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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

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.

Gillen, Kameron [Northern Illinois U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Finite Element Study of Stress Reduction Techniques in REBCO HTS Conductor on a Round Cable (CORC) Cable

ReBCO high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape is critical for achieving the high magnetic fields needed in next-generation particle accelerators. Enhancing the mechanical performance of ReBCO tape increases its critical current by reducing internal stress, especially in the superconducting layer. A finite element study examined how copper layer properties affect stress in ReBCO conductor on a round core (CORC) cables. The cable was modeled as a doubly supported beam under uniform compressive stresses."cable was modeled as a doubly supported beam under uniform load to simulate bending. A staged modeling approach from a single tape to a six-layer stack enabled validation and efficient parameter studies. Increasing the yield strength and Young s modulus of the copper layers reduced peak stress in the ReBCO layer. These results support development of improved tape stacks for high-field accelerator magnets

Mueller, Scott [Northern Illinois U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development and performance of high-temperature superconducting CORC ® cables with CFD REBCO tapes

Abstract Increasing the normal zone propagation velocity (NZPV) in superconducting cables based on rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes is expected to cause a paradigm shift by enabling the development of faster and more reliable quench detection systems to mitigate the development of destructive hot spots. Furthermore, a higher NZPV is beneficial in terms of fault current limitation capabilities by accelerating the homogenization of the quench in superconducting power devices. One way envisioned to increase the NZPV of cables based on REBCO tapes is the current flow diverter (CFD) concept. A Conductor on Round Core (CORC ® ) cable made with CFD REBCO tapes, called CFD CORC ® cable, and a CORC ® cable made with regular REBCO tapes, were fabricated and tested. The critical current of the CFD and regular CORC ® cables were obtained at temperatures ranging from 67 to 77 K in self-field. Measurements showed that the NZPV was increased by a factor of 4–4.5 in the case of the CFD CORC ® cable. Furthermore, the results suggest that the NZPV depends only on the applied current, similar to what has been observed previously on single REBCO tapes. These results demonstrate the successful integration of CFD REBCO tapes in CORC ® cables, without compromising their superconducting properties or their enhanced NZPV. The possibility of enhancing the NZPV of REBCO-based cables could facilitate quench detection, which remains an important issue in HTS magnet applications. This advancement also holds promise for the fault current limitation functionality of CORC ® cables.

Ben Saâd, Haïfa (ORCID:0000000216205364)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Elliptic Aperture CCT Coils for HTS Dipole Magnets

High-temperature REBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-x}$ (REBCO) superconductors are a route to increase the field of accelerator magnets beyond the 15-16T practical limit of Nb$_{3}$Sn. REBCO cabled in a CORC geometry is a promising fit for this application, enabling the design of low inductance magnets with conductor transposition. However, the use of CORC in coils with the tight conductor bending radii typical of accelerator magnets remains a key challenge, with on-going research both on the conductor development and coil design fronts seeking to address this issue. Here, in this work we explore the tradeoffs between circular and elliptic aperture canted-cosine-theta (CCT) coils when the conductor minimum bending radius is a key consideration, concluding that aperture ellipticity is an important free parameter in the optimization of magnetically efficient CORC dipole magnets. In particular, we show that elliptic bore designs enable a regime of smaller aperture HTS coils, an important result for LTS-HTS hybrid magnets and more generally for accelerator applications benefiting from non-circular magnet apertures. To this end we present an elliptic aperture dipole design optimized for hybrid testing within the US Magnet Development Program (US-MDP) and share 77 K test results of a prototype coil which provides first experimental confirmation of the advantages.

Brouwer, L. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2025

Simulations of the fault current limiting operation of a long-length REBCO CORC ® superconducting cable cooled by helium gas

Conductor-on-round-core (CORC®) cables composed of rare-earth-barium-copper-oxide high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes are of great interest for power transmission applications due to their many advantages such as high power density, light weight, and low loss. Closed circulation loops of cryogenic helium gas can be used to cool HTS cables down to low temperatures to significantly improve their current-carrying capacity. Coupled circuit-electromagnetic-thermal finite element simulations implemented in the COMSOL Multiphysics package were developed, validated, and then used for simulating the fault current limiting (FCL) performance and the cooling processes of an 8-layer CORC® cable cooled with a flow of cryogenic helium gas. In the simulations, the temperature dependence of the electrical and thermal properties of all component materials is implemented for improved accuracy. To overcome computational challenges caused by the considerable difference in geometrical scales (i.e. few-µm-thick HTS layers versus 10 m-long HTS cable), the model is divided into two separate simulations. The first simulation is performed on the transverse cross-section of the cable to calculate the electric field, heating power and temperature rise in each component of a CORC® cable during FCL operation. The heating power calculated in the first simulation is transferred to the second model to simulate the cooling of a 10 m-long cable after the fault is cleared. The effect of the helium gas flow rate on the cooling process is also investigated to develop strategic approaches for optimizing cooling systems for HTS cables with FCL capability. The simulations indicated that a 40 ms fault with a voltage drop of 20 V m −1 along the cable can result in a temperature increase from 60 K to about 165 K inside the cable, and it takes about 500 s to cool the cable back to nearly 60 K with a flow of cold helium gas at a rate of 5 g s −1 .

