existing the anomalously high critical current consists in the availability of the Nb/Au boundary with the transparence of approx 10 sup - sup 1 in the Nb/Au/YBCO

  19. Radio frequency-assisted fast superconducting switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solovyov, Vyacheslav; Li, Qiang

    2017-12-05

    A radio frequency-assisted fast superconducting switch is described. A superconductor is closely coupled to a radio frequency (RF) coil. To turn the switch "off," i.e., to induce a transition to the normal, resistive state in the superconductor, a voltage burst is applied to the RF coil. This voltage burst is sufficient to induce a current in the coupled superconductor. The combination of the induced current with any other direct current flowing through the superconductor is sufficient to exceed the critical current of the superconductor at the operating temperature, inducing a transition to the normal, resistive state. A by-pass MOSFET may be configured in parallel with the superconductor to act as a current shunt, allowing the voltage across the superconductor to drop below a certain value, at which time the superconductor undergoes a transition to the superconducting state and the switch is reset.

  20. Superconducting technology for overcurrent limiting in a 25 kA current injection system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heydari, Hossein; Faghihi, Faramarz; Sharifi, Reza; Poursoltanmohammadi, Amir Hossein [Center of Excellence for Power System Automation and Operation, Electrical Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: heydari@iust.ac.ir, E-mail: faramarz_faghihi@ee.iust.ac.ir, E-mail: reza_sharifi@ee.iust.ac.ir, E-mail: amirhosseinp@ee.iust.ac.ir

    2008-09-15

    Current injection transformer (CIT) systems are within the major group of the standard type test of high current equipment in the electrical industry, so their performance becomes very important. When designing high current systems, there are many factors to be considered from which their overcurrent protection must be ensured. The output of a CIT is wholly dependent on the impedance of the equipment under test (EUT). Therefore current flow beyond the allowable limit can occur. The present state of the art provides an important guide to developing current limiters not only for the grid application but also in industrial equipment. This paper reports the state of the art in the technology available that could be developed into an application of superconductivity for high current equipment (CIT) protection with no test disruption. This will result in a greater market choice and lower costs for equipment protection solutions, reduced costs and improved system reliability. The paper will also push the state of the art by using two distinctive circuits, closed-core and open-core, for overcurrent protection of a 25 kA CIT system, based on a flux-lock-type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) and magnetic properties of high temperature superconducting (HTS) elements. An appropriate location of the HTS element will enhance the rate of limitation with the help of the magnetic field generated by the CIT output busbars. The calculation of the HTS parameters for overcurrent limiting is also performed to suit the required current levels of the CIT.

  1. Superconducting technology for overcurrent limiting in a 25 kA current injection system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heydari, Hossein; Faghihi, Faramarz; Sharifi, Reza; Poursoltanmohammadi, Amir Hossein

    2008-09-01

    Current injection transformer (CIT) systems are within the major group of the standard type test of high current equipment in the electrical industry, so their performance becomes very important. When designing high current systems, there are many factors to be considered from which their overcurrent protection must be ensured. The output of a CIT is wholly dependent on the impedance of the equipment under test (EUT). Therefore current flow beyond the allowable limit can occur. The present state of the art provides an important guide to developing current limiters not only for the grid application but also in industrial equipment. This paper reports the state of the art in the technology available that could be developed into an application of superconductivity for high current equipment (CIT) protection with no test disruption. This will result in a greater market choice and lower costs for equipment protection solutions, reduced costs and improved system reliability. The paper will also push the state of the art by using two distinctive circuits, closed-core and open-core, for overcurrent protection of a 25 kA CIT system, based on a flux-lock-type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) and magnetic properties of high temperature superconducting (HTS) elements. An appropriate location of the HTS element will enhance the rate of limitation with the help of the magnetic field generated by the CIT output busbars. The calculation of the HTS parameters for overcurrent limiting is also performed to suit the required current levels of the CIT.

  2. Superconducting technology for overcurrent limiting in a 25 kA current injection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heydari, Hossein; Faghihi, Faramarz; Sharifi, Reza; Poursoltanmohammadi, Amir Hossein

    2008-01-01

    Current injection transformer (CIT) systems are within the major group of the standard type test of high current equipment in the electrical industry, so their performance becomes very important. When designing high current systems, there are many factors to be considered from which their overcurrent protection must be ensured. The output of a CIT is wholly dependent on the impedance of the equipment under test (EUT). Therefore current flow beyond the allowable limit can occur. The present state of the art provides an important guide to developing current limiters not only for the grid application but also in industrial equipment. This paper reports the state of the art in the technology available that could be developed into an application of superconductivity for high current equipment (CIT) protection with no test disruption. This will result in a greater market choice and lower costs for equipment protection solutions, reduced costs and improved system reliability. The paper will also push the state of the art by using two distinctive circuits, closed-core and open-core, for overcurrent protection of a 25 kA CIT system, based on a flux-lock-type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) and magnetic properties of high temperature superconducting (HTS) elements. An appropriate location of the HTS element will enhance the rate of limitation with the help of the magnetic field generated by the CIT output busbars. The calculation of the HTS parameters for overcurrent limiting is also performed to suit the required current levels of the CIT

  3. Transport through hybrid superconducting/normal nanostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Futterer, David

    2013-01-29

    study transport through proximized interacting quantum dots. Not only does a finite superconducting gap give rise to renormalization effects but also the coupling to the normal lead can evoke renormalizations. To explore these we calculate the correction terms arising from the coupling to the normal lead and identify renormalizations of the 0-{pi} transitions of the Josephson current, the extrema of the Andreev current, and the average dot charge. In the previous works the occurring normal conducting leads are assumed to be metallic so that the shape of the band structure can be neglected. If the normal conducting region is a semiconductor, the shape of the band structure plays an important role. In our last calculation we consider a p-type semiconductor-superconductor interface and study oblique injections of light holes and heavy holes. Solving the Bogolyubov-de Gennes equations for a 6 x 6 Kane model we find that light holes and heavy holes can be Andreev reflected and in this process converted into each other. Moreover, in perpendicular incidence heavy holes cannot be Andreev reflected. Two types of critical angles occur. First, a critical angle above which conversion-less Andreev reflection is no longer possible and, second, a critical angle above which heavy holes cannot be converted into light holes anymore.

  4. Transport through hybrid superconducting/normal nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Futterer, David

    2013-01-01

    study transport through proximized interacting quantum dots. Not only does a finite superconducting gap give rise to renormalization effects but also the coupling to the normal lead can evoke renormalizations. To explore these we calculate the correction terms arising from the coupling to the normal lead and identify renormalizations of the 0-π transitions of the Josephson current, the extrema of the Andreev current, and the average dot charge. In the previous works the occurring normal conducting leads are assumed to be metallic so that the shape of the band structure can be neglected. If the normal conducting region is a semiconductor, the shape of the band structure plays an important role. In our last calculation we consider a p-type semiconductor-superconductor interface and study oblique injections of light holes and heavy holes. Solving the Bogolyubov-de Gennes equations for a 6 x 6 Kane model we find that light holes and heavy holes can be Andreev reflected and in this process converted into each other. Moreover, in perpendicular incidence heavy holes cannot be Andreev reflected. Two types of critical angles occur. First, a critical angle above which conversion-less Andreev reflection is no longer possible and, second, a critical angle above which heavy holes cannot be converted into light holes anymore.

  5. Electromechanical characterization of superconducting wires and tapes at 77 K

    CERN Document Server

    Bjoerstad, Roger

    The strain dependency of the critical current in state-of-the-art cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) has been characterized. A universal test machine (UTM) combined with a critical current measurement system has been used to characterize the mechanical and the superconducting properties of conductors immersed in an open liquid nitrogen dewar. A set-up has been developed in order to perform simultaneous measurements of the superconductor lattice parameter changes, critical current, as well as the stress and strain at 77 K in self-field in a high energy synchrotron beamline. The HTS tapes and wires studied were based on YBCO, Bi-2223 and Bi-2212. The YBCO tapes were produced by SuperPower and American Superconductors (AMSC). Two types of Bi-2223 tapes, HT and G, were produced by Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI). The Bi-2212 wires were produced by Oxford Superconducting Technology (OST) using Nexans granulate precursor, before undergoing a specialized over pressure (OP) processing and heat treatmen...

  6. Superconducting ''wiggler'' for the VEPP-3 storage ring and its effect on particle motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkov, L.M.; Baryshev, V.B.; Kulipanov, G.N.; Mezentsev, N.A.; Pindyurin, V.F.; Skrinskij, A.N.; Khorev, V.M.; Sheromov, M.A.

    1979-01-01

    To improve characteristics of synchrotron radiation, a superconducting S-type device has been developed and tested, which produces a sign-variable periodic magnetic field with an amplitude of 35 kGs and a half-period of 4.5 cm in the staight section of the VEPP-3 storage ring. The magnetic S-type device comprises 20 superconducting magnets (SCM) connected in series. SCM windings are made of NbTi multicore cables with a diameter of 0.7 mm and a glass fabric impregnated with an epoxy compound. The test results showed that the number of superconductivity disruptions for an operating current of 210 A constitutes 3 or 4 per a SCM, with the magnet critical current increasing from 130-150 A to 210-230 A and reaching a value of 0.9-0.95 of the measured critical current of short superconductor samples

  7. Development of Nb3Sn AC superconducting wire. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasahara, Hobun; Torii, Shinji; Akita, Shirabe; Ueda, Kiyotaka; Kubota, Yoji; Yasohama, Kazuhiko; Kobayashi, Hisayasu; Ogasawara, Takeshi.

    1993-01-01

    For the realization of superconducting power apparatus, it is important that the development of highly stable superconducting cables. Nb 3 Sn wire has higher critical temperature than NbTi wire. Therefore, it is possible to make highly stable superconducting wires. In this report, we examine a manufacturing process of Ac Nb 3 Sn wire. This manufacturing process has four times higher critical current density than conventional processes. We have made a 400 kVA class AC coil with React and Wind method. The loss density of this coil was 20MW/m 3 at just before the quench. In this case, the temperature of cable increased about 3.8 K. This means that the Nb 3 Sn coil has a very high stability. (author)

  8. Analysis of eddy current loss in high-Tc superconducting power cables with respect to various structure of stabilizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, S. J.; Song, M. K.; Lee, S. J.; Cho, J. W.; Sim, K. D.

    2005-01-01

    The High-Tc superconducting power cable consists of a multi-layer high-Tc superconducting cable core and a stabilizer which is used to bypass the current at fault time. Eddy current loss is generated in the stabilizer in normal operating condition and affects the whole system. In this paper, the eddy current losses are analyzed with respect to various structure of stabilizer by using opera-3d. Moreover, optimal conditions of the stabilizer are derived to minimize the eddy current losses from the analyzed results. The obtained results could be applied to the design and manufacture of the high-Tc superconducting power cable system.

  9. Superconductivity

    CERN Document Server

    Poole, Charles P; Creswick, Richard J; Prozorov, Ruslan

    2014-01-01

    Superconductivity, Third Edition is an encyclopedic treatment of all aspects of the subject, from classic materials to fullerenes. Emphasis is on balanced coverage, with a comprehensive reference list and significant graphics from all areas of the published literature. Widely used theoretical approaches are explained in detail. Topics of special interest include high temperature superconductors, spectroscopy, critical states, transport properties, and tunneling. This book covers the whole field of superconductivity from both the theoretical and the experimental point of view. This third edition features extensive revisions throughout, and new chapters on second critical field and iron based superconductors.

  10. Aharanov--Bohm currents in thin superconducting cylinders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunstatter, G.; Revzen, M.; Trainor, L.E.H.

    1983-01-01

    The Aharanov--Bohm effect is the influence of classically inaccessible electromagnetic fields on quantum wave functions. In this paper we consider the Ginsburg--Landau (GL) equations for the stationary states of a thin, superconducting cylinder in the presence of a curl-free, static electromagnetic potential corresponding to zero fields. We solve the GL equations explicitly to obtain self-consistent solutions for the current density, the induced field and the free energy in a well-defined and accessible approximation. The analysis makes quantitative predictions which can, in principle, be experimentally tested to provide a clear and convincing demonstration of the Aharanov--Bohm effect

  11. Nb/sub 3/Sn critical-current measurements using tubular fiberglass-epoxy mandrels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodrich, L.F.; Bray, S.L.; Stauffer, T.C.

    1989-01-01

    A systematic study of the effect of sample mounting techniques on the superconducting critical-current measurement was made in conjunction with the VAMAS (Versailles Agreement on Advanced Materials and Standards) interlaboratory comparison (round robin) measurements. A seemingly small change in mandrel geometry can result in a 40% change in the measured critical current of a Nb/sub 3/Sn sample at 12 T. This is a result of a change in the conductor pre-strain at 4 K caused by variation in thermal contraction between thick- and thin-walled fiberglass-epoxy composite (G-10) tubes. An approximate measure of the variations in thermal contraction (from room to liquid nitrogen temperature) indicate a 0.2% greater contraction for the thick-walled tube. This difference, combined with strain sensitivity measurements, is consistent with the observed decrease in critical current. Previous publications on thermal contraction of G-10 have addressed the plate geometry, but not the tube geometry. The contraction of a G-10 plate is highly anisotropic. The radial contraction of a tube is different than the contraction of a plate, however, because the circumferential fiberglass is put into hoop compression by the epoxy, and the resulting contraction is a competition between the two structural components. This appears to be the source of the variation in thermal contraction with tube wall thickness

  12. Theory and application of high temperature superconducting eddy current probes for nondestructive evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claycomb, James Ronald

    1998-10-01

    Several High-T c Superconducting (HTS) eddy current probes have been developed for applications in electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of conducting materials. The probes utilize high-T c SUperconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometers to detect the fields produced by the perturbation of induced eddy currents resulting from subsurface flaws. Localized HTS shields are incorporated to selectively screen out environmental electromagnetic interference and enable movement of the instrument in the Earth's magnetic field. High permeability magnetic shields are employed to focus flux into, and thereby increase the eddy current density in the metallic test samples. NDE test results are presented, in which machined flaws in aluminum alloy are detected by probes of different design. A novel current injection technique performing NDE of wires using SQUIDs is also discussed. The HTS and high permeability shields are designed based on analytical and numerical finite element method (FEM) calculations presented here. Superconducting and high permeability magnetic shields are modeled in uniform noise fields and in the presence of dipole fields characteristic of flaw signals. Several shield designs are characterized in terms of (1) their ability to screen out uniform background noise fields; (2) the resultant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio and (3) the extent to which dipole source fields are distorted. An analysis of eddy current induction is then presented for low frequency SQUID NDE. Analytical expressions are developed for the induced eddy currents and resulting magnetic fields produced by excitation sources above conducting plates of varying thickness. The expressions derived here are used to model the SQUID's response to material thinning. An analytical defect model is also developed, taking into account the attenuation of the defect field through the conducting material, as well as the current flow around the edges of the flaw. Time harmonic

  13. Choice of sample size for high transport critical current density in a granular superconductor: percolation versus self-field effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mulet, R.; Diaz, O.; Altshuler, E.

    1997-01-01

    The percolative character of the current paths and the self-field effects were considered to estimate optimal sample dimensions for the transport current of a granular superconductor by means of a Monte Carlo algorithm and critical-state model calculations. We showed that, under certain conditions, self-field effects are negligible and the J c dependence on sample dimensions is determined by the percolative character of the current. Optimal dimensions are demonstrated to be a function of the fraction of superconducting phase in the sample. (author)

  14. Superconducting digital logic amplifier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Przybysz, J.X.

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes a superconducting digital logic amplifier for interfacing between a Josephson junction logic circuit having output current and a higher voltage semiconductor circuit input. The amplifier comprising: an input terminal for connection to a; an output terminal for connection to a semiconductor circuit input; an input, lower critical current, Josephson junction having first and second terminals; a first series string of at least three lower critical current Josephson junctions. The first series string being connected to the first terminal of the input Josephson junction such that the first series string is in series with the input Josephson junction to provide a series combination. The input terminal being connected to the first terminal of the input Josephson junction, and with the critical current of the lower critical current Josephson junctions of the input Josephson junction and the first series Josephson junctions being less than the output current of the low voltage Josephson junction circuit; a second series string of at least four higher critical current Josephson junctions. The second string being connected in parallel with the series combination to provide parallel strings having an upper common connection and a lower common connection. The lower common connection being connected to the second terminal of the input Josephson junction and the upper common connection being connected to the output terminal; and a pulsed DC current source connected the parallel strings at the upper common connection. The DC current source having a current at least equal to the critical current of the higher critical current Josephson junctions

  15. Critical current density of MgB2 thin films and the effect of interface pinning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Eun-Mi; Gupta, S K; Sen, Shashwati; Lee, Hyun-Sook; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Lee, Sung-Ik

    2004-01-01

    Preferentially oriented MgB 2 thin films with c-axis normal to the surface have been prepared and characterized for microstructure and transport properties. The magnetic field dependence of superconducting critical current density J c has been determined from the magnetization hysteresis (M-H) loops at various temperatures using the Bean's critical state model. High J c of these films show their potential for applications. We have also measured the angular dependences of J c . The angular dependence is seen to be in agreement with the anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau model except that at angles close to the ab plane, increased pinning due to film-substrate interaction is observed. The angular range where interface pinning is effective has been determined by measurement of asymmetry in dissipation on reversal of current for fields applied at angles close to the ab plane

  16. Application of RF Superconductivity to High-Current Linac

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, K.C.D.

    1998-01-01

    In 1997, the authors initiated a development program in Los Alamos for high-current superconducting proton-linac technology to build prototypes components of this linac to demonstrate the feasibility. The authors are building 700-MHz niobium cavities with elliptical shapes, as well as power couplers to transfer high RF power to these cavities. The cavities and power couplers will be integrated in cryostats as linac cryomodules. In this paper, they describe the linac design and the status of the development program

  17. Possibility of material cost reduction toward development of low-cost second-generation superconducting wires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ichinose, Ataru; Horii, Shigeru; Doi, Toshiya

    2017-10-01

    Two approaches to reducing the material cost of second-generation superconducting wires are proposed in this paper: (1) instead of the electrical stabilizing layers of silver and copper presently used on the superconducting layer, a Nb-doped SrTiO3 conductive buffer layer and cube-textured Cu are proposed as an advanced architecture, and (2) the use of an electromagnetic (EM) steel tape as a metal substrate of coated conductors in a conventional architecture. In structures fabricated without using electrical stabilizing layers on the superconducting layer, the critical current density achieved at 77 K in a self-field was approximately 2.6 MA/cm2. On the other hand, in the case of using EM steel tapes, although the critical current density was far from practical at the current stage, the biaxial alignment of YBa2Cu3O y (YBCO) and buffer layers was realized without oxidation on the metal surface. In this study, the possibility of material cost reduction has been strongly indicated toward the development of low-cost second-generation superconducting wires in the near future.

  18. Non-superconducting persistent currents. Des courants permanents mais pas supraconducteurs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benoit, A; Mailly, D

    1993-03-01

    Forecasted ten years ago a quantum effect is evidenced: persistent currents in small non-superconducting loops in a magnetic field at low temperature. The loop (diameter 2.5 micrometer) is etched in a semiconducting structure GaAs/GaAlAs, where the coherence length is 25 [mu]m, the current is measured with a squid on the same chip, a value of 4 nano amps is found which agrees well with the theoretical value of 5 nA.

  19. Enhanced critical currents in (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes with high levels of Zr addition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Selvamanickam, V; Chen, Y; Shi, T; Liu, Y; Khatri, ND; Liu, J; Yao, Y; Xiong, X; Lei, C; Soloveichik, S; Galstyan, E; Majkic, G

    2013-01-21

    The critical current and structural properties of (Gd,Y)BaCuO tapes made by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with Zr addition levels up to 30 at.% have been investigated. The reduction in critical current beyond the previously optimized Zr addition level of 7.5 at.% was found to be due to structural deterioration of the (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox film. By a modified MOCVD process,enhanced critical current densities have been achieved with high levels of Zr addition,including 3.83 MA cm(-2) in 15 at.% Zr- added 1.1 mu m thick film at 77 K in zero magnetic field. Critical currents as high as 1072 A/ 12 mm have been reached in (Gd,Y) BaCuO tapes with 15 at.% Zr addition at 30 K in a field of 3 T applied perpendicular to the tape,corresponding to a pinning force value of 268 GN m(-3). The enhanced critical currents achievable with a high density of nanoscale defects by employing high levels of second- phase additions enable the performance targets needed for the use of HTS tapes in coil applications involving high magnetic fields at temperatures below 50 K to be met.

  20. Enhanced critical currents in (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes with high levels of Zr addition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selvamanickam, V; Shi, T; Liu, Y; Khatri, N D; Liu, J; Yao, Y; Galstyan, E; Majkic, G; Chen, Y; Xiong, X; Lei, C; Soloveichik, S

    2013-01-01

    The critical current and structural properties of (Gd,Y)BaCuO tapes made by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with Zr addition levels up to 30 at.% have been investigated. The reduction in critical current beyond the previously optimized Zr addition level of 7.5 at.% was found to be due to structural deterioration of the (Gd,Y)Ba 2 Cu 3 O x film. By a modified MOCVD process, enhanced critical current densities have been achieved with high levels of Zr addition, including 3.83 MA cm −2 in 15 at.% Zr-added 1.1 μm thick film at 77 K in zero magnetic field. Critical currents as high as 1072 A/12 mm have been reached in (Gd,Y)BaCuO tapes with 15 at.% Zr addition at 30 K in a field of 3 T applied perpendicular to the tape, corresponding to a pinning force value of 268 GN m −3 . The enhanced critical currents achievable with a high density of nanoscale defects by employing high levels of second-phase additions enable the performance targets needed for the use of HTS tapes in coil applications involving high magnetic fields at temperatures below 50 K to be met. (paper)

  1. Critical current, pinning and resistive state of superconducting single-crystal niobium with different types of defect structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolenko, V.I.; Starodubov, Ya.D.

