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Challenges in Continuous In-Field Critical Current Testing of High-Temperature Superconducting Tapes: Thermal and Mechanical Perspectives
High-temperature superconductors (HTS) are essential for ultra-high-field applications requiring exceptional current-carrying capacity under extreme conditions. However, systematic characterization of critical current in long-length conductors remains challenging due to complex thermal, electromag netic, and mechanical interactions during continuous testing. This study reports the development of a continuous in-field magnetization testing system for position-dependent critical current measurement in HTS tapes at 20 K under 7.5 T fields applied normal to the tape plane, enabling identification of performance-limiting regions that could compromise magnet stability. Here, the system addresses two fundamental challenges inherent to cryogenic reel to-reel testing. First, thermal management requires continuous cooling of a moving conductor to 20 K, achieved through liquid nitrogen precooling combined with a 100 W@20 K Gifford McMahon cryocooler. Second, screening currents in high fields generate Lorentz forces that induce twisting, bowing, and potential delamination. To mitigate these risks, we propose mechanical reinforcement and active current density suppression strategies. Numerical simulations using the stream function formulation reveal four primary failure modes: frictional heating at guide interfaces, unstable equilibria causing deformation, transverse current-induced stresses at guide transitions, and unsupported forces in vertical spans. Our mitigation strategies include PTFE coated guides to minimize friction, spring-loaded stabilization mechanisms to maintain tape alignment, controlled pre-heating using the liquid nitrogen thermal jacket to suppress critical current at stress points, and optimized guide positioning to minimize force accumulation. The experimental system is nearing completion, with testing planned to commence within two months. Preliminary validation at 65 K under 0.5 T demonstrates strong correlation between simulation-predicted mechanical instabilities and observed critical current variations during conductor tran sitions through the measurement region. These findings establish a robust foundation for quality assurance protocols essential to next-generation superconducting magnet applications.
Experiment attributes to establish tube with twisted tape insert performance cooling plasma facing components
The modeling capability for tubes with twisted tape inserts is reviewed with reference to the application of cooling plasma facing components in magnetic confinement fusion devices. The history of experiments examining the cooling performance of tubes with twisted tape inserts is reviewed with emphasis on the manner of heating, flow stability limits and the details of the test section and fluid delivery system. Models for heat transfer, burnout, and onset of net vapor generation in straight tube flows and tube with twisted tape are compared. As a result, the gaps in knowledge required to establish performance limits of the plasma facing components are identified and attributes of an experiment to close those gaps are presented.
Performance of layer wound epoxy-impregnated coils made from a multifilamentary cable of exfoliated YBCO
The performance and reliability of magnets made from second generation (2G), exfoliated, YBCO conductors are highly improved by use of narrow, stacked, multifilamentary cable instead of a single wide tape. This work reports on tests of five mini-coils wound from 2.4 mm wide ExoCable™, which is comprised of eight, stacked, exfoliated, YBCO filaments. The filaments are coupled electrically through a re-flow process, which results in enhanced electrical connectivity between the adjacent layers. The coils were tested at 77 K (up to 500 A) in liquid nitrogen and at 22 K (up to 700 A) in a conduction-cooled mode. The cable carries 500 A critical current at 77 K. A six-layer coil wound from 10.5 m of the cable, the largest coil created in the study, demonstrates a critical current of 280 A at 77 K at 0.4 T magnetic field on the winding. The coils were fully impregnated with Stycast 1266 and Henkel W19 low-viscosity epoxies. Repeated thermal cycling, to 77 and 22 K, does not degrade the coil's performance. The cable AC loss and the coil winding magnetization are compared with the traditional 2G wide tape pancake geometry at 77 K. We observe a five times reduction of the winding magnetization when the 12 mm tape is replaced by a 2.4 mm cable, which is explained by the smaller magnetic moment of the cable winding. The field hysteresis profiles recorded at 22 and 77 K are presented to demonstrate the effect of the operation temperature on the winding magnetization. A finite element analysis of the winding magnetization shows a good agreement between the experimentally measured trapped field value, and the critical state model prediction. Finally, we discuss the stability of an ExoCable™ coil in a conduction-cooled operation.
