Thermal properties of a large-bore cryocooled 10 T superconducting magnet for a hybrid magnet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishizuka, M.; Hamajima, T.; Itou, T.; Sakuraba, J.; Nishijima, G.; Awaji, S.; Watanabe, K.

2010-11-01

A cryocooled 10 T superconducting magnet with a 360 mm room temperature bore has been developed for a hybrid magnet. The superconducting magnet cooled by four Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers has been designed to generate a magnetic field of 10 T. Since superconducting wires composed of coils were subjected to large hoop stress over 150 MPa and Nb3Sn superconducting wires particularly showed a low mechanical strength due to those brittle property, Nb3Sn wires strengthened by NbTi-filaments were developed for the cryocooled superconducting magnet. We have already reported that the hybrid magnet could generate the resultant magnetic field of 27.5 T by adding 8.5 T from the superconducting magnet and 19 T from a water-cooled Bitter resistive magnet, after the water-cooled resistive magnet was inserted into the 360 mm room temperature bore of the cryocooled superconducting magnet. When the hybrid magnet generated the field of 27.5 T, it achieved the high magnetic-force field (B × ∂Bz/∂z) of 4500 T2/m, which was useful for magneto-science in high fields such as materials levitation research. In this paper, we particularly focus on the cause that the cryocooled superconducting magnet was limited to generate the designed magnetic field of 10 T in the hybrid magnet operation. As a result, it was found that there existed mainly two causes as the limitation of the magnetic field generation. One was a decrease of thermal conductive passes due to exfoliation from the coil bobbin of the cooling flange. The other was large AC loss due to both a thick Nb3Sn layer and its large diameter formed on Nb-barrier component in Nb3Sn wires.

Strengthening Superconductivity in Macro-Arrays of Nanoclusters and Nanostructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-11

general approach for creating superconducting wires based on CNT conducting cores, coated by layered superconductors; • Develop cost-effective...wire 0.5 mm diameter Thermal conductivity 6600 Wm-1K-1 (SWNT) [37] 3600 Wm-1K-1 (SWNT) [35] 640 Wm-1K-1 wet-spun CNT fibers [4] 3320 Wm-1K... conductivity , which can improve thermal stability and enhance heat dissipation of MgB2 wire. Being one-dimensional nanostructures, they can act as

Control and Measurement of an Xmon with the Quantum Socket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConkey, T. G.; Bejanin, J. H.; Earnest, C. T.; McRae, C. R. H.; Rinehart, J. R.; Weides, M.; Mariantoni, M.

The implementation of superconducting quantum processors is rapidly reaching scalability limitations. Extensible electronics and wiring solutions for superconducting quantum bits (qubits) are among the most imminent issues to be tackled. The necessity to substitute planar electrical interconnects (e.g., wire bonds) with three-dimensional wires is emerging as a fundamental pillar towards scalability. In a previous work, we have shown that three-dimensional wires housed in a suitable package, named the quantum socket, can be utilized to measure high-quality superconducting resonators. In this work, we set out to test the quantum socket with actual superconducting qubits to verify its suitability as a wiring solution in the development of an extensible quantum computing architecture. To this end, we have designed and fabricated a series of Xmon qubits. The qubits range in frequency from about 6 to 7 GHz with anharmonicity of 200 MHz and can be tuned by means of Z pulses. Controlling tunable Xmons will allow us to verify whether the three-dimensional wires contact resistance is low enough for qubit operation. Qubit T1 and T2 times and single qubit gate fidelities are compared against current standards in the field.

Superconducting wire with improved strain characteristics

DOEpatents

Luhman, Thomas; Klamut, Carl J.; Suenaga, Masaki; Welch, David

1982-01-01

A superconducting wire comprising a superconducting filament and a beryllium strengthened bronze matrix in which the addition of beryllium to the matrix permits a low volume matrix to exhibit reduced elastic deformation after heat treating which increases the compression of the superconducting filament on cooling and thereby improve the strain characteristics of the wire.

Superconducting wire with improved strain characteristics

DOEpatents

Luhman, Thomas; Klamut, Carl J.; Suenaga, Masaki; Welch, David

1982-01-01

A superconducting wire comprising a superconducting filament and a beryllium strengthened bronze matrix in which the addition of beryllium to the matrix permits a low volume matrix to exhibit reduced elastic deformation after heat treating which increases the compression of the superconducting filament on cooling and thereby improves the strain characteristics of the wire.

Superconducting wire with improved strain characteristics

DOEpatents

Luhman, T.; Klamut, C.J.; Suenaga, M.; Welch, D.

1979-12-19

A superconducting wire comprising a superconducting filament and a beryllium strengthened bronze matrix in which the addition of beryllium to the matrix permits a low volume matrix to exhibit reduced elastic deformation after heat treating which increases the compression of the superconducting filament on cooling and thereby improve the strain characteristics of the wire.

The Quantum Socket: Wiring for Superconducting Qubits - Part 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejanin, J. H.; McConkey, T. G.; Rinehart, J. R.; Bateman, J. D.; Earnest, C. T.; McRae, C. H.; Rohanizadegan, Y.; Shiri, D.; Mariantoni, M.; Penava, B.; Breul, P.; Royak, S.; Zapatka, M.; Fowler, A. G.

Quantum computing research has reached a level of maturity where quantum error correction (QEC) codes can be executed on linear arrays of superconducting quantum bits (qubits). A truly scalable quantum computing architecture, however, based on practical QEC algorithms, requires nearest neighbor interaction between qubits on a two-dimensional array. Such an arrangement is not possible with techniques that rely on wire bonding. To address this issue, we have developed the quantum socket, a device based on three-dimensional wires that enables the control of superconducting qubits on a two-dimensional grid. In this talk, we present experimental results characterizing this type of wiring. We will show that the quantum socket performs exceptionally well for the transmission and reflection of microwave signals up to 10 GHz, while minimizing crosstalk between adjacent wires. Under realistic conditions, we measured an S21 of -5 dB at 6 GHz and an average crosstalk of -60 dB. We also describe time domain reflectometry results and arbitrary pulse transmission tests, showing that the quantum socket can be used to control superconducting qubits.

Possibility of material cost reduction toward development of low-cost second-generation superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Current Bypassing Properties by Thermal Switch for PCS Application on NMR/MRI HTS Magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. B.; Takahashi, M.; Saito, R.; Park, Y. J.; Lee, M. W.; Oh, Y. K.; Ann, H. S.

We develop the compact NMR/MRI device using high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires with the persistent current mode operating. So, the joint techniques between 2G wires are very important issue and many studies have been carried out. Recently, the Kbigdot JOINS, Inc. has developed successfully the high performance superconducting joints between 2G wires by partial melting diffusion and oxygenation annealing process [1]. In this study, the current bypassing properties in a loop-shaped 2G wire are measured experimentally to develop the permanent current switch (PSC). The current bypassing properties of loop-shaped test coil wound with 2G wire (GdBCO) are evaluated by measured the self-magnetic field due to bypassed current by Hall sensors. The strain gauge was used as heater for persistent current switch, and thermal properties against various thermal inputs were investigated experimentally.

Design and comparative analysis of 10 MW class superconducting wind power generators according to different types of superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Hae-Jin; Kim, Gyeong-Hun; Kim, Kwangmin; Park, Minwon; Yu, In-Keun; Kim, Jong-Yul

2013-11-01

Wind turbine concepts can be classified into the geared type and the gearless type. The gearless type wind turbine is more attractive due to advantages of simplified drive train and increased energy yield, and higher reliability because the gearbox is omitted. In addition, this type resolves the weight issue of the wind turbine with the light weight of gearbox. However, because of the low speed operation, this type has disadvantage such as the large diameter and heavy weight of generator. Super-Conducting (SC) wind power generator can reduce the weight and volume of a wind power system. Properties of superconducting wire are very different from each company. This paper considers the design and comparative analysis of 10 MW class SC wind power generators according to different types of SC wires. Super-Conducting Synchronous Generators (SCSGs) using YBCO and Bi-2223 wires are optimized by an optimal method. The magnetic characteristics of the SCSGs are investigated using the finite elements method program. The optimized specifications of the SCSGs are discussed in detail, and the optimization processes can be used effectively to develop large scale wind power generation systems.

Composite Ceramic Superconducting Wires for Electric Motor Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-07

generators that have been built using NbTi superconducting wire at liquid 3 helium temperature (4.2*K). Most of these magnets , motors, and generators have...temperature superconductors. A magnetic diffusivity value cannot be rigorously determined for the superconductor in the superconducting state when flux jump...cv, FIRST ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PROJECT "COMPOSITE CERAMIC SUPERCONDUCTING WIRES FOR ELECTRIC MOTOR APPLICATIONS" 2 PRIME CONTRACTOR CERAMICS PROCESS

Dissipation-driven phase transitions in superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobos, Alejandro; Iucci, Aníbal; Müller, Markus; Giamarchi, Thierry

2010-03-01

Narrow superconducting wires with diameter dξ0 (where ξ0 is the bulk superconducting coherence length) are quasi-1D systems in which fluctuations of the order parameter strongly affect low-temperature properties. Indeed, fluctuations cause the magnitude of the order parameter to temporarily vanish at some point along the wire, allowing its phase to slip by 2π, and to produce finite resistivity for all temperatures below Tc. In this work, we show that a weak coupling to a diffusive metallic film reinforces superconductivity in the wire through a quench of phase fluctuations. We analyze the effective phase-only action of the system by a perturbative renormalization-group and a self-consistent variational approach to obtain the critical points and phases at T=0. We predict a quantum phase transition towards a superconducting phase with long-range order as a function of the wire stiffness and coupling to the metal. Finally we discuss implications for the DC resistivity of the wire.

Contribution of ion beam analysis methods to the development of second generation high temperature superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usov, I. O.; Arendt, P. N.; Foltyn, S. R.; Stan, L.; DePaula, R. F.; Holesinger, T. G.

2010-06-01

One of the crucial steps in the second generation high temperature superconducting wire program was development of the buffer-layer architecture. The architecture designed at the Superconductivity Technology Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory consists of several oxide layers wherein each layer plays a specific role, namely: nucleation layer, diffusion barrier, biaxially textured template, and intermediate layer providing a suitable lattice match to the superconducting Y 1Ba 2Cu 3O 7 (YBCO) compound. This report demonstrates how a wide range of ion beam analysis techniques (SIMS, RBS, channeling, PIXE, PIGE, NRA and ERD) was employed for analysis of each buffer layer and the YBCO film. These results assisted in understanding of a variety of physical processes occurring during the buffer layer fabrication and helped to optimize the buffer-layer architecture as a whole.

Operation of a test bed axial-gap brushless dc rotor with a superconducting stator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKeever, J.W.; Sohns, C.W.; Schwenterly, S.W.

1993-08-01

A variable-speed axial-gap motor with a stator consisting of four liquid helium cooled superconducting electromagnets (two pole pairs) was built and proof tested up to 608 rpm in November 1990 as a tool for joint industry-laboratory evaluation of coils fabricated from high-temperature oxide superconductors. A second rotor was fabricated with improved materia winding configuration, and wire type, and the drive system was modified to eliminate current spiking. The modified motor was characterized to design speed, 188 rad/s (1800 rpm), to acquire a performance baseline for future comparison with that of high-temperature superconducting (HIS) wire. As it becomes commercially available, HTSmore » wire will replace the low-temperature electromagnet wire in a stator modified to control wire temperatures between 4 K and 77 K. Measurements of the superconducting electromagnetic field and locked rotor torque as functions of cryocurrent and dc current through two phases of the rotor, respectively, provided data to estimate power that could be developed by the rotor. Back emf and parasitic mechanical and electromagnetic drag torques were measured as functions of angular velocity to calculate actual rotor power developed and to quantify losses, which reduce the motor`s efficiency. A detailed measurement of motor power at design speed confirmed the developed power equation. When subsequently operated at the 33-A maximum available rotor current, the motor delivered 15.3 kill (20.5 hp) to the load. In a final test, the cryostat was operated at 2500 A, 200 A below its critical current. At rotor design current of 60 A and 2500 A stator current, the extrapolated developed power would be 44.2 kill (59.2 hp) with 94% efficiency.« less

Development of practical high temperature superconducting wire for electric power application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hawsey, Robert A.; Sokolowski, Robert S.; Haldar, Pradeep; Motowidlo, Leszek R.

1995-01-01

The technology of high temperature superconductivity has gone from beyond mere scientific curiousity into the manufacturing environment. Single lengths of multifilamentary wire are now produced that are over 200 meters long and that carry over 13 amperes at 77 K. Short-sample critical current densities approach 5 x 104 A/sq cm at 77 K. Conductor requirements such as high critical current density in a magnetic field, strain-tolerant sheathing materials, and other engineering properties are addressed. A new process for fabricating round BSCCO-2212 wire has produced wires with critical current densities as high as 165,000 A/sq cm at 4.2 K and 53,000 A/sq cm at 40 K. This process eliminates the costly, multiple pressing and rolling steps that are commonly used to develop texture in the wires. New multifilamentary wires with strengthened sheathing materials have shown improved yield strengths up to a factor of five better than those made with pure silver. Many electric power devices require the wire to be formed into coils for production of strong magnetic fields. Requirements for coils and magnets for electric power applications are described.

Superconducting Multilayer High-Density Flexible Printed Circuit Board for Very High Thermal Resistance Interconnections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de la Broïse, Xavier; Le Coguie, Alain; Sauvageot, Jean-Luc; Pigot, Claude; Coppolani, Xavier; Moreau, Vincent; d'Hollosy, Samuel; Knarosovski, Timur; Engel, Andreas

2018-05-01

We have successively developed two superconducting flexible PCBs for cryogenic applications. The first one is monolayer, includes 552 tracks (10 µm wide, 20 µm spacing), and receives 24 wire-bonded integrated circuits. The second one is multilayer, with one track layer between two shielding layers interconnected by microvias, includes 37 tracks, and can be interconnected at both ends by wire bonding or by connectors. The first cold measurements have been performed and show good performances. The novelty of these products is, for the first one, the association of superconducting materials with very narrow pitch and bonded integrated circuits and, for the second one, the introduction of a superconducting multilayer structure interconnected by vias which is, to our knowledge, a world-first.

Superconducting bearings for application in cryogenic experiments in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everitt, C. W. F.; Worden, P. W., Jr.

1980-01-01

Linear superconducting magnetic bearings suitable for use in a proposed orbital equivalence principle experiment and for general application in space were developed and tested. Current flows in opposite directions in adjacent superconducting wires arranged parallel to the axis of a cylinder. This configuration provides maximum stiffness radially while allowing the test mass to move freely along the cylinder axis. In a space application, the wires are extended to cover the entire perimeter of the cylinder: for the earth-based tests it was desirable to use only the bottom half. Control of the axial position of the test mass is by small control coils which may be positioned inside or outside the main bearing. The design is suitable for application to other geometries where maximum stiffness is desired. A working model scaled to operate in a 1-g environment was perfected approximate solutions for the bearings were developed. A superconducting transformer method of charging the magnets for the bearing, and a position detector based on a SQUID magnetometer and associated superconducting circuit were also investigated.

A new structure of superconducting magnetic system for 50 GHz operations (invited).

PubMed

Xie, D Z

2012-02-01

High field and high frequency have been leading the development of electron cyclotron resonance ion sources (ECRISs) in the past decade as demonstrated by the achieved great performance. The present superconducting magnet structures built with NbTi wires have reached an axial field of 3.5-4.0 T and a radial field of 2.0 T for operating frequency up to 28 GHz. Further increase of the magnetic field strength will require higher current superconductor, i.e., Nb(3)Sn wires. This paper will present the features of a new superconducting magnet structure and review of the existing structures. Using NbTi wires, the new magnet structure could be able to produce maximum fields of 7.0 T on axis and radial field of 3.7 T at a hexagonal plasma chamber wall for ECRIS operations up to 50 GHz. If this new magnet can be built with Nb(3)Sn wires, much higher fields can be expected.

Cooling Stability Test of MgB2 Wire Immersed in Liquid Hydrogen under External Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Yasuyuki; Hikawa, Kyosuke; Shiotsu, Masahiro; Tatsumoto, Hideki; Naruo, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Inagaki, Yoshifumi

2014-05-01

Liquid hydrogen (LH2), which has large latent heat, low viscosity coefficient, is expected to be a candidate for a cryogen for superconducting wires, not only MgB2 but also other HTC superconductors. LH2 cooled superconducting wires are expected to have excellent electro-magnetic characteristics, which is necessary to be clear for cooling stability design of LH2 cooled superconducting device, however, due to handling difficulties of LH2, there are only few papers on the properties of LH2 cooled superconductors, especially under external magnetic field. We designed and made an experimental setup which can energize superconducting wires immersed in LH2 with the current of up to 500A under the condition of external magnetic field up to 7 T and pressure up to 1.5 MPa. In order to confirm experimental method and safety operation of the setup, over current tests were carried out using MgB2 superconducting wires under various external magnetic field conditions. Critical current of the test wire at the temperature 21, 24, 27, 29 K under external magnetic fields up to 1.2 T was successfully measured. The resistance of the wire also was measured, while the transport current exceeded the critical current of the wire.

Beating liquid helium: the technologies of cryogen-free superconducting magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgoyne, John

2015-03-01

Cryogen-free superconducting magnets have been available now for almost 15 years, but have only become standard commercial products in more recent years. In this review we will consider the pros and cons of ``dry'' design including superconducting wire development and selection, thermal budgeting, and the alternative methods for achieving magnet cooling.

Effects of cold-treatment and strain-rate on mechanical properties of NbTi/Cu superconducting composite wires.

PubMed

Guan, Mingzhi; Wang, Xingzhe; Zhou, Youhe

2015-01-01

During design and winding of superconducting magnets at room temperature, a pre-tension under different rate is always applied to improve the mechanical stability of the magnets. However, an inconsistency rises for superconductors usually being sensitive to strain and oversized pre-stress which results in degradation of the superconducting composites' critical performance at low temperature. The present study focused on the effects of the cold-treatment and strain-rate of tension deformation on mechanical properties of NbTi/Cu superconducting composite wires. The samples were immersed in a liquid nitrogen (LN2) cryostat for the adiabatic cold-treatment, respectively with 18-hour, 20-hour, 22-hour and 24-hour. A universal testing machine was utilized for tension tests of the NbTi/Cu superconducting composite wires at room temperature; a small-scale extensometer was used to measure strain of samples with variable strain-rate. The strength, elongation at fracture and yield strength of pre-cold-treatment NbTi/Cu composite wires were drawn. It was shown that, the mechanical properties of the superconducting wires are linearly dependent on the holding time of cold-treatment at lower tensile strain-rate, while they exhibit notable nonlinear features at higher strain-rate. The cold-treatment in advance and the strain-rate of pre-tension demonstrate remarkable influences on the mechanical property of the superconducting composite wires.

Uniformly wound superconducting coil and method of making same

DOEpatents

Mookerjee, S.; Weijun, S.; Yager, B.

1994-03-08

A coil of superconducting wire for a superconducting magnet is described having a relatively dense and uniformly spaced winding to enhance the homogeneity and strength of the magnetic field surrounding the coil and a method of winding the same wherein the mandrel used to wind said coil comprises removable spacers and retainers forming a plurality of outwardly opening slots, each of said slots extending generally about the periphery of the mandrel and being sized to receive and outwardly align and retain successive turns of the superconducting wire within each slot as the wire is wound around and laterally across the mandrel to form a plurality of wire ribbons of a predetermined thickness laterally across the mandrel. 8 figures.

Uniformly wound superconducting coil and method of making same

DOEpatents

Mookerjee, Sumit; Weijun, Shen; Yager, Billy

1994-01-01

A coil of superconducting wire for a superconducting magnet having a relaely dense and uniformly spaced winding to enhance the homogeneity and strength of the magnetic field surrounding the coil and a method of winding the same wherein the mandrel used to wind said coil comprises removable spacers and retainers forming a plurality of outwardly opening slots, each of said slots extending generally about the periphery of the mandrel and being sized to receive and outwardly align and retain successive turns of the superconducting wire within each slot as the wire is wound around and laterally across the mandrel to form a plurality of wire ribbons of a predetermined thickness laterally across the mandrel.

ORNL superconducting technology program for electric energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawsey, R. A.

1993-02-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Superconducting Technology Program is conducted as part of a national effort by the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy to develop the technology base needed by US industry for commercial development of electric power applications of high-temperature superconductivity. The two major elements of this program are wire development and systems development. This document describes the major research and development activities for this program together with related accomplishments. The technical progress reported was summarized from information prepared for the FY-92 Peer Review of Projects, which was conducted by DOE's Office of Program Analysis, Office of Energy Research. This ORNL program is highly leveraged by the staff and other resources of US industry and universities. Interlaboratory teams are also in place on a number of industry-driven projects. Patent disclosures, working group meetings, staff exchanges, and joint publications and presentations ensure that there is technology transfer to US industry. Working together, the collaborative teams are making tremendous progress in solving the scientific and technical issues necessary for the commercialization of long lengths of practical high-temperature superconductor wire and wire products.