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid Cycling ReBCO Dipole Magnet Concept for Muon Acceleraion

We present a concept of the rapid-cycling 1.7 T ReBCO magnet for 1 to 10 kT/s ramping range as required for muon acceleration in a future muon collider presently under study. This approach is based on the 6 kA CORC-like cable constructed with 12 superconducting ReBCO tapes of 2 mm width. Based on theoretical prediction there is a linear scaling of the ReBCO cable hysteresis loss with the crossing magnetic field possibly generating power loss independent of the magnetic field ramping speed. This feature makes this ReBCO cable suitable for the construction of rapid-cycling magnets. In this work we outline the design of a dipole magnet for 1.7 T gap magnetic field and discuss the helium coolant parameters for the minimal electric power.

Piekarz, Henryk [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000194225662↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid-cycling ReBCO dipole magnet concept for muon acceleration

We present a concept of the rapid-cycling 1.7 T ReBCO magnet for 1 to 10 kT/s ramping range as required for muon acceleration in a future muon collider presently under study. This approach is based on the 6 kA CORC-like cable constructed with 12 superconducting ReBCO tapes of 2 mm width. Based on theoretical prediction there is a linear scaling of the ReBCO cable hysteresis loss with the crossing magnetic field possibly generating power loss independent of the magnetic field ramping speed. This feature makes this ReBCO cable suitable for the construction of rapid-cycling magnets. In this work we outline the design of a dipole magnet for 1.7 T gap magnetic field and discuss the helium coolant parameters for the minimal electric power.

Piekarz, Henryk [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000194225662↗
DOE OSTI2026

Critical transverse compressive stresses of straight and bent CORC® wires with and without impregnation

CORC® wires are a promising superconductor for accelerator magnet applications. While their excellent uniaxial tensile properties have been well established, potential degradation under transverse compression remains a concern for accelerator magnets, in which transverse compression is a primary stress experienced by superconductors. To evaluate the critical transverse compressive stresses of rare-earth barium copper oxide conductors, we developed an experimental system that enables testing of samples both with and without impregnation in liquid nitrogen. Furthermore, because bending strain induced during coil winding may influence the critical compressive response of CORC® wires, the apparatus was also modified to allow testing under the bending condition. In this study wires were tested for five configurations: (1) straight, non-impregnated, (2) bent, non-impregnated, (3) straight, Stycast 2850 FT-impregnated, (4) bent, Stycast 2850 FT-impregnated, and (5) bent, paraffin wax-impregnated. The transverse pressures corresponding to 3% and 5% reductions in the critical current are reported. In conclusion, the effects of wire bending and impregnation on the critical transverse pressure are analyzed, and the implications for transverse stress levels in accelerator magnet conductors are discussed.

CORC® wire↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tape-in-tape-out (TITO): a new approach for in-situ contact resistance measurements in high temperature superconducting CORC® cables

One of the ongoing development challenges with ReBCO high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables is normal zone initiation and local heating, which is associated with over-critical current flowing through and around local performance reductions in individual tapes. Although inter-tape contact resistances are well-reported for individual tapes and HTS cables, these measurements are a challenge in CORC® cables as current percolates through much of the cable. In this work, developments in tape-in-tape-out (TITO) automated individual tape powering experiments are presented, and a simplified modeling approach for current percolation in CORC® cables is developed. An optimization is formulated to fit the model parameters to a large set of TITO experiments on a single cable, allowing the layer-dependent inter-tape contact resistance to be extracted. Measurements are presented and discussed for a straight CORC® cable and a cable bent to a 152 mm and 76 mm radius. The approach provides both quantitative insight and facilitates better understanding of current sharing phenomena in HTS cables.