Effects of Rolling Passes on the Transport Properties of 37-Filamentary AgAu-Sheathed Bi-2223 Tapes
Thirty-seven-filamentary AgAu-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes were fabricated by a powder-in-tube (PIT) process. And, the round wires (ϕ 1.86 mm) were rolled to 0.35-mm tapes with 12, 7, 5, and 4 rolling passes through flat rolling, respectively. The influences of different rolling passes on the core density, deformation, and transport properties of Bi-2223/AgAu tapes were systematically investigated. It was noticed that after rolling, the Vickers microhardness of the superconducting core and deform homogeneity along both the horizontal and vertical directions on the cross section of seven-pass rolled tape were better than those on the tapes with other passes, which proved the larger core density and uniform deformation with the seven-pass rolling process. Meanwhile for the wires with 12 and 7 passes, the AgAu/superconducting core interfaces were much flatter. With the rolling passes decreasing from 12 to 4, the critical current density (J{sub c}) first increased and then decreased. Due to the better homogeneity and flatter interfaces, J{sub c} reached the maximum value of 17.3 kA/cm{sup 2} on the seven-pass sample. Meanwhile, the enhancement of current capacities in magnetic field applied parallel to the Bi-2223/AgAu tape surface could also be recognized as the evidence of improving intergrain connections due to the higher density in seven-pass rolled tapes.
An initial magnet experiment using high-temperature superconducting STAR ® wires
A dipole magnet generating 20 T and beyond will require high-temperature superconductors such as Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8-x and REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (RE = rare earth, rebco). Symmetric tape round (star ® ) wires based on rebco tapes are emerging as a potential conductor for such a magnet, demonstrating a whole-conductor current density of 580 A mm -2 at 20 T, 4.2 K, and at a bend radius of 15 mm. There are, however, few magnet developments using star ® wires. Here we report a subscale canted cos$\theta$ dipole magnet as an initial experiment for two purposes: to evaluate the conductor performance in a magnet configuration and to start developing the magnet technology, leveraging the small bend radius afforded by star ® wires. The magnet was wound with two star ® wires, electrically in parallel and without transposition. We tested the magnet at 77 and 4.2 K. The magnet reached a peak current of 8.9 kA, 78% of the short-sample prediction at 4.2 K, and a whole-conductor current density of 1500 A mm -2 . The experiment demonstrated a minimum viable concept for dipole magnet applications using star ® wires. Here the results also allowed us to identify further development needs for star ® conductors and associated magnet technology to enable high-field rebco magnets.
High critical currents in heavily doped (Gd,Y)Ba 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor tapes
REBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor tapes with moderate levels of dopants have been optimized for high critical current density in low magnetic fields at 77 K, but they do not exhibit exemplary performance in conditions of interest for practical applications, i.e., temperatures less than 50 K and fields of 2–30 T. Heavy doping of REBCO tapes has been avoided by researchers thus far due to deterioration in properties. Here, we report achievement of critical current densities (J c ) above 20 MA/cm 2 at 30 K, 3 T in heavily doped (25 mol. % Zr-added) (Gd,Y)Ba 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor tapes, which is more than three times higher than the J c typically obtained in moderately doped tapes. Pinning force levels above 1000 GN/m 3 have also been attained at 20 K. A composition map of lift factor in J c (ratio of J c at 30 K, 3 T to the J c at 77 K, 0 T) has been developed which reveals the optimum film composition to obtain lift factors above six, which is thrice the typical value. A highly c-axis aligned BaZrO 3 (BZO) nanocolumn defect density of nearly 7 × 10 11 cm –2 as well as 2–3nm sized particles rich in Cu and Zr have been found in the high J c films.