Advantage and Challenges of $$Nb_3Sn$$ Superconducting Undulators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zlobin, A. V.; Barzi, E.; Turrinoni, D.

Utilization of Nb3Sn superconducting wires offers the possibility to increase undulators’ nominal operation field and temperature margin, but requires overcoming chal-lenges that are described in this paper. The achievable field levels for a Nb3Sn version of superconducting undulators being developed at APS-ANL and the conductor choice are also presented and discussed.

Topological superconductivity and the fractional Josephson effect in quasi-one dimensional wires on a plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhmedov, E.; Mammadova, S.; Alekperov, O.

2016-01-01

A time-reversal invariant topological superconductivity is suggested to be realized in a quasi-one-dimensional structure on a plane, which is fabricated by filling the superconducting materials into the periodic channel of dielectric matrices like zeolite and asbestos under high pressure. The topological superconducting phase sets up in the presence of large spin-orbit interactions when intra-wire s-wave and inter-wire d-wave pairings take place. Kramers pairs of Majorana bound states emerge at the edges of each wire. We analyze effects of the Zeeman magnetic field on Majorana zero-energy states. In-plane magnetic field was shown to make asymmetric the energy dispersion, nevertheless Majorana fermions survive due to protection of a particle-hole symmetry. Tunneling of Majorana quasiparticle from the end of one wire to the nearest-neighboring one yields edge fractional Josephson current with 4π-periodicity.

Numerical modelling of dynamic resistance in high-temperature superconducting coated-conductor wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainslie, Mark D.; Bumby, Chris W.; Jiang, Zhenan; Toyomoto, Ryuki; Amemiya, Naoyuki

2018-07-01

The use of superconducting wire within AC power systems is complicated by the dissipative interactions that occur when a superconductor is exposed to an alternating current and/or magnetic field, giving rise to a superconducting AC loss caused by the motion of vortices within the superconducting material. When a superconductor is exposed to an alternating field whilst carrying a constant DC transport current, a DC electrical resistance can be observed, commonly referred to as ‘dynamic resistance.’ Dynamic resistance is relevant to many potential high-temperature superconducting (HTS) applications and has been identified as critical to understanding the operating mechanism of HTS flux pump devices. In this paper, a 2D numerical model based on the finite-element method and implementing the H -formulation is used to calculate the dynamic resistance and total AC loss in a coated-conductor HTS wire carrying an arbitrary DC transport current and exposed to background AC magnetic fields up to 100 mT. The measured angular dependence of the superconducting properties of the wire are used as input data, and the model is validated using experimental data for magnetic fields perpendicular to the plane of the wire, as well as at angles of 30° and 60° to this axis. The model is used to obtain insights into the characteristics of such dynamic resistance, including its relationship with the applied current and field, the wire’s superconducting properties, the threshold field above which dynamic resistance is generated and the flux-flow resistance that arises when the total driven transport current exceeds the field-dependent critical current, I c( B ), of the wire. It is shown that the dynamic resistance can be mostly determined by the perpendicular field component with subtle differences determined by the angular dependence of the superconducting properties of the wire. The dynamic resistance in parallel fields is essentially negligible until J c is exceeded and flux-flow resistance occurs.

Development of a persistent superconducting joint between Bi-2212/Ag-alloy multifilamentary round wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Peng; Trociewitz, Ulf P.; Davis, Daniel S.; Bosque, Ernesto S.; Hilton, David K.; Kim, Youngjae; Abraimov, Dmytro V.; Starch, William L.; Jiang, Jianyi; Hellstrom, Eric E.; Larbalestier, David C.

2017-02-01

Superconducting joints are one of the key components needed to make Ag-alloy clad Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212) superconducting round wire (RW) successful for high-field, high-homogeneity magnet applications, especially for nuclear magnetic resonance magnets in which persistent current mode operation is highly desired. In this study, a procedure for fabricating superconducting joints between Bi-2212 RWs during coil reaction was developed. Melting temperatures of Bi-2212 powder with different amounts of Ag addition were investigated by differential thermal analysis so as to provide information for selecting the proper joint matrix. Test joints of 1.3 mm dia. wires heat treated in 1 bar flowing oxygen using the typical partial melt Bi-2212 heat treatment (HT) had transport critical currents I c of ˜900 A at 4.2 K and self-field, decreasing to ˜480 A at 14 T evaluated at 0.1 μV cm-1 at 4.2 K. Compared to the I c of the open-ended short conductor samples with identical 1 bar HT, the I c values of the superconducting joint are ˜20% smaller than that of conductor samples measured in parallel field but ˜20% larger than conductor samples measured in perpendicular field. Microstructures examined by scanning electron microscopy clearly showed the formation of a superconducting Bi-2212 interface between the two Bi-2212 RWs. Furthermore, a Bi-2212 RW closed-loop solenoid with a superconducting joint heat treated in 1 bar flowing oxygen showed an estimated joint resistance below 5 × 10-12 Ω based on its field decay rate. This value is sufficiently low to demonstrate the potential for persistent operation of large inductance Bi-2212 coils.

Improved Sensing Coils for SQUIDs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penanen, Konstantin; Hahn, Inseob; Eom, Byeong Ho

2007-01-01

An improvement in the design and fabrication of sensing coils of superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometers has been proposed to increase sensitivity. It has been estimated that, in some cases, it would be possible to increase sensitivity by about half or to reduce measurement time correspondingly. The pertinent aspects of the problems of design and fabrication can be summarized as follows: In general, to increase the sensitivity of a SQUID magnetometer, it is necessary to maximize the magnetic flux enclosed by the sensing coil while minimizing the self-inductance of this coil. It is often beneficial to fabricate the coil from a thicker wire to reduce its self-inductance. Moreover, to optimize the design of the coil with respect to sensitivity, it may be necessary to shape the wire to other than a commonly available circular or square cross-section. On the other hand, it is not practical to use thicker superconducting wire for the entire superconducting circuit, especially if the design of a specific device requires a persistent-current loop enclosing a remotely placed SQUID sensor. It may be possible to bond a thicker sensing-coil wire to thinner superconducting wires leading to a SQUID sensor, but it could be difficult to ensure reliable superconducting connections, especially if the bonded wires are made of different materials. The main idea is to mold the sensing coil in place, to more nearly optimum cross sectional shape, instead of making the coil by winding standard pre-fabricated wire. For this purpose, a thin superconducting wire loop that is an essential part of the SQUID magnetometer would be encapsulated in a form that would serve as a mold. A low-melting-temperature superconducting metal (e.g., indium, tin, or a lead/tin alloy) would be melted into the form, which would be sized and shaped to impart the required cross section to the coil thus formed.

High density harp for SSCL linac. [Suerconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fritsche, C.T.; Krogh, M.L.; Crist, C.E.

1993-05-01

AlliedSignal Inc., Kansas City Division, and the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) are collaboratively developing a high density harp for the SSCL linac. This harp is designed using hybrid microcircuit (HMC) technology to obtain a higher wire density than previously available. The developed harp contains one hundred twenty-eight 33-micron-diameter carbon wires on 0.38-mm centers. The harp features an onboard broken wire detection circuit. Carbon wire preparation and attachment processes were developed. High density surface mount connectors were located. The status of high density harp development will be presented along with planned future activities.

High density harp for SSCL linac

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fritsche, C.T.; Krogh, M.L.; Crist, C.E.

1993-05-01

AlliedSignal Inc., Kansas City Division, and the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) are collaboratively developing a high density harp for the SSCL linac. This harp is designed using hybrid microcircuit (HMC) technology to obtain a higher wire density than previously available. The developed harp contains one hundred twenty-eight 33-micron-diameter carbon wires on 0.38-mm centers. The harp features an onboard broken wire detection circuit. Carbon wire preparation and attachment processes were developed. High density surface mount connectors were located. The status of high density harp development will be presented along with planned future activities.

Nondestructive x-ray Scattering Characterization of High Temperature Superconducting Wires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thurston, T R

The purpose of this CRADA was to characterize the structural properties of the superconductor material within the wires in order to determine which processing procedures produce the best superconductor texture and phase development, and hence the best ultimate current carrying capacity.

Low cost, formable, high T(sub c) superconducting wire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smialek, James L. (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A ceramic superconductivity part such as a wire is produced through the partial oxidation of a specially formulated copper alloy in the core. The alloys contain low level quantities of rare earth and alkaline earth dopant elements. Upon oxidation at high temperature, superconducting oxide phases are formed as a thin film.

Bi-Axial Strain Response of Structural Materials and Superconducting NB3SN Wires at 295 K, 7 K, and 4 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyilas, A.; Weiss, K. P.

2008-03-01

A new extensometer capable of measuring diametral strains during axial loading of structural materials and superconducting composite wires has been developed. Using this new transducer it is possible to determine both the averaged axial strain and the transverse strain. The diametral extensometer with a mass of around 1 g is foreseen to be clamped onto the wire inside the averaging double extensometer sensing device system. The sensitivity of this new diametral extensometer is very high, nearly a factor of ten higher than the axial extensometer system. In addition, for structural materials and for composite materials an adjustable diametral extensometer enabling to test specimens between 5 mm and 15 mm diameter has been also developed and tested successfully at 4 K. For materials 304 L, Inconel 718, and modified Type 316LN stainless steel cast alloy the Poisson's coefficient could be determined at 295 K. Type 310 S stainless steel has been investigated at 7 K and at 4 K using the adjustable extensometer to determine the Poisson's coefficient, too. Furthermore, different types of superconducting A15 phase composite wires with diameters between 0.8 and 1.3 mm's were characterized in axial and diametral orientation.

Connectivity, Doping, and Anisotropy in Highly Dense Magnesium Diboride (MgB2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guangze

Magnesium diboride (MgB2) is a superconducting material which can be potentially used in many applications such as magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI), wind turbine generators and high energy physics facilities. The major advantages of MgB2 over other superconductors include its relatively high critical temperature of about 39 K, its low cost of raw materials, its simple crystal structure, and its round multifilament form when in the form of superconducting wires. Over the past fourteen years, much effort has been made to develop MgB2 wires with excellent superconducting properties, particularly the critical current density J c. However, this research has been limited by technical difficulties such as high porosity and weak connectivity in MgB2, relatively small flux pinning strength, low upper critical field B c2 and relatively high anisotropy. The goal of this dissertation is to understand the relationship between superconducting properties, microstructure, and reaction mechanisms in MgB 2. In particular, the influences of connectivity, B c2, anisotropy and flux pinning were investigated in terms of the effects of these variables on the Jcs and n-values of MgB2 superconducting wires (n-value is a parameter which indicates the sharpness of resistive V-I transition). The n -values of traditional "Powder in Tube (PIT)" processed MgB2 wires were improved by optimizing precursor species after the identification of microstructural defects such as so-called "sausaging problems". Also, it was found that "high porosity and weak connectivity" was one of the most critical issues which limited the J c performance in typical MgB2. To overcome this problem, highly dense, well-connected MgB2 conductors were successfully fabricated by adopting an innovative "Advanced Internal Magnesium Infiltration (AIMI)" process. A careful study on the reaction kinetics together with the microstructural evidence demonstrated how the MgB2 layer was formed as the infiltration process proceeded. As a result, it is possible to control the MgB2 layer growth in the AIMI-processed MgB 2 wires. The best AIMI wires, with improved density and connectivity, accomplished an outstanding layer Jc, which was 1.0 x 105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K and 10 T, nearly 10 times higher than the Jcs of PIT wires. The engineering Je of AIMI wires, namely the critical current over the whole cross-sectional area in the wire, achieved 1.7 x 104 A/cm2 at 4.2 K, 10 T, 200 % higher than those of PIT wires. Finally, two promising dopants, Dy2O3 and O, were engineered to incorporate with MgB2. Dy 2O3 nanopowders, co-doped with C in AIMI wires, enhanced the Jc performance at elevated temperatures such as 20 K. Oxygen, on the other hand, doped into MgB2 thin films through a newly-developed O2 annealing process, improved Bc2 to 14 T at 21 K. Both of the doping studies were helpful to understand the superconducting nature of MgB2.

Superconducting Continuous Graphene Fibers via Calcium Intercalation.

PubMed

Liu, Yingjun; Liang, Hui; Xu, Zhen; Xi, Jiabin; Chen, Genfu; Gao, Weiwei; Xue, Mianqi; Gao, Chao

2017-04-25

Superconductors are important materials in the field of low-temperature magnet applications and long-distance electrical power transmission systems. Besides metal-based superconducting materials, carbon-based superconductors have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Up to now, five allotropes of carbon, including diamond, graphite, C 60 , CNTs, and graphene, have been reported to show superconducting behavior. However, most of the carbon-based superconductors are limited to small size and discontinuous phases, which inevitably hinders further application in macroscopic form. Therefore, it raises a question of whether continuously carbon-based superconducting wires could be accessed, which is of vital importance from viewpoints of fundamental research and practical application. Here, inspired by superconducting graphene, we successfully fabricated flexible graphene-based superconducting fibers via a well-established calcium (Ca) intercalation strategy. The resultant Ca-intercalated graphene fiber (Ca-GF) shows a superconducting transition at ∼11 K, which is almost 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of early reported alkali metal intercalated graphite and comparable to that of commercial superconducting NbTi wire. The combination of lightness and easy scalability makes Ca-GF highly promising as a lightweight superconducting wire.

Proceedings of the fourth international conference and exhibition: World Congress on superconductivity. Volume 1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krishen, K.; Burnham, C.

1994-12-31

The goals of the World Congress on Superconductivity (WCS) have been to establish and foster the development and commercial application of superconductivity technology on a global scale by providing a non-adversarial, non-advocacy forum where scientists, engineers, businessmen and government personnel can freely exchange information and ideas on recent developments and directions for the future of superconductive research. Sessions were held on: accelerator technology, power and energy, persistent magnetic fields, performance characterization, physical properties, fabrication methodology, superconductive magnetic energy storage (SMES), thin films, high temperature materials, device applications, wire fabrication, and granular superconductors. Individual papers are indexed separately.

Casting of superconducting composite materials (M-4)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Togano, Kazumasa

1993-01-01

An aluminum-lead-bismuth alloy is a flexible alloy and is promising for easily workable embedded-type, filament-dispersed superconducting wire material. It is difficult to produce homogeneous ingots of this material because it is easily separated into elements when melted on Earth due to the large specific gravity differences. In this experiment, a homogeneous alloy will first be produced in molten state in microgravity. It will then be returned to Earth and processed into a wire or tape form. It will then be dispersed as the second phase in micro texture form into the primary phase of aluminum. Superconducting wire material with high-critical-magnetic-field characteristics will be produced. The texture of the material will be observed, and its performance will be evaluated. In addition to the above alloy, a four-element alloy will be produced from silver, a rare Earth element, barium, and copper. The alloys will be oxidized and drawn into wire after being returned to Earth. The materials are expected to be forerunners in obtaining superconducting wire materials from oxide superconductors.

A high-temperature superconducting transformer with localized magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, E. P.; Dzhafarov, E. A.

2013-12-01

This paper describes a high-temperature superconducting transformer with a bar-type magnetic core and concentric windings with alternating layers, with single-channel and multi-channel arrangements. There is given the design concept of high-temperature superconducting windings of the transformer, made in the form of newly developed first-generation high-temperature superconducting ribbon wires, with localized magnetic field intended for producing maximum transport currents in the windings, as well as for reducing the consumption of a high-temperature superconducting material, cooling agent, and energy losses in these windings.

Method of forming low cost, formable High T(subc) superconducting wire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smialek, James L. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A ceramic superconductivity part, such as a wire, is produced through the partial oxidation of a specially formulated copper alloy in a core. The alloys contains low level of quantities of rare earth and alkaline earth dopant elements. Upon oxidation at high temperatures, and superconducting oxide phases are formed as a thin film.

Transfer Efficiency and Cooling Cost by Thermal Loss based on Nitrogen Evaporation Method for Superconducting MAGLEV System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Y. D.; Kim, D. W.; Lee, C. Y.

2017-07-01

This paper presents the feasibility of technical fusion between wireless power transfer (WPT) and superconducting technology to improve the transfer efficiency and evaluate operating costs such as refrigerant consumption. Generally, in WPT technology, the various copper wires have been adopted. From this reason, the transfer efficiency is limited since the copper wires of Q value are intrinsically critical point. On the other hand, as superconducting wires keep larger current density and relatively higher Q value, the superconducting resonance coil can be expected as a reasonable option to deliver large transfer power as well as improve the transfer ratio since it exchanges energy at a much higher rate and keeps stronger magnetic fields out. However, since superconducting wires should be cooled indispensably, the cooling cost of consumed refrigerant for resonance HTS wires should be estimated. In this study, the transmission ratios using HTS resonance receiver (Rx) coil and various cooled and noncooled copper resonance Rx coils were presented under non cooled copper antenna within input power of 200 W of 370 kHz respectively. In addition, authors evaluated cooling cost of liquid nitrogen for HTS resonance coil and various cooled copper resonance coils based on nitrogen evaporation method.

Method of fabricating composite superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Strauss, Bruce P.; Reardon, Paul J.; Remsbottom, Robert H.

1977-01-01

An improvement in the method for preparing composite rods of superconducting alloy and normal metal from which multifilament composite superconducting wire is fabricated by bending longitudinally a strip of normal metal around a rod of superconductor alloy and welding the edges to form the composite rod. After the rods have preferably been provided with a hexagonal cross-sectional shape, a plurality of the rods are stacked into a normal metal extrusion can, sealed and worked to reduce the cross-sectional size and form multifilament wire. Diffusion barriers and high-electrical resistance barriers can easily be introduced into the wire by plating or otherwise coating the faces of the normal metal strip with appropriate materials.

Cryogenic deformation of high temperature superconductive composite structures

DOEpatents

Roberts, Peter R.; Michels, William; Bingert, John F.

2001-01-01

An improvement in a process of preparing a composite high temperature oxide superconductive wire is provided and involves conducting at least one cross-sectional reduction step in the processing preparation of the wire at sub-ambient temperatures.

History of HTS motor development at Reliance Electric

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schiferl, R.

1994-07-29

A review of the High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) motor development program at Reliance Electric is presented. The project was initiated in 1987 by EPRI to investigate the use of high temperature superconducting materials in electric motors. Liquid nitrogen was proposed as the HTS winding coolant. The ultimate goal, motivation, motor type and HTS wire requirements as well as the program milestones are outlined. It was concluded that the HTS motor development has paralleled wire development; progress continues toward the goal of large horsepower HTS motors for commercial applications; the team is well on the way toward completing the design ofmore » a 125 hp, 1800 rpm motor with HTS coils cooled to 20 to 40 K; and the program is a vital step in the development of HTS motors.« less

Depositing High-T(sub c) Superconductors On Normal-Conductor Wires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirlin, Peter S.

1994-01-01

Experiments have demonstrated feasibility of depositing thin layers of high-T(sub c) superconductor on normally electrically conductive wires. Superconductivity evident at and below critical temperature (T{sub c}) of 71 K. OMCVD, organometallic vapor deposition, apparatus coats Ag wire with layer high-T(sub c) superconductor. Superconductive phase of this material formed subsequently by annealing under controlled conditions.

Method and apparatus for forming high-critical-temperature superconducting layers on flat and/or elongated substrates

DOEpatents

Ciszek, Theodore F.

1994-01-01

An elongated, flexible superconductive wire or strip is fabricated by pulling it through and out of a melt of metal oxide material at a rate conducive to forming a crystalline coating of superconductive metal oxide material on an elongated, flexible substrate wire or strip. A coating of crystalline superconductive material, such as Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.8, is annealed to effect conductive contact between adjacent crystalline structures in the coating material, which is then cooled to room temperature. The container for the melt can accommodate continuous passage of the substrate through the melt. Also, a second pass-through container can be used to simultaneously anneal and overcoat the superconductive coating with a hot metallic material, such as silver or silver alloy. A hollow, elongated tube casting method of forming an elongated, flexible superconductive wire includes drawing the melt by differential pressure into a heated tubular substrate.

Method and apparatus for forming high-critical-temperature superconducting layers on flat and/or elongated substrates

DOEpatents

Ciszek, T.F.