    2005-01-01

    Critical current pinning and resistive state of single crystal niobium of texture orientation are studied for different structural states obtained by rolling at 20 K by 42% and polishing the surface layers. It is found that the heterogeneous structures typical of the strained sample even after its thinning down to approx 10% display a lower current-carrying capability due to an increase of the thermomagnetic instability within the fragmented structure sections in the near-surface layers. For a homogeneous defect structure of the sample core with the density of equilibrium distributed dislocations of 1.3 centre dot 10 11 cm -2 , a correlation between the normal current density and the critical current density in the resistive state is found, in agreement with the concepts of flux creep due to the scatter of local values of J c

  2. Pressure-induced unconventional superconductivity near a quantum critical point in CaFe2As2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawasaki, S; Tabuchi, T; Zheng Guoqing; Wang, X F; Chen, X H

    2010-01-01

    75 As-zero-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) measurements are performed on CaFe 2 As 2 under pressure. At P = 4.7 and 10.8 kbar, the temperature dependencies of nuclear-spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T 1 ) measured in the tetragonal phase show no coherence peak just below T c (P) and decrease with decreasing temperature. The superconductivity is gapless at P = 4.7 kbar but evolves to that with multiple gaps at P = 10.8 kbar. We find that the superconductivity appears near a quantum critical point under pressures in the range 4.7 kbar ≤ P ≤ 10.8 kbar. Both electron correlation and superconductivity disappear in the collapsed tetragonal phase. A systematic study under pressure indicates that electron correlations play a vital role in forming Cooper pairs in this compound.

  3. Alternating current loss characteristics in (bismuth,lead)SCCO and yttrium barium copper oxide superconducting tapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Doan Ngoc

    Alternating current (AC) loss and current carrying capacity are two of the most crucial considerations in large-scale power applications of high temperature superconducting (HTS) conductors. AC losses result in an increased thermal load for cooling machines, and thus increased operating costs. Furthermore, AC losses can stimulate quenching phenomena or at least decrease the stability margin for superconducting devices. Thus, understanding AC losses is essential for the development of HTS AC applications. The main focus of this dissertation is to make reliable total AC loss measurements and interpret the experimental results in a theoretical framework. With a specially designed magnet, advanced total AC loss measurement system in liquid nitrogen (77 K) has been successfully built. Both calorimetric and electromagnetic methods were employed to confirm the validity of the measured results and to have a more thorough understanding of AC loss in HTS conductors. The measurement is capable of measuring total AC loss in HTS tapes over a wide range of frequency and amplitude of transport current and magnetic field. An accurate phase control technique allows measurement of total AC loss with any phase difference between the transport current and magnetic field by calorimetric method. In addition, a novel total AC loss measurement system with variable temperatures from 30 K to 100 K was successfully built and tested. Understanding the dependence of AC losses on temperature will enable optimization of the operating temperature and design of HTS devices. As a part of the dissertation, numerical calculations using Brandt's model were developed to study electrodynamics and total AC loss in HTS conductors. In the calculations, the superconducting electrical behavior is assumed to follow a power-law model. In general, the practical properties of conductors, including field-dependence of critical current density Jc, n-value and non-uniform distribution of Jc, can be accounted for in

  4. Superconductivity revisited

    CERN Document Server

    Dougherty, Ralph

    2013-01-01

    While the macroscopic phenomenon of superconductivity is well known and in practical use worldwide in many industries, including MRIs in medical diagnostics, the current theoretical paradigm for superconductivity (BCS theory) suffers from a number of limitations, not the least of which is an adequate explanation of high temperature superconductivity. This book reviews the current theory and its limitations and suggests new ideas and approaches in addressing these issues. The central objective of the book is to develop a new, coherent, understandable theory of superconductivity directly based on molecular quantum mechanics.

  5. Characteristics of persistent-current mode of HTS coil on superconducting electromagnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, C.Y.; Kim, J.; Han, Y.J.; Kang, B.; Chung, Y.D.; Yoon, Y.S.; Chu, S.Y.; Hwang, Y.J.; Jo, H.C.; Jang, J.Y.; Ko, T.K.

    2011-01-01

    The levitation gap of an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system affects the current decay rate of superconducting electromagnet. The presence of iron core provides a significant benefit in the PCM performance of SC coil. The increased levitation gap of the EMS model with the SC-EM could negatively affect the design of SC-EM operated in PCM. This paper investigates the way in which the levitation gap of an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system affects the current decay rate of superconducting electromagnet (SC-EM) operated in persistence-current mode (PCM). Using inductance analyzed from the magnetic circuit of an EMS model, the current decay rate caused by the variation in the levitation gap was simulated. In order to experimentally verify the simulation results, we fabricated a small-scale EMS model with SC coil operated in PCM and measured the current decay rates at different levitation gaps. The result showed that the presence of iron core provides a significant benefit in the PCM performance of SC coil, but the benefit decreased as the levitation gap increases. This study revealed that the increased levitation gap of the EMS model with the SC-EM could negatively affect the design of SC-EM operated in PCM.

  6. Superconductivity at the industrial scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tixador, P.; Lebrun, Ph.

    2011-01-01

    The discovery of superconductivity is 100 years old but theoretical works are still necessary: the BCS theory does not apply to the new families of high temperature superconducting materials discovered after 1986. In 2001 it was discovered that MgB 2 is superconducting at 39 K, this critical temperature is not the highest but MgB 2 is easy to produce and cheap. Today's highest critical temperature under atmospheric pressure is that of the HgTlBaCaCuO compound: 138 K. The complexity and the cost of cryogenic systems restrain the applications of superconductivity. The author reviews the applications of superconducting in medical imaging, particle detectors, and in the safety systems of power networks. (A.C.)

  7. Improvement in operational characteristics of KEPCO’s line-commutation-type superconducting hybrid fault current limiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yim, S.-W.; Park, B.-C.; Jeong, Y.-T.; Kim, Y.-J.; Yang, S.-E.; Kim, W.-S.; Kim, H.-R.; Du, H.-I.

    2013-01-01

    A 22.9 kV class hybrid fault current limiter (FCL) developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation and LS Industrial Systems in 2006 operates using the line commutation mechanism and begins to limit the fault current after the first half-cycle. The first peak of the fault current is available for protective coordination in the power system. However, it also produces a large electromagnetic force and imposes a huge stress on power facilities such as the main transformer and gas-insulated switchgear. In this study, we improved the operational characteristics of the hybrid FCL in order to reduce the first peak of the fault current. While maintaining the structure of the hybrid FCL system, we developed a superconducting module that detects and limits the fault current during the first half-cycle. To maintain the protective coordination capacity, the hybrid FCL was designed to reduce the first peak value of the fault current by up to approximately 30%. The superconducting module was also designed to produce a minimum AC loss, generating a small, uniform magnetic field distribution during normal operation. Performance tests confirmed that when applied to the hybrid FCL, the superconducting module showed successful current limiting operation without any damage.

  8. Analysis of persistent current in the superconducting magnets on an EDS Maglev vehicle for high-speed passenger transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azukizawa, Teruo [R and D Center, Toshiba Corp. (Japan)

    1996-12-31

    In an electrodynamic suspension system using superconducting magnets, an air core system is employed to effectively use strong magnetic fields produced by the superconducting magnets. This paper proposes an analysis method for the fluctuating persistent current in an superconducting soil, considering electromagnetic effects of the conductive cryostat. (HW)

  9. Test results of a 5 kW fully superconducting homopolar motor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, J. K. [Woosuk University, Wanju (Korea, Republic of); Park, S. H.; Kim, Y.; Lee, S.; Joo, H. G.; Kim, W. S.; Choi, K. [Korea Polytechnic University,Siheong (Korea, Republic of); Hahm, S. Y. [Electrical Engineering and Science Research Institute,Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    The superconducting Homopolar motor is manufactured and tested. Homopolar motor system is simple and solid as the field coil of the motor is fixed near the stator coil without rotating system. In this paper, a 5 kW fully superconducting homopolar motor which has high temperature superconducting armature and field coils is manufactured and tested in liquid nitrogen. The critical current test results of the used 2G superconducting wire, pancake coil for rotor winding and race-track coils for armature winding are reported. Also, the test result of rotating and operating performance is presented. The operating frequency is to be 5 Hz for low-speed rotating. The developed fully superconducting Homopolar motor is the world's first.

  10. Test results of a 5 kW fully superconducting homopolar motor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, J. K.; Park, S. H.; Kim, Y.; Lee, S.; Joo, H. G.; Kim, W. S.; Choi, K.; Hahm, S. Y.

    2013-01-01

    The superconducting Homopolar motor is manufactured and tested. Homopolar motor system is simple and solid as the field coil of the motor is fixed near the stator coil without rotating system. In this paper, a 5 kW fully superconducting homopolar motor which has high temperature superconducting armature and field coils is manufactured and tested in liquid nitrogen. The critical current test results of the used 2G superconducting wire, pancake coil for rotor winding and race-track coils for armature winding are reported. Also, the test result of rotating and operating performance is presented. The operating frequency is to be 5 Hz for low-speed rotating. The developed fully superconducting Homopolar motor is the world's first.

  11. A motor with superconducting magnetic bearings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gladun, A.; Stoye, P.; Verges, P.; Gawalek, W.; Habisreuther, T.; Goernert, P.

    1993-01-01

    Superconducting bearings may be one of the most promising near term applications of HTSC. For use at liquid nitrogen temperature and below, they offer the advantage of lower energy consumption and higher reliability. Different bearing configurations have been proposed. But in order to substitute for conventional bearings a further increase in the critical current density of the superconductor and improved bearing concepts are necessary. For this it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the interaction between permanent magnets and bulk superconductors. As a contribution to this programme we present the model of a motor with superconducting magnetic bearings. (orig.)

  12. Large critical current density improvement in Bi-2212 wires through the groove-rolling process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malagoli, A; Bernini, C; Braccini, V; Romano, G; Putti, M; Chaud, X; Debray, F

    2013-01-01

    Recently there has been a growing interest in Bi-2212 superconductor round wire for high magnetic field use despite the fact that an increase of the critical current is still needed to boost its successful use in such applications. Recent studies have demonstrated that the main obstacle to current flow, especially in long wires, is the residual porosity inside these powder-in-tube processed conductors that develops from bubble agglomeration when the Bi-2212 melts. In this work we tried to overcome this issue affecting the wire densification by changing the deformation process. Here we show the effects of groove rolling versus the drawing process on the critical current density J C and on the microstructure. In particular, groove-rolled multifilamentary wires show a J C increased by a factor of about 3 with respect to drawn wires prepared with the same Bi-2212 powder and architecture. We think that this approach in the deformation process is able to produce the required improvements both because the superconducting properties are enhanced and because it makes the fabrication process faster and cheaper. (paper)

  13. Active superconducting DC fault current limiter based on flux compensation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Jing; Tang Yuejin; Wang, Chen; Zhou Yusheng; Li Jingdong; Ren Li; Chen Shijie

    2006-01-01

    With the extensive application of DC power systems, suppression of DC fault current is an important subject that guarantees system security. This paper presents an active superconducting DC fault current limiter (DC-SFCL) based on flux compensation. The DC-SFCL is composed of two superconducting windings wound on a single iron core, the primary winding is in series with DC power system, and the second winding is connected with AC power system through a PWM converter. In normal operating state, the flux in the iron core is compensated to zero, and the SFCL has no influence on DC power system. In the case of DC system accident, through regulating the active power exchange between the SFCL's second winding and the AC power system, the current on the DC side can be limited to different level complying with the system demand. Moreover, the PWM converter that interface the DC system and AC system can be controlled as a reactive power source to supply voltage support for the AC side, which has little influence on the performance of SFCL. Using MATLAB SIMULINK, the mathematic model of the DC-SFCL is created, simulation results validate the dynamics of system, and the performance of DC-SFCL is confirmed

  14. Development of large high current density superconducting solenoid magnets for use in high energy physics experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.

    1977-05-01

    The development of a unique type of large superconducting solenoid magnet, characterized by very high current density windings and a two-phase helium tubular cooling system is described. The development of the magnet's conceptual design and the construction of two test solenoids are described. The successful test of the superconducting coil and its tubular cooling refrigeration system is presented. The safety, environmental and economic impacts of the test program on future developments in high energy physics are shown. Large solid angle particle detectors for colliding beam physics will analyze both charged and neutral particles. In many cases, these detectors will require neutral particles, such as gamma rays, to pass through the magnet coil with minimum interaction. The magnet coils must be as thin as possible. The use of superconducting windings allows one to minimize radiation thickness, while at the same time maximizing charged particle momentum resolution and saving substantial quantities of electrical energy. The results of the experimental measurements show that large high current density solenoid magnets can be made to operate at high stored energies. The superconducting magnet development described has a positive safety and environmental impact. The use of large high current density thin superconducting solenoids has been proposed in two high energy physics experiments to be conducted at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Cornell University as a result of the successful experiments described

  15. Current redistribution effects on superconducting d.c, and microwave measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barra, M; Cassinese, A; Vaglio, R

    2006-01-01

    In the last two decades, non conventional behavior of the d.c. transport properties of superconductors, with the appearance of anomalous peaks at the transition, have been investigated and interpreted in different ways. In several cases it was recognized that the behavior can be due to current redistribution effects related to the non-homogeneous nature of the measured superconducting sample. In this paper we will briefly review and discuss these effects and, referring to simple concentrated constant equivalent circuits, we will show that sample non-homogeneity can produce the observed features. Then, in the same framework, by performing specific simulations on planar resonators, we will show that anomalous peaks in temperature dependence of the resonant frequency and of the extracted surface reactance can occur at the transition temperature of minority, lower Tc, superconducting phases

  16. Conductive polymer switch for controlling superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDevitt, J.T.; Haupt, S.G.; Riley, D.R.; Zhao, J.; Grassi, J.; Lo, K.; Jones, C.

    1994-01-01

    The preparation of a hybrid conducting polymer/high-temperature superconductor device consisting of a polypyrrole coated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-σ microbridge is reported. Electrochemical techniques are exploited to alter the oxidation state of the polymer and, in doing so, it is found for the first time that superconductivity can be modulated in a controllable and reproducible fashion by a polymer layout. Whereas the neutral (insulating) polypyrrole only slightly influences the electrical properties of the underlying YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-σ film, the oxidized (conductive) polymer depresses T c by up to 50K. In a similar fashion, the oxidation state of the polymer is found to reversibly modulate the magnitude of J c , the superconducting critical current. Thus, a new type of molecule switch for controlling superconductivity is demonstrated

  17. Advanced superconducting materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fluekiger, R.

    1983-11-01

    The superconducting properties of various materials are reviewed in view of their use in high field magnets. The critical current densities above 12 T of conductors based on NbN or PbMo 6 S 8 are compared to those of the most advanced practical conductors based on alloyed by Nb 3 Sn. Different aspects of the mechanical reinforcement of high field conductors, rendered necessary by the strong Lorentz forces (e.g. in fusion magnets), are discussed. (orig.) [de

  18. Contactless determination of critical current density of superconducting films

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Janů, Zdeněk; Švindrych, Zdeněk; Baničová, L.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 22, č. 3 (2012), "9500804-1"-"9500804-4" ISSN 1051-8223 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) ME10069 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : ac susceptibility * critical state * thin films Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.199, year: 2012

  19. Model for an irreversible bias current in the superconducting qubit measurement process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hutchinson, G. D.; Williams, D. A.; Holmes, C. A.; Stace, T. M.; Spiller, T. P.; Barrett, S. D.; Milburn, G. J.; Hasko, D. G.

    2006-01-01

    The superconducting charge-phase ''quantronium'' qubit is considered in order to develop a model for the measurement process used in the experiment of Vion et al. [Science 296, 886 (2002)]. For this model we propose a method for including the bias current in the readout process in a fundamentally irreversible way, which to first order is approximated by the Josephson junction tilted-washboard potential phenomenology. The decohering bias current is introduced in the form of a Lindblad operator and the Wigner function for the current-biased readout Josephson junction is derived and analyzed. During the readout current pulse used in the quantronium experiment we find that the coherence of the qubit initially prepared in a symmetric superposition state is lost at a time of 0.2 ns after the bias current pulse has been applied, a time scale that is much shorter than the experimental readout time. Additionally we look at the effect of Johnson-Nyquist noise with zero mean from the current source during the qubit manipulation and show that the decoherence due to the irreversible bias current description is an order of magnitude smaller than that found through adding noise to the reversible tilted-washboard potential model. Our irreversible bias current model is also applicable to persistent-current-based qubits where the state is measured according to its flux via a small-inductance direct-current superconducting quantum interference device

  20. Preparing superconducting nanopowder based YBCO/Ag tapes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paturi, P.; Raittila, J.; Grivel, J.C.

    2002-01-01

    YBCO nanopowder consisting of 1-3 nm thick and 40 nm wide particles has been used to make silver clad superconducting tapes. After annealing in nitrogen at 945 degreesC for 10 h a critical current of 5.02 A (3300 A/cm(2)) was attained, Annealing in mixed atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen was also...... carried out and this procedure produced tapes with a critical current of 2.83 A (2200 A/cm(2)). These tapes show very good characteristics in magnetic fields. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved....

  1. Superconducting properties of Ca1−xRExFe2As2 (RE: Rare Earths)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamegai, T.; Ding, Q.P.; Ishibashi, T.; Nakajima, Y.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Superconducting properties in rare-earth doped CaFe 2 As 2 single crystals are characterized. ► Sharp resistive transitions with small anisotropy parameter of ∼1.75 are observed. ► Average critical current density is much smaller than other iron-based superconductors. ► Magneto-optical imaging confirms very inhomogeneous superconducting state. -- Abstract: We have grown rare-earth doped CaFe 2 As 2 single crystals and characterized their normal and superconducting properties. Temperature dependence of resistivity and its absolute value suggest good metallic conduction, suppressing antiferromagnetic (AF) transition in the undoped sample. Hall coefficient shows little temperature dependence, consistent with the suppression AF state. Superconducting transitions characterized by resistivity drops in magnetic fields for both parallel to c-axis and ab-plane are reasonably sharp with a weak anisotropy parameter ∼1.75. Despite these observations, average critical current density estimated from the bulk magnetization is orders of magnitude smaller than other typical iron-based superconductors. Magneto-optical imaging confirms very inhomogeneous superconducting state

  2. THE NIOBIUM-THORIUM EUTECTIC ALLOY AS A HIGH-FIELD, HIGH-CURRENT SUPERCONDUCTOR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cline, H. E.; Rose, R. M.; Wulff, J.

    1963-03-15

    Niobium-thorium eutectic alloys having fine acicuiar microstructures were produced by fast cooling frorn a vacuum melt. Although the solidified material was normal, continuity between the superconducting niobium-rich phase, which was essentially pure niobium, was attained by plastic deformation at room temperature. The resulting wire was tested for critical current at 4.2 deg K, in transverse magnetic fields up to 82.5 kilogauss; at the highest field, critical current densities of slightly more than 10/sup 4/ amps per square centimeter were observed. The critical current density was independent of applied field from 20 kilogauss to the highest field used; the level of critical current density depended on diameter in a manner that suggested dependence on cold work. It was concluded that the cold work reduced the thickness of the needles of niobium below the superconducting penetration depth, and brought them sufficiently close together to allow the superconducting correlation to interconnect the niobium, in the manner suggested by Cooper; furthermore, the constant critical current region may possibly extend to considerably higher fields. (auth)

  3. Current distribution inside Rutherford-type superconducting cables and impact on performance of LHC dipoles

    CERN Document Server

    Schreiner, T

    2002-01-01

    The windings of high--field superconducting accelerator magnets are usually made of Rutherford--type cables. The magnetic field distribution along the axis of such magnets exhibits a periodic modulation with a wavelength equal to the twist pitch length of the cable used in the winding. Such a Periodic Field Pattern (PFP) has already been observed in number of superconducting accelerator magnets. Additional unbalanced currents in individual strands of the cable appear to be causing this effect. The present thesis describes the investigation of the PFPs performed with a Hall probes array inserted inside the aperture of the LHC superconducting dipoles, both in the small--scale model magnets with a length of one meter and in full--scale prototypes and pre--series magnets with fifteen meters of length. The amplitude and the time dependence of this periodic field oscillation have been studied as a function of the magnet current history. One of the main parameters influencing the properties of the PFP is the cross--...

  4. Radiation effects on superconductivity in A15 materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faehnle, M.

    1981-01-01

    At present the A15 superconductor Nb 3 Sn is one of the most attractive materials for the design of magnet systems for fusion reactors. There the materials are exposed to a high flux of neutrons up to 10 18 to 10 19 n/cm 2 during a continuous fusion reactor operation within ten years. As a result the critical parameters of the superconducting materials are changed which must be taken into account when designing reliable magnet systems. The neutron radiation damage in A15 materials thereby is characterized by small highly disordered regions within a less disordered matrix. The highly disordered regions are responsible for the increase of the critical current density after low-dose neutron irradiation of non-optimized materials and have an influence on the superconducting transition width. In contrast, the change of the superconducting parameters after high-dose irradiation may be understood essentially by considering the properties of the matrix alone. 23 refs

  5. Enhancement of the critical current density in FeO-coated MgB2 thin films at high magnetic fields

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei E. Surdu

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The effect of depositing FeO nanoparticles with a diameter of 10 nm onto the surface of MgB2 thin films on the critical current density was studied in comparison with the case of uncoated MgB2 thin films. We calculated the superconducting critical current densities (Jc from the magnetization hysteresis (M–H curves for both sets of samples and found that the Jc value of FeO-coated films is higher at all fields and temperatures than the Jc value for uncoated films, and that it decreases to ~105 A/cm2 at B = 1 T and T = 20 K and remains approximately constant at higher fields up to 7 T.