Correlations Between In-Line X-ray Diffraction Data and In-Field Critical Current of Long, 4-μm Thick Film REBCO Tapes Made by Advanced MOCVD
REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (REBCO, RE = rare earth) tapes with high critical current can be very impactful in high magnetic field applications at low temperatures and power applications at high temperatures. A pilot-scale Advanced Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) method was used to fabricate 50-m-long, 4+μm-thick REBCO tape in a single pass. Critical currents 3.3x that of commercial HTS tapes were achieved at 20 K, 12 T in these 50-m-long tapes. An in-line 2D X-ray Diffraction (XRD) system has been used to assess the quality of the long tapes in real-time, during manufacturing. The key peaks of REBCO, REO, and BZO phases were identified and utilized for tape quality analysis. Furthermore, a 20-m tape made by Advanced MOCVD was tested over its entire length by reel-to-reel (R2R) scanning Hall-probe microscopy (SHPM) at 65 K, 0.25 T, 2 T, and 4 T. 4-mm-wide strands of Advanced MOCVD tapes showed mean critical currents at 65 K of 530 A, 200 A, and 104 A at 0.25 T, 2 T, and 4 T respectively. The combined use of in-line and offline characterization techniques provides a reliable approach for assessing long REBCO tapes during manufacturing, serving as an effective feedback source for quality control in scaled-up REBCO tape deposition processes. This advancement contributes to the production of longer and more uniform high-performance REBCO tapes for large-scale, high-field superconducting applications
Correlation Between Microstructure and In-Field Performance of Zr-Added REBCO Coated Conductors Made by Advanced MOCVD
In this paper, we present correlation features between critical current density (J c ) and microstructural characteristics of Zr-added (0, 5, and 15 mol.%) REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (REBCO and RE = rare earth) coated conductors fabricated by the novel advanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique. The J c along the tape normal (~ B || c-axis) measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer at 30 and 65 K and magnetic flux density range of 0-14 T was used for qualitative comparison of different Zr-added REBCO tapes. It is found that tapes with enhanced in-field J c exhibit a rise of critical current (plateau or fishtail effect) at magnetic flux density 1-8 T and temperatures 65 K. The TEM microstructure analysis indicates that the plateau effect is not the intrinsic property of REBCO matrix but depends on size distribution and density of BaZrO 3 (BZO) self-assembled nanocolumns. Two types of BZO microstructures have been identified: one with uniform BZO diameter 4-7 nm, whereas some films exhibit bottle-shaped BZO nanocolumns with alternating wide and narrow sections, 7-13 and 4-6 nm, respectively. The non-uniform shape and broad size distribution of BZO nanocolumns are correlated to more vortex pinning strength and matching field.
Enhanced critical axial tensile strain limit of CORC ® wires: FEM and analytical modeling
Abstract Conductor on Round Core (CORC ® ) cables and wires are composed of spiraled high-temperature superconducting (HTS) rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes, wound in multiple layers, and can carry very high currents in background magnetic fields of more than 20 T. They combine isotropic flexibility and high resilience to electromagnetic and thermal loads. The brittle nature of HTS tapes limits the maximum allowable axial tensile strain in superconducting cables. An intrinsic tensile strain above about 0.45% will introduce cracks in the REBCO layer of straight HTS tapes resulting in irreversible damage. The helical fashion at which the REBCO tapes are wound around the central core allows tapes to experience only a fraction of the total axial tensile strain applied to the CORC ® wire. As a result, the critical strain limit of CORC ® wires can be increased by a factor of more than 10 that of REBCO tapes. Finite element (FE) and analytical models are developed to predict the performance of CORC ® wires under axial tensile strain. A parametric analysis is carried out by varying the winding angle, the Poisson’s ratio of the CORC ® wire core, the core diameter, and the tape width. The results show that a small variation in winding angle can have a significant impact on the cable’s axial tensile strain tolerance. While the radial contraction of the helically wound tapes in a CORC ® wire under axial tensile strain depends on its winding angle, it is mostly driven by the Poisson’s ratio of the central core, affecting the tape strain state and thus its performance. Contact pressure from multiple layers within the CORC ® wire also affects the CORC ® wire performance. The FE model can be used to optimize the cable design for specific application conditions, resulting in an irreversible strain limit of CORC ® cables and wires as high as 7%.