1994-04-19

An elongated, flexible superconductive wire or strip is fabricated by pulling it through and out of a melt of metal oxide material at a rate conducive to forming a crystalline coating of superconductive metal oxide material on an elongated, flexible substrate wire or strip. A coating of crystalline superconductive material, such as Bi[sub 2]Sr[sub 2]CaCu[sub 2]O[sub 8], is annealed to effect conductive contact between adjacent crystalline structures in the coating material, which is then cooled to room temperature. The container for the melt can accommodate continuous passage of the substrate through the melt. Also, a second pass-through container can be used to simultaneously anneal and overcoat the superconductive coating with a hot metallic material, such as silver or silver alloy. A hollow, elongated tube casting method of forming an elongated, flexible superconductive wire includes drawing the melt by differential pressure into a heated tubular substrate. 8 figures.

The Quantum Socket: Wiring for Superconducting Qubits - Part 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariantoni, M.; Bejianin, J. H.; McConkey, T. G.; Rinehart, J. R.; Bateman, J. D.; Earnest, C. T.; McRae, C. H.; Rohanizadegan, Y.; Shiri, D.; Penava, B.; Breul, P.; Royak, S.; Zapatka, M.; Fowler, A. G.

The implementation of a quantum computer requires quantum error correction codes, which allow to correct errors occurring on physical quantum bits (qubits). Ensemble of physical qubits will be grouped to form a logical qubit with a lower error rate. Reaching low error rates will necessitate a large number of physical qubits. Thus, a scalable qubit architecture must be developed. Superconducting qubits have been used to realize error correction. However, a truly scalable qubit architecture has yet to be demonstrated. A critical step towards scalability is the realization of a wiring method that allows to address qubits densely and accurately. A quantum socket that serves this purpose has been designed and tested at microwave frequencies. In this talk, we show results where the socket is used at millikelvin temperatures to measure an on-chip superconducting resonator. The control electronics is another fundamental element for scalability. We will present a proposal based on the quantum socket to interconnect a classical control hardware to a superconducting qubit hardware, where both are operated at millikelvin temperatures.

14 MeV Neutron Irradiation Effect on Superconducting Magnet Materials for Fusion Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, A.; Hishinuma, Y.; Seo, K.; Tanaka, T.; Muroga, T.; Nishijima, S.; Katagiri, K.; Takeuchi, T.; Shindo, Y.; Ochiai, K.; Nishitani, T.; Okuno, K.

2006-03-01

As a large-scale plasma experimental device is planned and designed, the importance of investigations on irradiation effect of 14 MeV neutron increases and an experimental database is desired to be piled up. Recently, intense streaming of fast neutron from ports are reported and degradation of superconducting magnet performance is anticipated. To investigate the pure neutron effect on superconducting magnet materials, a cryogenic target system was newly developed and installed at Fusion Neutronics Source in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Although production rate of 14 MeV neutron is not large, only 14 MeV neutron can be supplied to irradiation test without gamma ray. Copper wires, superconducting wires, glass fiber reinforced composites are irradiated and the irradiation effects are characterized. At the same time, sensors for measuring temperature and magnetic field are irradiated and their performance was investigated after irradiation. This paper presents outline of the cryogenic target system and some irradiation test results.

Making Superconducting Welds between Superconducting Wires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penanen, Konstantin I.; Eom, Byeong Ho

2008-01-01

A technique for making superconducting joints between wires made of dissimilar superconducting metals has been devised. The technique is especially suitable for fabrication of superconducting circuits needed to support persistent electric currents in electromagnets in diverse cryogenic applications. Examples of such electromagnets include those in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Sometimes, it is desirable to fabricate different parts of a persistent-current-supporting superconducting loop from different metals. For example, a sensory coil in a SQUID might be made of Pb, a Pb/Sn alloy, or a Cu wire plated with Pb/Sn, while the connections to the sensory coil might be made via Nb or Nb/Ti wires. Conventional wire-bonding techniques, including resistance spot welding and pressed contact, are not workable because of large differences between the hardnesses and melting temperatures of the different metals. The present technique is not subject to this limitation. The present technique involves the use (1) of a cheap, miniature, easy-to-operate, capacitor-discharging welding apparatus that has an Nb or Nb/Ti tip and operates with a continuous local flow of gaseous helium and (2) preparation of a joint in a special spark-discharge welding geometry. In a typical application, a piece of Nb foil about 25 m thick is rolled to form a tube, into which is inserted a wire that one seeks to weld to the tube (see figure). The tube can be slightly crimped for mechanical stability. Then a spark weld is made by use of the aforementioned apparatus with energy and time settings chosen to melt a small section of the niobium foil. The energy setting corresponds to the setting of a voltage to which the capacitor is charged. In an experiment, the technique was used to weld an Nb foil to a copper wire coated with a Pb/Sn soft solder, which is superconducting. The joint was evaluated as part of a persistent-current circuit having an inductance of 1 mH. A current was induced in a loop, and no attenuation of the current after a time interval 1,000 s was discernible in a measurement having a fractional accuracy of 10(exp -4): This observation supports the conclusion that the weld had an electrical resistance <10(exp -10) omega.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, D.; DeMoranville, K.; Wong, T.

Ternary (Nb,Ti){sub 3}Sn/Cu multifilamentary high-field superconducting wires with Nb/Ti and Nb/NbTi composite filaments were fabricated via a bronze-route process. The composite filaments, which contain about 1.3 wt.% Ti, were prepared from pure Nb and Ti sheets, or pure Nb and Nb47Ti alloy sheets using a jelly-roll technique. The ternary A15 superconducting phase is formed during final heat treatment by diffusion of Sn and Ti through matrix and filaments respectively, and then reaction with Nb. This new approach is designed to improve the workability and piece length as well as to reduce the cost of manufacturing (Nb,Ti)3Sn/Cu superconducting wires. A two-stagemore » reaction heat treatment schedule has been developed to generate high J{sub c}, for these ternary A15 superconductors with composite filaments. Non-Cu J{sub c} (12T, 0.1{mu}V/cm, 4.2K) of {approximately}670A/mm{sup 2} was recorded on the wire with Nb/Nb47Ti composite filaments fabricated using this technique.« less

Multifilament Superconducting Wire Based on NbTi Alloy in a Combined Copper/Copper-Nickel Matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedernikov, G. P.; Shikov, A. K.; Potanina, L. V.; Gubkin, I. N.; Scherbakova, O. V.; Salunin, N. I.; Korpusov, V. U.; Novikov, S. I.; Novikov, M. S.

2004-06-01

Model fine filament superconducting 0.65 mm wire based on NbTi alloy, intended for operating in fields having sweep rate from 1 up to 4 T/s, has been developed and manufactured by Bochvar Institute (VNIINM). The wire was fabricated by a single stacking method. Each filament was surrounded by a matrix of commercial MN-5 alloy (Cu-5wt.%Ni). The effects of heat treatment regimes, and twist pitches within the range of 3.5 - 8 mm on Jc of the strand were investigated at fields of 2-8 T. The critical current density is more than 2700 A/mm2 at 5 T, 4.2 K. The magnetization of wire has been measured by a vibrating magnetometer at field amplitude up to ± 3 T. Hysteresis losses and effective diameter were calculated. Total and coupling losses have been determined by Fitz method on strand magnetization at fields, varying in trapezoidal mode. It was shown that the wire of this type is of potential application for the use in the magnets of the GSI-type accelerator to be constructed in Germany.

Overview of superconductivity in Japan Strategy road map and R&D status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukamoto, O.

2008-09-01

Superconducting technology benefits society in broad fields; environment/energy, life science, manufacturing industry and information and communication. Superconducting equipments and devices used in various fields are divided into two categories, electric and electronic applications. Technologies in those applications are progressing remarkably owing to firm and consistent supports by various national projects. The final target of the NEDO R&D project of fundamental technology for superconductivity applications to develop 500 m long coated conductors (CCs) of the critical current 300 A/cm (at 77 K, 0 T) will be fulfilled by the end of JFY 2007 and manufacturing process to produce extremely low-cost CCs is to be developed to make the applications realistic. Preliminary works to develop power apparatuses using CCs have started in the frame of the R&D project for the fundamental technology and have produced significant results. Performance of BSCCO/Ag-sheathed wires has been improved greatly and various applications using those wires are being developed. R&D projects for SMES, power cable, flywheel energy storage and rotating machines are going to introduce those equipments to the real world. Technologies of SQUID and SFQ, basic devices of the electronic applications, are progressing dramatically also owing to various national projects. In this back ground the technology strategy map in the field of superconducting technology was formulated to prioritize investments in R&D by clearly defining the objectives and inspire autonomous R&D actives in various fields of industries. R&D activities in the superconducting technologies are to be scheduled following this strategy map.

V/sub 3/Ga wire fabricated by the modified jelly roll technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gubser, D.U.; Francavilla, T.L.; Pande, C.S.

V/sub 3/Ga wire has been fabricated by the modified jelly roll technique for the first time. Critical current densities in magnetic fields to 22 T, critical magnetic fields, and superconducting transition temperatures are reported for this wire as a function of reaction temperature for forming the interfacial V/sub 3/Ga layer. Superconducting properties of the reacted wire are optimized for reaction temperatures between 550--580 /sup 0/C. With a reaction temperature of 580 /sup 0/C, the overall (noncopper) current density of the wire is over 10/sup 4/ amp/cm/sup 2/ at 19 T.

The Quantum Socket: Wiring for Superconducting Qubits - Part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConkey, T. G.; Bejanin, J. H.; Rinehart, J. R.; Bateman, J. D.; Earnest, C. T.; McRae, C. H.; Rohanizadegan, Y.; Shiri, D.; Mariantoni, M.; Penava, B.; Breul, P.; Royak, S.; Zapatka, M.; Fowler, A. G.

Quantum systems with ten superconducting quantum bits (qubits) have been realized, making it possible to show basic quantum error correction (QEC) algorithms. However, a truly scalable architecture has not been developed yet. QEC requires a two-dimensional array of qubits, restricting any interconnection to external classical systems to the third axis. In this talk, we introduce an interconnect solution for solid-state qubits: The quantum socket. The quantum socket employs three-dimensional wires and makes it possible to connect classical electronics with quantum circuits more densely and accurately than methods based on wire bonding. The three-dimensional wires are based on spring-loaded pins engineered to insure compatibility with quantum computing applications. Extensive design work and machining was required, with focus on material quality to prevent magnetic impurities. Microwave simulations were undertaken to optimize the design, focusing on the interface between the micro-connector and an on-chip coplanar waveguide pad. Simulations revealed good performance from DC to 10 GHz and were later confirmed against experimental measurements.

Automatic development of normal zone in composite MgB2/CuNi wires with different diameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokinen, A.; Kajikawa, K.; Takahashi, M.; Okada, M.

2010-06-01

One of the promising applications with superconducting technology for hydrogen utilization is a sensor with a magnesium-diboride (MgB2) superconductor to detect the position of boundary between the liquid hydrogen and the evaporated gas stored in a Dewar vessel. In our previous experiment for the level sensor, the normal zone has been automatically developed and therefore any energy input with the heater has not been required for normal operation. Although the physical mechanism for such a property of the MgB2 wire has not been clarified yet, the deliberate application might lead to the realization of a simpler superconducting level sensor without heater system. In the present study, the automatic development of normal zone with increasing a transport current is evaluated for samples consisting of three kinds of MgB2 wires with CuNi sheath and different diameters immersed in liquid helium. The influences of the repeats of current excitation and heat cycle on the normal zone development are discussed experimentally. The aim of this paper is to confirm the suitability of MgB2 wire in a heater free level sensor application. This could lead to even more optimized design of the liquid hydrogen level sensor and the removal of extra heater input.

Determination of the V- I characteristic of NbTi wires in a wide resistivity range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musenich, R.; Fabbricatore, P.; Farinon, S.; Greco, M.

2004-01-01

The voltage-current curve of superconducting wires and cables is generally directly measured within the resistivity range 10 -15-10 -12 Ω m being limited by the sensitivity and the Joule dissipation. Indirect measurements, based on the current decay in a superconducting loop, allow the determination of the curve in lower resistivity regions. Using a loop made with a Cu-NbTi wire we performed indirect V- I measurements in the range 10 -19-10 -16 Ω m. The comparison of the curves obtained by the direct and indirect method allows the experimental verification of the power law describing the transition of the superconducting wire to the normal state in a wide resistivity range. The law is discussed and justified on the basis of the superconductor behaviour in the flux creep dynamic regime.

Phase slips in superconducting weak links

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimmel, Gregory; Glatz, Andreas; Aranson, Igor S.

2017-01-01

Superconducting vortices and phase slips are primary mechanisms of dissipation in superconducting, superfluid, and cold-atom systems. While the dynamics of vortices is fairly well described, phase slips occurring in quasi-one- dimensional superconducting wires still elude understanding. The main reason is that phase slips are strongly nonlinear time-dependent phenomena that cannot be cast in terms of small perturbations of the superconducting state. Here we study phase slips occurring in superconducting weak links. Thanks to partial suppression of superconductivity in weak links, we employ a weakly nonlinear approximation for dynamic phase slips. This approximation is not valid for homogeneous superconducting wires andmore » slabs. Using the numerical solution of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation and bifurcation analysis of stationary solutions, we show that the onset of phase slips occurs via an infinite period bifurcation, which is manifested in a specific voltage-current dependence. Our analytical results are in good agreement with simulations.« less

DC Cable for Railway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Masaru

The development of a superconducting cable for railways has commenced, assuming that a DC transmission cable will be used for electric trains. The cable has been fabricated based on the results of current testing of a superconducting wire, and various evaluation tests have been performed to determine the characteristics of the cable. A superconducting transmission cable having zero electrical resistance and suitable for railway use is expected to enhance regeneration efficiency, reduce power losses, achieve load leveling and integration of sub-stations, and reduce rail potential.

Extrusion of metal oxide superconducting wire, tube or ribbon

DOEpatents

Dusek, Joseph T.

1993-10-05

A process for extruding a superconducting metal oxide composition YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x provides a wire (tube or ribbon) having a cohesive mass and a degree of flexibility together with enhanced electrical properties. Wire diameters in the range of 6-85 mils have been produced with smaller wires on the order of 10 mils in diameter exhibiting enhanced flexibility for forming braided, or multistrand, configurations for greater current carrying capacity. The composition for extrusion contains a polymeric binder to provide a cohesive mass to bind the particles together during the extrusion process with the binder subsequently removed at lower temperatures during sintering. The composition for extrusion further includes a deflocculent, an organic plasticizer and a solvent which also are subsequently removed during sintering. Electrically conductive tubing with an inner diameter of 52 mil and an outer diameter of 87-355 mil has also been produced. Flat ribbons have been produced in the range of 10-125 mil thick by 100-500 mil wide. The superconducting wire, tube or ribbon may include an outer ceramic insulating sheath co-extruded with the wire, tubing or ribbon.

Extrusion of metal oxide superconducting wire, tube or ribbon

DOEpatents

Dusek, Joseph T.

1993-01-01

A process for extruding a superconducting metal oxide composition YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x provides a wire (tube or ribbon) having a cohesive mass and a degree of flexibility together with enhanced electrical properties. Wire diameters in the range of 6-85 mils have been produced with smaller wires on the order of 10 mils in diameter exhibiting enhanced flexibility for forming braided, or multistrand, configurations for greater current carrying capacity. The composition for extrusion contains a polymeric binder to provide a cohesive mass to bind the particles together during the extrusion process with the binder subsequently removed at lower temperatures during sintering. The composition for extrusion further includes a deflocculent, an organic plasticizer and a solvent which also are subsequently removed during sintering. Electrically conductive tubing with an inner diameter of 52 mil and an outer diameter of 87-355 mil has also been produced. Flat ribbons have been produced in the range of 10-125 mil thick by 100-500 mil wide. The superconducting wire, tube or ribbon may include an outer ceramic insulating sheath co-extruded with the wire, tubing or ribbon.

Superconducting magnet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Extensive computer based engineering design effort resulted in optimization of a superconducting magnet design with an average bulk current density of approximately 12KA/cm(2). Twisted, stranded 0.0045 inch diameter NbTi superconductor in a copper matrix was selected. Winding the coil from this bundle facilitated uniform winding of the small diameter wire. Test coils were wound using a first lot of the wire. The actual packing density was measured from these. Interwinding voltage break down tests on the test coils indicated the need for adjustment of the wire insulation on the lot of wire subsequently ordered for construction of the delivered superconducting magnet. Using the actual packing densities from the test coils, a final magnet design, with the required enhancement and field profile, was generated. All mechanical and thermal design parameters were then also fixed. The superconducting magnet was then fabricated and tested. The first test was made with the magnet immersed in liquid helium at 4.2K. The second test was conducted at 2K in vacuum. In the latter test, the magnet was conduction cooled from the mounting flange end.

Research and Development of Wires and Cables for High-Field Accelerator Magnets

DOE PAGES

Barzi, Emanuela; Zlobin, Alexander V.

2016-02-18

The latest strategic plans for High Energy Physics endorse steadfast superconducting magnet technology R&D for future Energy Frontier Facilities. This includes 10 to 16 T Nb3Sn accelerator magnets for the luminosity upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider and eventually for a future 100 TeV scale proton-protonmore » $(pp)$ collider. This paper describes the multi-decade R&D investment in the $$Nb_3Sn$$ superconductor technology, which was crucial to produce the first reproducible 10 to 12 T accelerator-quality dipoles and quadrupoles, as well as their scale-up. We also indicate prospective research areas in superconducting $$Nb_3Sn$$ wires and cables to achieve the next goals for superconducting accelerator magnets. Emphasis is on increasing performance and decreasing costs while pushing the $$Nb_3Sn$$ technology to its limits for future $pp$ colliders.« less

Investigations of current limiting properties of the MgB2 wires subjected to pulse overcurrents in the benchtop tester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Lin; Majoros, M.; Campbell, A. M.; Coombs, T.; Harrison, S.; Sargent, P.; Haslett, M.; Husband, M.

2007-04-01

A laboratory scale desktop test system including a cryogenic system, an AC pulse generation system and a real time data acquisition program in LabView/DAQmx, has been developed to evaluate the quench properties of MgB2 wires as an element in a superconducting fault current limiter under pulse overcurrents at 25 K in self-field conditions. The MgB2 samples started from a superconducting state and demonstrated good current limiting properties characterized by a fast transition to the normal state during the first half of the cycle and a continuously limiting effect in the subsequent cycles without burnouts. The experimental and numerical simulation results on the quench behaviour indicate the feasibility of using MgB2 for future superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) applications. This work is supported by Rolls-Royce Plc and the UK Department of Trade & Industry (DTI).

Magnetic suspension using high temperature superconducting cores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scurlock, R. G.

1992-01-01

The development of YBCO high temperature superconductors, in wire and tape forms, is rapidly approaching the point where the bulk transport current density j vs magnetic field H characteristics with liquid nitrogen cooling will enable its use in model cores. On the other hand, BSCCO high temperature superconductor in wire form has poor j-H characteristics at 77 K today, although with liquid helium or hydrogen cooling, it appears to be superior to NbTi superconductor. Since liquid nitrogen cooling is approx. 100 times cheaper than liquid helium cooling, the use of YBCO is very attractive for use in magnetic suspension. The design is discussed of a model core to accommodate lift and drag loads up to 6000 and 3000 N respectively. A comparison is made between the design performance of a liquid helium cooled NbTi (or BSCCO) superconducting core and a liquid nitrogen cooled YBCO superconducting core.

ORNL superconducting technology program for electric power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawsey, R. A.

1994-04-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Superconducting Technology Program is conducted as part of a national effort by the US Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop the technology base needed by US industry for commercial development of electric power applications of high-temperature superconductivity. The two major elements of this program are conductor development and applications development. This document describes the major research and development activities for this program together with related accomplishments. The technical progress reported was summarized from information prepared for the FY 1993 Annual Program Review held July 28--29, 1993. This ORNL program is highly leveraged by the staff and other resources of US industry and universities. In fact, nearly three-fourths of the ORNL effort is devoted to industrial competitiveness projects with private companies. Interlaboratory teams are also in place on a number of industry-driven projects. Patent disclosures, working group meetings, staff exchanges, and joint publications and presentations ensure that there is technology transfer to US industry. Working together, the collaborative teams are making rapid progress in solving the scientific and technical issues necessary for the commercialization of long lengths of practical high-temperature superconductor wire and wire products.

Suppression of superconductivity in disordered interacting wires.

PubMed

Pesin, D A; Andreev, A V

2006-09-15

We study superconductivity suppression due to thermal fluctuations in disordered wires using the replica nonlinear sigma-model (NLsigmaM). We show that in addition to the thermal phase slips there is another type of fluctuations that result in a finite resistivity. These fluctuations are described by saddle points in NLsigmaM and cannot be treated within the Ginzburg-Landau approach. The contribution of such fluctuations to the wire resistivity is evaluated with exponential accuracy. The magnetoresistance associated with this contribution is negative.