  6. Electromagnetic analysis of a superconducting transformer for high current characterization of cable in conduit conductors in background magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiangyang; Tan, Yunfei; Fang, Zhen; Jiang, Donghui; Chen, Zhiyou; Chen, Wenge; Kuang, Guangli

    2017-10-01

    A large cable-in-conduit-conductor (CICC) test facility has been designed and fabricated at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CHMFL) in order to meet the test requirement of the conductors which are applied to the future fusion reactor. The critical component of the test facility is an 80 kA superconducting transformer which consists of a multi-turn primary coil and a minor-turn secondary coil. As the current source of the conductor samples, the electromagnetic performance of the superconducting transformer determines the stability and safety of the test facility. In this paper, the key factors and parameters, which have much impact on the performance of the transformer, are analyzed in detail. The conceptual design and optimizing principles of the transformer are discussed. An Electromagnetic-Circuit coupled model built in ANSYS Multiphysics is successfully used to investigate the electromagnetic characterization of the transformer under the dynamic operation condition.

  7. Experimental study of gas-cooled current leads for superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warren, R.P.

    1978-04-01

    Design details and experimental test results from several design variations of the gas-cooled, copper current leads used in conjunction with the superconducting dipole magnets for ESCAR (Experimental Superconducting Accelerator Ring) are reported. Thermal acoustic oscillations, which were experienced with an initial design, were eliminated in subsequent designs by a reduction of the hydraulic diameter. The occurrence of these oscillations is in general agreement with the stability analysis of Rott but the observed gas flow dependence is not in agreement with some other recently reported results for leads operated supercritical phase coolant. An empirically determined correlation was obtained by plotting lead resistance vs. enthalpy gain of the coolant gas. The resulting family of curves can be reduced to a single line on a plot of effective resistivity vs. the product of current and cross-sectional area divided by the product of the square of the mass flow of the coolant and the lead length. This correlation, which should be applicable to other designs of copper current leads in which ideal heat transfer to the coolant gas is approached, predicts that the enthalpy gain of the coolant, and therefore the peak lead temperature, is proportional to the cube of the ratio of current to coolant mass flow. The effective value of the strongly temperature-dependent kinematic viscosity of the coolant gas was found to vary linearly with the effective resistivity of the lead

  8. A new approach to MgB2 superconducting magnet fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyazoe, A; Ando, T; Wada, H; Abe, H; Hirota, N; Sekino, M

    2008-01-01

    Fabrication of MgB 2 -based superconducting magnets has been attempted by a new approach using film coated on symmetric tubes. Superconducting MgB 2 films have been prepared on iron substrates by electroplating in molten electrolytes. The critical current (I c ) of the MgB 2 electroplating films at 4.2 K and at self-field was 15 A on the basis of 1 μV/cm of I c criterion. A model calculation has shown that MgB 2 -based superconducting magnets based on MgB 2 electroplating films have the potential to generate magnetic fields over 0.5 T

  9. A novel method of flat YBCO rings development for shield-type superconducting fault current limiters fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hekmati, Arsalan; Hosseini, Mehdi; Vakilian, Mehdi; Fardmanesh, Mehdi

    2012-01-01

    A method has been proposed for flat YBCO ring Fabrication. A prototype SFCL with proposed design has been fabricated using the rings. J c characteristics of the rings are measured using an innovative method. The application of flat superconductor rings has been investigated in the structure of inductive shield-type high temperature superconducting fault current limiters, HT c -SFCL. A laboratory scale inductive shield-type HT c -SFCL has been designed and fabricated using flat superconductor rings. The fabrication process has been fully presented. YBCO powder has been used for the fabrication of superconductor rings. This fabrication process, being quite innovative, is introduced completely. The method of the trapped field measurement has been used for the critical current density measurement of the fabricated superconductor rings. The device with nominal current of 2 A was tested in a 30 V circuit. The SFCL successfully limited the fault currents of up to 10 times the nominal current to an approximately fixed value of 3 A. The voltage-current characteristic of the fabricated prototype has also been obtained and has shown compatibility with the fault current limitation results.

  10. On the superconducting phase diagram of high Tc superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    de la Cruz, F.

    1990-01-01

    The tendency of oxide superconductors to show granularity has been pointed out since the beginning of research on superconductivity in this type of materials. Nevertheless, only very recently the full phase diagram and characteristics of the grains have been determined. In this paper, the authors review and discuss the different critical fields and their relation to the transport of superconducting current. The superconducting response of single crystals of High Tc superconductors is discussed. Special attention is devoted to the behavior of the vortex lattice and, in particular, to the recent discovery of the quenching of H c1 in YBaCuO, several degrees below Tc

  11. Experiment study on an inductive superconducting fault current limiter using no-insulation coils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, D.; Li, Z. Y.; Gu, F.; Huang, Z.; Zhao, A.; Hu, D.; Wei, B. G.; Huang, H.; Hong, Z.; Ryu, K.; Jin, Z.

    2018-03-01

    No-insulation (NI) coil made of 2 G high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes has been widely used in DC magnet due to its excellent performance of engineering current density, thermal stability and mechanical strength. However, there are few AC power device using NI coil at present. In this paper, the NI coil is firstly applied into inductive superconducting fault current limiter (iSFCL). A two-winding structure air-core iSFCL prototype was fabricated, composed of a primary copper winding and a secondary no-insulation winding using 2 G HTS coated conductors. Firstly, in order to testify the feasibility to use NI coil as the secondary winding, the impedance variation of the prototype at different currents and different cycles was tested. The result shows that the impedance increases rapidly with the current rises. Then the iSFCL prototype was tested in a 40 V rms/ 3.3 kA peak short circuit experiment platform, both of the fault current limiting and recovery property of the iSFCL are discussed.

  12. Strain induced irreversible critical current degradation in highly dense Bi-2212 round wire

    CERN Document Server

    Bjoerstad, R; Rikel, M.O.; Ballarino, A; Bottura, L; Jiang, J; Matras, M; Sugano, M; Hudspeth, J; Di Michiel, M

    2015-01-01

    The strain induced critical current degradation of overpressure processed straight Bi 2212/Ag wires has been studied at 77 K in self-field. For the first time superconducting properties, lattice distortions, composite wire stress and strain have been measured simultaneously in a high energy synchrotron beamline. A permanent Ic degradation of 5% occurs when the wire strain exceeds 0.60%. At a wire strain of about 0.65% a drastic n value and Ic reduction occur, and the composite stress and the Bi-2212 lattice parameter reach a plateau, indicating Bi-2212 filament fracturing. The XRD measurements show that Bi-2212 exhibits linear elastic behaviour up to the irreversible strain limit.

  13. Correlations between critical current density, jc, critical temperature, Tc, and structural quality of Y1B2Cu3O7-x thin superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrzanowski, J.; Xing, W.B.; Atlan, D.

    1994-01-01

    Correlations between critical current density (j c ) critical temperature (T c ) and the density of edge dislocations and nonuniform strain have been observed in YBCO thin films deposited by pulsed laser ablation on (001) LaAlO 3 single crystals. Distinct maxima in j c as a function of the linewidths of the (00 ell) Bragg reflections and as a function of the mosaic spread have been found in the epitaxial films. These maxima in j c indicate that the magnetic flux lines, in films of structural quality approaching that of single crystals, are insufficiently pinned which results in a decreased critical current density. T c increased monotonically with improving crystalline quality and approached a value characteristic of a pure single crystal. A strong correlation between j c and the density of edge dislocations N D was found. At the maximum of the critical current density the density of edge dislocations was estimated to be N D ∼1-2 x 10 9 /cm 2

  14. Current leads for superconducting solenoids in a transportable Dewar flask for currents up to 1kA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shirshov, L.S.

    1981-01-01

    A simple design of the current lead for currents up to 1 kA into a transportable helium dewar with 22 mm neck diameter is described. The lead characteristics have been studied at various conditions. Examples of pulse superconducting solenoid usage, parmitting to achieve the magnetic field up to 3.3 T are given. The 1% field homogeneity has been obtained on a length of 90 mm [ru

  15. A new scheme for critical current measurements on straight superconducting cables in a large solenoid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossi, L.; Volpini, G.

    1991-01-01

    The precision of I c measurement of straight superconducting cables in solenoids can be limited by the magnetic field inhomogeneity. A solution in order to improve the field homogeneity based on iron shims is presented here. A conceptual design for the experimental lay-out of a test station to be used in connection with the SOLEMI-I solenoid at the Milan INFN Section (LASA Laboratory) is given

  16. Vortex pinning in superconducting Nb thin films deposited on nanoporous alumina templates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vinckx, W.; Vanacken, J.; Moshchalkov, V.V.

    2006-01-01

    We present a study of magnetization and transport properties of superconducting Nb thin films deposited on nanoporous aluminium oxide templates. Periodic oscillations in the critical temperature vs. field, matching effects in fields up to 700 mT and strongly enhanced critical currents were observed...

  17. Study on niobium carbide dispersed superconducting tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wada, H; Tachikawa, K [National Research Inst. for Metals, Tokyo (Japan); Oh' asa, M [Science Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)

    1977-11-01

    Niobium carbide (NbC) dispersed superconducting tapes have been fabricated by two metallurgical processes. In the first process, Ni-Nb-C alloys are directly arc melted and hot worked in air and the NbC phase is distributed in the form of fine discrete particles. In the second process, Ni-Nb and Ni-Nb-Cu alloys are arc melted, hot worked and subjected to solid-state carburization. NbC then precipitates along the grain boundaries, forming a network. The highest superconducting transition temperature attained is about 11 K. Taken together with the lattice parameter measurement, this indicates that NbC with a nearly perfect NaCl structure is formed in both processes. Measured values of the upper critical field, the critical current density and the volume fraction of the NbC phase are also discussed.

  18. Thermal propagation and stability in superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, K.E.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Zasadzinski, J.F.; Ducharme, S.P.

    1983-01-01

    Thermal propagation and stable hot spots (normal domains) are studied in various high Tsub(c) superconducting films (Nb 3 Sn, Nb, NbN and Nb 3 Ge). A new energy balance is shown to give reasonable quantitative agreement of the dependence of the propagation velocity on the length of short normal domains. The steady state (zero velocity) measurements indicate the existence of two distinct situations for films on high thermal conductivity (sapphire) substrates. For low power per unit area the film and substrate have the same temperature, and the thermal properties of the substrate dominate. However, for higher power densities in short hot spots, the coupling is relatively weak and the thermal properties of the film alone are important. Here a connection is made between the critical current stability of superconducting films and a critical hot spot size for thermal propagation. As a result efficient heat removal is shown to dominate the stabilisation of superconducting films. The strong and weak coupling situations also lead to modifications of the models for propagation velocities on sapphire substrates. Self-healing of hot spots and other phenomena in superconducting film are explained. The potential use of the thermal propagation model in applications of superconductors, especially switches is discussed. (author)

  19. Optimization study on the magnetic field of superconducting Halbach Array magnet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Boyang; Geng, Jianzhao; Li, Chao; Zhang, Xiuchang; Fu, Lin; Zhang, Heng; Ma, Jun; Coombs, T. A.

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents the optimization on the strength and homogeneity of magnetic field from superconducting Halbach Array magnet. Conventional Halbach Array uses a special arrangement of permanent magnets which can generate homogeneous magnetic field. Superconducting Halbach Array utilizes High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) to construct an electromagnet to work below its critical temperature, which performs equivalently to the permanent magnet based Halbach Array. The simulations of superconducting Halbach Array were carried out using H-formulation based on B-dependent critical current density and bulk approximation, with the FEM platform COMSOL Multiphysics. The optimization focused on the coils' location, as well as the geometry and numbers of coils on the premise of maintaining the total amount of superconductor. Results show Halbach Array configuration based superconducting magnet is able to generate the magnetic field with intensity over 1 Tesla and improved homogeneity using proper optimization methods. Mathematical relation of these optimization parameters with the intensity and homogeneity of magnetic field was developed.

  20. Thermal studies of a superconducting current limiter using Monte-Carlo method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lévêque, J.; Rezzoug, A.

    1999-07-01

    Considering the increase of the fault current level in electrical network, the current limiters become very interesting. The superconducting limiters are based on the quasi-instantaneous intrinsic transition from superconducting state to normal resistive one. Without detection of default or given order, they reduce the constraints supported by electrical installations above the fault. To avoid the destruction of the superconducting coil, the temperature must not exceed a certain value. Therefore the design of a superconducting coil needs the simultaneous resolution of an electrical equation and a thermal one. This papers deals with a resolution of this coupled problem by the method of Monte-Carlo. This method allows us to calculate the evolution of the resistance of the coil as well as the current of limitation. Experimental results are compared with theoretical ones. L'augmentation des courants de défaut dans les grands réseaux électriques ravive l'intérêt pour les limiteurs de courant. Les limiteurs supraconducteurs de courants peuvent limiter quasi-instantanément, sans donneur d'ordre ni détection de défaut, les courants de court-circuit réduisant ainsi les contraintes supportées par les installations électriques situées en amont du défaut. La limitation s'accompagne nécessairement de la transition du supraconducteur par dépassement de son courant critique. Pour éviter la destruction de la bobine supraconductrice la température ne doit pas excéder une certaine valeur. La conception d'une bobine supraconductrice exige donc la résolution simultanée d'une équation électrique et d'une équation thermique. Nous présentons une résolution de ce problème electrothermique par la méthode de Monte-Carlo. Cette méthode nous permet de calculer l'évolution de la résistance de la bobine et du courant de limitation. Des résultats expérimentaux sont comparés avec les résultats théoriques.

  1. Superconducting magnetic energy storage and superconducting self-supplied electromagnetic launcher

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciceron, Jérémie; Badel, Arnaud; Tixador, Pascal

    2017-10-01

    Superconductors can be used to build energy storage systems called Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES), which are promising as inductive pulse power source and suitable for powering electromagnetic launchers. The second generation of high critical temperature superconductors is called coated conductors or REBCO (Rare Earth Barium Copper Oxide) tapes. Their current carrying capability in high magnetic field and their thermal stability are expanding the SMES application field. The BOSSE (Bobine Supraconductrice pour le Stockage d'Energie) project aims to develop and to master the use of these superconducting tapes through two prototypes. The first one is a SMES with high energy density. Thanks to the performances of REBCO tapes, the volume energy and specific energy of existing SMES systems can be surpassed. A study has been undertaken to make the best use of the REBCO tapes and to determine the most adapted topology in order to reach our objective, which is to beat the world record of mass energy density for a superconducting coil. This objective is conflicting with the classical strategies of superconducting coil protection. A different protection approach is proposed. The second prototype of the BOSSE project is a small-scale demonstrator of a Superconducting Self-Supplied Electromagnetic Launcher (S3EL), in which a SMES is integrated around the launcher which benefits from the generated magnetic field to increase the thrust applied to the projectile. The S3EL principle and its design are presented. Contribution to the topical issue "Electrical Engineering Symposium (SGE 2016)", edited by Adel Razek

  2. Computation of Superconducting Generators for Wind Turbine Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodriguez Zermeno, Victor Manuel

    The idea of introducing a superconducting generator for offshore wind turbine applications has received increasing support. It has been proposed as a way to meet energy market requirements and policies demanding clean energy sources in the near future. However, design considerations have to take......, to the actual generators in the KW (MW) class with an expected cross section in the order of decimeters (meters). This thesis work presents cumulative results intended to create a bottom-up model of a synchronous generator with superconducting rotor windings. In a first approach, multiscale meshes with large...... of the generator including ramp-up of rotor coils, load connection and change was simulated. Hence, transient hysteresis losses in the superconducting coils were computed. This allowed addressing several important design and performance issues such as critical current of the superconducting coils, electric load...

  3. Superconductivity of a Sn film controlled by an array of Co nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Z.; Ye, Z.; Rathnayaka, K. D. D.; Lyuksyutov, I. F.; Wu, W.; Naugle, D. G.

    2012-09-01

    Superconducting properties of a hybrid structure composed of ferromagnetic Co nanowire arrays and a superconducting Sn film have been investigated. Ordered Co nanowires arrays with 60 nm, 150 nm and 200 nm diameter were electroplated into the pores of self organized Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membranes. Hysteretic dependence of the Sn film superconducting properties on applied magnetic field and critical current enhancement at moderate fields has been observed. This behavior strongly depends on the ratio of the Sn film thickness to the Co nanowire diameter.

  4. Superconductivity of a Sn film controlled by an array of Co nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Z.; Ye, Z.; Rathnayaka, K.D.D.; Lyuksyutov, I.F.; Wu, W.; Naugle, D.G.

    2012-01-01

    Superconducting properties of a hybrid structure composed of ferromagnetic Co nanowire arrays and a superconducting Sn film have been investigated. Ordered Co nanowires arrays with 60 nm, 150 nm and 200 nm diameter were electroplated into the pores of self organized Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membranes. Hysteretic dependence of the Sn film superconducting properties on applied magnetic field and critical current enhancement at moderate fields has been observed. This behavior strongly depends on the ratio of the Sn film thickness to the Co nanowire diameter.

  5. Upper critical fields in multifilamentary NbTi alloy superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Kazuo; Muto, Yoshio; Noto, Koshichi.

    1991-01-01

    In order to improve the high field performance of superconducting magnets, the upper critical field B c2 for practical multifilamentary alloy wires of NbTi, NbTiTa and NbTiHf were examined in respect with the usage of a pressurized superfluid cooling technique. The addition of Ta or Hf to NbTi enhanced by 0.5 T for B c2 at 1.8 K. Although the addition of a heavy element such as Ta or Hf has been regarded as suppressing Pauli-paramagnetism so far, it was found that the mechanism for B c2 enhancement by Hf addition is different from that by Ta addition. (author)

  6. Optimal design of superconducting fault detector for superconductor triggered fault current limiters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yim, S.-W.; Kim, H.-R.; Hyun, O.-B.; Sim, J.; Park, K.B.; Lee, B.W.

    2008-01-01

    We have designed and tested a superconducting fault detector (SFD) for a 22.9 kV superconductor triggered fault current limiters (STFCLs) using Au/YBCO thin films. The SFD is to detect a fault and commutate the current from the primary path to the secondary path of the STFCL. First, quench characteristics of the Au/YBCO thin films were investigated for various faults having different fault duration. The rated voltage of the Au/YBCO thin films was determined from the results, considering the stability of the Au/YBCO elements. Second, the recovery time to superconductivity after quench was measured in each fault case. In addition, the dependence of the recovery characteristics on numbers and dimension of Au/YBCO elements were investigated. Based on the results, a SFD was designed, fabricated and tested. The SFD successfully detected a fault current and carried out the line commutation. Its recovery time was confirmed to be less than 0.5 s, satisfying the reclosing scheme in the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)'s power grid

  7. Electrical supply for MFTF-B superconducting magnet system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimer, D.W.; Owen, E.W.

    1985-01-01

    The MFTF-B magnet system consists of 42 superconducting magnets which must operate continuously for long periods of time. The magnet power supply system is designed to meet the operational requirements of accuracy, flexibility, and reliability. The superconducting magnets require a protection system to protect against critical magnet faults of quench, current lead overtemperature, and overcurrent. The protection system is complex because of the large number of magnets, the strong coupling between magnets, and the high reliability requirement. This paper describes the power circuits and the components used in the design

  8. Specific feature of critical fields of inhomogeneous superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glazman, L.I.; Dmitrenko, I.M.; Kolin'ko, A.E.; Pokhila, A.S.; Fogel', N.Ya.; Cherkasova, V.G.

    1988-01-01

    Experimental studies on thin vanadium films (d=250-400 A) have revealed anomaly in the temperature dependence of the upper critical field H cparallel (T), when H is parallel to the sample plane. At certain temperature T 0 the dependence H cparallel 2 (T) has a sharp kink separating two linear portions. The anomalous behaviour of H cparallel (T) of thin V films can be accounted for assuming the film separation into two parallel layers having different parameters (critical temperature T c , coherence length ξ, thickness d). At temperatures above and lower T 0 the dependence H cparallel (T) is mainly dependent on the characteristics of only one layer. The kink in the dependence H cparallel 2 (T) is due to a jump-like transition of the superconducting nucleus from one layer to the other at T c . The anomalous behaviour of the dependence H cparallel (T) is also observed in sandwiches consisting of two identical films separated with a high (about 30 A) dielectric interlayer; however, the transition from one linear portion to the other is smooth. In the case of identical films a specific crossover occurs if at T-T c the critical field H cparallel (T) coinsides with that for the layer of doubled thickness, then at lowering temperature H cparallel (T) asymptotically approaches the critical field of one layer. The calculation within the model described provides a good description for the experimental results

  9. The effect of current direction on superconducting properties of BSCCO fibres grown by an electrically assisted laser floating zone process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrasco, M F; Amaral, V S; Vieira, J M; Silva, R F; Costa, F M

    2006-01-01

    The application of an electric current of 200 mA through the molten zone of BSCCO superconducting fibres during laser floating zone processing constitutes an upgrade for improving the grain alignment. When a direct electric current (positively polarized fibre) passes through the solidification interface, the solidification conditions approach equilibrium, favouring the development of a higher amount of 2212 and 14/24 stable phases. The new electrically assisted laser floating zone (EALFZ) technique also improves the 2223 phase formation in fibres heat treated at high temperatures (860 deg. C). However, the 2223 crystals grow perpendicularly to the fibre axis at the interface between the 2212 and 14/24 phases, crossing the crystals of the main phase responsible for the current transport, cancelling the alignment effect. The resultant current density and critical temperature values were J c 77 K = 230 A cm -2 and T c = 85 K, respectively. When a lower heat treatment temperature was accomplished (820 deg. C), the 2223 transverse crystals do not develop and a higher current density value of J c 77 K = 510 A cm -2 was achieved, although with a critical temperature of T c = 90 K

  10. Large-area NbN superconducting nanowire avalanche photon detectors with saturated detection efficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Ryan P.; Grein, Matthew E.; Gudmundsen, Theodore J.; McCaughan, Adam; Najafi, Faraz; Berggren, Karl K.; Marsili, Francesco; Dauler, Eric A.