Teyber, Reed↗
DOE OSTI2025

Project Title: Demonstration High Temperature Superconducting NonPlanar Stellarator Magnet with Advanced Manufactured Assemblies

This is the final report for the project “Demonstration High Temperature Superconducting Non- Planar Stellarator Magnet with Advanced Manufactured Assemblies”, funded by DOE, and performed by Type One Energy from September, 2020, to March 2024 involving the Fusion Technology Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to design and fabricate the first non-planar HTS (REBCO) coil for a high-field stellarator based on the SPARC tokamak’s VIPER cable concept. Stellarators at high fields make high-temperature superconducting magnets necessary for a compact fusion device. But the asymmetric and non-planar nature of its components, especially the magnets make it difficult for scalable producibility. To address these challenges, two promising technologies have emerged: advanced manufacturing (AM) for the supporting plates for forming the magnets, and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables inside the plates. AM has advanced enough to produce stellarator components with the necessary geometric complexity, size, and the precision, leading to potentially significant reductions in production time, cost, and waste. The cost of HTS tape has decreased dramatically, and progress in HTS planar magnet development has reached a point where it can be proposed for application to complex 3D non-planar magnets. The main objective of this project is to develop, demonstrate and pre-commercialize a novel, non-planar HTS coil shape that remains superconducting to achieve production scalable reductions in time and cost and performance. The proposed technology is based on the novel concept of a precision sub-scale HTS nonplanar coil assembly. This project focuses on the design, fabrication, material optimization of cable design, and validation and demonstration of the high current carrying capability of superconducting magnets and their support in a complex 3D shape needed for application to stellarator magnetic plasma confinement. The specific objectives of this research program include: (1) The successful application of metal AM to build a precision sub-scale HTS nonplanar coil, (2) An HTS cable and cross-section design that can conform to the required nonplanar coil shape (bend radii as tight as 10-cm) and remains superconducting at an engineering current density of 1.35 kA/cm 2 at 77 K and 1 tesla at the conductor (5 kA in the cable). To achieve the above challenging goals, we have formed a multidisciplinary research team consisting of members from Type One Energy and UW-Madison, MIT PSFC and CFS with complementary skills and strong facilities. The team worked collaboratively on fundamental and applied research on the following three major technical areas: (1) Design, fabrication, and optimization of non-planar HTS Cable The ultimate goal of the project is to determine if commercial REBCO tapes and additive manufacturing can be used to fabricate high field (≥ 10T) non-planar coils with tight bending radii (≃ 100mm) and with a degradation of the critical current (Ic) smaller than 20% with respect to the expected performance. We started with shorter length cable to evaluate the scalability of the production process and eventually reached multiple turns for higher magnetic fields. Our findings suggest that a stellarator coil system of a relevant size, characterized by its asymmetric and non-planar components, can be fabricated using a formed cable in plate method. This system can be simulated using a large-scale modeling approach. The use of hybrid modeling 3 techniques will be pivotal in reducing the complexity of the model and in assessing expected performance in designs. (2) Modeling and simulation of the non-planar HTS Cable Multiphysics simulations are performed using the commercial software and are carried out in self-field conditions, involving 2D and 3D models and twisted around one slot of twist-pitched VIPER cable. Multiphysics simulations are mainly focused on the coil for the critical current evaluation, the magnetic field map, self-Lorentz forces and mechanical, and magnetothermal behavior and the quench dynamics. The detailed model and prediction of the superconducting performance of a stellarator-relevant demonstration cable from numerical simulations supports the results from the actual testing backing the results. A detailed description and results are provided in the later sections. (3) Design, fabrication, and optimization of support for the non-planar HTS Cable The team developed an additive manufactured (AM) coil positioning plate that formed into the required non-planar geometry (with bend radii as tight as 10-cm) and to acceptable tolerances required for a stellarator magnet: (+0.25-mm from ideal on dimensions of coil positioning plates and up to +1-mm from ideal for position of wound coil). The plate materials is also included in this selection process from fabrication and 3D printing perspective and commensurate with eventual application to a fusion reactor. From the cost effectiveness point of view, the HTS coil and plate has the potential to cost less than that made in conventional methods with less waste (<75% waste) reducing time (<50%) and cost (<50%), especially as the AM field matures. The application of advanced manufacturing in the construction of the support plates will also lead to cost reduction, as the cables can be easily replaced, thereby making the assembly modular. With such high primary cost and time savings, high current densities and magnetic field, the funded R&D work has validated the designs, proven the feasibility, and characterized the performance of the HTS coil and plate assembly, paving the way for a relevant-size stellarator coil system.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Distributed fiber-optic sensing in a subscale high-temperature superconducting dipole magnet