HTS Dipole Prototype Magnet for NSLS X13A Endstation
This article reports the design, three-dimensional magnetostatic simulation results, coil fabrication, assembly, and low-temperature test results of a C-frame, iron-dominated high-temperature superconductor dipole magnet for ultra high vacuum magnetic-sensitive spectroscopy techniques at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The magnet is required to provide fields up to ~1 T along two spatial directions. With an added capability to rotate about its vertical axis of symmetry, the magnet system is capable of delivering field along all three principal axes. The combination of this magnet and fast-switched, elliptically polarized soft X-rays produced by the NSLS elliptically polarized wiggler forms the basis for an excellent tool for polarization-sensitive studies of magnetic materials. The prototype magnet consists of a set of pancake coils fabricated from BSCCO tape reinforced with stainless steel. Those pancake coils are clamped in a low-carbon AISI 1006 grade steel pole and yoke assembly. For testing purposes, a cold He gas environment provided cooling the superconducting magnet to subtransition temperatures; for operation in an ultra high vacuum endstation environment, cooling can be provided by an external cryocooler. The low-temperature tests establish the safe-operating parameters needed to achieve the target magnetic field values. The measured magnetic field values are in close agreement with the magnetic simulation results, thereby confirming that the magnet design fulfills the performance requirements. Here, the final section of this article lists some suggestions to improve the magnet performance.
Super Conducting REBCO Cable Wrapper
Future upgrades to CERN particle accelerator magnets require flat, high-temperature superconducting cables, created by wrapping brittle REBCO tape around a Rutherford copper core. Because current manual wrapping processes are time-consuming and prone to damaging the delicate ceramic tape, our team was tasked with automating the fabrication. We developed a modular, wrapping machine featuring adjustment for repeatable 10°to 45° wrap angles and a precise magnetic tensioning mechanism. While full-scale testing is pending final machined parts, our 3D-printed prototype successfully validates the system’s motion and sets the stage for future testing.
Development and performance of a 2.9 Tesla dipole magnet using high-temperature superconducting CORC® wires
Although the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) REBa 2 Cu 3 O x (REBCO, RE-rare earth elements) material has a strong potential to enable dipole magnetic fields above 20 T in future circular particle colliders, the magnet and conductor technology needs to be developed. As part of an ongoing development to address this need, here we report on our CORC® canted cosθ magnet called C2 with a target dipole field of 3 T in a 65 mm aperture. The magnet was wound with 70 m of 3.8 mm diameter CORC® wire on machined metal mandrels. The wire had 30 commercial REBCO tapes from SuperPower Inc. each 2 mm wide with a 30 µm thick substrate. The magnet generated a peak dipole field of 2.91 T at 6.290 kA, 4.2 K. The magnet could be consistently driven into the flux-flow regime with reproducible voltage rise at an engineering current density between 400-550 A mm -2 , allowing reliable quench detection and magnet protection. The C2 magnet represents another successful step towards the development of high-field accelerator magnet and CORC® conductor technologies. The test results highlighted two development needs: continue improving the performance and flexibility of CORC® wires and develop the capability to identify locations of first onset of flux-flow voltage.
Enhanced critical currents in (Gd,Y)Ba2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes with high levels of Zr addition
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.