    2015-05-01

    Superconducting circuits comprising SNSPDs placed in parallel—superconducting nanowire avalanche photodetectors, or SNAPs—have previously been demonstrated to improve the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by increasing the critical current. In this work, we employ a 2-SNAP superconducting circuit with narrow (40 nm) niobium nitride (NbN) nanowires to improve the system detection efficiency to near-IR photons while maintaining high SNR. Additionally, while previous 2-SNAP demonstrations have added external choke inductance to stabilize the avalanching photocurrent, we show that the external inductance can be entirely folded into the active area by cascading 2-SNAP devices in series to produce a greatly increased active area. We fabricated series-2-SNAP (s2-SNAP) circuits with a nanowire length of 20 μm with cascades of 2-SNAPs providing the choke inductance necessary for SNAP operation. We observed that (1) the detection efficiency saturated at high bias currents, and (2) the 40 nm 2-SNAP circuit critical current was approximately twice that for a 40 nm non-SNAP configuration.

  11. Superconducting coil manufacturing method for low current dc beam line magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satti, J.A.

    1977-01-01

    A method of manufacturing superconducting multipole coils for 40 to 50 kG dc beam line magnets with low current is described. Small coils were built and tested successfully to short sample characteristics. The coils did not train after the first cooldown. The coils are porous and well cooled to cope with mechanical instability and energy deposited in the coil from the beam particles. The coils are wound with insulated strand cable. The cable is shaped rectangularly for winding simplicity and good tolerances. After the coil is wound, the insulated strands are electrically connected in series. This reduces the operating current and, most important, improves the coil quench propagation due to heat conduction of one strand adjacent to the other. A well distributed quench allows the magnet energy to distribute more uniformly to the copper in the superconductor wire, giving self-protected coils. A one-meter long, 43 kG, 6-inch bore tube superconducting dipole is now being fabricated. The porous coil design and coil winding methods are discussed

  12. Development and Characterization of P-doped Ba-122 Superconducting Tapes

    KAUST Repository

    Contarino, D.; Lö hnert, C.; Johrendt, D.; Genovese, Alessandro; Bernini, C.; Malagoli, A.; Putti, M.

    2016-01-01

    Among the recently discovered Fe-based superconducting compounds, the Ba-122 phase has proved to be the more attracting for the development of powder in tube (PIT) processed conductors. In fact, after some years of development, critical current

  13. Self-field AC losses in Bi-2223 superconducting tapes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, K. H.; Leslie, K.E.

    1996-01-01

    Full text: The self-field AC loss in Bi-2223 silver sheathed tapes for AC currents of up to 100 A was measured at 77 K and frequencies of 60 Hz and 600 Hz using a lock-in amplifier. The frequency dependence indicated a purely hysteretic loss which can be well described in terms of the critical state model for a flat superconducting strip. The only parameter needed to predict the self-field AC loss is the critical current of the critical state. Because the loss voltage is extremely small compared with the inductive voltage, a very high accuracy of the lock-in amplifier phase setting is required. Unlike in loss measurements on cylindrical superconducting samples, in the case of the tape the measuring circuit leads have to be brought out from the surface forming a loop where the changing magnetic field induces an additional voltage. Only if the loop formed by the leads at the voltage tabs is large enough will the apparent power dissipation approach the real AC loss associated with the length of the sample probed

  14. Magnetically leviated superconducting bearing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinberger, Bernard R.; Lynds, Jr., Lahmer

    1993-01-01

    A magnetically levitated superconducting bearing includes a magnet (2) mounted on a shaft (12) that is rotatable around an axis of rotation and a Type II superconductor (6) supported on a stator (14) in proximity to the magnet (2). The superconductor (6) is positioned so that when it is cooled to its superconducting state in the presence of a magnetic field, it interacts with the magnet (2) to produce an attractive force that levitates the magnet (2) and supports a load on the shaft (12). The interaction between the superconductor (6) and magnet(2) also produces surface screening currents (8) that generate a repulsive force perpendicular to the load. The bearing also has means for maintaining the superconductor at a temperature below its critical temperature (16, 18). The bearing could also be constructed so the magnet (2) is supported on the stator (14) and the superconductor (6) is mounted on the shaft (12). The bearing can be operated by cooling the superconductor (6) to its superconducting state in the presence of a magnetic field.

  15. Enhanced superconductivity of fullerenes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Washington, II, Aaron L.; Teprovich, Joseph A.; Zidan, Ragaiy

    2017-06-20

    Methods for enhancing characteristics of superconductive fullerenes and devices incorporating the fullerenes are disclosed. Enhancements can include increase in the critical transition temperature at a constant magnetic field; the existence of a superconducting hysteresis over a changing magnetic field; a decrease in the stabilizing magnetic field required for the onset of superconductivity; and/or an increase in the stability of superconductivity over a large magnetic field. The enhancements can be brought about by transmitting electromagnetic radiation to the superconductive fullerene such that the electromagnetic radiation impinges on the fullerene with an energy that is greater than the band gap of the fullerene.

  16. Experience of superconducting current feeders system of SST-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, N.C.; Garg, A.; Sonara, D.

    2014-01-01

    The superconducting current feeder system for SST-1 which has been installed and commissioned recently along with SST-1, felicitates to energize the SST-1. The CFS consists of ten pairs of 10,000 Ampere (A) rating helium vapor cooled conventional current leads, interconnecting Cu-SC joints, three numbers of cryo-compatible SC feeders ducts, current leads assembly chamber, hydraulic network and three numbers of joint boxes operated at different current rating to charge Toroidal Field and Poloidal Field coils separately. During the last three campaigns, it was possible to achieve a controlled cool down up to 4 K and showed its rated operational performance. Actively cooled liquid nitrogen shield showed temperature profile in the temperature range of 80-85K and the whole system was evacuated up to 6x10 -6 mbar. The measured LHe consumption rates from TF VCCL were 0.3 g/s and 0.35 g/s at zero current and 1 kA respectively. (author)

  17. Superconducting toroidal field coil current densities for the TFCX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalsi, S.S.; Hooper, R.J.

    1985-04-01

    A major goal of the Tokamak Fusion Core Experiment (TFCX) study was to minimize the size of the device and achieve lowest cost. Two key factors influencing the size of the device employing superconducting magnets are toroidal field (TF) winding current density and its nuclear heat load withstand capability. Lower winding current density requires larger radial build of the winding pack. Likewise, lower allowable nuclear heating in the winding requires larger shield thickness between the plasma and coil. In order to achieve a low-cost device, it is essential to maximize the winding's current density and nuclear heating withhstand capability. To meet the above objective, the TFCX design specification adopted as goals a nominal winding current density of 3500 A/cm 2 with 10-T peak field at the winding and peak nuclear heat load limits of 1 MW/cm 3 for the nominal design and 50 MW/cm 3 for an advanced design. This study developed justification for these current density and nuclear heat load limits

  18. Imaging of current distributions in superconducting thin film structures; Abbildung von Stromverteilungen in supraleitenden Duennfilmstrukturen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doenitz, D.

    2006-10-31

    Local analysis plays an important role in many fields of scientific research. However, imaging methods are not very common in the investigation of superconductors. For more than 20 years, Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscopy (LTSEM) has been successfully used at the University of Tuebingen for studying of condensed matter phenomena, especially of superconductivity. In this thesis LTSEM was used for imaging current distributions in different superconducting thin film structures: - Imaging of current distributions in Josephson junctions with ferromagnetic interlayer, also known as SIFS junctions, showed inhomogeneous current transport over the junctions which directly led to an improvement in the fabrication process. An investigation of improved samples showed a very homogeneous current distribution without any trace of magnetic domains. Either such domains were not present or too small for imaging with the LTSEM. - An investigation of Nb/YBCO zigzag Josephson junctions yielded important information on signal formation in the LTSEM both for Josephson junctions in the short and in the long limit. Using a reference junction our signal formation model could be verified, thus confirming earlier results on short zigzag junctions. These results, which could be reproduced in this work, support the theory of d-wave symmetry in the superconducting order parameter of YBCO. Furthermore, investigations of the quasiparticle tunneling in the zigzag junctions showed the existence of Andreev bound states, which is another indication of the d-wave symmetry in YBCO. - The LTSEM study of Hot Electron Bolometers (HEB) allowed the first successful imaging of a stable 'Hot Spot', a self-heating region in HEB structures. Moreover, the electron beam was used to induce an - otherwise unstable - hot spot. Both investigations yielded information on the homogeneity of the samples. - An entirely new method of imaging the current distribution in superconducting interference

  19. Superconducting states and depinning transitions of Josephson ladders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barahona, M.; Strogatz, S.H.; Orlando, T.P.

    1998-01-01

    We present analytical and numerical studies of pinned superconducting states of open-ended Josephson ladder arrays, neglecting inductances but taking edge effects into account. Treating the edge effects perturbatively, we find analytical approximations for three of these superconducting states emdash the no-vortex, fully frustrated, and single-vortex states emdash as functions of the dc bias current I and the frustration f. Bifurcation theory is used to derive formulas for the depinning currents and critical frustrations at which the superconducting states disappear or lose dynamical stability as I and f are varied. These results are combined to yield a zero-temperature stability diagram of the system with respect to I and f. To highlight the effects of the edges, we compare this dynamical stability diagram to the thermodynamic phase diagram for the infinite system where edges have been neglected. We briefly indicate how to extend our methods to include self-inductances. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

  20. Contribution to the study of superconducting magnets using high transition temperature superconducting materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lecrevisse, Thibault

    2012-01-01

    The new industrial superconductors using high critical temperature compounds offer new possibilities for superconducting magnetism. Indeed they allow higher magnetic field with the same classical cryogenics at 4.2 K on one hand, and on the other hand they also pave the way for superconducting magnets working between 10 K and 30 K. The high temperature superconductors are then needed in order to produce magnetic fields higher than 16 T (case of HTS dipole insert for Large Hadron Collider at CERN) or to increase the specific density stored in one SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, in the case of the SuperSMES ANR Project).Nevertheless the indisputable assets (critical temperature, critical magnetic field, mechanical stresses) brought by the use of High critical temperature superconductors like YBCO, used in superconducting magnets, require to solve some challenges. Their behavior is still badly understood, especially during the resistive transitions. To succeed in protecting these conductors we need a new reflection on protection schemes designed to avoid the thermal and mechanical damages. The answer to the question: 'Can we use those materials in the long run inside superconducting magnets?' is now inescapable.Some answers are given here. The use of the conductors is approached through various experimental studies to understand the material (electrical characterization and modeling of the critical surface) and to define the key stages of high critical temperature superconducting magnets manufacturing (work on the junctions between conductors and pancakes). This study led to the creation of two coils in order to identify the issues related to the use of YBCO tapes. A numerical thermo-electrical model of the high critical temperature superconductor has been developed and a numerical code based on the CEA software CASTEM (Finish Elements Model) allowed to study the resistive transition (or quench) behavior of those conductor and coil. The code has been

  1. Radiation effects on superconducting fusion magnet components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, H.W.

    2011-01-01

    Nuclear fusion devices based on the magnetic confinement principle heavily rely on the existence and performance of superconducting magnets and have always significantly contributed to advancing superconductor and magnet technology to their limits. In view of the presently ongoing construction of the tokamak device ITER and the stellerator device Wendelstein 7X and their record breaking parameters concerning size, complexity of design, stored energy, amperage, mechanical and magnetic forces, critical current densities and stability requirements, it is deemed timely to review another critical parameter that is practically unique to these devices, namely the radiation response of all magnet components to the lifetime fluence of fast neutrons and gamma rays produced by the fusion reactions of deuterium and tritium. I will review these radiation effects in turn for the currently employed standard "technical" low temperature superconductors NbTi and Nb 3 Sn, the stabilizing material (Cu) as well as the magnet insulation materials and conclude by discussing the potential of high temperature superconducting materials for future generations of fusion devices, such as DEMO. (author)

  2. Probing spin-polarized edge state superconductivity by Andreev reflection in in-plane magnetic fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reinthaler, Rolf W.; Tkachov, Grigory; Hankiewicz, Ewelina M. [Faculty of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    Finding signatures of unconventional superconductivity in Quantum Spin Hall systems is one of the challenges of solid state physics. Here we induce superconductivity in a 3D topological insulator thin film to cause the formation of helical edge states, which are protected against backscattering even in finite magnetic fields. Above a critical in-plane magnetic field, which is much smaller than the critical field of typical superconductors, the quasi-particle gap closes, giving rise to energy-dependent spin polarization. In this regime the spin-polarized edge state superconductivity can be detected by Andreev reflection. We propose measurement setups to experimentally observe the spin-dependent excess current and dI/dV characteristics.

  3. Design of a low temperature superconducting coil to be applied to current regulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Tabares, L.; Grau Carles, A

    1998-05-01

    We study the magnetic design and the cryogenic stability of a superconducting coil cooled with liquid helium, which works both in DC and AC modes. In DC mode, we obtain the maximum quench current; while in AC mode, we analyze Joule losses produced by the superconductor magnetization and the generation of eddy currents inside the copper matrix. (Author)

  4. Upper critical field measurements in high-Tc superconducting oxides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ousset, J. C.; Bobo, J. F.; Ulmet, J. P.; Rakoto, H.; Cheggour, N.

    We present upper critical field measurements on the superconducting oxides RE Ba2Cu3O7-δ (RE = Y, Gd) performed in a pulsed magnetic field up to 43 T. Values for Hc2 as high as 52 T and 77 T for Y and Gd respectively, are expected at 77 K. However, in order to observe no resistive behaviour up to 43 T the temperature must be decreased down to 50 K. In the case of oxygen deficient systems the magnetoresistance reveals two superconducting phases wich could be related to two different orders of oxygen vacancies. Nous présentons des mesures de champ critique Hc2 sur les supraconducteurs TR Ba 2Cu3O7-δ (TR = Y, Gd) réalisées en champ magnétique pulsé jusqu'à 43 T. Elles permettent de prévoir des valeurs de H c2 de 52 T et 77 T respectivement pour Y et Gd à 77 K. Cependant, pour ne pas observer de comportement résistif jusqu'au champ maximum, il est nécessaire de refroidir l'échantillon jusqu'à 50 K. Dans le cas des systèmes déficients en oxygène (δ important) nous mettons en évidence l'existence de deux phases supraconductrices qui pourraient être dues à deux ordres différents des lacunes d'oxygène.

  5. Properties of superconducting thin-film microbridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pei, S.S.

    1978-01-01

    This work reports investigations upon the dependences of critical current and current phase relation on the dimensions of a superconducting thin-film microbridge. A model has been developed upon the Volkov's hyperbolic bridges and the Zaitsev's boundary conditions to calculate the spatial variation of the order parameter for given bridge dimensions. The results indicate that the rigid boundary conditions are good approximations to narrow bridges (W much less than L) only. The critical current density of the bridge has been calculated also as a function of the bridge dimensions. It is found that the critical current density of small bridges is enhanced above its mean field critical value due to the proximity effects of the banks. Very good agreement is found between the calculated enhancement of the critical current density and the experimental results. Direct measurements have been made on the current phase relation of indium bridges with width smaller than 0.6 μm. The difficulties due to the extra phase shifts from the series thin film electrodes are overcome by a specially designed double loop configuration which has an extra low effective inductance. It is found that the current phase relation of small bridges (W,L, xi, the results agree with the predictions of rigid boundary calculations as expected by our model

  6. Limiting characteristics of the superconducting fault current limiter applied to the neutral line of conventional transformer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Im, I.G.; Choi, H.S.; Jung, B.I.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Fault current limiter was used a high-speed interrupter. •High-speed interrupter was operated to bypass to the current limiter line. •The size of the fault current was limited to about 80% after the fault occurred. •The fault current was limited quickly within a half-cycle after the fault occurred. -- Abstract: The increased electricity demands influenced by the recent industrial development make the electric power distribution system more comprehensive, and the risks are high to cause failures to steady state electric line due to the extended range of fault at the time of fault occurrence. Also, the high performance and the high precision electric appliances that sensitive to switching surge and fault current expose vulnerability of reduced life span and increased fault occurrence ratio. Therefore, this thesis analyzed the fault limiting characteristics by the fault types by applying the superconducting fault current limiter to the neutral line of the transformer in order to reduce the fault currents that flow such high performance appliances. A current transformer (CT) that detects the fault current in the simulated power distribution system, a switching control system that is self-developed and a transformer are used in constructing a circuit. When a fault occurs, the initial fault current is restricted by the superconducting fault current limiter and simultaneously detours the fault current by operating the SCR contact of the switching control system through the detection by CT. This thesis analyzed the limiting characteristics of the superconducting fault current limiter that are applied to the neutral line of the transformer by the fault types

  7. Limiting characteristics of the superconducting fault current limiter applied to the neutral line of conventional transformer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Im, I.G., E-mail: asiligo@gmail.com; Choi, H.S., E-mail: hyosang@chosun.ac.kr; Jung, B.I.

    2013-11-15

    Highlights: •Fault current limiter was used a high-speed interrupter. •High-speed interrupter was operated to bypass to the current limiter line. •The size of the fault current was limited to about 80% after the fault occurred. •The fault current was limited quickly within a half-cycle after the fault occurred. -- Abstract: The increased electricity demands influenced by the recent industrial development make the electric power distribution system more comprehensive, and the risks are high to cause failures to steady state electric line due to the extended range of fault at the time of fault occurrence. Also, the high performance and the high precision electric appliances that sensitive to switching surge and fault current expose vulnerability of reduced life span and increased fault occurrence ratio. Therefore, this thesis analyzed the fault limiting characteristics by the fault types by applying the superconducting fault current limiter to the neutral line of the transformer in order to reduce the fault currents that flow such high performance appliances. A current transformer (CT) that detects the fault current in the simulated power distribution system, a switching control system that is self-developed and a transformer are used in constructing a circuit. When a fault occurs, the initial fault current is restricted by the superconducting fault current limiter and simultaneously detours the fault current by operating the SCR contact of the switching control system through the detection by CT. This thesis analyzed the limiting characteristics of the superconducting fault current limiter that are applied to the neutral line of the transformer by the fault types.

  8. Experimental studies of the quench behaviour of MgB{sub 2} superconducting wires for fault current limiter applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye Lin [Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) in Superconductivity, Cavendish Laboratory/Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Majoros, M [Laboratories for Applied Superconductivity and Magnetism, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States); Campbell, A M [Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) in Superconductivity, Cavendish Laboratory/Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Coombs, T [Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) in Superconductivity, Cavendish Laboratory/Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Astill, D [Interdisciplinary Research Center (IRC) in Superconductivity, Cavendish Laboratory/Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Harrison, S [Scientific Magnetics, Culham Science Centre, Culham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Husband, M [Strategic Research Center (SRC)-Electrical Engineering, Rolls-Royce plc, Derby DE24 8BJ (United Kingdom); Rindfleisch, M [Hyper Tech Research Inc., Columbus, OH 43212 (United States); Tomsic, M [Hyper Tech Research Inc., Columbus, OH 43212 (United States)

    2007-07-15

    Various MgB{sub 2} wires with different sheath materials provided by Hyper Tech Research Inc., have been tested in the superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) desktop tester at 24-26 K in a self-field. Samples 1 and 2 are similarly fabricated monofilamentary MgB{sub 2} wires with a sheath of CuNi, except that sample 2 is doped with SiC and Mg addition. Sample 3 is a CuNi sheathed multifilamentary wire with Cu stabilization and Mg addition. All the samples with Nb barriers have the same diameter of 0.83 mm and superconducting fractions ranging from 15% to 27% of the total cross section. They were heat-treated at temperatures of 700 deg. C for a hold time of 20-40 min. Current limiting properties of MgB{sub 2} wires subjected to pulse overcurrents have been experimentally investigated in an AC environment in the self-field at 50 Hz. The quench currents extracted from the pulse measurements were in a range of 200-328 A for different samples, corresponding to an average engineering critical current density (J{sub e}) of around 4.8 x 10{sup 4} A cm{sup -2} at 25 K in the self-field, based on the 1 {mu}V cm{sup -1} criterion. This work is intended to compare the quench behaviour in the Nb-barrier monofilamentary and multifilamentary MgB{sub 2} wires with CuNi and Cu/CuNi sheaths. The experimental results can be applied to the design of fault current limiter applications based on MgB{sub 2} wires.