High-temperature superconductors, such as REBa2Cu3O7−x (REBCO, RE = rare earth), are becoming pivotal for high-field magnet technology for future circular colliders and compact fusion reactors. The U.S. Magnet Development Program, in collaboration with industry, is developing REBCO magnet technology using round conductors consisting of multiple REBCO tapes. For these multi-tape cables, traditional instrumentation, such as voltage taps and resistive strain gauges, become insufficient to help measure and understand the performance-limiting factors in these model magnets. Distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) is a potential solution to address this challenge. Although DFOS is well established for various applications, measuring temperature and strain in high-temperature superconducting magnets is in its infancy. Here we report the detailed implementation and test results of DFOS based on Rayleigh scattering in a subscale canted cosθ (CCT) dipole magnet using high-temperature superconducting CORC® wires. We co-wound optical fibers in each layer of the CCT magnet and compared different types of commercial fibers and mold-release agents to reduce the power attenuation in the fibers. The DFOS allowed us to measure mechanical deformation and temperature along the conductor during tests at 77 and 4.2 K. The measured strain agreed quantitively with a finite-element mechanical model of the subscale magnet. Our results indicate that DFOS can effectively identify locations of strain and temperature changes, offering unique insight into magnet performance that can advance our understanding and development of the REBCO magnet technology for high-energy physics and fusion applications.

Luo, Linqing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Voltage-Current Behavior of a Superconducting STAR ® Wire in a 6-Around-1 Cable Configuration

A 6-around-1 transposed cable using superconducting STAR® wires can be useful for future circular collider applications. We made three cable samples using single STAR® wires with a diameter of 1.3 mm. The first two samples, made with a cabling machine, used STAR® wires consisting of a 0.7 mm diameter Nb-Ti core. The third cable sample was manually wound and used a STAR® wire made with a 0.81 mm diameter Cu core. The first sample showed severe degradation after the cable was bent to a 75 mm radius. The current-carrying capability of the innermost and outermost REBCO tapes in the STAR® wire degraded by 42% to 98% and the middle REBCO tapes remained intact. This was also the case for the second and straight cable sample. After fabrication of the third cable sample, we observed only about 5% reduction in the current along the wire, measured at different locations inside the terminations. Finally, the results indicate that the differences in architecture or fabrication of the STAR® wires could have caused differences in critical current retention after cabling.

6-around-1 cable↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of Transverse Resistance for Stacks of Non-insulated REBCO Tapes

Transverse resistance among adjacent conductors is a key parameter to calculate AC losses in superconducting cables with non-insulated conductors. The transverse pressure insert (TPI) previously developed and used at Fermilab was modified to measure transverse resistance of stacks made of non-insulated REBCO tapes as a function of transverse pressure at liquid nitrogen temperature. Pressure up to 322 MPa was applied with a hydraulic cylinder. A small current up to 10 A was flown in the stack sample through REBCO tape leads spliced above and below the stack. The latter had a bending radius larger than 6 mm to prevent the critical current degradation in REBCO leads. The voltage was measured just outside the compressed area. Stack samples included stacks of bare 4-mm wide REBCO tapes, as well as REBCO tapes alternated with 4-mm wide stainless-steel ribbons of 40 μm and 30 μm of thickness. We herein present the results of these transverse resistance measurements. Results show a stronger dependence on pressure for smaller pressure vs. larger ones. Also, of the two components of contact resistance, i.e. contact and bulk, the latter was negligible.

Tamagnini, E. [Turin Polytechnic]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal Performance of a Conduction-Cooled CCT Dipole ReBCO Magnet: Several Cycles of Cool-Down and Thermal Gradient Measurements

Here, this paper presents experimental results from conduction-cooled thermal testing of a ReBCO canted cosine theta (CCT) magnet (C2), originally designed and fabricated at LBNL using CORC cables. While the performance of the coil under liquid helium and nitrogen environments has been previously established, this study explores its behavior under conduction cooling using a large test cryostat at The Ohio State University. The magnet, measuring 613 mm in length and weighing ∼75 kg, consists of four helical layers wound with ReBCO-based CORC wire and was thermally anchored to a copper cold ring supported by a G-10 strongback. Cooling was provided by two Sumitomo RDK-415D cryocoolers, offering a combined 3 W at 4.2 K and 150 W at 77 K. Multiple thermal cycles were performed, with cooldown durations of up to 45 hours. Final base temperatures of approximately 10.8 K (at the coil edge) and 12.0 K (at the coil center) were achieved, with an axial temperature difference of approximately 1.2 K. The warm-up period extended over approximately 24.6 hours. Voltage measurements from all four layers were recorded during cooldown and warmup. The system demonstrated stable cooldown performance, repeatable gradients, and good thermal anchoring. These results support the feasibility of conduction cooling in large-scale HTS magnets, aligning with broader goals for “green” cryogen-free accelerator technologies and paving the way for more sustainable, scalable, and energy-efficient high-field magnet systems in next-generation particle accelerators.

Canted cosine theta magnets↗