Present status of PIT round wires of 122-type iron-based superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamegai, T.; Suwa, T.; Pyon, S.; Kajitani, H.; Takano, K.; Koizumi, N.; Awaji, S.; Watanabe, K.

2017-12-01

Outstanding characteristics with high T c and H c2 and small anisotropy in iron-based superconductors (IBSs) have triggered the development of superconducting wires and tapes using these novel superconductors. In this short article, developments and present status of round wires of 122-type IBSs are reviewed. By introducing hot-isostatic pressing (HIP) technique, J c in round wires of 122-type IBSs has been improved significantly. Further improvements have been realized by refining the fabrication process of the core material and introducing partial texturing of the wire core. The largest transport J c for round wires at 4.2 K at self-field and 100 kOe are 2.0x105 A/cm2 and 3.8x104 A/cm2, respectively. We also compare the J c characteristics of wires and tapes processed by HIP.

Flexible Microstrip Circuits for Superconducting Electronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, James; Mateo, Jennette

2013-01-01

Flexible circuits with superconducting wiring atop polyimide thin films are being studied to connect large numbers of wires between stages in cryogenic apparatus with low heat load. The feasibility of a full microstrip process, consisting of two layers of superconducting material separated by a thin dielectric layer on 5 mil (approximately 0.13 mm) Kapton sheets, where manageable residual stress remains in the polyimide film after processing, has been demonstrated. The goal is a 2-mil (approximately 0.051-mm) process using spin-on polyimide to take advantage of the smoother polyimide surface for achieving highquality metal films. Integration of microstrip wiring with this polyimide film may require high-temperature bakes to relax the stress in the polyimide film between metallization steps.

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference and Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, Kumar (Editor); Burnham, Calvin (Editor)

1995-01-01

The papers presented at the 4th International Conference Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity held at the Marriott Orlando World Center, Orlando, Florida, are contained in this document and encompass the research, technology, applications, funding, political, and social aspects of superconductivity. Specifically, the areas covered included: high-temperature materials; thin films; C-60 based superconductors; persistent magnetic fields and shielding; fabrication methodology; space applications; physical applications; performance characterization; device applications; weak link effects and flux motion; accelerator technology; superconductivity energy; storage; future research and development directions; medical applications; granular superconductors; wire fabrication technology; computer applications; technical and commercial challenges, and power and energy applications.

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference and Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity, Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krishen, Kumar (Editor); Burnham, Calvin (Editor)

1995-01-01

This document contains papers presented at the 4th International Conference Exhibition: World Congress on Superconductivity held June 27-July 1, 1994 in Orlando, Florida. These documents encompass research, technology, applications, funding, political, and social aspects of superconductivity. The areas covered included: high-temperature materials; thin films; C-60 based superconductors; persistent magnetic fields and shielding; fabrication methodology; space applications; physical applications; performance characterization; device applications; weak link effects and flux motion; accelerator technology; superconductivity energy; storage; future research and development directions; medical applications; granular superconductors; wire fabrication technology; computer applications; technical and commercial challenges; and power and energy applications.

Ductile alloy and process for preparing composite superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, John D.; Finnemore, Douglas K.; Gibson, Edwin D.; Ostenson, Jerome E.

1983-03-29

An alloy for the commercial production of ductile superconducting wire is prepared by melting together copper and at least 15 weight percent niobium under non-oxygen-contaminating conditions, and rapidly cooling the melt to form a ductile composite consisting of discrete, randomly distributed and orientated dendritic-shaped particles of niobium in a copper matrix. As the wire is worked, the dendritric particles are realigned parallel to the longitudinal axis and when drawn form a plurality of very fine ductile superconductors in a ductile copper matrix. The drawn wire may be tin coated and wound into magnets or the like before diffusing the tin into the wire to react with the niobium. Impurities such as aluminum or gallium may be added to improve upper critical field characteristics.

Ductile alloy and process for preparing composite superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, J.D.; Finnemore, D.K.; Gibson, E.D.; Ostenson, J.E.

An alloy for the commercial production of ductile superconducting wire is prepared by melting together copper and at least 15 weight percent niobium under non-oxygen-contaminating conditions, and rapidly cooling the melt to form a ductile composite consisting of discrete, randomly distributed and oriented dendritic-shaped particles of niobium in a copper matrix. As the wire is worked, the dendritic particles are realigned parallel to the longitudinal axis and when drawn form a plurality of very fine ductile superconductors in a ductile copper matrix. The drawn wire may be tin coated and wound into magnets or the like before diffusing the tin into the wire to react with the niobium. Impurities such as aluminum or gallium may be added to improve upper critical field characteristics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhai, Y.; D'Hauthuille, L.; Barth, C.

High-field superconducting magnets play a very important role in many large-scale physics experiments, particularly particle colliders and fusion confinement devices such as Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The two most common superconductors used in these applications are NbTi and Nb 3Sn. Nb 3Sn wires are favored because of their significantly higher J c (critical current density) for higher field applications. The main disadvantage of Nb 3Sn is that the superconducting performance of the wire is highly strain sensitive and it is very brittle. This strain sensitivity is strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and crackedmore » filaments. Cracks are induced by large stress concentrators that can be traced to the presence of voids in the wire. We develop detailed 2-D and 3-D finite-element models containing wire filaments and different possible distributions of voids in a bronze-route Nb 3Sn wire. We apply compressive transverse loads for various cases of void distributions to simulate the stress and strain response of a Nb 3Sn wire under the Lorentz force. Furthermore, this paper improves our understanding of the effect voids have on the Nb 3Sn wire's mechanical properties, and in so, the connection between the distribution of voids and performance degradation such as the correlation between irreversible strain limit and the void-induced local stress concentrations.« less

Composite ceramic superconducting wires for electric motor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halloran, John W.

1990-07-01

Several types of HTSC wire have been produced and two types of HTSC motors are being built. Hundreds of meters of Ag- clad wire were fabricated from YBa2Cu3O(7-x) (Y-123) and Bi2Ca2Sr2Cu3O10 (BiSCCO). The dc homopolar motor coils are not yet completed, but multiple turns of wire have been wound on the coil bobbins to characterize the superconducting properties of coiled wire. Multifilamentary conductors were fabricated as cables and coils. The sintered polycrystalline wire has self-field critical current densities (Jc) as high as 2800 A/sq cm, but the Jc falls rapidly with magnetic field. To improve Jc, sintered YBCO wire is melt textured with a continuous process which has produced textures wire up to 0.5 meters long with 77K transport Jc above 11, 770 A/sq cm2 in self field and 2100 A/sq cm2 at 1 telsa. The Emerson Electric dc homopolar HTSC motor has been fabricated and run with conventional copper coils. A novel class of potential very powerful superconducting motors have been designed to use trapped flux in melt textures Y-123 as magnet replicas in an new type of permanent magnet motor. The stator element and part of the rotor of the first prototype machine exist, and the HTSC magnet replica segments are being fabricated.

Finite-element analysis of transverse compressive and thermal loads on Nb 3Sn wires with voids

DOE PAGES

Zhai, Y.; D'Hauthuille, L.; Barth, C.; ...

2016-02-29

High-field superconducting magnets play a very important role in many large-scale physics experiments, particularly particle colliders and fusion confinement devices such as Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The two most common superconductors used in these applications are NbTi and Nb 3Sn. Nb 3Sn wires are favored because of their significantly higher J c (critical current density) for higher field applications. The main disadvantage of Nb 3Sn is that the superconducting performance of the wire is highly strain sensitive and it is very brittle. This strain sensitivity is strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and crackedmore » filaments. Cracks are induced by large stress concentrators that can be traced to the presence of voids in the wire. We develop detailed 2-D and 3-D finite-element models containing wire filaments and different possible distributions of voids in a bronze-route Nb 3Sn wire. We apply compressive transverse loads for various cases of void distributions to simulate the stress and strain response of a Nb 3Sn wire under the Lorentz force. Furthermore, this paper improves our understanding of the effect voids have on the Nb 3Sn wire's mechanical properties, and in so, the connection between the distribution of voids and performance degradation such as the correlation between irreversible strain limit and the void-induced local stress concentrations.« less

Electro-mechanical characterization of MgB2 wires for the Superconducting Link Project at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konstantopoulou, K.; Ballarino, A.; Gharib, A.; Stimac, A.; Garcia Gonzalez, M.; Perez Fontenla, A. T.; Sugano, M.

2016-08-01

In previous years, the R & D program between CERN and Columbus Superconductors SpA led to the development of several configurations of MgB2 wires. The aim was to achieve excellent superconducting properties in high-current MgB2 cables for the HL-LHC upgrade. In addition to good electrical performance, the superconductor shall have good mechanical strength in view of the stresses during operation (Lorenz forces and thermal contraction) and handling (tension and bending) during cabling and installation at room temperature. Thus, the study of the mechanical properties of MgB2 wires is crucial for the cable design and its functional use. In the present work we report on the electro-mechanical characterization of ex situ processed composite MgB2 wires. Tensile tests (critical current versus strain) were carried out at 4.2 K and in a 3 T external field by means of a purpose-built bespoke device to determine the irreversible strain limit of the wire. The minimum bending radius of the wire was calculated taking into account the dependence of the critical current with the strain and it was then used to obtain the minimum twist pitch of MgB2 wires in the cable. Strands extracted from cables having different configurations were tested to quantify the critical current degradation. The Young’s modulus of the composite wire was measured at room temperature. Finally, all measured mechanical parameters will be used to optimize an 18-strand MgB2 cable configuration.

Development of magnesium diboride (MgB 2) wires and magnets using in situ strand fabrication method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomsic, Michael; Rindfleisch, Matthew; Yue, Jinji; McFadden, Kevin; Doll, David; Phillips, John; Sumption, Mike D.; Bhatia, Mohit; Bohnenstiehl, Scot; Collings, E. W.

2007-06-01

Since 2001 when magnesium diboride (MgB 2) was first reported to have a transition temperature of 39 K, conductor development has progressed to where MgB 2 superconductor wire in kilometer-long piece-lengths has been demonstrated in magnets and coils. Work has started on demonstrating MgB 2 wire in superconducting devices now that the wire is available commercially. MgB 2 superconductors and coils have the potential to be integrated in a variety of commercial applications such as magnetic resonance imaging, fault current limiters, transformers, motors, generators, adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators, magnetic separation, magnetic levitation, energy storage, and high energy physics applications. This paper discusses the progress on MgB 2 conductor and coil development in the last several years at Hyper Tech Research, Inc.

Analysis of Mechanical Stresses/Strains in Superconducting Wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barry, Matthew; Chen, Jingping; Zhai, Yuhu

2016-10-01

The optimization of superconducting magnet performance and development of high-field superconducting magnets will greatly impact the next generation of fusion devices. A successful magnet development, however, relies deeply on the understanding of superconducting materials. Among the numerous factors that impact a superconductor's performance, mechanical stress is the most important because of the extreme operation temperature and large electromagnetic forces. In this study, mechanical theory is used to calculate the stresses/strains in typical superconducting strands, which consist of a stabilizer, a barrier, a matrix and superconducting filaments. Both thermal loads and mechanical loads are included in the analysis to simulate operation conditions. Because this model simulates the typical architecture of major superconducting materials, such as Nb3Sn, MgB2, Bi-2212 etc., it provides a good overall picture for us to understand the behavior of these superconductors in terms of thermal and mechanical loads. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) under the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program.

New Developments in Nb3Sn PIT Strand: The Effects of Titanium and Second Phase Additions on the Superconducting Properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Motowidlo, L.R.; Ghosh, A.; Distin, J.

2011-08-03

We report the effect of titanium on the transport properties of multifilament PIT strand. In addition, the effect of second phase yttrium additions on the microstructure and the bulk pinning force are reported for PIT Nb{sub 3}Sn mono-core wires. High resolution SEM, EDS, magnetization, and transport measurements were utilized to evaluate the superconducting properties.

Exploration of new superconductors and functional materials, and fabrication of superconducting tapes and wires of iron pnictides.

PubMed

Hosono, Hideo; Tanabe, Keiichi; Takayama-Muromachi, Eiji; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Yamanaka, Shoji; Kumakura, Hiroaki; Nohara, Minoru; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Fujitsu, Satoru

2015-06-01

This review shows the highlights of a 4-year-long research project supported by the Japanese Government to explore new superconducting materials and relevant functional materials. The project found several tens of new superconductors by examining ∼1000 materials, each of which was chosen by Japanese experts with a background in solid state chemistry. This review summarizes the major achievements of the project in newly found superconducting materials, and the fabrication wires and tapes of iron-based superconductors; it incorporates a list of ∼700 unsuccessful materials examined for superconductivity in the project. In addition, described are new functional materials and functionalities discovered during the project.

Exploration of new superconductors and functional materials, and fabrication of superconducting tapes and wires of iron pnictides

PubMed Central

Hosono, Hideo; Tanabe, Keiichi; Takayama-Muromachi, Eiji; Kageyama, Hiroshi; Yamanaka, Shoji; Kumakura, Hiroaki; Nohara, Minoru; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Fujitsu, Satoru

2015-01-01

This review shows the highlights of a 4-year-long research project supported by the Japanese Government to explore new superconducting materials and relevant functional materials. The project found several tens of new superconductors by examining ∼1000 materials, each of which was chosen by Japanese experts with a background in solid state chemistry. This review summarizes the major achievements of the project in newly found superconducting materials, and the fabrication wires and tapes of iron-based superconductors; it incorporates a list of ∼700 unsuccessful materials examined for superconductivity in the project. In addition, described are new functional materials and functionalities discovered during the project. PMID:27877784

A 10 Kelvin 3 Tesla Magnet for Space Flight ADR Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuttle, Jim; Shirron, Peter; Canavan, Edgar; DiPirro, Michael; Riall, Sara; Pourrahimi, Shahin

2003-01-01

Many future space flight missions are expected to use adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators (ADRs) to reach detector operating temperatures well below one Kelvin. The goal is to operate each ADR with a mechanical cooler as its heat sink, thus avoiding the use of liquid cryogens. Although mechanical coolers are being developed to operate at temperatures of 6 Kelvin and below, there is a large efficiency cost associated with operating them at the bottom of their temperature range. For the multi-stage ADR system being developed at Goddard Space Flight Center, the goal is to operate with a 10 Kelvin mechanical cooler heat sink. With currently available paramagnetic materials, the highest temperature ADR stage in such a system will require a magnetic field of approximately three Tesla. Thus the goal is to develop a small, lightweight three Tesla superconducting magnet for operation at 10 Kelvin. It is important that this magnet have a low current/field ratio. Because traditional NbTi magnets do not operate safely above about six Kelvin, a magnet with a higher Tc is required. The primary focus has been on Nb3Sn magnets. Since standard Nb3Sn wire must be coated with thick insulation, wound on a magnet mandrel and then reacted, standard Nb,Sn magnets are quite heavy and require high currents Superconducting Systems developed a Nb3Sn wire which can be drawn down to small diameter, reacted, coated with thin insulation and then wound on a small diameter coil form. By using this smaller wire and operating closer to the wire s critical current, it should be possible to reduce the mass and operating current of 10 Kelvin magnets. Using this "react-then-wind" technology, Superconducting Systems has produced prototype 10 Kelvin magnets. This paper describes the development and testing of these magnets and discusses the outlook for including 10 Kelvin magnets on space-flight missions.

Superconducting homopolar motor and conductor development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gubser, Donald U.

1996-10-01

The U.S. Navy has been developing superconducting homopolar motors for ship applications since 1969; a successful at-sea demonstration of the first motor, using NbTi wire for the magnet, was achieved in the early 1980s. Recently, this same motor was used as a test bed to demonstrate progress in high-critical-temperature superconducting magnet technology using bismuth-strontium- calcium-copper-oxide (BSCCO) compounds. In the fall of 1995, this motor achieved a performance of 124 kW operating at a temperature of 4.2 K and 91 kW while operating at 28 K. Future tests are scheduled using new magnets with conductors of both the 2223 and the 2212 BSCCO phases. This article describes the advantages of superconducting propulsion and recent progress in the development of BSCCO conductors for use in Navy power systems.

Kinetics and thermodynamics of ceramic/metal interface reactions related to high T(sub c) superconducting applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Notis, Michael R.; Oh, Min-Seok

1990-01-01

Superconducting ceramic materials, no matter what their form, size or shape, must eventually make contact with non-superconducting materials in order to accomplish current transfer to other parts of a real operating system, or for testing and measurement of properties. Thus, whether the configuration is a clad wire, a bulk superconducting disc, tape, or a thick or thin superconducting film on a substrate, the physical and mechanical behavior of interface (interconnections, joints, etc.) between superconductors and normal conductor materials of all kinds is of extreme importance to the technological development of these systems. Fabrication heat treatments associated with the particular joining process allow possible reactions between the superconducting ceramic and the contact to occur, and consequently influence properties at the interface region. The nature of these reactions is therefore of great broad interest, as these may be a primary determinant for the real capability of these materials. Research related both to fabrication of composite sheathed wire products, and the joining contacts for physical property measurements, as well as, a review of other related literature in the field are described. Comparison are made between 1-2-3, Bi-, and Tl-based ceramic superconductors joined to a variety of metals including Cu, Ni, Fe, Cr, Ag, Ag-Pd, Au, In, and Ga. The morphology of reaction products and the nature of interface degradation as a function of time will be highlighted.

Investigation of current transfer in built-up superconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, J.R.; Dresner, L.; Lue, J.W.

1977-01-01

Superconductors carrying 10 kA or more have been widely suggested for use in fusion research and reactor magnets. Built-up or cable conductors have been proposed in which superconductor is concentrated in part of the conductor or part of the strands while the stabilizer occupies the rest. This scheme leads to substantial saving in manufacturing cost and to reduction of ac losses. Simplified analysis indicates that the current transfer from superconducting wire to normal wire takes place over a characteristic length depending on the resistivity of the contact barrier, the resistivity of the stabilizer, and the geometry of the conductor. Furthermore,more » the cold-end recovery suffers a reduction. Two types of conductors were constructed for the experimental test. Triplex conductors consisting of either three superconducting wires or two superconducting plus one copper wire were used to simulate cables. Laminated superconductor and copper strips with different soldering bonds were used for build-ups. Normal zone propagation and recovery experiments have been performed and results are compared with the theory.« less

Superconducting magnet wire

DOEpatents

Schuller, Ivan K.; Ketterson, John B.; Banerjee, Indrajit

1986-01-01

A superconducting tape or wire with an improved critical field is formed of alternating layers of a niobium-containing superconductor such as Nb, NbTi, Nb.sub.3 Sn or Nb.sub.3 Ge with a thickness in the range of about 0.5-1.5 times its coherence length, supported and separated by layers of copper with each copper layer having a thickness in the range of about 170-600 .ANG..

Method of preparing composite superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, John D.; Gibson, Edwin D.; Finnemore, Douglas K.; Ostenson, Jerome E.; Schmidt, Frederick A.; Owen, Charles V.

1985-08-06

An improved method of preparing composite multifilament superconducting wire of Nb.sub.3 Sn in a copper matrix which eliminates the necessity of coating the drawn wire with tin. A generalized cylindrical billet of an alloy of copper containing at least 15 weight percent niobium, present in the copper as discrete, randomly distributed and oriented dendritic-shaped particles, is provided with at least one longitudinal opening which is filled with tin to form a composite drawing rod. The drawing rod is then drawn to form a ductile composite multifilament wire containing a filament of tin. The ductile wire containing the tin can then be wound into magnet coils or other devices before heating to diffuse the tin through the wire to react with the niobium forming Nb.sub.3 Sn. Also described is an improved method for making large billets of the copper-niobium alloy by consumable-arc casting.

Electromechanical properties of superconducting MgB2 wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salama, K.; Zhou, Y. X.; Hanna, M.; Alessandrini, M.; Putman, P. T.; Fang, H.

2005-12-01

The current-carrying capability of superconducting wires is degraded by stress. Therefore electromechanical properties are one of the key feedback parameters needed for progress in conductor applications. In this work, uniaxial tensile stresses and bending stresses were applied to Fe /MgB2 wires at room temperature, followed by measurement of critical current using a transport method at 4.2 K. Basic mechanical properties were calculated from the measured stress-strain characteristics. The irreversible tensile strain at which the critical current density of MgB2 wire starts to degrade was found to be 0.5%. In addition, the degradation of Ic with decreasing bending diameters was found to be very rapid for wires that were deformed after the heat treatment that forms the MgB2 compound, while not much degradation of Ic was found for wires that were bent before being annealed. SEM observations confirmed that cracks could be healed by post-annealing.