  9. Superconducting nanowire networks formed on nanoporous membrane substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Qiong

    Introducing a regular array of holes into superconducting thin films has been actively pursued to stabilize and pin the vortex lattice against external driving forces, enabling higher current capabilities. If the width of the sections between neighboring holes is comparable to the superconducting coherence length, the circulation of the Cooper pairs in around the holes in the presence of a magnetic field can also produce the Little-Parks effect, i.e. periodic oscillation of the critical temperature. These two mechanisms, commensurate vortex pinning enhancement by the hole-array and the critical temperature oscillations of a wire network due to Little-Parks effect can induce similar experimental observations such as magnetoresistance oscillation and enhancement of the critical current at specific magnetic fields. This dissertation work investigates the effect of a hole-array on the properties of superconducting films deposited onto nanoporous substrates. Experiments on anisotropies of the critical temperature for niobium films on anodic aluminum oxide membrane substrates containing a regular hole-array reveal that the critical temperature exhibits two strong anisotropic effects: Little-Parks oscillations whose period varies with field direction superimposed on a smooth background arising from one dimensional confinement by the finite lateral space between neighboring holes. The two components of the anisotropy are intrinsically linked and appear in concert. That is, the hole-array changes the dimensionality of a two-dimensional (2D) film to a network of 1D nanowire network. Network of superconducting nanowires with transverse dimensions as small as few nanometers were achieved by coating molybdenum germanium (MoGe) layer onto commercially available filtration membranes which have extremely dense nanopores. The magnetoresistance, magnetic field dependence of the critical temperature and the anisotropies of the synthesized MoGe nanowire networks can be consistently

  10. Critical current in nonhomogeneous YBCO coated conductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rostila, L; Mikkonen, R; Lehtonen, J

    2008-01-01

    The critical current of an YBCO tape is determined by the magnetic field inside the YBCO layer and the quality of YBCO material. In thick YBCO layers the average critical current density is reduced by the self-field and decreased material quality. In this paper the combined influence of the material nonhomogeneities and self-field on the critical current of YBCO tapes is scrutinised. First, the zero field critical current density was assumed to decrease along the YBCO thickness. Secondly, the possible defects created in the cutting of YBCO tapes were modelled as a function of lowered critical current density near the tape edges. In both cases the critical current was computed numerically with integral element method. The results suggest that the variation of zero field critical current density, J c0 , along the tape thickness does not effect on the critical current if the mean value of J c0 is kept constant. However, if J c0 is varied along the tape width the critical current can change due to the variated self-field. The computations can be used to determine when it is possible to evaluate the average zero field critical current density from a voltage-current measurement with an appropriate accuracy

  11. The influence of the s-d(f) Coulomb interaction on the transition element compound superconductive critical temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kravtsov, V.E.; Mal'shukov, A.G.

    1978-01-01

    The influence of s-d Coulomb interaction on the superconductive critical temperature Tsub(c) of transition element compounds and their dilute alloys was investigated in the frame of Anderson model. Coulomb interaction of electrons with opposite spins on the same atom was considered in a ladder approximation valid when hybridization is sufficiently small while s-d Coulomb interaction has led to the 'parquet' summation. It is shown that s-d Coulomb interaction results in the decrease of Tsub(c) and hence the electron mechanism of superconductivity seems to be non-effective in systems under consideration. (author)

  12. Superconductive AC current limiter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bekhaled, M.

    1987-01-01

    This patent describes an AC current limiter for a power transport line including a power supply circuit and feeding a load circuit via an overload circuit-breaker member. The limiter comprises a transformer having a primary winding connected in series between the power supply circuit and the load circuit and at least one secondary winding of superconductor material contained in a cryogenic enclosure and short-circuited on itself. The leakage reactance of the transformer as seen from the primary winding is low, and the resistance of the at least one secondary winding when in the non-superconducting state and as seen from the primary is much greater than the nominal impedance of the transformer. The improvement whereby the at least one secondary winding of the transformer comprises an active winding in association with a set of auxiliary windings. The set of auxiliary windings is constituted by an even number of series-connected auxiliary windings wound in opposite directions, with the total number of turns in one direction being equal to the total number of turns in the opposite direction, and with the thermal capacity of the secondary winding as a whole being sufficiently high to limit the expansion thereof to a value which remains small during the time it takes the circuit-breaking member to operate

  13. Superconductivity and its application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spadoni, M.

    1988-01-01

    This paper, after a short introduction to superconductivity and to multifilamentary superconducting composites is aiming to review the state of the art and the future perspective of some of the applications of the superconducting materials. The main interest is focussed to large scale applications like, for istance, magnets for accelerators or fusion reactors, superconducting system for NMR thomography, etc. A short paragraph is dedicated to applications for high sensitivity instrumentation. The paper is then concluded by some considerations about the potentialities of the newly discovered high critical temperature materials

  14. High-energy neutron irradiation of superconducting compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sweedler, A.R.; Snead, C.L.; Newkirk, L.; Valencia, F.; Geballe, T.H.; Schwall, R.H.; Matthias, B.T.; Corenswit, E.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of high-energy neutron irradiation (E greater than 1 MeV) at ambient reactor temperatures on the superconducting properties of a variety of superconducting compounds is reported. The materials studied include the A-15 compounds Nb 3 Sn, Nb 3 Al, Nb 3 Ga, Nb 3 Ge and V 3 Si, the C-15 Laves phase HfV 2 , the ternary molybdenum sulfide Mo 3 Pb 0 . 5 S 4 and the layered dichalcogenide NbSe 2 . The superconducting transition temperature has been measured for all of the above materials for neutron fluences up to 5 x 10 19 n/cm 2 . The critical current for multifilamentary Nb 3 Sn has also been determined for fields up to 16 T and fluences between 3 x 10 17 n/cm 2 and 1.1 x 10 19 n/cm 2

  15. Analysis of flat rolling of superconducting silver/ceramic composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech, Jakob Ilsted; Nielsen, Morten Storgård; Eriksen, Morten

    2001-01-01

    The flat rolling process from wire to tape is presumably the most crucial link in the chain of mechanical processes leading from loose powder and silver tubes to the final superconducting Ag/BSCCO tape. In order to improve the critical current density of the superconducting filaments, one must...... process these to the highest possible density without at the same time introducing failures as large cracks and macroscopic shear bands. In order to analyse and optimise the process, the interaction between the involved materials and their very different mechanical properties must be taken into account...

  16. Temperature dependence of the current to sustain a normal hotspot in superconducting microbridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Y.; Ishii, C.

    1981-01-01

    A modification of the boundary condition to determine the SN boundary in the hotspot model of superconducting microbridges is proposed and successfully applied to the interpretation of recent measurements of the hotspot-sustaining current by Mizuno and Aomine. It is shown that suppression of the order parameter due to the applied current gives rise to an additional temperature dependence of the hotspot-sustaining current in the extreme vicinity of the transition temperature. (orig.)

  17. Materials for superconducting cavities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonin, B.

    1996-01-01

    The ideal material for superconducting cavities should exhibit a high critical temperature, a high critical field, and, above all, a low surface resistance. Unfortunately, these requirements can be conflicting and a compromise has to be found. To date, most superconducting cavities for accelerators are made of niobium. The reasons for this choice are discussed. Thin films of other materials such as NbN, Nb 3 Sn, or even YBCO compounds can also be envisaged and are presently investigated in various laboratories. It is shown that their success will depend critically on the crystalline perfection of these films. (author)

  18. Superconducting thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hebard, A.F.; Vandenberg, J.M.

    1982-01-01

    This invention relates to granular metal and metal oxide superconducting films formed by ion beam sputter deposition. Illustratively, the films comprise irregularly shaped, randomly oriented, small lead grains interspersed in an insulating lead oxide matrix. The films are hillock-resistant when subjected to thermal cycling and exhibit unusual josephson-type switching characteristics. Depending on the oxygen content, a film may behave in a manner similar to that of a plurality of series connected josephson junctions, or the film may have a voltage difference in a direction parallel to a major surface of the film that is capable of being switched from zero voltage difference to a finite voltage difference in response to a current larger than the critical current

  19. Proximity-induced superconductivity in all-silicon superconductor /normal-metal junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiodi, F.; Duvauchelle, J.-E.; Marcenat, C.; Débarre, D.; Lefloch, F.

    2017-07-01

    We have realized laser-doped all-silicon superconducting (S)/normal metal (N) bilayers of tunable thickness and dopant concentration. We observed a strong reduction of the bilayers' critical temperature when increasing the normal metal thickness, a signature of the highly transparent S/N interface associated to the epitaxial sharp laser doping profile. We extracted the interface resistance by fitting with the linearized Usadel equations, demonstrating a reduction of 1 order of magnitude from previous superconductor/doped Si interfaces. In this well-controlled crystalline system we exploited the low-resistance S/N interfaces to elaborate all-silicon lateral SNS junctions with long-range proximity effect. Their dc transport properties, such as the critical and retrapping currents, could be well understood in the diffusive regime. Furthermore, this work led to the estimation of important parameters in ultradoped superconducting Si, such as the Fermi velocity, the coherence length, or the electron-phonon coupling constant, fundamental to conceive all-silicon superconducting electronics.

  20. Development of Nb-Ti multifilamentar superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otubo, J.

    1986-01-01

    Ni-Ti superconducting wires with multifilamentar configuration were produced, using the grouping technique. Some basic concepts on superconductivity and its main critical parameters are presented. The criteria for stabilizing superconductors in terms of the geometry are studied. The main critical parameters, H c , J c , T c in function of the composition and the metallurgical structure of Ni-Ti alloy are analysed. The development of Ni-Ti superconducting wires is described. (M.C.K.) [pt

  1. Superconducting transition and low-field magnetoresistance of a niobium single crystal at 4.2 deg. K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perriot, G.

    1967-01-01

    We report the study of the electrical resistance of a niobium single crystal, at 4.2 deg. K, from the beginning of the superconductive transition to 80 kilo oersteds. Critical fieldsH c2 and H c3 have been determined. Influences on superconductive transition of current density, field-current angle, crystal orientation and magnetoresistance have been studied. Variation laws of low-field transverse and longitudinal magneto-resistances have been determined. (author) [fr

  2. Effects of small magnetic fields on the critical current of thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Passos, Wagner de Assis Cangussu; Lisboa-Filho, Paulo Noronha; Ortiz, Wilson Aires; Kang, W.N.; Choi, Eun-Mi; Hyeong-Jin, Kim; Lee, Sung-Ik Lee

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Magnetic fields applied perpendicularly to superconducting thin films may produce dendritic patterns, where penetrated and Meissner regions coexist, as observed in Nb, YBaCuO and MgB 2 [1]. A temperature-dependent limiting-field, Hd(T), separates the dendritic mode from a critical-state-like penetration regime. Due to large demagnetizing factors in the perpendicular geometry, small fields may be enough to drive portions of the sample into the mixed state. Lack of symmetry and local defects might then permeate the dendritic mode. Hd(T) is related[2] to the bulk lower critical field, Hc1, which depends on the in-plane current density, J. Not surprisingly, Hd is depressed by J[3]. The dendritic mode can be detected by the AC-susceptibility: penetrated fingers act as intergranular material, and the imaginary component peaks at Tc-inter(J). Films of 0.2-0.4 microns, with millimeter lateral sizes, develop dendrites when submitted to Earth's field[2], what limits the critical current, J c . This contribution studies how J c is affected by field-induced granularity in thin films. 1. C. A. Duran et al., PRB 52 (1995) 75; P. Leiderer et al., PRL. 71 (1993) 2646; T.H. Johansen et al., Supercond. Sci. Technol. 14 (2001) 1. 2. W. A. Ortiz et al., Physica C 361 (2001) 267. 3. A. V. Bobyl et al., cond-mat/0201260, submitted to APL

  3. AmpaCity. Superconducting cables and fault current limiters for the energy supply in conurbations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merschel, F.; Noe, M.; Stemmle, M.; Hobl, A.; Sauerbach, O.

    2013-01-01

    In 2013 RWE Germany is working jointly with cable manufacturer Nexans and with the scientific support of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to install world's longest superconducting cable in the downtown area electricity grid of Essen. The AmpaCity project is partly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and is playing an exemplary role in the further development of electricity grids in major cities worldwide. The project consortium presents AmpaCity as a convincing system solution especially with respect to economics and security of supply. Components of the system are a superconducting three-phase AC cable with two terminations and one connection joint in combination with a fault current limiter, which is also based on superconducting materials. The superconducting system is designed for 10 kV nominal voltage and 40 MW nominal power. It will replace a 110 kV cable system of equal capacity. At the same time, the project partners are paving the way for high failsafe performance, as the cable in conjunction with the fault current limiter cannot be overloaded by short circuit currents in the event of faults in the grid. Planning and follow up on the civil works in Essen posed a major challenge. Cable laying in the inner city, with various crossings of major highways, tramways, as well as already dense cable routes necessitated very thorough preparation and coordination. The civil works in Essen started in April 2013. At around the same time, after the cable had passed the type test, it went into production. Cable laying is scheduled for late summer. After commissioning, planned for the end of 2013, the field trial will run for at least two years under real grid conditions, to demonstrate this technology's suitability for wider deployment.

  4. Superconductivity and their applications

    OpenAIRE

    Roque, António; Sousa, Duarte M.; Fernão Pires, Vítor; Margato, Elmano

    2017-01-01

    Trabalho apresentado em International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ’17), 4 a 6 de Abril de 2017, Málaga, Espanha The research in the field of superconductivity has led to the synthesis of superconducting materials with features that allow you to expand the applicability of this kind of materials. Among the superconducting materials characteristics, the critical temperature of the superconductor is framing the range and type of industrial applications that can b...

  5. Radiation effects on superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, B.S.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of radiation on the superconducting transition temperature (T/sub c/), upper critical field (H/sub c2/), and volume-pinning-force density (F/sub p/) were discussed for the three kinds of superconducting material (elements, alloys, and compounds). 11 figures, 3 tables, 86 references

  6. Impact of radiation exposure on mechanical and superconducting properties of Bi-2212 superconductor ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azlan Abdul Rahman; Nasri Abdul Hamid; Abdul Aziz Mohamed; Mohd Shahrul Nizam Abdullah; Samsul Isman; Hidayah Zainal

    2013-01-01

    Full-text: For practical applications of high-temperature superconductor ceramics, the compounds must be able to sustain extreme mechanical stress and external magnetic field. Bi-2212 superconductor is one of the existing superconductors that are commonly used in various applications. Improvement in the microstructure enhanced the connectivity of the adjacent grains within the superconducting grains, and as such improved the mechanical strength of the ceramics. The ability of the superconductor ceramics to sustain superconducting properties in external magnetic field is also required. The compounds must be able to maintain high transport critical current density (Jc) in magnetic field. Another potential application of superconductors is at the nuclear facilities. Thus, study on the impact of radiation exposure on the mechanical and superconducting properties is very important to gauge the viability of superconductor ceramics in such environment. In this study, the mechanical and superconducting properties between exposure and non-irradiated samples are compared. Characterization will be done by the temperature dependence on electrical resistance measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and measurements of transport critical current (Jc) dependence on temperature in magnetic field. (author)

  7. Effects of high-energy proton irradiation on the superconducting properties of Fe(Se,Te) thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylva, G.; Bellingeri, E.; Ferdeghini, C.; Martinelli, A.; Pallecchi, I.; Pellegrino, L.; Putti, M.; Ghigo, G.; Gozzelino, L.; Torsello, D.; Grimaldi, G.; Leo, A.; Nigro, A.; Braccini, V.

    2018-05-01

    In this paper we explore the effects of 3.5 MeV proton irradiation on Fe(Se,Te) thin films grown on CaF2. In particular, we carry out an experimental investigation with different irradiation fluences up to 7.30 · 1016 cm‑2 and different proton implantation depths, in order to clarify whether and to what extent the critical current is enhanced or suppressed, what are the effects of irradiation on the critical temperature, resistivity, and critical magnetic fields, and finally what is the role played by the substrate in this context. We find that the effect of irradiation on superconducting properties is generally small compared to the case of other iron-based superconductors. The irradiation effect is more evident on the critical current density Jc, while it is minor on the transition temperature Tc, normal state resistivity ρ, and on the upper critical field Hc2 up to the highest fluences explored in this work. In more detail, our analysis shows that when protons implant in the substrate far from the superconducting film, the critical current can be enhanced up to 50% of the pristine value at 7 T and 12 K; meanwhile, there is no appreciable effect on critical temperature and critical fields together with a slight decrease in resistivity. On the contrary, when the implantation layer is closer to the film–substrate interface, both critical current and temperature show a decrease accompanied by an enhancement of the resistivity and lattice strain. This result evidences that possible modifications induced by irradiation in the substrate may affect the superconducting properties of the film via lattice strain. The robustness of the Fe(Se,Te) system to irradiation-induced damage makes it a promising compound for the fabrication of magnets in high-energy accelerators.

  8. Nano-engineered pinning centres in YBCO superconducting films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crisan, A., E-mail: adrian.crisan@infim.ro [National Institute for Materials Physics Bucharest, 105 bis Atomistilor Str., 077125 Magurele (Romania); School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT Birmingham (United Kingdom); Dang, V.S. [School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT Birmingham (United Kingdom); Nano and Energy Center, VNU Hanoi University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Mikheenko, P. [School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT Birmingham (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo (Norway)

    2017-02-15

    Highlights: • Power applications of YBCO films/coated conductors in technological relevant magnetic fields requires nano-engineered pinning centre. • Three approaches have been proposed: substrate decoration, quasi-multilayers, and targets with secondary phase nano-inclusions. • Combination of all three approaches greatly increased critical current in YBCO films. • Bulk pinning force, pinning potential, and critical current density are estimated and discussed in relation with the type and strength of pinning centres related to the defects evidenced by Transmission Electron Microscopy. - Abstract: For practical applications of superconducting materials in applied magnetic fields, artificial pinning centres in addition to natural ones are required to oppose the Lorentz force. These pinning centres are actually various types of defects in the superconductor matrix. The pinning centres can be categorised on their dimension (volume, surface or point) and on their character (normal cores or Δκ cores). Different samples have been produced by Pulsed Laser Deposition, with various thicknesses, temperatures and nanostructured additions to the superconducting matrix. They have been characterized by SQUID Magnetic Properties Measurement System and Physical Properties Measurement System, as well as by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Correlations between pinning architecture, TEM images, and critical currents at various fields and field orientations will be shown for a large number of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} films with various types and architectures of artificial pinning centres.

  9. Special features of the current-voltage characteristics of short superconducting bridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhilinskii, S.; Latyshev, Y.; Nad', F.

    1981-01-01

    A study was made of variable-thickness superconducting bridges made of tin and indium. The current-voltage characteristics were determined for these bridges as a function of their length and width. The characteristics exhibited a linear region as well as an inflection. The temperature of the appearance of such an inflection depended on the length of the bridge but was independent of the bridge material

  10. Processing of flexible high-Tc superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, B.I.; Modi, V.

    1989-01-01

    Wires superconducting at temperatures above 77 K are produced by using YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 materials. Flexibility was obtained by support from prefabricated fibers or a metallic coating on the extruded YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 wires. The microstructure, the T c and the critical current densities of the wires were determined. Processing variables and steps are described

  11. Analysis of the trade-offs between conventional and superconducting interconnections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frye, R.

    1989-01-01

    Superconductivity can now be achieved at temperatures compatible with semiconductor device operation. This raises the interesting possibility of using the new, high-temperature superconducting ceramics for interconnections in electronic systems. This paper examines some of the consequences of a resistance-free interconnection medium. A problem with conventional conductors in electronic systems is that the resistance of wires increases quadratically as the wire dimensions are scaled down. Below some minimum cross-sectional area, determined by the metal resistivity and wire length, the resistance in these lines begins to severely limit their bandwidth. Superconductors, on the other hand, are not constrained by the same scaling rules. They provide a high bandwidth interconnection at all sizes and lengths. The limitations for superconductors are set by their critical current densities. If line dimensions become too small, a superconductor will no longer support an adequate flow of current. An analysis is presented examining the performance trade-offs for conventional and superconducting interconnections in applications ranging from printed wiring boards to chips. For most semiconductor device-based applications, the potential gains in wiring density offered by superconductors are probably more important than the bandwidth improvements. An important result of the analysis is that it determines the values of critical current density above which superconductors outperform conventional wires in systems of various physical sizes. This identifies particular interconnection technologies for which high-temperature superconductors show the most promise

  12. The influence of Si on the superconducting properties of LiFeAs single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shlyk, L; Bischoff, M; Niewa, R

    2012-01-01

    The results of Si doping on the superconducting transition temperature, critical current density, irreversibility field, upper critical field, coherence length and magnetic relaxation of LiFeAs single crystals are reported for H ∥ c. The superconducting transition temperature of the Si doped sample decreases by about of 6.4 K/at.%, which is likely due to the pair breaking effect. The presence of a secondary high-field fishtail maximum, which shifts progressively with temperature, is associated with the extrinsic pinning centers created by Si. The increase of the critical current densities in intermediate magnetic fields of about three times as compared to our undoped material indicates that very small amounts of Si act as effective pinning sites for the flux pinning enhancement in the material. Pinning force curves measured at different temperatures obey a normalized form of Kramer’s law, which indicates that the critical current density is limited by one predominant flux pinning mechanism. Analysis of the temperature and field dependences of the magnetic relaxation is consistent with the collective pinning model. The magnetic relaxation measurements combined with the peak position of the critical current density in the B–T phase diagram suggest an elastic–plastic transition of the vortex lattice at higher temperatures and fields. (paper)

  13. Future of IT, PT and superconductivity technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Shoji

    2003-10-01

    Recently the Information Technology is developing very rapidly and the total traffic on the Internet is increasing dramatically. The numerous equipments connected to the Internet must be operated at very high-speed and the electricity consumed in the Internet is also increasing. Superconductivity devices of very high-speed and very low power consumption must be introduced. These superconducting devices will play very important roles in the future information society. Coated conductors will be used to generate extremely high magnetic fields of beyond 20 T at low temperatures. At the liquid nitrogen temperature they can find many applications in a wide range of Power Technology and other industries, since we have already large critical current and brilliant magnetic field dependences in some prototypes of coated conductors. It is becoming certain that the market for the superconductivity technology will be opened between the years of 2005 and 2010.