Inter-strand current sharing and ac loss measurements in superconducting YBCO Roebel cables
A Roebel cable, one twist pitch long, was modified from its as-received state by soldering copper strips between the strands to provide inter-strand connections enabling current sharing. Various DC transport currents (representing different percentages of its critical current) were applied to a single strand of such a modified cable at 77 K in a liquid nitrogen bath. Simultaneous monitoring of I–V curves in different parts of the strand as well as in its interconnections with other strands was made using a number of sensitive Keithley nanovoltmeters in combination with a multichannel high-speed data acquisition card, all controlled via LabView software. Current sharing onset was observed at about 1.02 of strand I c . At a strand current of 1.3I c about 5% of the current was shared through the copper strip interconnections. A finite element method modeling was performed to estimate the inter-strand resistivities required to enable different levels of current sharing. The relative contributions of coupling and hysteretic magnetization (and loss) were compared, and for our cable and tape geometry, and at dB/dt=1 T s -1 , and our inter-strand resistance of 0.77 mΩ, (enabling a current sharing of 5% at 1.3I c ) the coupling component was 0.32% of the hysteretic component. However, inter-strand contact resistance values of 100–1000 times smaller (close to those of NbTi and Nb 3 Sn based accelerator cables) would make the coupling components comparable in size to the hysteretic components.
Inter-strand current sharing and ac loss measurements in superconducting YBCO Roebel cables
A Roebel cable, one twist pitch long, was modified from its as-received state by soldering copper strips between the strands to provide inter-strand connections enabling current sharing. Various DC transport currents (representing different percentages of its critical current) were applied to a single strand of such a modified cable at 77 K in a liquid nitrogen bath. Simultaneous monitoring of I–V curves in different parts of the strand as well as in its interconnections with other strands was made using a number of sensitive Keithley nanovoltmeters in combination with a multichannel high-speed data acquisition card, all controlled via LabView software. Current sharing onset was observed at about 1.02 of strand I c . At a strand current of 1.3I c about 5% of the current was shared through the copper strip interconnections. A finite element method modeling was performed to estimate the inter-strand resistivities required to enable different levels of current sharing. The relative contributions of coupling and hysteretic magnetization (and loss) were compared, and for our cable and tape geometry, and at dB/dt=1 T s -1 , and our inter-strand resistance of 0.77 mΩ, (enabling a current sharing of 5% at 1.3I c ) the coupling component was 0.32% of the hysteretic component. However, inter-strand contact resistance values of 100–1000 times smaller (close to those of NbTi and Nb 3 Sn based accelerator cables) would make the coupling components comparable in size to the hysteretic components.
The Effects of Ferromagnetic Disks on AC Losses in HTS Pancake Coils with Nonmagnetic and Magnetic Substrates
Performance improvement of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) pancake coil is of paramount importance for its application in electrical facilities. In this paper, the utilization of ferromagnetic disks including weak magnetic material and strong magnetic material is investigated through numerical simulations for the aim of reducing the AC loss. Both the nonmagnetic and magnetic substrates are considered for the rare-earth-barium-copper-oxide coated conductor tapes wounded into the pancake coil. In order to analyze the influences of ferromagnetic disks on the maximum allowable currents and AC losses of nonmagnetic substrate-based coil and magnetic substrate-based coil, a self-consistent model based on the A-formulation is adopted to calculate the critical current and a 2D axisymmetric model built on the H-formulations is established to calculate the AC loss. According to the simulation results, it is found that ferromagnetic disks especially the strong magnetic disk are slightly detrimental to the critical currents of the pancake coils. Nevertheless, the presence of large background field weakens the effects of ferromagnetic disks. The simulation results also indicate that strong magnetic disks achieve about 50% reduction of the AC loss in the nonmagnetic substrate-based coil, and the AC loss of the magnetic substrate-based coil can be increased or reduced with strong magnetic disks depending on the applied current amplitude. The utilization of strong magnetic disks leads to the enhancement of the AC loss in the magnetic substrate-based coil at lower current and to the reduction of it at larger current.
Series-connected superconducting magnet cables
A superconducting device includes a superconducting cable having a plurality of superconducting tapes in a plurality of phases, including a first phase, and at least one further phase. One or more superconducting tapes of the first phase is in electrical contact with one or more superconducting tapes of the at least one further phase through at least one resistive barrier that prevents current from passing between the first phase and the at least one further phase in the absence of a voltage between one or more of the superconducting tapes of the first phase or the at least one further phase. The first phase is electrically connected in series to at least one further phase.