Improved method of preparing composite superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, J.D.; Gibson, E.D.; Finnemore, D.K.; Ostenson, J.E.; Schmidt, F.A.; Owen, C.V.

1979-10-17

An improved method of preparing composite multifilament superconducting wire of Nb/sub 3/Sn in a copper matrix eliminates the necessity of coating the drawn wire with tin. A generalized cylindrical billet of an alloy of copper containing at least 15 weight percent niobium, present in the copper as discrete, randomly distributed and oriented dendritic-shaped particles, is provided with at least one longitudinal opening which is filled with tin to form a composite drawing rod. The drawing rod is then drawn to form a ductile composite multifilament wire containing a filament of tin. The ductile wire containing the tin can then be wound into magnet coils or other devices before heating to diffuse the tin through the wire to react with the niobium forming Nb/sub 3/Sn. Also described is an improved method for making large billets of the copper-niobium alloy by consumable-arc casting.

Gate tunable parallel double quantum dots in InAs double-nanowire devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, S.; Matsuo, S.; Kamata, H.; Deacon, R. S.; Oiwa, A.; Li, K.; Jeppesen, S.; Samuelson, L.; Xu, H. Q.; Tarucha, S.

2017-12-01

We report fabrication and characterization of InAs nanowire devices with two closely placed parallel nanowires. The fabrication process we develop includes selective deposition of the nanowires with micron scale alignment onto predefined finger bottom gates using a polymer transfer technique. By tuning the double nanowire with the finger bottom gates, we observed the formation of parallel double quantum dots with one quantum dot in each nanowire bound by the normal metal contact edges. We report the gate tunability of the charge states in individual dots as well as the inter-dot electrostatic coupling. In addition, we fabricate a device with separate normal metal contacts and a common superconducting contact to the two parallel wires and confirm the dot formation in each wire from comparison of the transport properties and a superconducting proximity gap feature for the respective wires. With the fabrication techniques established in this study, devices can be realized for more advanced experiments on Cooper-pair splitting, generation of Parafermions, and so on.

Strain tolerant microfilamentary superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Finnemore, D.K.; Miller, T.A.; Ostenson, J.E.; Schwartzkopf, L.A.; Sanders, S.C.

1993-02-23

A strain tolerant microfilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments.

Finite Element Analysis of Transverse Compressive Loads on Superconducting Nb3Sn Wires Containing Voids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Hauthuille, Luc; Zhai, Yuhu; Princeton Plasma Physics Lab Collaboration; University of Geneva Collaboration

2015-11-01

High field superconductors play an important role in many large-scale physics experiments, particularly particle colliders and fusion devices such as the LHC and ITER. The two most common superconductors used are NbTi and Nb3Sn. Nb3Sn wires are favored because of their significantly higher Jc, allowing them to produce much higher magnetic fields. The main disadvantage is that the superconducting performance of Nb3Sn is highly strain-sensitive and it is very brittle. The strain-sensitivity is strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and cracked filaments. Cracks are induced by large stress concentrators due to the presence of voids. We will attempt to understand the correlation between Nb3Sn's irreversible strain limit and the void-induced stress concentrations around the voids. We will develop accurate 2D and 3D finite element models containing detailed filaments and possible distributions of voids in a bronze-route Nb3Sn wire. We will apply a compressive transverse load for the various cases to simulate the stress response of a Nb3Sn wire from the Lorentz force. Doing this will further improve our understanding of the effect voids have on the wire's mechanical properties, and thus, the connection between the shape & distribution of voids and performance degradation.

Superconductor-insulator transition in long MoGe nanowires.

PubMed

Kim, Hyunjeong; Jamali, Shirin; Rogachev, A

2012-07-13

The properties of one-dimensional superconducting wires depend on physical processes with different characteristic lengths. To identify the process dominant in the critical regime we have studied the transport properties of very narrow (9-20 nm) MoGe wires fabricated by advanced electron-beam lithography in a wide range of lengths, 1-25  μm. We observed that the wires undergo a superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) that is controlled by cross sectional area of a wire and possibly also by the width-to-thickness ratio. The mean-field critical temperature decreases exponentially with the inverse of the wire cross section. We observed that a qualitatively similar superconductor-insulator transition can be induced by an external magnetic field. Our results are not consistent with any currently known theory of the SIT. Some long superconducting MoGe nanowires can be identified as localized superconductors; namely, in these wires the one-electron localization length is much smaller than the length of a wire.

Design and market considerations for axial flux superconducting electric machine design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainslie, M. D.; George, A.; Shaw, R.; Dawson, L.; Winfield, A.; Steketee, M.; Stockley, S.

2014-05-01

In this paper, the authors investigate a number of design and market considerations for an axial flux superconducting electric machine design that uses high temperature superconductors. The axial flux machine design is assumed to utilise high temperature superconductors in both wire (stator winding) and bulk (rotor field) forms, to operate over a temperature range of 65-77 K, and to have a power output in the range from 10s of kW up to 1 MW (typical for axial flux machines), with approximately 2-3 T as the peak trapped field in the bulk superconductors. The authors firstly investigate the applicability of this type of machine as a generator in small- and medium-sized wind turbines, including the current and forecasted market and pricing for conventional turbines. Next, a study is also carried out on the machine's applicability as an in-wheel hub motor for electric vehicles. Some recommendations for future applications are made based on the outcome of these two studies. Finally, the cost of YBCO-based superconducting (2G HTS) wire is analysed with respect to competing wire technologies and compared with current conventional material costs and current wire costs for both 1G and 2G HTS are still too great to be economically feasible for such superconducting devices.

Metallization of a Rashba wire by a superconducting layer in the strong-proximity regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reeg, Christopher; Loss, Daniel; Klinovaja, Jelena

2018-04-01

Semiconducting quantum wires defined within two-dimensional electron gases and strongly coupled to thin superconducting layers have been extensively explored in recent experiments as promising platforms to host Majorana bound states. We study numerically such a geometry, consisting of a quasi-one-dimensional wire coupled to a disordered three-dimensional superconducting layer. We find that, in the strong-coupling limit of a sizable proximity-induced superconducting gap, all transverse subbands of the wire are significantly shifted in energy relative to the chemical potential of the wire. For the lowest subband, this band shift is comparable in magnitude to the spacing between quantized levels that arises due to the finite thickness of the superconductor (which typically is ˜500 meV for a 10-nm-thick layer of aluminum); in higher subbands, the band shift is much larger. Additionally, we show that the width of the system, which is usually much larger than the thickness, and moderate disorder within the superconductor have almost no impact on the induced gap or band shift. We provide a detailed discussion of the ramifications of our results, arguing that a huge band shift and significant renormalization of semiconducting material parameters in the strong-coupling limit make it challenging to realize a topological phase in such a setup, as the strong coupling to the superconductor essentially metallizes the semiconductor. This metallization of the semiconductor can be tested experimentally through the measurement of the band shift.

A Cryogenic Magnetostrictive Actuator Using a Persistent High Temperature Superconducting Magnet. Part 1; Concept and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horner, Garnett; Bromberg, Leslie; Teter, J. P.

2000-01-01

Cryogenic magnetostrictive materials, such as rare earth zinc crystals, offer high strains and high forces with minimally applied magnetic fields, making the material ideally suited for deformable optics applications. For cryogenic temperature applications the use of superconducting magnets offer the possibility of a persistent mode of operation, i.e., the magnetostrictive material will maintain a strain field without power. High temperature superconductors (HTS) are attractive options if the temperature of operation is higher than 10 degrees Kelvin (K) and below 77 K. However, HTS wires have constraints that limit the minimum radius of winding, and even if good wires can be produced, the technology for joining superconducting wires does not exist. In this paper, the design and capabilities of a rare earth zinc magnetostrictive actuator using bulk HTS is described. Bulk superconductors can be fabricated in the sizes required with excellent superconducting properties. Equivalent permanent magnets, made with this inexpensive material, are persistent, do not require a persistent switch as in HTS wires, and can be made very small. These devices are charged using a technique which is similar to the one used for charging permanent magnets, e.g., by driving them into saturation. A small normal conducting coil can be used for charging or discharging. Because of the magnetic field capability of the superconductor material, a very small amount of superconducting magnet material is needed to actuate the rare earth zinc. In this paper, several designs of actuators using YBCO and BSCCO 2212 superconducting materials are presented. Designs that include magnetic shielding to prevent interaction between adjacent actuators will also be described. Preliminary experimental results and comparison with theory for BSCCO 2212 with a magnetostrictive element will be discussed.

A high field and cryogenic test facility for neutron irradiated superconducting wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, A.; Miyata, H.; Yoshida, M.; Iio, M.; Suzuki, K.; Nakamoto, T.; Yamazaki, M.; Toyama, T.

2017-12-01

A 15.5 T superconducting magnet and a variable temperature insert (VTI) system were installed at a radiation control area in Oarai center in Tohoku University to investigate the superconducting properties of activated superconducting materials by fast neutron. The superconductivity was measured at cryogenic temperature and high magnetic field. During these tests, some inconvenient problems were observed and the additional investigation was carried out. The variable temperature insert was designed and assembled to perform the superconducting property tests. without the liquid helium. To remove the heat induced by radiation and joule heating, high purity aluminum rod was used in VTI. The thermal contact was checked by FEM analysis and an additional support was added to confirm the decreasing the stress concentration and the good thermal contact. After the work for improvement, it was affirmed that the test system works well and all troubles were resolved. In this report, the improved technical solution is described and the first data set on the irradiation effect on Nb3Sn wire is presented.

Progress of applied superconductivity research at Materials Research Laboratories, ITRI (Taiwan)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, R. S.; Wang, C. M.

1995-01-01

A status report based on the applied high temperature superconductivity (HTS) research at Materials Research Laboratories (MRL), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is given. The aim is to develop fabrication technologies for the high-TC materials appropriate to the industrial application requirements. To date, the majorities of works have been undertaken in the areas of new materials, wires/tapes with long length, prototypes of magnets, large-area thin films, SQUID's and microwave applications.

Stable superconducting magnet. [high current levels below critical temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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.

Method for producing strain tolerant multifilamentary oxide superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Finnemore, D.K.; Miller, T.A.; Ostenson, J.E.; Schwartzkopf, L.A.; Sanders, S.C.

1994-07-19

A strain tolerant multifilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments. 6 figs.

Method for producing strain tolerant multifilamentary oxide superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Finnemore, Douglas K.; Miller, Theodore A.; Ostenson, Jerome E.; Schwartzkopf, Louis A.; Sanders, Steven C.

1994-07-19

A strain tolerant multifilamentary wire capable of carrying superconducting currents is provided comprising a plurality of discontinuous filaments formed from a high temperature superconducting material. The discontinuous filaments have a length at least several orders of magnitude greater than the filament diameter and are sufficiently strong while in an amorphous state to withstand compaction. A normal metal is interposed between and binds the discontinuous filaments to form a normal metal matrix capable of withstanding heat treatment for converting the filaments to a superconducting state. The geometry of the filaments within the normal metal matrix provides substantial filament-to-filament overlap, and the normal metal is sufficiently thin to allow supercurrent transfer between the overlapped discontinuous filaments but is also sufficiently thick to provide strain relief to the filaments.

Geometrical Effects in Noise Spectra of Superconducting Flux Qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petukhov, Andre; Smelyanskiy, Vadim; Martinis, John

We present theoretical study of geometrical effects related to spin diffusion in superconducting flux qubits. We adopt a model of a long superconducting wire surrounded by a thin oxide layer with spins distributed uniformly over cross-sectional area of the oxide layer. Using a continuous transformation from a round cylinder to a flat wire strip, we demonstrate that the noise spectral density tends to a power law S (ω) ~(ω / Γ) - s with s 3 / 4 , approaching s = 3 / 4 for very thin wires. The ω-s dependence is valid in a broad frequency range above ωΓ stretching up to four orders of magnitude in units of characteristic diffusion decay rate Γ ~ 1 -102 Hz. The effect is highly sensitive to a cross-sectional aspect ratio of a thin wire thus revealing its geometrical origin. We substantiate our findings by detailed comparison with available experimental data and conclude that 3 / 4 power law distinguishes spin diffusion flux noise from generic `` 1 / f '' family. Supported by the AFRL Information Directorate under Grant F4HBKC4162G001.

Heat treatment influence on the superconducting properties of nanometric-scale Nb3Sn wires with Cu-Sn artificial pinning centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Silva, L. B. S.; Rodrigues, C. A.; Oliveira, N. F., Jr.; Bormio-Nunes, C.; Rodrigues, D., Jr.

2010-11-01

Since the discovery of Nb3Sn superconductors many efforts have been expended to improve the transport properties in these materials. In this work, the heat treatment profiles for Nb3Sn superconductor wires with Cu(Sn) artificial pinning centers (APCs) with nanometric-scale sizes were analyzed in an attempt to improve the critical current densities and upper critical magnetic field. The methodology to optimize the heat treatment profiles in respect to the diffusion, reaction and formation of the superconducting phases is described. Microstructural characterization, transport and magnetic measurements were performed in an attempt to relate the microstructure to the pinning mechanisms acting in the samples. It was concluded that the maximum current densities occur due to normal phases (APCs) that act as the main pinning centers in the global behavior of the Nb3Sn superconducting wire. The APC technique was shown to be very powerful because it permitted mixing of the pinning mechanism. This achievement was not possible in other studies in Nb3Sn wires reported up to now.

Improved thermal isolation for superconducting magnet systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiebe, E. R.

1974-01-01

Closed-cycle refrigerating system for superconductive magnet and maser is operated in vacuum environment. Each wire leading from external power source passes through cooling station which blocks heat conduction. In connection with these stations, switch with small incandescent light bulb, which generates heat, is used to stop superconduction.

Fine-Filament MgB2 Superconductor Wire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cantu, Sherrie

2015-01-01

Hyper Tech Research, Inc., has developed fine-filament magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor wire for motors and generators used in turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems. In Phase I of the project, Hyper Tech demonstrated that MgB2 multifilament wires (<10 micrometers) could reduce alternating current (AC) losses that occur due to hysteresis, eddy currents, and coupling losses. The company refined a manufacturing method that incorporates a magnesium-infiltration process and provides a tenfold enhancement in critical current density over wire made by a conventional method involving magnesium-boron powder mixtures. Hyper Tech also improved its wire-drawing capability to fabricate fine multifilament strands. In Phase II, the company developed, manufactured, and tested the wire for superconductor and engineering current density and AC losses. Hyper Tech also fabricated MgB2 rotor coil packs for a superconducting generator. The ultimate goal is to enable low-cost, round, lightweight, low-AC-loss superconductors for motor and generator stator coils operating at 25 K in next-generation turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems.

Negative Magnetoresistance in Amorphous Indium Oxide Wires

PubMed Central

Mitra, Sreemanta; Tewari, Girish C; Mahalu, Diana; Shahar, Dan

2016-01-01

We study magneto-transport properties of several amorphous Indium oxide nanowires of different widths. The wires show superconducting transition at zero magnetic field, but, there exist a finite resistance at the lowest temperature. The R(T) broadening was explained by available phase slip models. At low field, and far below the superconducting critical temperature, the wires with diameter equal to or less than 100 nm, show negative magnetoresistance (nMR). The magnitude of nMR and the crossover field are found to be dependent on both temperature and the cross-sectional area. We find that this intriguing behavior originates from the interplay between two field dependent contributions. PMID:27876859

Homogenous BSCCO-2212 Round Wires for Very High Field Magnets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dr. Scott Campbell

2012-06-30

The performance demands on modern particle accelerators generate a relentless push towards higher field magnets. In turn, advanced high field magnet development places increased demands on superconducting materials. Nb3Sn conductors have been used to achieve 16 T in a prototype dipole magnet and are thought to have the capability for {approx}18 T for accelerator magnets (primarily dipoles but also higher order multipole magnets). However there have been suggestions and proposals for such magnets higher than 20 T. The High Energy Physics Community (HEP) has identified important new physics opportunities that are enabled by extremely high field magnets: 20 to 50more » T solenoids for muon cooling in a muon collider (impact: understanding of neutrinos and dark matter); and 20+ T dipoles and quadrupoles for high energy hadron colliders (impact: discovery reach far beyond present). This proposal addresses the latest SBIR solicitation that calls for grant applications that seek to develop new or improved superconducting wire technologies for magnets that operate at a minimum of 12 Tesla (T) field, with increases up to 15 to 20 T sought in the near future (three to five years). The long-term development of accelerator magnets with fields greater than 20 T will require superconducting wires having significantly better high-field properties than those possessed by current Nb{sub 3}Sn or other A15 based wires. Given the existing materials science base for Bi-2212 wire processing, we believe that Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub y} (Bi-2212) round wires can be produced in km-long piece lengths with properties suitable to meet both the near term and long term needs of the HEP community. The key advance will be the translation of this materials science base into a robust, high-yield wire technology. While the processing and application of A15 materials have advanced to a much higher level than those of the copper oxide-based, high T{sub c} (HTS) counterparts, the HTS materials have the very significant advantage of an extremely high H{sub c2}. For this reason, Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub y} (Bi-2212, or 2212) in the form of a multifilamentary Ag alloy matrix composite is beginning to attract the interest of the magnet community for future extremely high-field magnets or magnet-insert coils for 4.2K operation. Fig. 1 shows an example of excellent JE (engineering current density) in Bi-2212 round wire at fields up to 45 T, demonstrating the potential for high field applications of this material. For comparison, the Nb{sub 3}Sn wires used in magnets in the 16-18 T range typically perform with J{sub E} in the range 200-500 A/mm{sup 2}; the Bi-2212 wire retains this level of performance to fields at least as high as 45 T, and probably significantly higher. Bi-2212 conductors have in fact been used to generate a 25 T field in a superconducting insert magnet. These two factors- the very high field critical current performance of Bi-2212, and the already demonstrated capability of this material for high field magnets up to 25 T, strongly suggest this material as a leading contender for the next generation high field superconducting (HFS) wire. This potential was recognized by the US Academy of Science's Committee on Opportunities in High Magnetic Field Science. Their report of the same name specifically calls out the high field potential for this material, and suggests that 30 T magnets appear feasible based on the performance of 2212. There are several requirements for HFS conductors. The most obvious is J{sub E} (B, T), the engineering current density at the field and temperature of operation. As shown in Fig. 1, Bi-2212 excels in this regard. Stability requirements for magnets dictate that the effective filament diameter should be less than 30 micrometers, something that Bi-2212 multifilamentary wire can uniquely satisfy among the HFS superconducting wire technologies. Additional requirements include mechanical properties that prevent stress limitation of J{sub E} at the operating conditions, resistive transition index (n-value) sufficiently high to meet the field decay requirements (in persistent magnets), piece lengths long enough to wind coils, and acceptably low costs. HEP has traditionally used very high current magnets made from Rutherford cables, and the ability to be cabled is another key advantage. Very high on the list of materials able to fulfill the requirements above is Bi-2212 round wire. Both cables and high field coils on a small scale have been demonstrated using this material. By contrast, YBCO is a single-filament tape that is not easy to cable. As shown in Figure 1 these tapes are highly anisotropic in their current density. In the good orientation the performance is considerably better than Bi-2212, however at the highest fields measured, the isotropic current behavior of 2212 exceeds the bad orientation of YBCO.« less

2G HTS wires made on 30 μm thick Hastelloy substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundaram, A.; Zhang, Y.; Knoll, A. R.; Abraimov, D.; Brownsey, P.; Kasahara, M.; Carota, G. M.; Nakasaki, R.; Cameron, J. B.; Schwab, G.; Hope, L. V.; Schmidt, R. M.; Kuraseko, H.; Fukushima, T.; Hazelton, D. W.

2016-10-01

REBCO (RE = rare earth) based high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires are now being utilized for the development of electric and electromagnetic devices for various industrial, scientific and medical applications. In the last several years, the increasing efforts in using the so-called second generation (2G) HTS wires for some of the applications require a further increase in their engineering current density (J e). The applications are those typically related to high magnetic fields where the higher J e of a REBCO wire, in addition to its higher irreversibility fields and higher mechanical strength, is already a major advantage over other superconducting wires. An effective way to increase the J e is to decrease the total thickness of a wire, for which using a thinner substrate becomes an obvious and attractive approach. By using our IBAD-MOCVD (ion beam assisted deposition-metal organic chemical vapor deposition) technology we have successfully made 2G HTS wires using a Hastelloy® C276 substrate that is only 30 μm in thickness. By using this thinner substrate instead of the typical 50 μm thick substrate and with a same critical current (I c), the J e of a wire can be increased by 30% to 45% depending on the copper stabilizer thickness. In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of the 2G HTS wires made on the 30 μm thick Hastelloy® C276 substrate. It was shown that with the optimization in the processing protocol, the surface of the thinner Hastelloy® C276 substrate can be readily electropolished to the quality needed for the deposition of the buffer stack. Same in the architecture as that on the standard 50 μm thick substrate, the buffer stack made on the 30 μm thick substrate showed an in-plane texture with a Δϕ of around 6.7° in the LaMnO3 cap layer. Low-temperature in-field transport measurement results suggest that the wires on the thinner substrate had achieved equivalent superconducting performance, most importantly the I c, as those on the 50 μm thick substrate. It is expected the 2G HTS wires made on the 30 μm thick Hastelloy® C276 substrate, the thinnest and with the highest J e to date, will greatly benefit such applications as high field magnets and high current cables.