  14. A superconducting homopolar motor and generator—new approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuger, Rene; Matsekh, Arkadiy; Kells, John; Sercombe, D B T; Guina, Ante

    2016-01-01

    Homopolar machines were the first continuously running electromechanical converters ever demonstrated but engineering challenges and the rapid development of AC technology prevented wider commercialisation. Recent developments in superconducting, cryogenic and sliding contact technology together with new areas of application have led to a renewed interest in homopolar machines. Some of the advantages of these machines are ripple free constant torque, pure DC operation, high power-to-weight ratio and that rotating magnets or coils are not required. In this paper we present our unique approach to high power and high torque homopolar electromagnetic turbines using specially designed high field superconducting magnets and liquid metal current collectors. The unique arrangement of the superconducting coils delivers a high static drive field as well as effective shielding for the field critical sliding contacts. The novel use of additional shielding coils reduces weight and stray field of the system. Liquid metal current collectors deliver a low resistance, stable and low maintenance sliding contact by using a thin liquid metal layer that fills a circular channel formed by the moving edge of a rotor and surrounded by a conforming stationary channel of the stator. Both technologies are critical to constructing high performance machines. Homopolar machines are pure DC devices that utilise only DC electric and magnetic fields and have no AC losses in the coils or the supporting structure. Guina Energy Technologies has developed, built and tested different motor and generator concepts over the last few years and has combined its experience to develop a new generation of homopolar electromagnetic turbines. This paper summarises the development process, general design parameters and first test results of our high temperature superconducting test motor. (paper)

  15. A superconducting homopolar motor and generator—new approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuger, Rene; Matsekh, Arkadiy; Kells, John; Sercombe, D. B. T.; Guina, Ante

    2016-03-01

    Homopolar machines were the first continuously running electromechanical converters ever demonstrated but engineering challenges and the rapid development of AC technology prevented wider commercialisation. Recent developments in superconducting, cryogenic and sliding contact technology together with new areas of application have led to a renewed interest in homopolar machines. Some of the advantages of these machines are ripple free constant torque, pure DC operation, high power-to-weight ratio and that rotating magnets or coils are not required. In this paper we present our unique approach to high power and high torque homopolar electromagnetic turbines using specially designed high field superconducting magnets and liquid metal current collectors. The unique arrangement of the superconducting coils delivers a high static drive field as well as effective shielding for the field critical sliding contacts. The novel use of additional shielding coils reduces weight and stray field of the system. Liquid metal current collectors deliver a low resistance, stable and low maintenance sliding contact by using a thin liquid metal layer that fills a circular channel formed by the moving edge of a rotor and surrounded by a conforming stationary channel of the stator. Both technologies are critical to constructing high performance machines. Homopolar machines are pure DC devices that utilise only DC electric and magnetic fields and have no AC losses in the coils or the supporting structure. Guina Energy Technologies has developed, built and tested different motor and generator concepts over the last few years and has combined its experience to develop a new generation of homopolar electromagnetic turbines. This paper summarises the development process, general design parameters and first test results of our high temperature superconducting test motor.

  16. Linear arrangement of metallic and superconducting defects in a thin superconducting sample

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barba-Ortega, J.; Sardella, Edson; Albino Aguiar, J.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • We study the influence of superconducting and metallic defects on the vortex configurations in a thin mesoscopic disk. • We found that the vortex–defect interaction leads to interesting vortex configurations. • The first vortex entry is always (never) found sitting on the metallic (superconducting) defect position. -- Abstract: The vortex matter in a superconducting disk with a linear configuration of metallic and superconducting defects is studied. Effects associated to the pinning (anti-pinning) force of the metallic (superconducting) defect on the vortex configuration and on the thermodynamic critical fields are analyzed in the framework of the Ginzburg Landau theory. We calculate the loop of the magnetization, vorticity and free energy curves as a function of the magnetic field for a thin disk. Due to vortex–defect attraction for a metallic defect (repulsion for a superconducting defect), the vortices always (never) are found to be sitting on the defect position

  17. Criteria of the efficiency for radiation protection of tokamak reactor superconducting magnet coils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimin, S.A.

    1988-01-01

    Factors determining serviceability of the main elements (superconductor, stabilizing conductor, insulation) of superconducting magnet coils for tokamak reactors are discussed. It is suggested that the limiting values of total and specific energy release in the material of superconducting coils, increase in electric resistance of the stabilizing conductor, decrease in the superconductor critical current and damage of the superconducting magnet insulation should be used as criteria of the reactor internal radiation protection efficiency. The conclusion is made that neutron fluence in the magnet coil components considered can be used as a generalized criterion of the first approximation for the evaluation of the protection efficiency

  18. Critical current densities amd pinning mechanisms of high-Tc films on single crystalline and technologically relevant substrates. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adrian, H.

    1995-12-01

    The report deals with six project tasks: (1) Effects of impurity additions at atomic level on the pinning behaviour and the critical current densities, examined in epitactic YBA 2 (Cu 1-x Ni x ) 3 O 7 films. It could be proven that the Ni atoms increase the activation energy for flux movement and the critical current density in a concentration range of 0 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2n+4+δ films (n = 2 and 3) with good crystalline properties, high critical currents, and high current densities were prepared. Thin YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films of high quality could be grown on saphire substrates, both by the MO-CVD process and by MBE. The aim of depositing biaxially textured YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films with high critical current densities on polycrystalline, metallic substrates was achieved by the IBAD process combined with MBE. The buffer layer was YSZ. Heterostructures of the layer sequence YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 /CeO 2 /Y 0.3 Pr 0.7 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 /YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 /CeO 2 /Au were prepared by laser ablation and sputtering processes, in order to examine Josephson ramp contacts and superconducting field-effect transistors. (orig./MM) [de

  19. Superconducting properties of Ca{sub 1−x}RE{sub x}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} (RE: Rare Earths)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamegai, T., E-mail: tamegai@ap.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); JST, Transformative Research-Project on Iron Pnictides (TRIP), Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Ding, Q.P. [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); JST, Transformative Research-Project on Iron Pnictides (TRIP), Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Ishibashi, T. [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Nakajima, Y. [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); JST, Transformative Research-Project on Iron Pnictides (TRIP), Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

    2013-01-15

    Highlights: ► Superconducting properties in rare-earth doped CaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} single crystals are characterized. ► Sharp resistive transitions with small anisotropy parameter of ∼1.75 are observed. ► Average critical current density is much smaller than other iron-based superconductors. ► Magneto-optical imaging confirms very inhomogeneous superconducting state. -- Abstract: We have grown rare-earth doped CaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} single crystals and characterized their normal and superconducting properties. Temperature dependence of resistivity and its absolute value suggest good metallic conduction, suppressing antiferromagnetic (AF) transition in the undoped sample. Hall coefficient shows little temperature dependence, consistent with the suppression AF state. Superconducting transitions characterized by resistivity drops in magnetic fields for both parallel to c-axis and ab-plane are reasonably sharp with a weak anisotropy parameter ∼1.75. Despite these observations, average critical current density estimated from the bulk magnetization is orders of magnitude smaller than other typical iron-based superconductors. Magneto-optical imaging confirms very inhomogeneous superconducting state.

  20. 8th International Symposium on Superconductivity

    CERN Document Server

    Enomoto, Youichi

    1996-01-01

    Since the discovery of superconductivity with trans1tton temperatures above 77 K, concentrated research activities toward the exploration of practical applica­ tions of these materials have been carried out. Currently, a remarkable improve­ ment in superconducting properties has been achieved due to the fine optimization of fabrication processes, and this has attracted industrial interest for future applications. In the case of NdBa Cu 0 materials, a new pinning mecha­ 2 3 7 nism was found which enhances the critical current under applied magnetic fields. In single crystals of these materials, oxygen control results in an increase in the growth rate. The metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) film quality has been improved by using a new liquid raw material. Simultaneously, real demands from the viewpoint of the market start to be a motivation force, es­ pecially in electronics application where some products are already being sold. At the same time, interesting physical properlies have been obtai...

  1. Electro-mechanical behaviors of composite superconducting strand with filament breakage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Xu; Gao, Yuanwen; Zhou, Youhe

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The electromechanical behaviors of the superconducting (SC) strand are investigated. • A 3D FEM model for bending behaviors and electric properties of strand is developed. • The influence of breakage of filaments on the critical current of SC strand is calculated. • The impact of current transfer length on the electric properties of SC strand is discussed. - Abstract: The bending behaviors of superconducting strand with typical multi-filament twist configuration are investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand. In this 3D FEM model, the impacts of initial thermal residual stress, filament-breakage and its evaluation are taken into accounts. The mechanical responses of the strand under bending load are studied with the factors taken into consideration one by one. The distribution of the damage of the filaments and its evolution and the movement of the neutral axis caused by it are studied and displayed in detail. Besides, taking the advantages of the Multi-filament twist model, the normalized critical current of the strand under bending load is also calculated based on the invariant temperature and field strain functions. In addition, the non-negligible influences of the pitch length of the filaments on both the mechanical behaviors and the normalized critical current are discussed. The stress-strain characteristics of the strand under tensile load and the normalized critical current of it under axial and bending loads resulting from the Multi-filament twist model show good agreement with the experimental data.

  2. Electro-mechanical behaviors of composite superconducting strand with filament breakage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Xu [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Gao, Yuanwen, E-mail: ywgao@lzu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Zhou, Youhe [Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Environment and Disaster in Western China, The Ministry of Education of China, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China); Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 (China)

    2016-10-15

    Highlights: • The electromechanical behaviors of the superconducting (SC) strand are investigated. • A 3D FEM model for bending behaviors and electric properties of strand is developed. • The influence of breakage of filaments on the critical current of SC strand is calculated. • The impact of current transfer length on the electric properties of SC strand is discussed. - Abstract: The bending behaviors of superconducting strand with typical multi-filament twist configuration are investigated based on a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model, named as the Multi-filament twist model, of the strand. In this 3D FEM model, the impacts of initial thermal residual stress, filament-breakage and its evaluation are taken into accounts. The mechanical responses of the strand under bending load are studied with the factors taken into consideration one by one. The distribution of the damage of the filaments and its evolution and the movement of the neutral axis caused by it are studied and displayed in detail. Besides, taking the advantages of the Multi-filament twist model, the normalized critical current of the strand under bending load is also calculated based on the invariant temperature and field strain functions. In addition, the non-negligible influences of the pitch length of the filaments on both the mechanical behaviors and the normalized critical current are discussed. The stress-strain characteristics of the strand under tensile load and the normalized critical current of it under axial and bending loads resulting from the Multi-filament twist model show good agreement with the experimental data.

  3. Vortex pinning vs superconducting wire network: origin of periodic oscillations induced by applied magnetic fields in superconducting films with arrays of nanomagnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomez, A; Del Valle, J; Gonzalez, E M; Vicent, J L; Chiliotte, C E; Carreira, S J; Bekeris, V; Prieto, J L; Schuller, Ivan K

    2014-01-01

    Hybrid magnetic arrays embedded in superconducting films are ideal systems to study the competition between different physical (such as the coherence length) and structural length scales such as are available in artificially produced structures. This interplay leads to oscillation in many magnetically dependent superconducting properties such as the critical currents, resistivity and magnetization. These effects are generally analyzed using two distinct models based on vortex pinning or wire network. In this work, we show that for magnetic dot arrays, as opposed to antidot (i.e. holes) arrays, vortex pinning is the main mechanism for field induced oscillations in resistance R(H), critical current I c (H), magnetization M(H) and ac-susceptibility χ ac (H) in a broad temperature range. Due to the coherence length divergence at T c , a crossover to wire network behaviour is experimentally found. While pinning occurs in a wide temperature range up to T c , wire network behaviour is only present in a very narrow temperature window close to T c . In this temperature interval, contributions from both mechanisms are operational but can be experimentally distinguished. (papers)

  4. Vortex loops in the critical Casimir effect in superfluid and superconducting films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, Gary A.

    2004-01-01

    Vortex-loop renormalization techniques are used to calculate the magnitude of the critical Casimir forces in superfluid and superconducting thin films. The force is found to become appreciable when the size of the thermally excited vortex loops is comparable to the film thickness, and the results for T c are found to match very well with perturbative renormalization-group theories that can only be carried out for T>T c . In helium films the Casimir force leads to a change in the film thickness close to T c that has been observed experimentally. A similar effect is predicted to occur near the transition temperature of high-T c superconducting films, which is also a vortex-loop phase transition. In this case the Casimir force takes the form of a voltage difference that will appear at the junction between a thin film and a bulk sample. Estimates show that this voltage can be appreciable (tens of microvolts), and it may be possible to observe the effect by measuring the voltage across two Josephson tunnel junctions to the film and to the bulk, using a SQUID voltmeter

  5. Test results of the UNK superconducting dipole magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ageev, A.I.; Andreev, N.I.; Gridasov, V.I.

    1993-01-01

    Results of studied, training, temperature and velocity dependence of 25 critical current of superconducting magnets (SC), as well as, of dynamic losses of dipole and statical inflows in UNK operating cycle at currents that are higher than critical ones (5250 A), are presented. Service life tests of SC-dipole demonstrated that their design may ensure durable operation of magnets under UNK conditions. Conclusions are made that temperature margin of magnets equal to 0.8 K will enable to ensure their reliable operation under dynamic and radiation heat releases at acceleration and extraction of beam, as well as, under emergency extraction of stored energy. 4 refs.; 5 figs

  6. Basic Study of Superconductive Actuator

    OpenAIRE

    涌井, 和也; 荻原, 宏康

    2000-01-01

    There are two kinds of electromagnetic propulsion ships : a superconductive electromagnetic propulsion ship and a superconductive electricity propulsion ship. A superconductive electromagnetic propulsion ship uses the electromagnetic force (Lorenz force) by the interaction between a magnetic field and a electric current. On the other hand, a superconductive electricity propulsion ship uses screws driven by a superconductive motor. A superconductive propulsion ship technique has the merits of ...

  7. Capacitor energy needed to induce transitions from the superconducting to the normal state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberhard, P.H.; Ross, R.R.

    1985-08-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe a technique to turn a long length of superconducting wire normal by dumping a charged capacitor into it and justify some formulae needed in the design. The physical phenomenon is described. A formula for the energy to be stored in the capacitor is given. There are circumstances where the dc in an electrical circuit containing superconducting elements has to be turned off quickly and where the most convenient way to switch the current off is to turn a large portion or all of the superconducting wire normal. Such was the case of the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) superconducting magnet as soon as a quench was detected. The technique used was the discharge of a capacitor into the coil center tap. It turned the magnet winding normal in ten milliseconds or so and provided an adequate quench protection. The technique of discharging a capacitor into a superconducting wire should have many other applications whenever a substantial resistance in a superconducting circuit has to be generated in that kind of time scale. The process involves generating a pulse of large currents in some part of the circuit and heating the wire up by ac losses until the value of the wire critical current is smaller than the dc current. Use of low inductance connections to the circuit is necessary. Then the dc gets turned off due to the resistance of the wire as in a magnet quench

  8. Effects of differential thermal contraction between the matrix and the filaments in mono- and multifilamentary Nb3Sn on the superconducting critical temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aihara, K.; Suenage, M.; Luhman, T.

    1979-01-01

    The strain on Nb 3 Sn due to the differential thermal contraction between the matrix (Cu, bronze) and the filaments (Nb, Nb 3 Sn, Ta) of a superconducting wire is known to decrease the superconducting critical temperature T/sub c/. In order to study the effects of heat treatment conditions and filament size on the degradation of T/sub c/ by the strain. T/sub c/ for monofilamentary wires [(Nb 3 Sn and bronze in Ta) in Cu matrix, and (bronze in Nb tubings) in Cu matrix] were measured for heat-treating periods in of 1 to 120 h at 725 0 C. Several observations were made regarding the effects on T/sub c/ of thermal contraction strains from various components of the conductors. The influence of a Cu matrix on T/sub c/ was small (approx. 0.2 K). When the bronze matrix was inside Nb tubing the degradation of T/sub c/ due to strains was substantially larger than when the Nb filaments were in a bronze. Wires with smaller filament diameters achieved a maximum T/sub c/ in shorter heat treatment times than those with larger filaments. These results are discussed in terms of the critical currents of these wires under applied tensile strains

  9. Critical current scaling and the pivot-point in Nb3Sn strands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsui, Y; Hampshire, D P

    2012-01-01

    Detailed measurements are provided of the engineering critical current density (J c ) and the index of transition (n-value) of two different types of advanced ITER Nb 3 Sn superconducting strand for fusion applications. The samples consist of one internal-tin strand (OST) and two bronze-route strands (BEAS I and BEAS II—reacted using different heat treatments). Tests on different sections of these wires show that prior to applying strain, J c is homogeneous to better than 2% along the length of each strand. J c data have been characterized as a function of magnetic field (B ≤ 14.5 T), temperature (4.2 K ≤ T ≤ 12 K) and applied axial strain ( − 1% ≤ ε A ≤ 0.8%). Strain-cycling tests demonstrate that the variable strain J c data are reversible to better than 2% when the applied axial strain is in the range of − 1% ≤ ε A ≤ 0.5%. The wires are damaged when the intrinsic strain (ε I ) is ε I ≥ 0.55% and ε I ≥ 0.23% for the OST and BEAS strands, respectively. The strain dependences of the normalized J c for each type of strand are similar to those of prototype strands of similar design measured in 2005 and 2008 to about 2% which makes them candidate strands for a round-robin interlaboratory comparison. The J c data are described by Durham, ITER and Josephson-junction parameterizations to an accuracy of about 4%. For all of these scaling laws, the percentage difference between the data and the parameterization is larger when J c is small, caused by high B, T or |ε I |. The n-values can be described by a modified power law of the form n=1+rI c s , where r and s are approximately constant and I c is the critical current. It has long been known that pivot-points (or cross-overs) in J c occur at high magnetic field and temperature. Changing the magnetic field or temperature from one side of the pivot-point to the other changes the highest J c sample to the lowest J c sample and vice versa. The pivot-point follows the B–T phase boundary

  10. Experimental studies of current sharing in parallel driven Graetz bridge units for diurnal superconductive magnetic energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kustom, R.L.; Akita, S.; Okada, H.; Skiles, J.

    1985-01-01

    Superconductive Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) coils for diurnal load leveling and system peaking are envisioned to operate at hundreds of thousands of amperes and a few kilovolts. The interface between the SMES coil and the electric utility is envisioned to be Graetz bridges using SCR switches. Many parallel SCR switches or bridge units will have to operate in parallel because of the high operating current of the coil. Current balancing on parallel Graetz bridges driving a single 8-hy superconducting coil has been achieved on a laboratory model using delay-angle control with an LSI 11/2 microprocessor and external digital control hardware

  11. Anisotrophic currents and flux jumps in high-Tc superconducting films with self-organized arrays of planar defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yurchenko, V.V.; Qviller, A.J.; Mozhaev, P.B.; Mozhaeva, J.E.; Hansen, J.B.; Jacobsen, C.S.; Kotelyanskii, I.M.; Pan, A.V.; Johansen, T.H.

    2010-01-01

    Regular arrays of planar defects with a period of a few nanometers can be introduced in superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) thin films by depositing them on vicinal (also called miscut or tilted) substrates. This results in the anisotropy of critical currents flowing in the plane of the film. We present results of real-time magneto-optical imaging (MOI) of magnetic flux distribution and dynamics in a series of YBCO thin films deposited on NdGaO 3 substrates with different miscut angles θ. MOI allows reconstructing the current flow profiles. From the angle formed between domains with different directions of the current flow we determine the anisotropy parameter of the in-plane current, as well as its field and temperature dependences. The artificially introduced defects also have a dramatic effect on the dynamics of the flux propagation: for 10 o o the magnetic flux propagates along the easy channels intermittently, i.e. in a form of flux jumps. This behavior is indicative of thermo-magnetic instability in superconductors, but we argue that this effect can be of a different nature.

  12. Quenches in large superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberhard, P.H.; Alston-Garnjost, M.; Green, M.A.; Lecomte, P.; Smits, R.G.; Taylor, J.D.; Vuillemin, V.

    1977-08-01

    The development of large high current density superconducting magnets requires an understanding of the quench process by which the magnet goes normal. A theory which describes the quench process in large superconducting magnets is presented and compared with experimental measurements. The use of a quench theory to improve the design of large high current density superconducting magnets is discussed

  13. Analysis of the electrodynamics of subcable current distribution in the superconducting POLO coil cable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sihler, C.; Heller, R.; Maurer, W.; Ulbricht, A.; Wuechner, F.

    1995-10-01

    Unexpected ramp rate limitations (RRL) found in superconducting magnets during the development of magnet systems can be attributed to a current imbalance amongst the cabled strands which leads to a lower than expected quench current. In superconducting magnets the current distribution in the cable during ramping depends mainly on the electromagnetic properties of the system. A detailed analysis of principle causes for RRL phenomena was performed with a model for one half of the POLO coil considering the complete inductance matrix of the cable and the fact that all turns are mutually coupled. The main results of these calculations are that unequal contact resistances can not be responsible for RRL phenomena in coils with parameters comparable to those of the POLO coil and that already minor geometrical disturbances in the cable structure can lead to major and lasting imbalances in the current distribution of cables with insulated and non-insulated strands. During the POLO experiment the half-coil model was employed to get a better understanding of the measured compensated subcable voltages during quench. The good agreement of the calculated and measured results demonstrates the validity of the model for RRL analyses. (orig.)

  14. Electrodeposited Ag-Stabilization Layer for High Temperature Superconducting Coated Conductors: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharya, R. N.; Mann, J.; Qiao, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Selvamanickam, V.

    2010-11-01

    We developed a non-aqueous based electrodepostion process of Ag-stabilization layer on YBCO superconductor tapes. The non-aqueous electroplating solution is non-reactive to the HTS layer thus does not detoriate the critical current capability of the superconductor layer when plated directly on the HTS tape. The superconducting current capabilities of these tapes were measured by non-contact magnetic measurements.

  15. High field superconducting magnets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hait, Thomas P. (Inventor); Shirron, Peter J. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    A superconducting magnet includes an insulating layer disposed about the surface of a mandrel; a superconducting wire wound in adjacent turns about the mandrel to form the superconducting magnet, wherein the superconducting wire is in thermal communication with the mandrel, and the superconducting magnet has a field-to-current ratio equal to or greater than 1.1 Tesla per Ampere; a thermally conductive potting material configured to fill interstices between the adjacent turns, wherein the thermally conductive potting material and the superconducting wire provide a path for dissipation of heat; and a voltage limiting device disposed across each end of the superconducting wire, wherein the voltage limiting device is configured to prevent a voltage excursion across the superconducting wire during quench of the superconducting magnet.

  16. Fabrication and testing of a superconducting coil: Phase 3 of the Maglev development program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fife, A A; Lee, S; Tillotson, M [CTF Systems Inc., Port Coquitlam, BC (Canada)

    1989-03-01

    This report documents developmental research on superconducting magnet technology suitable for the levitation and propulsion units of the Canadian Maglev vehicle. The contract work involved the design, fabrication and testing of a racetrack coil fabricated using epoxy-impregnated windings of copper stabilized NbTi wire. The following results were achieved: successful fabrication and testing of a superconducting racetrack magnet with strength {gt} 400,000 A-turns integrated in a support frame; selection and characterization of cryogenic strain gauges; characterization of strain in solenoidal and racetrack superconducting magnets; design, fabrication and testing of high current persistent switches; and operation of superconducting magnets in persistent mode. The racetrack coil reached the design current after the third quench and short sample critical current after the eighth quench. This behavior is essentially identical to that observed with a superconducting solenoid fabricated during a previous phase. The strain measured perpendicular to the straight sides of the racetrack coil was proportional to the square of the energizing current. Persistent switches were fabricated, one type with low resistance (10{sup -2} ohm) and the other with high resistance (1.2 ohm) in their normal states. The low resistance switch could be operated in 1-Tesla fields with stabel characteristics up to about 800A drive current and the high resistance switch to 475A.

  17. Field-Induced Quantum Critical Point and Nodal Superconductivity in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor Ce_{2}PdIn_{8}

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. K. Dong

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The in-plane resistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ of the heavy-fermion superconductor Ce_{2}PdIn_{8} single crystals were measured down to 50 mK. A field-induced quantum critical point, occurring at the upper critical field H_{c2}, is demonstrated from the ρ(T∼T near H_{c2} and ρ(T∼T^{2} when further increasing the field. The large residual linear term κ_{0}/T at zero field and the rapid increase of κ(H/T at low field give evidence for nodal superconductivity in Ce_{2}PdIn_{8}. The jump of κ(H/T near H_{c2} suggests a first-order-like phase transition at low temperature. These results mimic the features of the famous CeCoIn_{5} superconductor, implying that Ce_{2}PdIn_{8} may be another interesting compound to investigate for the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity.

  18. Neutron detection using a current biased kinetic inductance detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shishido, Hiroaki; Miyajima, Shigeyuki; Ishida, Takekazu; Narukami, Yoshito; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Oku, Takayuki; Arai, Masatoshi; Hidaka, Mutsuo; Fujimaki, Akira

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrate neutron detection using a solid state superconducting current biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID), which consists of a superconducting Nb meander line of 1 μm width and 40 nm thickness. 10 B-enriched neutron absorber layer of 150 nm thickness is placed on top of the CB-KID. Our neutron detectors are able to operate in a wide superconducting region in the bias current–temperature diagram. This is in sharp contrast with our preceding current-biased transition edge detector, which can operate only in a narrow range just below the superconducting critical temperature. The full width at half maximum of the signals remains of the order of a few tens of ns, which confirms the high speed operation of our detectors

  19. Improved plasma confinement by modulated toroidal current on HT-7 superconducting tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao Jianshan; Zhao Junyu; Shen Biao; Luo Jiarong

    2004-01-01

    The improved confinement phase was observed during modulating toroidal current on the Hefei superconducting Tokamak-7 (HT-7). This improved plasma confinement phase is characterized by suppressing magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities effectively, thus increased the central line averaged electron density and the central electron temperature about 33%, out-put steeper density profiles, and reduced hydrogen radiation from the edge as well. The global energy confinement time was increased by 27%-45%; The impurity radiation was reduced by modulation of plasma toroidal current; particle confinement time was increased about two times; a stronger radial negative electric field formed inside the limiter. The radial electric field during modulating current was calculated and disscused. (authors)

  20. Unconventional transport characteristics of p-wave superconducting junctions in Sr2RuO4-Ru eutectic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kambara, H.; Kashiwaya, S.; Yaguchi, H.; Asano, Y.; Tanaka, Y.; Maeno, Y.

    2010-01-01

    We report on novel local transport characteristics of naturally formed p-wave superconducting junctions of Sr 2 RuO 4 -Ru eutectic system by using microfabrication technique. We observed quite anomalous voltage-current (differential resistance-current) characteristics for both I//ab and I//c directions, which are not seen in conventional Josephson junctions. The anomalous features suggest the internal degrees of freedom of the superconducting state, possibly due to chiral p-wave domain. The dc current acts as a driving force to move chiral p-wave domain walls and form larger critical current path to cause the anomalous hysteresis.

  1. Superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    During 2007, a large amount of the work was centred on the ITER project and related tasks. The activities based on low-temperature superconducting (LTS) materials included the manufacture and qualification of ITER full-size conductors under relevant operating conditions, the design of conductors and magnets for the JT-60SA tokamak and the manufacture of the conductors for the European dipole facility. A preliminary study was also performed to develop a new test facility at ENEA in order to test long-length ITER or DEMO full-size conductors. Several studies on different superconducting materials were also started to create a more complete database of superconductor properties, and also for use in magnet design. In this context, an extensive measurement campaign on transport and magnetic properties was carried out on commercially available NbTi strands. Work was started on characterising MgB 2 wire and bulk samples to optimise their performance. In addition, an intense experimental study was started to clarify the effect of mechanical loads on the transport properties of multi-filamentary Nb 3 Sn strands with twisted or untwisted superconducting filaments. The experimental activity on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials was mainly focussed on the development and characterisation of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-X (YBCO) based coated conductors. Several characteristics regarding YBCO deposition, current transport performance and tape manufacture were investigated. In the framework of chemical approaches for YBCO film growth, a new method, developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (TUCN), Romania, was studied to obtain YBCO film via chemical solution deposition, which modifies the well-assessed metallic organic deposition trifluoroacetate (MOD-TFA) approach. The results are promising in terms of critical current and film thickness values. YBCO properties in films with artificially added pinning sites were characterised in collaboration with

  2. Optimization of a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage Device via a CPU-Efficient Semi-Analytical Simulation

    OpenAIRE

    Dimitrov, I K; Zhang, X; Solovyov, V F; Chubar, O; Li, Qiang

    2014-01-01

    Recent advances in second generation (YBCO) high temperature superconducting wire could potentially enable the design of super high performance energy storage devices that combine the high energy density of chemical storage with the high power of superconducting magnetic storage. However, the high aspect ratio and considerable filament size of these wires requires the concomitant development of dedicated optimization methods that account for both the critical current density and ac losses in ...

  3. A novel modeling to predict the critical current behavior of Nb$_{3}$Sn PIT strand under transverse load based on a scaling law and Finite Element Analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Tiening; Takayasu, Makoto; Bordini, Bernardo

    2014-01-01

    Superconducting Nb$_{3}$Sn Powder-In-Tube (PIT) strands could be used for the superconducting magnets of the next generation Large Hadron Collider. The strands are cabled into the typical flat Rutherford cable configuration. During the assembly of a magnet and its operation the strands experience not only longitudinal but also transverse load due to the pre-compression applied during the assembly and the Lorentz load felt when the magnets are energized. To properly design the magnets and guarantee their safe operation, mechanical load effects on the strand superconducting properties are studied extensively; particularly, many scaling laws based on tensile load experiments have been established to predict the critical current dependence on strain. However, the dependence of the superconducting properties on transverse load has not been extensively studied so far. One of the reasons is that transverse loading experiments are difficult to conduct due to the small diameter of the strand (about 1 mm) and the data ...

  4. Superconducting superlattices. Les super reseaux de supraconducteurs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triscone, J M; Fischer, O [Geneva Univ. (Switzerland)

    1993-03-01

    By piling up ultra-thin layers of discrete materials, physicists now have a choice method for the study of superconductivity at high temperature. These superlattices are prepared by successive layers of YBaCuO and PrBaCuO deposited by cathode sputtering to study the variation of superconductivity with layer thickness. The transition temperature decreases rapidly when the distance between two layers increases. Current vortices are created, without a magnetic field, widening the transition temperature. The variation of resistivity near critical temperature in a magnetic field shows that the energy required to displace vortices is increasing with the thickness of the YBaCuO layer, with thin layers anisotropy is high and energy dissipation is important. (G.R.). refs., figs.

  5. Experimental study of flux pinning in NbN films and multilayers: Ultimate limits on critical currents in superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, K.E.; Kampwirth, R.T.; Capone, D.W. II; Murduck, J.M.

    1988-08-01

    A flux pinning model is presented which predicts the maximum critical current density attainable in superconductors. That such a limit must exist comes from the realization that flux pinning is strongest in regions of weak superconductivity, but these regions cannot carry a large supercurrent. Since the same regions within the superconductor cannot be used for both pinning and supercurrent conductions, there must be an optimum mix, leading to a maximum J/sub c/. Measurements on films and multilayers of NbN have verified many details of the model including anisotropy effects and a strong reduction in J/sub c/ for defect spacings smaller than the flux core diameter. In an optimized multilayer the pinning force reached /approximately/22% of the theoretical maximum. The implications of these results on the practical applications of NbN films and on the maximum critical current density in the new high temperature superconductors are also discussed. 24 refs., 4 figs

  6. Fast superconducting magnetic field switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goren, Yehuda; Mahale, Narayan K.

    1996-01-01

    The superconducting magnetic switch or fast kicker magnet is employed with electron stream or a bunch of electrons to rapidly change the direction of flow of the electron stream or bunch of electrons. The apparatus employs a beam tube which is coated with a film of superconducting material. The tube is cooled to a temperature below the superconducting transition temperature and is subjected to a constant magnetic field which is produced by an external dc magnet. The magnetic field produced by the dc magnet is less than the critical field for the superconducting material, thus, creating a Meissner Effect condition. A controllable fast electromagnet is used to provide a magnetic field which supplements that of the dc magnet so that when the fast magnet is energized the combined magnetic field is now greater that the critical field and the superconducting material returns to its normal state allowing the magnetic field to penetrate the tube. This produces an internal field which effects the direction of motion and of the electron stream or electron bunch. The switch can also operate as a switching mechanism for charged particles.

  7. Fast superconducting magnetic field switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goren, Y.; Mahale, N.K.

    1996-01-01

    The superconducting magnetic switch or fast kicker magnet is employed with electron stream or a bunch of electrons to rapidly change the direction of flow of the electron stream or bunch of electrons. The apparatus employs a beam tube which is coated with a film of superconducting material. The tube is cooled to a temperature below the superconducting transition temperature and is subjected to a constant magnetic field which is produced by an external dc magnet. The magnetic field produced by the dc magnet is less than the critical field for the superconducting material, thus, creating a Meissner Effect condition. A controllable fast electromagnet is used to provide a magnetic field which supplements that of the dc magnet so that when the fast magnet is energized the combined magnetic field is now greater that the critical field and the superconducting material returns to its normal state allowing the magnetic field to penetrate the tube. This produces an internal field which effects the direction of motion and of the electron stream or electron bunch. The switch can also operate as a switching mechanism for charged particles. 6 figs

  8. A manufacturing process for a mixed-oxide type superconducting material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gendre, P.; Regnier, P.; Schmirgeld-Mignot, L.; Marquet, A.

    1995-01-01

    In order to produce high temperature superconducting materials such as YBaCuO and Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca Cu 2 O 8 , a process is presented which consists in an electrodeposition on a conductive substrate of successive layers made of the metallic elements composing the superconductor, with only one element in each layer; between each layer deposition, an intermediary oxide-reaction thermal treatment is carried out; a global oxidation thermal treatment is then finally conducted to produce the mixed oxide material. Narrow superconducting transitions and high critical current densities are possible. 3 refs., 4 figs

  9. Disappearance of superconductivity and critical resistance in thin indium films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuma, Satoshi; Nishida, Nobuhiko

    1991-01-01

    In thin granular films composed of two-dimensionally coupled indium particles, we have studied influences of average particle sizes anti d on the superconducting transition. For films with anti d=280A and 224A, superconducting transition temperature stays almost constant with increasing the sheet resistance R n in the normal state, while for a film with anti d=140A, it decreases linearly with R n . This means that the system changes to a dirty superconductor by reducing anti d. With further increasing R n , superconductivity disappears when R n exceeds the value R c of order h/4e 2 , which seems to correlate with anti d. (orig.)

  10. Current-Voltage Characteristics of Quasi-One-Dimensional Superconductors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vodolazov, D.Y.; Peeters, F.M.; Piraux, L.

    2003-01-01

    The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional superconductors were discussed. The I-V characteristics exhibited an unusual S behavior. The dynamics of superconducting condensate and the existence of two different critical currents resulted in such an unusual behavior....

  11. A high Tc superconducting liquid nitrogen level sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, J. X.; Liu, H. K.; Dou, S. X.; Grantham, C.; Beer, J.

    1996-01-01

    Full text: The dramatic resistance change in the superconducting-normal transition temperature range enables a high T c superconductor to be considered for designing a liquid nitrogen level sensor. A (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+x Ag clad superconducting wire is selected and tested as a continuous liquid nitrogen level sensor to investigate the possibility for this application. The (Bi,Pb) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10+x Ag clad superconducting wire has approximately 110 K critical temperature, with more flexible and stable properties compared with bulk shape ceramic high T c superconductors. The voltage drops across the sensor are tested with different immersion lengths in liquid nitrogen. The accuracy of the HTS sensor is analysed with its dR/dT in the superconducting-normal transition range. The voltage signal is sensitive to liquid nitrogen level change, and this signal can be optimized by controlling the transport current. The problems of the Ag clad superconductor are that the Ag sheath thermal conductivity is very high, and the sensor normal resistance is low. These are the main disadvantages for using such a wire as a continuous level sensor. However, a satisfactory accuracy can be achieved by control of the transport current. A different configuration of the wire sensor is also designed to avoid this thermal influence

  12. Misfit dislocations and phase transformations in high-T sub c superconducting films

    CERN Document Server

    Gutkin, M Y

    2002-01-01

    A theoretical model is suggested that describes the effects of misfit stresses on defect structures, phase content and critical transition temperature T sub c in high-T sub c superconducting films. The focus is placed on the exemplary case of YBaCuO films deposited onto LaSrAlO sub 4 substrates. It is theoretically revealed here that misfit stresses are capable of inducing phase transformations controlled by the generation of misfit dislocations in growing cuprate films. These transformations, in the framework of the suggested model, account for experimental data on the influence of the film thickness on phase content and critical temperature T sub c of superconducting cuprate films, reported in the literature. The potential role of stress-assisted phase transformations in suppression of critical current density across grain boundaries in high-T sub c superconductors is briefly discussed.

  13. Why superconducting vortices follow to moving hot sport?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sergeev, Andrei; Michael, Reizer

    Recent experiments reported in Nature Comm. 7, 12801, 2016 show that superconducting vortices follow to the moving hot sport created by a focused laser beam, i.e. vortices move from the cold area to the moving hot area. This behavior is opposite to the vortex motion observed in numerous measurements of the vortex Nernst effect, where vortices always move against the temperature gradient. Taking into account that superconducting magnetization currents do not transfer entropy, we analyze the balance of forces acting on a vortex in stationary and dynamic temperature gradients. We show that the dynamic measurements may be described by a single vortex approximation, while in stationary measurements interaction between vortices is critical. Supported by NRC.

  14. Critical currents in columnar vanadium films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cherkasova, V.G.; Kolin'ko, A.E.; Slatin, A.E.; Fogel, N.Y.

    1982-01-01

    The angular dependence of the critical current I/sub c/ is studied in columnar vanadium films. In measurements in constant magnetic fields an anomalous maximum I/sub c/ is found on the I/sub c/(theta) curves at arbitrary values of the external magnetic field and temperature, when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the plane of the specimen. The angular dependence of I/sub c/ measured in constant reduced magnetic fields h = H/H/sub c/2(T,theta) shows no singularities in the vicinity of the angle at which the I/sub c/ peak is found in the case H = const, i.e., the critical current is isotropic. This implies that a change in the relative orientation of the vortices and column boundaries produces no change in critical current. The experimental data obtained permit the conclusion that the anisotropy of I/sub c/ observed in a constant magnetic field H is merely a consequence of the anisotropy of the critical magnetic field H/sub c/: the critical current ''tracking'' the magnitude and angular dependence of H/sub c/

  15. Characterization of NbTi multifilamentary superconducting wires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vellego, G.

    1988-01-01

    Pirelli is developing superconducting mulfilamentary NbTi wires, with current carrying capacities of up to 500 A, for use in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and in small research magnets. Pirelli and IFUSP have developed a system for assessing wire performance, whose quality is comparable to the equivalent systems at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). In particular, a high sensitivity is required for critical current measurements, so that the modern criteria for definition of critical current can be used. These involve conductor resistivities of the order of 10 -12 ohm-cm. The methods of measurements of critical current in applied magnetic fields, of residual resistance ratio and of copper to superconductor ratio are described. The results of the first tests performed in Pirelli wires and in wires of other manufacturers are described. These include tests on a NBS standard reference material. These results are of the same quality as results obtained at BNL or NBS on the same wires. So this system can be very useful throughout the Pirelli program. (author) [pt

  16. Emergence of Quantum Phase-Slip Behaviour in Superconducting NbN Nanowires: DC Electrical Transport and Fabrication Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolas G. N. Constantino

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Superconducting nanowires undergoing quantum phase-slips have potential for impact in electronic devices, with a high-accuracy quantum current standard among a possible toolbox of novel components. A key element of developing such technologies is to understand the requirements for, and control the production of, superconducting nanowires that undergo coherent quantum phase-slips. We present three fabrication technologies, based on using electron-beam lithography or neon focussed ion-beam lithography, for defining narrow superconducting nanowires, and have used these to create nanowires in niobium nitride with widths in the range of 20–250 nm. We present characterisation of the nanowires using DC electrical transport at temperatures down to 300 mK. We demonstrate that a range of different behaviours may be obtained in different nanowires, including bulk-like superconducting properties with critical-current features, the observation of phase-slip centres and the observation of zero conductance below a critical voltage, characteristic of coherent quantum phase-slips. We observe critical voltages up to 5 mV, an order of magnitude larger than other reports to date. The different prominence of quantum phase-slip effects in the various nanowires may be understood as arising from the differing importance of quantum fluctuations. Control of the nanowire properties will pave the way for routine fabrication of coherent quantum phase-slip nanowire devices for technology applications.

  17. Large high current density superconducting solenoids for use in high energy physics experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.; Eberhard, P.H.; Taylor, J.D.

    1976-05-01

    Very often the study of high energy physics in colliding beam storage-rings requires a large magnetic field volume in order to detect and analyze charged particles which are created from the collision of two particle beams. Large superconducting solenoids which are greater than 1 meter in diameter are required for this kind of physics. In many cases, interesting physics can be done outside the magnet coil, and this often requires that the amount of material in the magnet coil be minimized. As a result, these solenoids should have high current density (up to 10 9 A m -2 ) superconducting windings. The methods commonly used to stabilize large superconducting magnets cannot be employed because of this need to minimize the amount of material in the coils. A description is given of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory program for building and testing prototype solenoid magnets which are designed to operate at coil current densities in excess of 10 9 A m -2 with magnetic stored energies which are as high as 1.5 Megajoules per meter of solenoid length. The coils use intrinsically stable multifilament Nb--Ti superconductors. Control of the magnetic field quench is achieved by using a low resistance aluminum bore tube which is inductively coupled to the coil. The inner cryostat is replaced by a tubular cooling system which carries two phase liquid helium. The magnet coil, the cooling tubes, and aluminum bore tube are cast in epoxy to form a single unified magnet and cryogenic system which is about 2 centimeters thick. The results of the magnet coil tests are discussed

  18. MAXIMSUPER: a computer program to assist in the design of multifilamentary superconducting composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoard, R.W.; Scanlan, R.M.; Hirzel, D.G.