Josephson junctions of multiple superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Oindrila; Sengupta, K.; Sen, Diptiman

2018-05-01

We study the spectrum of Andreev bound states and Josephson currents across a junction of N superconducting wires which may have s - or p -wave pairing symmetries and develop a scattering matrix based formalism which allows us to address transport across such junctions. For N ≥3 , it is well known that Berry curvature terms contribute to the Josephson currents; we chart out situations where such terms can have relatively large effects. For a system of three s -wave or three p -wave superconductors, we provide analytic expressions for the Andreev bound-state energies and study the Josephson currents in response to a constant voltage applied across one of the wires; we find that the integrated transconductance at zero temperature is quantized to integer multiples of 4 e2/h , where e is the electron charge and h =2 π ℏ is Planck's constant. For a sinusoidal current with frequency ω applied across one of the wires in the junction, we find that Shapiro plateaus appear in the time-averaged voltage across that wire for any rational fractional multiple (in contrast to only integer multiples in junctions of two wires) of 2 e /(ℏ ω ) . We also use our formalism to study junctions of two p -wave and one s -wave wires. We find that the corresponding Andreev bound-state energies depend on the spin of the Bogoliubov quasiparticles; this produces a net magnetic moment in such junctions. The time variation of these magnetic moments may be controlled by an external voltage applied across the junction. We discuss experiments which may test our theory.

Superconducting magnet performance for 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source developed at the Korea Basic Science Institute.

PubMed

Park, Jin Yong; Choi, Seyong; Lee, Byoung-Seob; Yoon, Jang-Hee; Ok, Jung-Woo; Kim, Byoung Chul; Shin, Chang Seouk; Ahn, Jung Keun; Won, Mi-Sook

2014-02-01

A superconducting magnet for use in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source was developed at the Korea Basic Science Institute. The superconducting magnet is comprised of three solenoids and a hexapole magnet. According to the design value, the solenoid magnets can generate a mirror field, resulting in axial magnetic fields of 3.6 T at the injection area and 2.2 T at the extraction region. A radial field strength of 2.1 T can also be achieved by hexapole magnet on the plasma chamber wall. NbTi superconducting wire was used in the winding process following appropriate techniques for magnet structure. The final assembly of the each magnet involved it being vertically inserted into the cryostat to cool down the temperature using liquid helium. The performance of each solenoid and hexapole magnet was separately verified experimentally. The construction of the superconducting coil, the entire magnet assembly for performance testing and experimental results are reported herein.

Quench-age method for the fabrication of niobium-aluminum superconductors

DOEpatents

Pickus, Milton R.; Ciardella, Robert L.

1978-01-01

A flexible Nb.sub.3 Al superconducting wire is fabricated from a niobium-aluminum composite wire by heating to form a solid solution which is retained at room temperature as a metastable solid solution by quenching. The metastable solid solution is then transformed to the stable superconducting A-15 phase by low temperature aging. The transformation induced by aging can be controlled to yield either a multifilamentary or a solid A-15 core surrounded by ductile niobium.

Flux pinning and inhomogeneity in magnetic nanoparticle doped MgB2/Fe wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novosel, Nikolina; Pajić, Damir; Mustapić, Mislav; Babić, Emil; Shcherbakov, Andrey; Horvat, Joseph; Skoko, Željko; Zadro, Krešo

2010-06-01

The effects of magnetic nanoparticle doping on superconductivity of MgB2/Fe wires have been investigated. Fe2B and SiO2-coated Fe2B particles with average diameters 80 and 150 nm, respectively, were used as dopands. MgB2 wires with different nanoparticle contents (0, 3, 7.5, 12 wt.%) were sintered at temperature 750°C. The magnetoresistivity and critical current density Jc of wires were measured in the temperature range 2-40 K in magnetic field B <= 16 T. Both transport and magnetic Jc were determined. Superconducting transition temperature Tc of doped wires decreases quite rapidly with doping level (~ 0.5 K per wt.%). This results in the reduction of the irreversibility fields Birr(T) and critical current densities Jc(B,T) in doped samples (both at low (5 K) and high temperatures (20 K)). Common scaling of Jc(B,T) curves for doped and undoped wires indicates that the main mechanism of flux pinning is the same in both types of samples. Rather curved Kramer's plots for Jc of doped wires imply considerable inhomogeneity.

Studies of $${\\rm Nb}_{3}{\\rm Sn}$$ Strands Based on the Restacked-Rod Process for High Field Accelerator Magnets

DOE PAGES

Barzi, E.; Bossert, M.; Gallo, G.; ...

2011-12-21

A major thrust in Fermilab's accelerator magnet R&D program is the development of Nb 3Sn wires which meet target requirements for high field magnets, such as high critical current density, low effective filament size, and the capability to withstand the cabling process. The performance of a number of strands with 150/169 restack design produced by Oxford Superconducting Technology was studied for round and deformed wires. To optimize the maximum plastic strain, finite element modeling was also used as an aid in the design. Results of mechanical, transport and metallographic analyses are presented for round and deformed wires.

Superconducting Magnet Power Supply and Hard-Wired Quench Protection at Jefferson Lab for 12 GeV Upgrade

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ghoshal, Probir K.; Bachimanchi, Ramakrishna; Fair, Ruben J.

The superconducting magnet system in Hall B being designed and built as part of the Jefferson Lab 12 GeV upgrade requires powering two conduction cooled superconducting magnets - a torus and a solenoid. The torus magnet is designed to operate at 3770 A and solenoid at 2416 A. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) determined that voltage level thresholds and dump switch operation for magnet protection should be tested and analyzed before incorporation into the system. The designs of the quench protection and voltage tap sub-systems were driven by the requirement to use a primary hard-wired quench detection sub-system togethermore » with a secondary PLC-based protection. Parallel path voltage taps feed both the primary and secondary quench protection sub-systems. The PLC based secondary protection is deployed as a backup for the hard-wired quench detection sub-system and also acts directly on the dump switch. Here, we describe a series of tests and modifications carried out on the magnet power supply and quench protection system to ensure that the superconducting magnet is protected for all fault scenarios.« less

Superconducting Magnet Power Supply and Hard-Wired Quench Protection at Jefferson Lab for 12 GeV Upgrade

DOE PAGES

Ghoshal, Probir K.; Bachimanchi, Ramakrishna; Fair, Ruben J.; ...

2017-10-05

The superconducting magnet system in Hall B being designed and built as part of the Jefferson Lab 12 GeV upgrade requires powering two conduction cooled superconducting magnets - a torus and a solenoid. The torus magnet is designed to operate at 3770 A and solenoid at 2416 A. Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) determined that voltage level thresholds and dump switch operation for magnet protection should be tested and analyzed before incorporation into the system. The designs of the quench protection and voltage tap sub-systems were driven by the requirement to use a primary hard-wired quench detection sub-system togethermore » with a secondary PLC-based protection. Parallel path voltage taps feed both the primary and secondary quench protection sub-systems. The PLC based secondary protection is deployed as a backup for the hard-wired quench detection sub-system and also acts directly on the dump switch. Here, we describe a series of tests and modifications carried out on the magnet power supply and quench protection system to ensure that the superconducting magnet is protected for all fault scenarios.« less

Effects of bending on the superconducting critical current density of monofilamentary Nb3Sn wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiho, K.; Luhman, T. S.; Suenaga, M.; Sampson, W. B.

1980-02-01

Variations in the superconducting current density Jc of the Nb3Sn wires upon bending were measured for a series of monofilamentary wires in which the ratio Rv of the matrix (Cu+Sn) to the core (Nb3Sn,Nb) was changed from 0 to 58. In most cases Jc was found to increase slightly until the bending strain exceeded a value of ɛirrB , beyond which it severely and irreversibly degraded. For wires with intermediate values of Rv (˜2 to 10), ɛirrB , calculated by geometrical considerations, was substantially lower than the measured value of the tensile strain ɛirrT which was required to irreversibly degrade the critical current. The influence of bending strains on Jc can qualitatively be described by considering residual prestrains in the matrix and the core.

Development of a cryogenic load frame for the neutron diffractometer at Takumi in Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Xinzhe; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Harjo, Stefanus; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Umeno, Takahiro; Ogitsu, Toru; Yamamoto, Akira; Sugano, Michinaka; Aizawa, Kazuya; Abe, Jun; Gong, Wu; Iwahashi, Takaaki

2013-06-01

To prepare for projects such as the Large Hadron Collider upgrade, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and Demonstration reactor, it is important to form a clear understanding of stress-strain properties of the materials that make up superconducting magnets. Thus, we have been studying the mechanical properties of superconducting wires using neutron diffraction measurements. To simulate operational conditions such as temperature, stress, and strain, we developed a cryogenic load frame for stress-strain measurements of materials using a neutron diffractometer at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) Takumi beam line. The maximum load that can be applied to a sample using an external driving machine is 50 kN. Using a Gifford-MacMahon cryocooler, samples can be measured down to temperatures below 10 K when loaded. In the present paper, we describe the details of the cryogenic load frame with its test results by using type-304 stainless steel wire.

Development of a cryogenic load frame for the neutron diffractometer at Takumi in Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, Xinzhe; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Ogitsu, Toru

2013-06-15

To prepare for projects such as the Large Hadron Collider upgrade, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and Demonstration reactor, it is important to form a clear understanding of stress-strain properties of the materials that make up superconducting magnets. Thus, we have been studying the mechanical properties of superconducting wires using neutron diffraction measurements. To simulate operational conditions such as temperature, stress, and strain, we developed a cryogenic load frame for stress-strain measurements of materials using a neutron diffractometer at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) Takumi beam line. The maximum load that can be applied to a sample using an externalmore » driving machine is 50 kN. Using a Gifford-MacMahon cryocooler, samples can be measured down to temperatures below 10 K when loaded. In the present paper, we describe the details of the cryogenic load frame with its test results by using type-304 stainless steel wire.« less

Development of a cryogenic load frame for the neutron diffractometer at Takumi in Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex.

PubMed

Jin, Xinzhe; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Harjo, Stefanus; Hemmi, Tsutomu; Umeno, Takahiro; Ogitsu, Toru; Yamamoto, Akira; Sugano, Michinaka; Aizawa, Kazuya; Abe, Jun; Gong, Wu; Iwahashi, Takaaki

2013-06-01

To prepare for projects such as the Large Hadron Collider upgrade, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and Demonstration reactor, it is important to form a clear understanding of stress-strain properties of the materials that make up superconducting magnets. Thus, we have been studying the mechanical properties of superconducting wires using neutron diffraction measurements. To simulate operational conditions such as temperature, stress, and strain, we developed a cryogenic load frame for stress-strain measurements of materials using a neutron diffractometer at Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) Takumi beam line. The maximum load that can be applied to a sample using an external driving machine is 50 kN. Using a Gifford-MacMahon cryocooler, samples can be measured down to temperatures below 10 K when loaded. In the present paper, we describe the details of the cryogenic load frame with its test results by using type-304 stainless steel wire.

A Cryogenic Magnetostrictive Actuator using a Persistent High Temperature Superconducting Magnet, Part 1: Concept and Design. Part 1; Concept and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horner, Garnett C.; Bromberg, Leslie; Teter, J. P.

2001-01-01

Cryogenic magnetostrictive materials, such as rare earth zinc crystals, offer high strains and high forces with minimally applied magnetic fields, making the material ideally suited for deformable optics applications. For cryogenic temperature applications, such as Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), the use of superconducting magnets offer the possibility of a persistent mode of operation, i.e., the magnetostrictive material will maintain a strain field without power. High temperature superconductors (HTS) are attractive options if the temperature of operation is higher than 10 degrees Kelvin (K) and below 77 K. However, HTS wires have constraints that limit the minimum radius of winding, and even if good wires can be produced, the technology for joining superconducting wires does not exist. In this paper, the design and capabilities of a rare earth zinc magnetostrictive actuator using bulk HTS is described. Bulk superconductors can be fabricated in the sizes required with excellent superconducting properties. Equivalent permanent magnets, made with this inexpensive material, are persistent, do not require a persistent switch as in HTS wires, and can be made very small. These devices are charged using a technique which is similar to the one used for charging permanent magnets, e.g., by driving them into saturation. A small normal conducting coil can be used for charging or discharging. Very fast charging and discharging of HTS tubes, as short as 100 microseconds, has been demonstrated. Because of the magnetic field capability of the superconductor material, a very small amount of superconducting magnet material is needed to actuate the rare earth zinc. In this paper, several designs of actuators using YBCO and BSCCO 2212 superconducting materials are presented. Designs that include magnetic shielding to prevent interaction between adjacent actuators will also be described. Preliminary experimental results and comparison with theory for BSSCO 2212 with a magnetostrictive element will be discussed.

Process for producing clad superconductive materials

DOEpatents

Cass, Richard B.; Ott, Kevin C.; Peterson, Dean E.

1992-01-01

A process for fabricating superconducting composite wire by the steps of placing a superconductive precursor admixture capable of undergoing a self propagating combustion in stoichiometric amounts sufficient to form a superconductive product within a metal tube, sealing one end of said tube, igniting said superconductive precursor admixture whereby said superconductive precursor admixture endburns along the length of the admixture, and cross-section reducing said tube at a rate substantially equal to the rate of burning of said superconductive precursor admixture and at a point substantially planar with the burnfront of the superconductive precursor mixture, whereby a clad superconductive product is formed in situ, the product characterized as superconductive without a subsequent sintering stage, is disclosed.

SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN METALS AND ALLOYS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cherry, W.H.; Cody, G.D.; Cooper, J.L.

1962-01-01

Methods were developed for the measurement of the interphase energy in superconductors. A description of the method is given along with preliminary results on thin foils and films of Sn. Measurements were made of the thermal contact resistance (Kaptiza resistance) between various solids and liquid He. These measurements were made in the normal and superconducting states for Pb, Sn, and In, and for the insulator sapphire. Measurements were made of the transition temperatures in the system (Nb, Ta, V)/sub 3/Sn. The transition temperatures range from 2.8 to 18 deg K and can be related to a simple mass and volumemore » dependence. A new method of preparation of Nb/sub 3/Sn was developed and is described in detail. With this method it is possible to prepare crystalline Nb/ sub 3/Sn and to deposit films of Nb/sub 3/SN in various geometries. The application of this technique to the continuous deposition of Nb/sub 3/Sn on wire is described, and some superconducting properties of this wire are given. Alloying experiments were raade and results indicate ambiguities in the electron- to-atom ratio ascribed to various elements. Resistance measurements on sintered and nonsintered specimens of Nb/sub 3/Sn reveal a resistance anomaly near 100 deg K. (auth)« less

Magnetic shielding of interplanetary spacecraft against solar flare radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cocks, Franklin H.; Watkins, Seth

1993-01-01

The ultimate objective of this work is to design, build, and fly a dual-purpose, piggyback payload whose function is to produce a large volume, low intensity magnetic field and to test the concept of using such a magnetic field (1) to protect spacecraft against solar flare protons, (2) to produce a thrust of sufficient magnitude to stabilize low satellite orbits against orbital decay from atmospheric drag, and (3) to test the magsail concept. These all appear to be capable of being tested using the same deployed high temperature superconducting coil. In certain orbits, high temperature superconducting wire, which has now been developed to the point where silver-sheathed high T sub c wires one mm in diameter are commercially available, can be used to produce the magnetic moments required for shielding without requiring any mechanical cooling system. The potential benefits of this concept apply directly to both earth-orbital and interplanetary missions. The usefulness of a protective shield for manned missions needs scarcely to be emphasized. Similarly, the usefulness of increasing orbit perigee without expenditure of propellant is obvious. This payload would be a first step in assessing the true potential of large volume magnetic fields in the US space program. The objective of this design research is to develop an innovative, prototype deployed high temperature superconducting coil (DHTSC) system.

Fabrication of a Cryogenic Bias Filter for Ultrasensitive Focal Plane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, James; Wollack, Edward

2012-01-01

A fabrication process has been developed for cryogenic in-line filtering for the bias and readout of ultrasensitive cryogenic bolometers for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The design is a microstripline filter that cuts out, or strongly attenuates, frequencies (10 50 GHz) that can be carried by wiring staged at cryogenic temperatures. The filter must have 100-percent transmission at DC and low frequencies where the bias and readout lines will carry signal. The fabrication requires the encapsulation of superconducting wiring in a dielectric-metal envelope with precise electrical characteristics. Sufficiently thick insulation layers with high-conductivity metal layers fully surrounding a patterned superconducting wire in arrayable formats have been demonstrated. A degenerately doped silicon wafer has been chosen to provide a metallic ground plane. A metallic seed layer is patterned to enable attachment to the ground plane. Thick silicon dioxide films are deposited at low temperatures to provide tunable dielectric isolation without degrading the metallic seed layer. Superconducting wiring is deposited and patterned using microstripline filtering techniques to cut out the relevant frequencies. A low Tc superconductor is used so that it will attenuate power strongly above the gap frequency. Thick dielectric is deposited on top of the circuit, and then vias are patterned through both dielectric layers. A thick conductive film is deposited conformally over the entire circuit, except for the contact pads for the signal and bias attachments to complete the encapsulating ground plane. Filters are high-aspect- ratio rectangles, allowing close packing in one direction, while enabling the chip to feed through the wall of a copper enclosure. The chip is secured in the copper wall using a soft metal seal to make good thermal and electrical contact to the outer shield.

Advanced electron microscopy methods for the analysis of MgB2 superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birajdar, B.; Peranio, N.; Eibl, O.

2008-02-01

Advanced electron microscopy methods used for the analysis of superconducting MgB2 wires and tapes are described. The wires and tapes were prepared by the powder in tube method using different processing technologies and thoroughly characterised for their superconducting properties within the HIPERMAG project. Microstructure analysis on μm to nm length scales is necessary to understand the superconducting properties of MgB2. For the MgB2 phase analysis on μm scale an analytical SEM, and for the analysis on nm scale a energy-filtered STEM is used. Both the microscopes were equipped with EDX detector and field emission gun. Electron microscopy and spectroscopy of MgB2 is challenging because of the boron analysis, carbon and oxygen contamination, and the presence of large number of secondary phases. Advanced electron microscopy involves, combined SEM, EPMA and TEM analysis with artefact free sample preparation, elemental mapping and chemical quantification of point spectra. Details of the acquisition conditions and achieved accuracy are presented. Ex-situ wires show oxygen-free MgB2 colonies (a colony is a dense arrangement of several MgB2 grains) embedded in a porous and oxygen-rich matrix, introducing structural granularity. In comparison, in-situ wires are generally more dense, but show inhibited MgB2 phase formation with significantly higher fraction of B-rich secondary phases. SiC additives in the in-situ wires forms Mg2Si secondary phases. The advanced electron microscopy has been used to extract the microstructure parameters like colony size, B-rich secondary phase fraction, O mole fraction and MgB2 grain size, and establish a microstructure-critical current density model [1]. In summary, conventional secondary electron imaging in SEM and diffraction contrast imaging in the TEM are by far not sufficient and advanced electron microscopy methods are essential for the analysis of superconducting MgB2 wires and tapes.

Superconducting ac cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, F.

1980-11-01

The components of a superconducting 110 kV ac cable for power ratings or = 2000 MVA were developed. The cable design is of the semiflexible type, with a rigid cryogenic envelope containing a flexible hollow coaxial cable core. The cable core consists of spirally wound Nb-A1 composite wires electrically insulated by high pressure polyethylene tape wrappings. A 35 m long single phase test cable with full load terminals rated at 110 kV and 10 kA was constructed and successfully tested. The results obtained prove the technical feasibility and capability of this cable design.

Research on design of cryotransformers and its prospects for the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lech, W.

1985-02-01

Calculation results of the technical-economic parameters of large power cryotransformers with windings of pure aluminum, presented in this paper, indicate that the production of such cryotransformers could be justified and that resumption of the research work in this field would be advisable. On the basis of significant progress in the development of new multifilament superconducting wires it was concluded that the construction of cryotransformers with superconducting windings will become feasible in the near future, and that most likely these windings will operate at the temperature of liquid hydrogen.