    1979-01-01

    The strain degradation of critical current density has been analytically and experimentally investigated for multifilamentary superconducting composites produced in a bronze core geometry. Analytic results were obtained from a computer program (MAXIMSUPER) which predicts the stresses and strains in composites as a result of thermal and axial loading. Tensile test data for Nb 3 Sn are described. It is believed that the strain dependence of the critical current found in Nb 3 Sn is due to strain enhanced martensitic transformation

  19. Ion implantation in superconducting niobium and Nb3 Sn thin films: adjustment of Josephson microbridges and SQUID devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robic, J.Y.; Piaguet, J.; Duret, D.; Veler, J.C.; Veran, J.L.; Zenatti, D.

    1978-01-01

    The principles of operation of Josephson junctions and SQUIDS are resumed. An ion implantation technique for the adjustment of the critical current is presented. High quality superconducting thin films were obtained by electron gun evaporation of niobium on heated substrates. Polycrystalline Nb 3 Sn was made by annealing (1000 K, 10 -6 Torr) a multilayer structure of successively evaporated niobium and thin films. Selected ions (helium, neon, argon) were implanted at doses ranging from 10 13 to 10 17 cm -2 . After implantation the critical temperature, the critical current and the normal resistivity were measured on special photoetched geometries. The variations of these electrical properties depend on the nuclear energy loss. The critical temperature of Nb 3 Sn is decreased by ion implantation and can be increased again by a new annealing. The parameters of the ion implantation were defined in order to obtain a critical temperature slightly higher than the operating temperature. The geometries of the microbridges and the implanted areas where then chosen to obtain appropriate criticals currents (approximately 10 μA) at the operating temperature. The obtained microbridges were used as junction elements in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID)

  20. Neutron detection using a current biased kinetic inductance detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shishido, Hiroaki, E-mail: shishido@pe.osakafu-u.ac.jp; Miyajima, Shigeyuki; Ishida, Takekazu [Department of Physics and Electronics, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Institute for Nanofabrication Research, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Narukami, Yoshito [Department of Physics and Electronics, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Oku, Takayuki; Arai, Masatoshi [Materials and Life Science Division, J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Hidaka, Mutsuo [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan); Fujimaki, Akira [Department of Quantum Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603 (Japan)

    2015-12-07

    We demonstrate neutron detection using a solid state superconducting current biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID), which consists of a superconducting Nb meander line of 1 μm width and 40 nm thickness. {sup 10}B-enriched neutron absorber layer of 150 nm thickness is placed on top of the CB-KID. Our neutron detectors are able to operate in a wide superconducting region in the bias current–temperature diagram. This is in sharp contrast with our preceding current-biased transition edge detector, which can operate only in a narrow range just below the superconducting critical temperature. The full width at half maximum of the signals remains of the order of a few tens of ns, which confirms the high speed operation of our detectors.

  1. Microstructure and superconducting properties of YBCO bulk superconductors with RE substitutions

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Volochová, D.; Antal, V.; Piovarči, S.; Kováč, J.; Jirsa, Miloš; Noudem, J.; Diko, P.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 26, č. 3 (2016), s. 1-4, č. článku 7200604. ISSN 1051-8223 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : yttrium barium copper oxide * critical current density (superconductivity) * powders * magnetic fields * microstructure * temperature measurement Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.092, year: 2015

  2. Development of Ti-sheathed MgB2 wires with high critical current density

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liang, G; Fang, H; Hanna, M; Yen, F; Lv, B; Alessandrini, M; Keith, S; Hoyt, C; Tang, Z; Salama, K

    2006-01-01

    Working towards developing lightweight superconducting magnets for future space and other applications, we have successfully fabricated mono-core Ti-sheathed MgB 2 wires by the powder-in-tube method. The wires were characterized by magnetization, electrical resistivity, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectrometry measurements. The results indicate that the Ti sheath does not react with the magnesium and boron, and the present wire rolling process can produce MgB 2 wires with a superconducting volume fraction of at least 64% in the core. Using the Bean model, it was found that at 5 K, the magnetic critical current densities, J c , measured in magnetic fields of 0, 5, and 8 T are about 4.2 x 10 5 , 3.6 x 10 4 , and 1.4 x 10 4 A cm -2 , respectively. At 20 K and 0 T, the magnetic J c is about 2.4 x 10 5 A cm -2 . These results show that at zero and low fields, the values of the magnetic J c for Ti-sheathed MgB 2 wires are comparable with the best results available for the Fe-sheathed MgB 2 wires. At high fields, however, the J c for Ti-sheathed MgB 2 wires appears higher than that for the Fe-sheathed MgB 2 wires

  3. Application of a combined superconducting fault current limiter and STATCOM to enhancement of power system transient stability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahdad, Belkacem, E-mail: bemahdad@mselab.org; Srairi, K.

    2013-12-15

    Highlights: •A simple interactive model SFCL–STATCOM Controller is proposed to enhance the transient stability. •The STATCOM controller is integrated in coordination with the SFCL to support the excessive reactive power during fault. •Voltage stability index based continuation power flow is used to locate the STATCOM and the SFCL. •The clearing time improved compared to other cases (with only SFCL, with only STATCOM). •The choice of the STATCOM parameters is very important to exploit efficiently the integration of STATCOM Controller. -- Abstract: Stable and reliable operation of the power system network is dependent on the dynamic equilibrium between energy production and power demand under large disturbance such as short circuit or important line tripping. This paper investigates the use of combined model based superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) and shunt FACTS Controller (STATCOM) for assessing the transient stability of a power system considering the automatic voltage regulator. The combined model located at a specified branch based on voltage stability index using continuation power flow. The main role of the proposed combined model is to achieve simultaneously a flexible control of reactive power using STATCOM Controller and to reduce fault current using superconducting technology based SFCL. The proposed combined model has been successfully adapted within the transient stability program and applied to enhance the transient power system stability of the WSCC9-Bus system. Critical clearing time (CCT) has been used as an index to evaluate and validate the contribution of the proposed coordinated Controller. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness and perspective of this combined Controller to enhance the dynamic power system performances.

  4. Prediction of Chevrel superconducting phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savitskij, E.M.; Kiseleva, N.N.

    1978-01-01

    Made is an attempt of predicting the possibility of formation of compounds of Mo 3 Se 4 type structure having critical temperatures of transition into superconducting state more than 4.2 K. Cybernetic method of teaching an electronic computer to form notions is used for prediction. Prediction system constructs logic dependence of forming Chevrel superconducting phase of the Asub(x)Bsub(6)Ssub(8) composition (A being an element of the periodic system; B=Cr, Mo, W, Re) and Asub(x)Bsub(6)Ssub(8) compounds having a critical temperature of more than 4.2 K on the properties of A and B elements. A conclusion is made that W, Re, Cr do not form Chevrel phases of the Asub(x)Bsub(6)Ssub(8) composition as B component. Be, Hg, Ra, B, Ac are the reserve for obtaining Asub(x)Mosub(6)Ssub(8) phases. Agsub(x)Mosub(6)Ssub(8) compound may have a high critical temperature. The ways of a critical temperature increase for Chevrel phases are connected with the search of optimal technological conditions for already known superconducting compounds and also with introduction of impurities fixing a distance between sulfur cubes

  5. Improving superconducting properties of YBCO high temperature superconductor by Graphene Oxide doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadras, S., E-mail: dadras@alzahra.ac.ir; Dehghani, S.; Davoudiniya, M.; Falahati, S.

    2017-06-01

    In this research, we report the synthesis and characterization of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-δ} (YBCO) high temperature superconductor prepared by sol-gel method and doped with Graphene Oxide (GO) in different weight percentages, 0, 0.1, 0.7 and 1 % wt. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the formation of orthorhombic phase of superconductivity for all the prepared samples. We found that GO doping reduces the crystalline size of the samples. We evaluated the effects of GO doping on the normal state resistivity (ρ), superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}) and critical current density (J{sub c}). The results show that the GO doping has a positive effect on these properties. Also, the highest J{sub c} is obtained for the 0.7 %wt GO doped YBCO compound that its critical current density is about 15 times more than the J{sub c} of pure one in 0.4 T magnetic field. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis shows that there are better connections between the grains of GO doped samples. - Highlights: • Graphene Oxide doping increased the YBCO critical current density. • Graphene Oxide creates a better connection between the YBCO grains. • The normal resistivity of samples were decreased by GO doping to YBCO compounds. • Graphene Oxide doping has a positive effect on the critical transition temperature.

  6. Effects of strain on the superconducting properties of niobium-tin conductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoard, R.W.

    1980-11-01

    Investigations were performed to ascertain additional information on the connection between the cubic to tetragonal martensitic phase transformation and the phenomenon of superconductivity in Nb 3 Sn. Of particular interest is the degradation of the critical parameters, such as T/sub c/, H/sub c2/, and J/sub c/, with mechanical straining of the superconductor. These studies yielded information that assisted in the derivation of the critical current-strain scaling laws mentioned above

  7. An all-field-range description of the critical current density in superconducting YBCO films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golovchanskiy, I A; Pan, A V; Shcherbakova, O V; Fedoseev, S A; Dou, S X

    2011-01-01

    A new critical current density (J c ) model for high-quality YBCO (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 ) thin films has been proposed, combining thermally activated flux creep with a vortex pinning potential for columnar defects. The pinning for thermally activated vortices has been described as strong pinning on chains of individual edge dislocations that form low-angle domain boundaries in high-quality YBCO thin films. The model yields an adequate description of the J c behaviour over the whole applied field range, as verified by direct measurements of J c in YBCO thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition. It also indicates that the effective pinning landscape changes under the influence of the external conditions. Remarkably, the pinning potential obtained from the model is consistent with the values obtained for columnar defects, which confirms the validity of the overall approach.

  8. Peak Fields of Nb$_{3}$Sn Superconducting Undulators and a Scaling Law

    CERN Document Server

    Kim, S H

    2005-01-01

    The peak fields on the beam axis and the maximum fields in the conductor of Nb$_{3}$Sn superconducting undulators (SCUs) were calculated for an undulator period length of 16 mm. Using a simple scaling law for SCUs [1], the peak fields, as well as the conductor maximum fields and the current densities, were calculated for a period range of 8 to 32 mm. The critical current densities of commercially available Nb$_{3}$Sn superconducting strands were used for the calculations. The achievable peak fields are limited mainly by the flux-jump instabilities at low fields. The possible or feasible peak field will also be compared with that achieved in prototype development of SCUs.

  9. Ferromagnetic Film on a Superconducting Substrate

    OpenAIRE

    Bulaevskii, L. N.; Chudnovsky, E. M.

    2000-01-01

    We study the equilibrium domain structure and magnetic flux around a ferromagnetic (FM) film with perpendicular magnetization M_0 on a superconducting (SC) substrate. At 4{\\pi}M_0> 1. Here \\lambda_L is the London penetration length. For 4{\\pi}M_0 > H_{c1} and l_{N} in excess of about 35 {\\lambda}_{L}, the domains are connected by SC vortices. We argue that pinning of vortices by magnetic domains in FM/SC multilayers can provide high critical currents.

  10. Design and simulation of superconducting Lorentz Force Electrical Impedance Tomography (LFEIT)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Boyang, E-mail: bs506@cam.ac.uk; Fu, Lin, E-mail: lf359@cam.ac.uk; Geng, Jianzhao, E-mail: jg717@cam.ac.uk; Zhang, Xiuchang, E-mail: xz326@cam.ac.uk; Zhang, Heng, E-mail: hz301@cam.ac.uk; Dong, Qihuan, E-mail: qd210@cam.ac.uk; Li, Chao, E-mail: cl644@cam.ac.uk; Li, Jing, E-mail: jl908@cam.ac.uk; Coombs, T.A., E-mail: tac1000@cam.ac.uk

    2016-05-15

    Highlights: • Design of superconducting magnets using Halbach Array configuration. • Combination of superconducting magnets together with Lorentz Force Electrical Impedance Tomography (LFEIT) system. • Simulation of superconducting LFEIT system based on the theory of magneto-acoustic effect. - Abstract: Lorentz Force Electrical Impedance Tomography (LFEIT) is a hybrid diagnostic scanner with strong capability for biological imaging, particularly in cancer and haemorrhages detection. This paper presents the design and simulation of a novel combination: a superconducting magnet together with LFEIT system. Superconducting magnets can generate magnetic field with high intensity and homogeneity, which could significantly enhance the imaging performance. The modelling of superconducting magnets was carried out using Finite Element Method (FEM) package, COMSOL Multiphysics, which was based on Partial Differential Equation (PDE) model with H-formulation coupling B-dependent critical current density and bulk approximation. The mathematical model for LFEIT system was built based on the theory of magneto-acoustic effect. The magnetic field properties from magnet design were imported into the LFEIT model. The basic imaging of electrical signal was developed using MATLAB codes. The LFEIT model simulated two samples located in three different magnetic fields with varying magnetic strength and homogeneity.

  11. Critical region of a type II superconducting film near Hsub(c2): rational approximants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruggeri, G.J.

    1979-01-01

    The high-temperature perturbative expansions for the thermal quantities of a type II superconducting film are extrapolated to the critical region near Hsub(c2) by means of new rational approximants of the Pade type. The new approximants are forced to reproduce the leading correction to the flux lattice contribution on the low-temperature side of the transition. Compared to those previously considered in the literature: (i) the mutual consistency of the approximants is improved; and (ii) they are nearer to the exact solution of the zero-dimensional Landau-Ginsburg model. (author)

  12. Characterisation of an optimised high current MgO/Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8.21} composite conductor using pulsed transport currents with pulsed magnetic fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glowacki, B A; Gilewski, A; Rogacki, K; Kursumovic, A; Evetts, J E; Jones, H; Henson, R; Tsukamoto, O

    2003-01-15

    High temperature superconducting conductors are already used in hybrid magnets to produce fields that enhance the performance of conventional magnets made from A-15 type low temperature superconducting wires. For such applications it is vital that the interdependence of the critical parameters such as critical current versus magnetic field can be mapped under high field and high current conditions. However these superconductors have high critical currents even at fields over 20 T, making accurate measurements difficult due to the thermal and mechanical problems. In this paper, we compare measurements on the fully optimised Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8.21} flat rigid conductors using an innovative pulsed high transport current and pulsed high field technique. We show how analysis of the voltage signal from Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8.21} tape in pulsed conditions may be used to extract the critical current under quasi-stationary conditions.

  13. Superconductivity in volumetric and film ceramics Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sukhanov, A.A.; Ozmanyan, Kh.R.; Sandomirskij, B.B.

    1988-01-01

    A superconducting transition with T c0 =82-95 K and T c (R=0)=82-72 K was observed in volumetric and film Bi(Sr 1-x Ca x ) 2 Cu 3 O y samples obtained by solid-phase reaction. Temperature dependences of resistance critical current and magnetic susceptibility are measured

  14. Superconductivity in Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O bulk and film ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sukhanov, A A; Ozmanian, KH R; Sandomirskii, B B

    1988-07-01

    A superconducting transition with Tc0 = 82-95 K and Tc(R = 0) = 82-72 K was observed in Bi(Sr/1-x/Ca/x/)2Cu3O(y) bulk and film specimens obtained via a solid-phase reaction. Temperature dependences of the resistance, critical current, and magnetic susceptibility were measured.

  15. Review of thin film superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kihlstrom, K.E.

    1989-01-01

    Advances in thin film superconductivity are critical to the success of many proposed applications. The authors review several of the prominent techniques currently used to produce thin films of the high temperature superconductors including electron beam co-deposition, sputtering (both multiple and composite source configurations) and laser ablation. The authors look at the relevant parameters for each and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. In addition, promising work on in situ oxidation is discussed. Also addressed are efforts to find optimum substrate materials and substrate buffer layers for various applications. The current state of the art for T c , J c and H c2 is presented for the yttrium, bismuth, and thallium compounds

  16. Kiloampere, Variable-Temperature, Critical-Current Measurements of High-Field Superconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodrich, L F; Cheggour, N; Stauffer, T C; Filla, B J; Lu, X F

    2013-01-01

    K to those measured on the same specimen in flowing helium gas ("gas" or I c gas) at the same temperature. These comparisons indicate the temperature control is effective over the superconducting wire length between the voltage taps, and this condition is valid for all types of sample investigated, including Nb-Ti, Nb3Sn, and MgB2 wires. The liquid/gas comparisons are used to study the variable-temperature measurement protocol that was necessary to obtain the "correct" critical current, which was assumed to be the I c liq. We also calibrated the magnetoresistance effect of resistive thermometers for temperatures from 4 K to 35 K and magnetic fields from 0 T to 16 T. This calibration reduces systematic errors in the variable-temperature data, but it does not affect the liquid/gas comparison since the same thermometers are used in both cases.

  17. Nonlinearity in superconductivity and Josephson junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazarides, N.

    1995-01-01

    Within the framework of the Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffers (BCS) theory, the influence of anisotropy on superconducting states are investigated. Crystal anisotropy exists in un-conventional low temperature superconductors as e.g. U 1-x Th x Be 13 and in high temperature superconductors. Starting from a phenomenological pairing interaction of the electrons or holes, the BCS approach is used to derive a set of coupled nonlinear algebraic equations for the momentum dependent gap parameter. The emphasis is put on bifurcation phenomena between s-, d-wave and mixed s- and d-wave symmetry and the influence on measurable quantities as the electron specific heat, spin susceptibility and Josephson tunnelling. Pitch-fork and perturbed pitch-fork bifurcations have been found separating s- and d-wave superconducting states from mixed s- and d-wave states. The additional superconducting states give rise to jumps in the electron specific heat below the transition temperature. These jumps are rounded in the case of perturbed pitch-fork bifurcations. An experiment to measure the sign of the interlayer interaction using dc SQUIDS is suggested. The Ambegaokar-Baratoff formalism has been used for calculating the quasiparticle current and the two phase coherent tunnelling currents in a Josephson junction made of anisotropic superconductors. It is shown that anisotropy can lead to a reduction in the product of the normal resistance and the critical current. For low voltages across the junction the usual resistively shunted Josephson model can be used. Finally, bunching in long circular Josephson junctions and suppression of chaos in point junctions have been investigated. (au) 113 refs

  18. The effect of aging on the critical current density in superconducting Nb-Ti-Zr alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishida, Fumihiko; Doi, Toshio

    1979-01-01

    The effect of aging temperature, cold-reduction prior to aging, O 2 content and composition on the variation in the critical current density, J sub(c), by isothermal aging was investigated in heavily cold-worked Nb-Ti-Zr alloys on the Nb-Ti side. The results are summarized as follows: (1) When these alloys are aged isothermally at temperatures from 350 to 500 0 C, J sub(c) increases initially, reaches a maximum value and then decreases. Increase in J sub(c) of three orders of magnitude is possible as a result of aging. (2) The maximum value of J sub(c) on the isothermal aging curve becomes higher at a lower aging temperature, at a less cold-reduction prior to aging or with a higher O 2 content. (3) The J sub(c) of aged alloy becomes a maximum in composition containing 35 at%Nb, 60 to 65 at%Ti and less than 5 at%Zr. (4) The maximum value of J sub(c) was obtained for Nb-60.0 at%Ti-5.0 at%Zr alloy containing 1200 wt ppm O 2 , aged at 350 0 C for 330 h after 98.44% cold-reduction. The values of J sub(c) at 4.2 K were 2.4 x 10 9 A/m 2 at 5.0 T, 1.1 x 10 9 A/m 2 at 7.0 T and 3.0 x 10 8 A/m 2 at 9.0 T, respectively. The upper critical field of this specimen was 11.3 T at 4.2 K and its critical temperature was 8.6 K. (author)

  19. Quench Protection and Powering in a String of Superconducting Magnets for the Large Hadron Collider

    CERN Document Server

    Krainz, G

    1997-01-01

    Practical experience has been attained on the LHC Test String (String~1), composed of one 3~m long superconducting twin-aperture prototype quadrupole and three 10~m long superconducting twin-aperture prototype dipoles. The protection diodes are housed in the cold mass of the short straight section. The quench protection system acts on the half-cell level. During the operation of the LHC Test String, magnet quenches have been provoked manually by firing the quench heaters or occured manually by exceeding the critical temperature or critical current density of the superconductor. Most of the data could be measured while some parameters (magnet current, diode current, average temperature, etc.) cannot be directly measured. A simulation progam has been developed to calculate the missing data. The validation of the model has been performed by comparing measured and simulated data. The modelling of the quench behaviour of the final version of the LHC magnets show that hot-spot temperatures and voltages to ground ca...

  20. Current control of superconducting coils for fusion experimental facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ise, T.; Etou, D.; Chikaraishi, H.; Takami, S.; Inoue, T.

    2003-01-01

    The LHD (Large Helical Device) has twelve superconducting coils and six dc power supplies, and following specifications are required for its control system; each coil current must be controlled independently, the steady state control error is less than 0.01% of the reference value, the current settling time for 0.1% of control error is less than 1 second, and the control system must be robust against turbulence caused by appearance and disappearance of the plasma, parameter errors and external electro-magnetic noises. In this paper, the design and test results of the coil current control system for the LHD are described. The good response and robustness are in the relation of trade off each other. H-infinity controller is one of schemes to guarantee robustness for stability. However, the independent responses of six coils were impossible by the H-infinity controller only. To resolve this problem, we applied a feed-forward control with the H-infinity control. Moreover, the advanced design method of H-infinity controller using μ-synthesis was applied to guarantee the control performance in the whole operating condition. As a result, good control results were obtained by experiments. (author)