Influence of iridium doping in MgB2 superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grivel, J.-C.

2018-04-01

MgB2 wires with iridium doping were manufactured using the in-situ technique in a composite Cu-Nb sheath. Reaction was performed at 700 °C, 800 °C or 900 °C for 1 h in argon atmosphere. A maximum of about 1.5 at.% Ir replaces Mg in MgB2. The superconducting transition temperature is slightly lowered by Ir doping. The formation of IrMg3 and IrMg4 secondary phase particles is evidenced, especially for a nominal stoichiometry with 2.0 at.% Ir doping. The critical current density and accommodation field of the wires are strongly dependent on the Ir content and are generally weakened in the presence of Ir, although the effect is less pronounced at lower temperatures.

A modular and cost-effective superconducting generator design for offshore wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keysan, Ozan; Mueller, Markus

2015-03-01

Superconducting generators have the potential to reduce the tower head mass for large (∼10 MW) offshore wind turbines. However, a high temperature superconductor generator should be as reliable as conventional generators for successful entry into the market. Most of the proposed designs use the superconducting synchronous generator concept, which has a higher cost than conventional generators and suffers from reliability issues. In this paper, a novel claw pole type of superconducting machine is presented. The design has a stationary superconducting field winding, which simplifies the design and increases the reliability. The machine can be operated in independent modules; thus even if one of the sections fails, the rest can operate until the next planned maintenance. Another advantage of the design is the very low superconducting wire requirement; a 10 MW, 10 rpm design is presented which uses 13 km of MgB2 wire at 30 K. The outer diameter of the machine is 6.63 m and it weighs 184 tonnes including the structural mass. The design is thought to be a good candidate for entering the renewable energy market, with its low cost and robust structure.

Wire-inhomogeneity detector

DOEpatents

Gibson, G.H.; Smits, R.G.; Eberhard, P.H.

1982-08-31

A device for uncovering imperfections in electrical conducting wire, particularly superconducting wire, by detecting variations in eddy currents. Eddy currents effect the magnetic field in a gap of an inductor, contained in a modified commercial ferrite core, through which the wire being tested is passed. A small increase or decrease in the amount of conductive material, such as copper, in a fixed cross section of wire will unbalance a bridge used to measure the impedance of the inductor, tripping a detector and sounding an alarm.

Macroscopic character of composite high-temperature superconducting wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kivelson, S. A.; Spivak, B.

2015-11-01

The "d -wave" symmetry of the superconducting order in the cuprate high temperature superconductors is a well established fact [J. Tsuei and J. R. Kirtley, Rev. Mod. Phys. 72, 969 (2000), 10.1103/RevModPhys.72.969 and D. J. Vanharlingen, Rev. Mod. Phys. 67, 515 (1995), 10.1103/RevModPhys.67.515], and one which identifies them as "unconventional." However, in macroscopic contexts—including many potential applications (i.e., superconducting "wires")—the material is a composite of randomly oriented superconducting grains in a metallic matrix, in which Josephson coupling between grains mediates the onset of long-range phase coherence. [See, e.g., D. C. Larbalestier et al., Nat. Mater. 13, 375 (2014), 10.1038/nmat3887, A. P. Malozemoff, MRS Bull. 36, 601 (2011), 10.1557/mrs.2011.160, and K. Heine et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 55, 2441 (1989), 10.1063/1.102295] Here we analyze the physics at length scales that are large compared to the size of such grains, and in particular the macroscopic character of the long-range order that emerges. While X Y -superconducting glass order and macroscopic d -wave superconductivity may be possible, we show that under many circumstances—especially when the d -wave superconducting grains are embedded in a metallic matrix—the most likely order has global s -wave symmetry.

Development of a Cryostat to Characterize Nano-scale Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longo, Mathew; Matheny, Matthew; Knudsen, Jasmine

2016-03-01

We have designed and constructed a low-noise vacuum cryostat to be used for the characterization of nano-scale superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Such devices are very sensitive to magnetic fields and can measure changes in flux on the order of a single electron magnetic moment. As a part of the design process, we calculated the separation required between the cryogenic preamplifier and superconducting magnet, including a high-permeability magnetic shield, using a finite-element model of the apparatus. The cryostat comprises a vacuum cross at room temperature for filtered DC and shielded RF electrical connections, a thin-wall stainless steel support tube, a taper-sealed cryogenic vacuum can, and internal mechanical support and wiring for the nanoSQUID. The Dewar is modified with a room-temperature flange with a sliding seal for the cryostat. The flange supports the superconducting 3 Tesla magnet and thermometry wiring. Upon completion of the cryostat fabrication and Dewar modifications, operation of the nanoSQUIDs as transported from our collaborator's laboratory in Israel will be confirmed, as the lead forming the SQUID is sensitive to oxidation and the SQUIDs must be shipped in a vacuum container. After operation of the nanoSQUIDs is confirmed, the primary work of characterizing their high-speed properties will begin. This will include looking at the measurement of relaxation oscillations at high bandwidth in comparison to the theoretical predictions of the current model.

Recent Progress of the Series-Connected Hybrid Magnet Projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adkins, Todd; Bole, Scott

2010-01-01

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) in Tallahassee, Florida has designed and is now constructing two Series Connected Hybrid (SCH) magnets, each connecting a superconducting outsert coil and a resistive Florida Bitter insert coil electrically in series. The SCH to be installed at the NHMFL will produce 36 T and provide 1 ppm maximum field inhomogeneity over a 1 cm diameter spherical volume. The SCH to be installed at the Helmholtz Center Berlin (HZB) in combination with a neutron source will produce 25 T to 30 T depending on the resistive insert. The two magnets have a common designmore » for their cable-in-conduit conductor (CICC) and superconducting outsert coils. The CICC outsert coil winding packs have an inner diameter of 0.6 m and contribute 13.1 T to the central field using three grades of CICC conductors. Each conductor grade carries 20 kA and employs the same type of Nb{sub 3}Sn superconducting wire, but each grade contains different quantities of superconducting wires, different cabling patterns and different aspect ratios. The cryostats and resistive insert coils for the two magnets are different. This paper discusses the progress in CIC conductor and coil fabrication over the last year including specification, qualification and production activities for wire, cable, conductor and coil processing.« less

Ex-situ manufacturing of SiC-doped MgB2 used for superconducting wire in medical device applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbirowo, Satrio; Imaduddin, Agung; Sofyan, Nofrijon; Yuwono, Akhmad Herman

2017-02-01

Magnesium diboride (MgB2) is a superconductor material with a relatively high critical temperature. Due to its relatively high critical temperature, this material is promising and has the potential to replace Nb3Sn for wire superconducting used in many medical devices. In this work, nanoparticle SiC-doped MgB2 superconducting material has been fabricated through an ex-situ method. The doping of nanoparticle SiC by 10 and 15 wt% was conducted to analyze its effect on specific resistivity of MgB2. The experiment was started by weighing a stoichiometric amount of MgB2 and nanoparticles SiC. Both materials were mixed and grounded for 30 minutes by using an agate mortar. The specimens were then pressed into a 6 mm diameter stainless steel tube, which was then reduced until 3 mm through a wire drawing method. X-ray diffraction analysis was conducted to confirm the phase, whereas the superconductivity of the specimens was analyzed by using resistivity measurement under cryogenic magnetic system. The results indicated that the commercial MgB2 showed a critical temperature of 37.5 K whereas the SiC doped MgB2 has critical temperature of 38.3 K.

Optimization of a Non-arsenic Iron-based Superconductor for Wire Fabrication

DOE PAGES

Mitchell, Jonathan E; Hillesheim, D A; Bridges, Craig A; ...

2015-03-13

Here we report on the optimization of synthesis of iron selenide-based superconducting powders and the fabrication of selenide-based wire. The powders were synthesized by an ammonothermal method, whereby Ba is intercalated between FeSe layers to produce Ba x(NH 3) yFe 2Se 2, with tetragonal structure similar to AFe 2X 2 (X: As, Se), '122', superconductors. The optimal T c (up to 38 K) and Meissner and shielding superconducting fractions are obtained from the shortest reaction time (t) of reactants in liquid ammonia (30 min). With the increase of t, a second crystalline 122 phase, with a smaller unit cell, emerges.more » A small amount of NH 3 is released from the structure above ~200 °C, which results in loss of superconductivity. However, in the confined space of niobium/Monel tubing, results indicate there is enough pressure for some of NH 3 to remain in the crystal lattice, and thermal annealing can be performed at temperatures of up to 780 °C, increasing wire density and yielded a reasonable T c ≈ 16 K. Here, we report of the first successful wire fabrication of non-arsenic high-T c iron-based superconductor. We find that although bulk materials are estimated to carry critical current densities >100 kA cm ₋2 (4 K, self-field), the current transport within wires need to be optimized (J c ~ 1 kA cm ₋2).« less

Evaluation of Young’s modulus of MgB2 filaments in composite wires for the superconducting links for the high-luminosity LHC upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugano, Michinaka; Ballarino, Amalia; Bartova, Barbora; Bjoerstad, Roger; Gerardin, Alexandre; Scheuerlein, Christian

2016-02-01

MgB2 wire is a promising superconductor for the superconducting links for the high-luminosity upgrade of the large Hadron collider at CERN. The mechanical properties of MgB2 must be fully quantified for the cable design, and in this study, we evaluate the Young’s modulus of MgB2 filaments in wires with a practical level of critical current. The Young’s moduli of MgB2 filaments by two different processes, in situ and ex situ, were compared. Two different evaluation methods were applied to an in situ MgB2 wire, a single-fiber tensile test and a tensile test after removing Monel. In addition, the Young’s modulus of the few-micron-thick Nb-Ni reaction layer in an ex situ processed wire was evaluated using a nanoindentation testing technique to improve the accuracy of analysis based on the rule of mixtures. The Young’s moduli of the in situ and ex situ MgB2 wires were in the range of 76-97 GPa and no distinct difference depending on the fabrication process was found.

Texturing of high T(sub c) superconducting polycrystalline fibers/wires by laser-driven directional solidification in an thermal gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Varshney, Usha; Eichelberger, B. Davis, III

1995-01-01

This paper summarizes the technique of laser-driven directional solidification in a controlled thermal gradient of yttria stabilized zirconia core coated Y-Ba-Cu-O materials to produce textured high T(sub c) superconducting polycrystalline fibers/wires with improved critical current densities in the extended range of magnetic fields at temperatures greater than 77 K. The approach involves laser heating to minimize phase segregation by heating very rapidly through the two-phase incongruent melt region to the single phase melt region and directionally solidifying in a controlled thermal gradient to achieve highly textured grains in the fiber axis direction. The technique offers a higher grain growth rate and a lower thermal budget compared with a conventional thermal gradient and is amenable as a continuous process for improving the J(sub c) of high T(sub c) superconducting polycrystalline fibers/wires. The technique has the advantage of suppressing weak-link behavior by orientation of crystals, formation of dense structures with enhanced connectivity, formation of fewer and cleaner grain boundaries, and minimization of phase segregation in the incongruent melt region.

Theory and Design of Electrical Rotating Machinery.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-01

6.17 Magnetic Circuit Design for a Homopolar Motor .. ..... 12 6.18 AC Losses in Superconducting Solenoids .. ........ . 12 6.19 AC Loss from the...have contributed to this program are as follows: W. J. Carr, Jr. - Consultant in Magnetics and * Superconductivity J. H. Murphy - Engineer, Cryogenics...Abstract: In some applications of multifilament superconduct - ing wire an appreciable component of a time dependent magnetic field exists along the

High-Tc superconducting materials for electric power applications.

PubMed

Larbalestier, D; Gurevich, A; Feldmann, D M; Polyanskii, A

2001-11-15

Large-scale superconducting electric devices for power industry depend critically on wires with high critical current densities at temperatures where cryogenic losses are tolerable. This restricts choice to two high-temperature cuprate superconductors, (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox and YBa2Cu3Ox, and possibly to MgB2, recently discovered to superconduct at 39 K. Crystal structure and material anisotropy place fundamental restrictions on their properties, especially in polycrystalline form. So far, power applications have followed a largely empirical, twin-track approach of conductor development and construction of prototype devices. The feasibility of superconducting power cables, magnetic energy-storage devices, transformers, fault current limiters and motors, largely using (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox conductor, is proven. Widespread applications now depend significantly on cost-effective resolution of fundamental materials and fabrication issues, which control the production of low-cost, high-performance conductors of these remarkable compounds.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Jin Yong; Pusan National University, Busan; Choi, Seyong

A superconducting magnet for use in an electron cyclotron resonance ion source was developed at the Korea Basic Science Institute. The superconducting magnet is comprised of three solenoids and a hexapole magnet. According to the design value, the solenoid magnets can generate a mirror field, resulting in axial magnetic fields of 3.6 T at the injection area and 2.2 T at the extraction region. A radial field strength of 2.1 T can also be achieved by hexapole magnet on the plasma chamber wall. NbTi superconducting wire was used in the winding process following appropriate techniques for magnet structure. The finalmore » assembly of the each magnet involved it being vertically inserted into the cryostat to cool down the temperature using liquid helium. The performance of each solenoid and hexapole magnet was separately verified experimentally. The construction of the superconducting coil, the entire magnet assembly for performance testing and experimental results are reported herein.« less

Temporal resistance variation of the second generation HTS tape during superconducting-to-normal state transition.

PubMed

Malginov, Vladimir A; Malginov, Andrey V; Fleishman, Leonid S

2013-01-01

The quench process in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires plays an important role in superconducting power devices, such as fault current limiters, magnets, cables, etc. The superconducting device should survive after the overheating due to quench. We studied the evolution of the resistance of the YBCO tape wire during the quench process with 1 ms time resolution for various excitation voltages. The resistive normal zone was found to be located in a domain of about 1-4 cm long. The normal state nucleation begins in 40-60 ms after voltage is applied across the HTS tape. In subsequent 200-300 ms other normal state regions appear. The normal domain heating continues in the following 5-10s that results in a factor of 2-3 increase of its resistance. Formation of the normal domain during the quench process follows the same stages for different excitation voltages. Characteristic domain sizes, lifetimes and temperatures are determined for all stages.

Effects of neutron irradiation on carbon doped MgB2 wire segments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilke, R. H. T.; Bud'ko, S. L.; Canfield, P. C.; Finnemore, D. K.; Suplinskas, Raymond J.; Farmer, J.; Hannahs, S. T.

2006-06-01

We have studied the evolution of superconducting and normal state properties of neutron irradiated Mg(B0.962C0.038)2 wire segments as a function of post-exposure annealing time and temperature. The initial fluence fully suppressed superconductivity and resulted in an anisotropic expansion of the unit cell. Superconductivity was restored by post-exposure annealing. The upper critical field, Hc2(T = 0), approximately scales with Tc, starting with an undamaged Tc near 37 K and Hc2(T = 0) near 32 T. Up to an annealing temperature of 400 °C the recovery of Tc tends to coincide with a decrease in the normal state resistivity and a systematic recovery of the lattice parameters. Above 400 °C a decrease in ordering along the c-direction coincides with an increase in resistivity, but no apparent change in the evolution of Tc and Hc2. To a first order approximation, it appears that carbon doping and neutron damage affect the superconducting properties of MgB2 independently.

Wire inhomogeneity detector having a core with opposing pole pieces and guide pieces adjacent the opposing pole pieces

DOEpatents

Gibson, George H.; Smits, Robert G.; Eberhard, Philippe H.

1989-01-01

A device for uncovering imperfections in electrical conducting wire, particularly superconducting wire, by detecting variations in eddy currents. Eddy currents effect the magnetic field in a gap of an inductor, contained in a modified commercial ferrite core, through which the wire being tested is passed. A small increase or decrease in the amount of conductive material, such as copper, in a fixed cross section of wire will unbalance a bridge used to measure the impedance of the inductor, tripping a detector and sounding an alarm.

Reflective HTS switch

DOEpatents

Martens, Jon S.; Hietala, Vincent M.; Hohenwarter, Gert K. G.

1994-01-01

A HTS switch includes a HTS conductor for providing a superconducting path for an electrical signal and an serpentine wire actuator for controllably heating a portion of the conductor sufficiently to cause that portion to have normal, and not superconducting, resistivity. Mass of the portion is reduced to decrease switching time.

Fabrication of MgB2 monofilament wire by in-situ using powder-in-tube (PIT) method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasyadi, Muhammad Emir Hanif; Yudanto, Sigit Dwi; Imaduddin, Agung; Sawitri, Dyah

2018-04-01

In this research we have studied the making of MgB2 superconducting monofilament wire using powder-in-tube method with variation of Mg composition to B ie 0.90, 1.00 and 1.10, while Boron remains The precursor used is Mg powder (98%) and powder B (95%) Both materials are mixed and then crushed with agate mortar for 30 minutes and then put into stainless steel tube 316. The tube is then subjected to a mechanical treatment of rolling to form its monofilament wire. The wire is then cut and sintered at a temperature of 800o C for 2 hours. After that we measure the critical temperature then characterize the samples by XRD and SEM. From the result of this research it was found that in-situ wire-making by powder-in-tube method can make MgB2 superconducting monofilament wire with MgB2 as the dominant phase around 95% and MgO as the impurity phase around 5%. MgO is formed due to the oxidation occurring in the MgB2 powder inside the wire. The optimal Mg:B composition to make this wire is in the 1:2 composition Because it has a good resistivity curve with a high enough Tc Onset that is 41,67 K and Tc Zero 40,89 K. However, there is a porosity in the wire due to the volume reduction of the Mg + 2B reaction plus the evaporation of Mg.

Small Layer-wound ReBCO Solenoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polyakov, A. V.; Shcherbakov, V. I.; Shevchenko, S. A.; Surin, M. I.

The development of the next generation of high field superconducting magnet systems demands studies of new technological approach for its internal sections. Several small HTS solenoids (21 mm inner diameter, 32 layers) were fabricated by layer-winding technique from SuperPower type SCS-4050 ReBCO wire insulated by polyimide wrapping. Different designs of external and internal joints also were also tested. The highest field generated by HTS coil was 2.4 T in a 10 T background field (total field was 12.4 T) at 4.2 K and achieved current density in the coil was 498 A/mm2. The results will be used in development of HTS inner sections for 25 T superconducting magnet.

Method of producing Pb-stabilized superconductor precursors and method of producing superconductor articles therefrom

DOEpatents

Kroeger, D.M.; Hsu, H.S.; Brynestad, J.

1995-03-07

Metal oxide superconductor powder precursors are prepared in an aerosol pyrolysis process. A solution of the metal cations is introduced into a furnace at 600--1,000 C for 0.1 to 60 seconds. The process produces micron to submicron size powders without the usual loss of the lead stabilizer. The resulting powders have a narrow particle size distribution, a small grain size, and are readily converted to a superconducting composition upon subsequent heat treatment. The precursors are placed in a metal body deformed to form a wire or tape and heated to form a superconducting article. The fine powders permit a substantial reduction in heat treatment time, thus enabling a continuous processing of the powders into superconducting wire, tape or multifilamentary articles by the powder-in-tube process. 3 figs.

Method of producing Pb-stabilized superconductor precursors and method of producing superconductor articles therefrom

DOEpatents

Kroeger, Donald M.; Hsu, Huey S.; Brynestad, Jorulf

1995-01-01

Metal oxide superconductor powder precursors are prepared in an aerosol pyrolysis process. A solution of the metal cations is introduced into a furnace at 600.degree.-1000.degree. C. for 0.1 to 60 seconds. The process produces micron to submicron size powders without the usual loss of the lead stabilizer. The resulting powders have a narrow particle size distribution, a small grain size, and are readily converted to a superconducting composition upon subsequent heat treatment. The precursors are placed in a metal body deformed to form a wire or tape and heated to form a superconducting article. The fine powders permit a substantial reduction in heat treatment time, thus enabling a continuous processing of the powders into superconducting wire, tape or multifilamentary articles by the powder-in-tube process.

Nb 3Sn RRP® strand and Rutherford cable development for a 15 T dipole demonstrator

DOE PAGES

Barzi, E.; Andreev, N.; Li, P.; ...

2016-03-16

Keystoned Rutherford cables made of 28 strands and with a stainless steel core were developed and manufactured using 1 mm Nb3Sn composite wires produced by Oxford Superconducting Technology with 127 and 169 restacks using the Restacked-Rod-Process ®. Furthermore, the performance and properties of these cables were studied to evaluate possible candidates for 15 T accelerator magnets.

The Influence of CuFe2O4 Nanoparticles on Superconductivity of MgB2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novosel, Nikolina; Pajić, Damir; Skoko, Željko; Mustapić, Mislav; Babić, Emil; Zadro, Krešo; Horvat, Joseph

The influence of CuFe2O4 nanoparticle doping on superconducting properties of Fe-sheated MgB2 wires has been studied. The wires containing 0, 3 and 7.5 wt.% of monodisperse superparamagnetic nanoparticles (˜7 nm) were sintered at 650°C or 750°C for 1 hour in the pure argon atmosphere. X-ray diffraction patterns of doped samples showed very small maxima corresponding to iron boride and an increase in the fraction of MgO phase indicating some interaction of nanoparticles with Mg and B. Both magnetic and transport measurements (performed in the temperature range 2-42 K and magnetic field up to 16 T) showed strong deterioration of the superconducting properties upon doping with CuFe2O4. The transition temperatures, Tc, of doped samples decreased for about 1.4 K per wt.% of CuFe2O4. Also, the irreversibility fields Birr(T) decreased progressively with increasing doping. Accordingly, also the suppression of Jc with magnetic field became stronger. The observed strong deterioration of superconducting properties of MgB2 wires is at variance with reported enhancement of critical currents at higher temperatures (determined from magnetization) in bulk MgB2 samples doped with Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The probable reason for this discrepancy is briefly discussed

Composite superconducting wires obtained by high-rate tinning in molten Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grozav, A. D.; Konopko, L. A.; Leporda, N. I.

1990-01-01

The preparation of high-T(sub c) superconducting long composite wires by short-time tinning of the metal wires in a molten Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O compound is discussed. The application of this method to the high-T(sub c) materials is tested, possibly for the first time. The initial materials used for this experiment were ceramic samples with nominal composition Bi(1.5)Pb(0.5)Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) and T(sub c) = 80 K prepared by the ordinary solid-state reaction, and industrial copper wires from 100 to 400 microns in diameter and from 0.5 to 1 m long. The continuously moving wires were let through a small molten zone (approximately 100 cubic mm). The Bi-based high-T(sub c) ceramics in a molten state is a viscous liquid and it has a strongly pronounced ability to spread on metal wire surfaces. The maximum draw rate of the Cu-wire, at which a dense covering is still possible, corresponds to the time of direct contact of wire surfaces and liquid ceramics for less than 0.1 s. A high-rate draw of the wire permits a decrease in the reaction of the oxide melt and Cu-wire. This method of manufacture led to the fabrication of wire with a copper core in a dense covering with uniform thickness of about h approximately equal to 5 to 50 microns. Composite wires with h approximately equal to 10 microns (h/d approximately equal to 0.1) sustained bending on a 15 mm radius frame without cracking during flexing.

Astro-E2 Magnesium Diboride High Current Leads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panek, J. S.; Tuttle, J. G.; Riall, S.; Mustafi, S.; Gray, A.; Edmonds, R.; Marrero, V.

2003-01-01

The recent discovery of superconducting properties in MgB_2 and rapid development of small diameter steel-clad wires has opened up the possibility of enhancing the design of the baseline Astro-E2 high current lead assembly. Replacing YBCO filaments with MgB_2 wires and modifying the heat sink location can give much higher margins against quench from temperature oscillations of the 4 K heat sink, although wih some overall thermal penalty. The design and performance of a new lead assembly during flight qualification is discussed, with emphasis on thermal, structural, and electrical test results.

Plasma etching of superconducting Niobium tips for scanning tunneling microscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roychowdhury, A.; Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742; Dana, R.

We have developed a reproducible technique for the fabrication of sharp superconducting Nb tips for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. Sections of Nb wire with 250 μm diameter are dry etched in an SF₆ plasma in a Reactive Ion Etcher. The gas pressure, etching time, and applied power are chosen to control the ratio of isotropic to anisotropic etch rates and produce the desired tip shape. The resulting tips are atomically sharp, with radii of less than 100 nm, mechanically stable, and superconducting. They generate good STM images and spectroscopy on single crystal samples of Au(111), Au(100),more » and Nb(100), as well as a doped topological insulator Bi₂Se₃ at temperatures ranging from 30 mK to 9 K.« less

A-15 Superconducting composite wires and a method for making

DOEpatents

Suenaga, Masaki; Klamut, Carl J.; Luhman, Thomas S.

1984-01-01

A method for fabricating superconducting wires wherein a billet of copper containing filaments of niobium or vanadium is rolled to form a strip which is wrapped about a tin-alloy core to form a composite. The alloy is a tin-copper alloy for niobium filaments and a gallium-copper alloy for vanadium filaments. The composite is then drawn down to a desired wire size and heat treated. During the heat treatment process, the tin in the bronze reacts with the niobium to form the superconductor niobium tin. In the case where vanadium is used, the gallium in the gallium bronze reacts with the vanadium to form the superconductor vanadium gallium. This new process eliminates the costly annealing steps, external tin plating and drilling of bronze ingots required in a number of prior art processes.

Wrapping process for fabrication of A-15 superconducting composite wires

DOEpatents

Suenaga, M.; Klamut, C.J.; Luhman, T.S.

1980-08-15

A method for fabricating superconducting wires wherein a billet of copper containing filaments of niobium or vanadium is rolled to form a strip which is wrapped about a tin-alloy core to form a composite. The alloy is a tin-copper alloy for niobium filaments and a gallium-copper alloy for vanadium filaments. The composite is then drawn down to a desired wire size and heat treated. During the heat treatment process, the tin in the bronze reacts with the niobium to form the superconductor niobium tin. In the case where vanadium is used, the gallium in the gallium bronze reacts with the vanadium to form the superconductor vanadium gallium. This new process eliminates the costly annealing steps, external tin plating and drilling of bronze ingots required in a number of prior art processes.

A New Understanding of the Heat Treatment of Nb-Sn Superconducting Wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanabria, Charlie

Enhancing the beam energy of particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN, can increase our probability of finding new fundamental particles of matter beyond those predicted by the standard model. Such discoveries could improve our understanding of the birth of universe, the universe itself, and/or many other mysteries of matter--that have been unresolved for decades--such as dark matter and dark energy. This is obviously a very exciting field of research, and therefore a worldwide collaboration (of universities, laboratories, and the industry) is attempting to increase the beam energy in the LHC. One of the most challenging requirements for an energy increase is the production of a magnetic field homogeneous enough and strong enough to bend the high energy particle beam to keep it inside the accelerating ring. In the current LHC design, these beam bending magnets are made of Nb Ti superconductors, reaching peak fields of 8 T. However, in order to move to higher fields, future magnets will have to use different and more advanced superconducting materials. Among the most viable superconductor wire technologies for future particle accelerator magnets is Nb3Sn, a technology that has been used in high field magnets for many decades. However, Nb3Sn magnet fabrication has an important challenge: the fact the wire fabrication and the coil assembly itself must be done using ductile metallic components (Nb, Sn, and Cu) before the superconducting compound (Nb3 Sn) is activated inside the wires through a heat treatment. The studies presented in this thesis work have found that the heat treatment schedule used on the most advanced Nb3Sn wire technology (the Restacked Rod Process wires, RRPRTM) can still undergo significant improvements. These improvements have already led to an increase of the figure of merit of these wires (critical current density) by 28%.

Reflective HTS switch

DOEpatents

Martens, J.S.; Hietala, V.M.; Hohenwarter, G.K.G.

1994-09-27

A HTS (High Temperature Superconductor) switch includes a HTS conductor for providing a superconducting path for an electrical signal and an serpentine wire actuator for controllably heating a portion of the conductor sufficiently to cause that portion to have normal, and not superconducting, resistivity. Mass of the portion is reduced to decrease switching time. 6 figs.

Double-sided coaxial circuit QED with out-of-plane wiring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahamim, J.; Behrle, T.; Peterer, M. J.; Patterson, A.; Spring, P. A.; Tsunoda, T.; Manenti, R.; Tancredi, G.; Leek, P. J.

2017-05-01

Superconducting circuits are well established as a strong candidate platform for the development of quantum computing. In order to advance to a practically useful level, architectures are needed which combine arrays of many qubits with selective qubit control and readout, without compromising on coherence. Here, we present a coaxial circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture in which qubit and resonator are fabricated on opposing sides of a single chip, and control and readout wiring are provided by coaxial wiring running perpendicular to the chip plane. We present characterization measurements of a fabricated device in good agreement with simulated parameters and demonstrating energy relaxation and dephasing times of T1 = 4.1 μs and T2 = 5.7 μs, respectively. The architecture allows for scaling to large arrays of selectively controlled and measured qubits with the advantage of all wiring being out of the plane.

Method of manufacturing superconductor wire

DOEpatents

Motowidlo, Leszek

2014-09-16

A method for forming Nb.sub.3Sn superconducting wire is provided. The method employs a powder-in-tube process using a high-tin intermetallic compound, such as MnSn.sub.2, for producing the Nb.sub.3Sn. The use of a high-tin intermetallic compound enables the process to perform hot extrusion without melting the high-tin intermetallic compound. Alternatively, the method may entail drawing the wire without hot extrusion.

Superconducting wire manufactured

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yuexian; Sun, Yue; Xu, Shiming; Peng, Ying

1985-10-01

The MF Nb/Cu Extrusion Tube Method was used to manufacture 3 kg of stable practical MF Nb2Sn composite superconducting wire containing pure Cu(RRR approx. 200)/Ta. The draw state composite wire diameter was 0.56 mm, it contained 11,448 x 2.6 micron Nb core, and the twist distance was 1.5 cm. The composite wire cross-section was pure Cu/Ta/11,448 Nb core/Cu/ 91Sn-Cu; containing 22.8 v. % pure Cu, 13.3 v. % Ta; within the Ta layer to prevent Sn diffusion. The wire was sheathed in nonalkaline glass fiber as an insulating layer. A section of wire weighing 160 g was cut off and coiled it into a small solenoid. After reaction diffusion processing at 675 C/30 and curing by vacuum dipping in paraffin, it was measured in a Nb-Ti backfield of 7.2 T intensity, a current of 129 A was passed through the Nb3Sn solenoid and produced a strength of 2.5 T, the overall magnetic field intensity of the composite magnet reached 9.7 T. At this time, the wire full current density J sub c.w. = 5.2 x 10 to the 4th power A/sq cm; the effective current density J sub c (Nb + Sn - Cu) = 8.2 x 10 to the 4th power A/sq cm.

Ultra-High Performance, High-Temperature Superconducting Wires via Cost-effective, Scalable, Co-evaporation Process

PubMed Central

Kim, Ho-Sup; Oh, Sang-Soo; Ha, Hong-Soo; Youm, Dojun; Moon, Seung-Hyun; Kim, Jung Ho; Dou, Shi Xue; Heo, Yoon-Uk; Wee, Sung-Hun; Goyal, Amit

2014-01-01

Long-length, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires capable of carrying high critical current, Ic, are required for a wide range of applications. Here, we report extremely high performance HTS wires based on 5 μm thick SmBa2Cu3O7 − δ (SmBCO) single layer films on textured metallic templates. SmBCO layer wires over 20 meters long were deposited by a cost-effective, scalable co-evaporation process using a batch-type drum in a dual chamber. All deposition parameters influencing the composition, phase, and texture of the films were optimized via a unique combinatorial method that is broadly applicable for co-evaporation of other promising complex materials containing several cations. Thick SmBCO layers deposited under optimized conditions exhibit excellent cube-on-cube epitaxy. Such excellent structural epitaxy over the entire thickness results in exceptionally high Ic performance, with average Ic over 1,000 A/cm-width for the entire 22 meter long wire and maximum Ic over 1,500 A/cm-width for a short 12 cm long tape. The Ic values reported in this work are the highest values ever reported from any lengths of cuprate-based HTS wire or conductor. PMID:24752189

Building and Testing a Superconductivity Measurement Platform for a Helium Cryostat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Heath; Ostrander, Joshua; Wu, Jim; Ramos, Roberto

2013-03-01

Superconductivity experiments using Josephson junctions are an excellent environment to study quantum mechanics and materials science. A standard electrical transport technique uses filtered four wire measurement of these superconducting devices. We report our experience as undergraduates in a liberal arts college in building and testing an experimental platform anchored on the cold-finger of a helium cryostat and designed for performing differential conductance measurements in Josephson junctions. To filter out RF, we design, build and test cryogenic filters using ceramic capacitors and inductors and thermocoax cables. We also use fixed attenuators for thermal anchoring and use miniature connectors to connect wires and coax to a sample box. We report on progress in our diagnostic measurements as well as low-temperature tunneling experiments to probe the structure of the energy gap in both single- and multi-gapped superconductors. We acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation through NSF Grant DMR-1206561.

High-performance MgB2 superconducting wires for use under liquid-helium-free conditions fabricated using an internal Mg diffusion process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, ShuJun; Song, Minghui; Matsumoto, Akiyoshi; Togano, Kazumasa; Takeguchi, Masaki; Ohmura, Takahito; Kumakura, Hiroaki

2013-12-01

MgB2 has a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 39 K, which is much higher than that for practical metallic superconductors. Thus, it is hoped that MgB2 can not only replace metallic superconductors, but can be used under liquid-helium-free conditions, for example, at temperatures of 10-20 K that can easily be achieved using cryocooling systems. However, to date, the reported critical current density (Jc) for MgB2 wires is not high enough for large-scale applications in liquid-helium-free conditions. In the present study, successful fabrication of high-performance MgB2 superconducting wires was carried out using an internal Mg diffusion (IMD) process, involving a p-dimethylbenzene (C8H10) pre-treatment of carbon-coated B powder with nanometer-sized particles. The resulting wires exhibited the highest ever Jc of 1.2 × 105 A cm-2 at 4.2 K and 10 T, and an engineering critical current density (Je) of about 1 × 104 A cm-2. Not only in 4.2 K, but also in 10 K, the Jc values for the wires fabricated in the present study are in fact higher than that for Nb-Ti wires at 4.2 K for the magnetic fields at which the measurements were carried out. At 20 K and 5 T, the Jc and Je were about 7.6 × 105 A cm-2 and 5.3 × 103 A cm-2, respectively, which are the highest values reported for MgB2 wires to date. The results of a detailed microstructural analysis suggested that the main reason for the superior electrical performance was the high density of the MgB2 layer rather than just the small grain size, and that the critical current could be further increased by suitable control of the microstructure. These high-performance IMD-processed MgB2 wires are thus promising superconductors for applications such as magnetic resonance imaging and maglev trains that can operate under liquid-helium-free conditions.

Spin-polarized current in Zeeman-split d-wave superconductor/quantum wire junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emamipour, Hamidreza

2016-06-01

We study a thin-film quantum wire/unconventional superconductor junction in the presence of an intrinsic exchange field for a d-wave symmetry of the superconducting order parameter. A strongly spin-polarized current is generated due to an interplay between Zeeman splitting of bands and the nodal structure of the superconducting order parameter. We show that strongly spin-polarized current is achievable for both metallic and tunnel junctions. This is because of the presence of a quantum wire (one-dimensional metal) in our junction. While in two-dimensional junctions with both conventional [F. Giazotto, F. Taddei, Phys. Rev. B 77 (2008) 132501] and unconventional [J. Linder, T. Yokoyama, Y. Tanaka, A. Sudbo, Phys. Rev. B 78 (2008) 014516] pairing states, highly spin polarized current takes place just for a tunnel junction. Also, the obtained spin-polarized current is tunable in sign and magnitude in terms of exchange field and applied bias voltage.

Experimental characterization of the constitutive materials of MgB2 multi-filamentary wires for the development of 3D numerical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escamez, Guillaume; Sirois, Frédéric; Tousignant, Maxime; Badel, Arnaud; Granger, Capucine; Tixador, Pascal; Bruzek, Christian-Éric

2017-03-01

Today MgB2 superconducting wires can be manufactured in long lengths at low cost, which makes this material a good candidate for large scale applications. However, because of its relatively low critical temperature (less than 40 K), it is necessary to operate MgB2 devices in a liquid or gaseous helium environment. In this context, losses in the cryogenic environment must be rigorously minimized, otherwise the use of a superconductor is not worthy. An accurate estimation of the losses at the design stage is therefore mandatory in order to allow determining the device architecture that minimizes the losses. In this paper, we present a complete a 3D finite element model of a 36-filament MgB2 wire based on the architecture of the Italian manufacturer Colombus. In order for the model to be as accurate as possible, we made a substantial effort to characterize all constitutive materials of the wire, namely the E-J characteristics of the MgB2 filaments and the electric and magnetic properties (B-H curves) of nickel and monel, which are the two major non-superconducting components of the wire. All properties were characterized as a function of temperature and magnetic field. Limitations of the characterization and of the model are discussed, in particular the difficulty to extract the maximum relative permeability of nickel and monel from the experimental data, as well as the lack of a thin conductive layer model in the 3D finite element method, which prevents us from taking into account the resistive barriers around the MgB2 filaments in the matrix. Two examples of numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the capabilities of the model in its current state.

Advanced Manufacturing of Superconducting Magnets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senti, Mark W.

1996-01-01

The development of specialized materials, processes, and robotics technology allows for the rapid prototype and manufacture of superconducting and normal magnets which can be used for magnetic suspension applications. Presented are highlights of the Direct Conductor Placement System (DCPS) which enables automatic design and assembly of 3-dimensional coils and conductor patterns using LTS and HTS conductors. The system enables engineers to place conductors in complex patterns with greater efficiency and accuracy, and without the need for hard tooling. It may also allow researchers to create new types of coils and patterns which were never practical before the development of DCPS. The DCPS includes a custom designed eight-axis robot, patented end effector, CoilCAD(trademark) design software, RoboWire(trademark) control software, and automatic inspection.

Superconductive wire

DOEpatents

Korzekwa, David A.; Bingert, John F.; Peterson, Dean E.; Sheinberg, Haskell

1995-01-01

A superconductive article is made by inserting a rigid mandrel into an internal cavity of a first metallic tube, said tube having an interior surface and an exterior surface, said interior surface defining the interior cavity, forming a layer of a superconductive material or superconductive precursor upon the exterior surface of said first metallic tube, machining the layer of superconductive material or superconductive precursor to a predetermined diameter to form an intermediate article configured for insertion into a second metallic tube having an interior diameter corresponding to the predetermined diameter, inserting the machined intermediate article into a second metallic tube having an internal diameter corresponding to the predetermined diameter of the intermediate article to form a composite intermediate article, reducing or ironing the composite intermediate article to a predetermined cross-sectional diameter, and sintering the reduced or ironed composite intermediate article at temperatures and for time sufficient for the superconductive material or superconductive precursor to exhibit superconductivity.

Superconductive wire

DOEpatents

Korzekwa, D.A.; Bingert, J.F.; Peterson, D.E.; Sheinberg, H.

1995-07-18

A superconductive article is made by inserting a rigid mandrel into an internal cavity of a first metallic tube, said tube having an interior surface and an exterior surface, said interior surface defining the interior cavity, forming a layer of a superconductive material or superconductive precursor upon the exterior surface of said first metallic tube, machining the layer of superconductive material or superconductive precursor to a predetermined diameter to form an intermediate article configured for insertion into a second metallic tube having an interior diameter corresponding to the predetermined diameter, inserting the machined intermediate article into a second metallic tube having an internal diameter corresponding to the predetermined diameter of the intermediate article to form a composite intermediate article, reducing or ironing the composite intermediate article to a predetermined cross-sectional diameter, and sintering the reduced or ironed composite intermediate article at temperatures and for time sufficient for the superconductive material or superconductive precursor to exhibit superconductivity. 2 figs.

A study on the required performance of a 2G HTS wire for HTS wind power generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Hae-Jin; Park, Minwon; Go, Byeong-Soo; Yu, In-Keun

2016-05-01

YBCO or REBCO coated conductor (2G) materials are developed for their superior performance at high magnetic field and temperature. Power system applications based on high temperature superconducting (HTS) 2G wire technology are attracting attention, including large-scale wind power generators. In particular, to solve problems associated with the foundations and mechanical structure of offshore wind turbines, due to the large diameter and heavy weight of the generator, an HTS generator is suggested as one of the key technologies. Many researchers have tried to develop feasible large-scale HTS wind power generator technologies. In this paper, a study on the required performance of a 2G HTS wire for large-scale wind power generators is discussed. A 12 MW class large-scale wind turbine and an HTS generator are designed using 2G HTS wire. The total length of the 2G HTS wire for the 12 MW HTS generator is estimated, and the essential prerequisites of the 2G HTS wire based generator are described. The magnetic field distributions of a pole module are illustrated, and the mechanical stress and strain of the pole module are analysed. Finally, a reasonable price for 2G HTS wire for commercialization of the HTS generator is suggested, reflecting the results of electromagnetic and mechanical analyses of the generator.

Instability of the sliding Luttinger liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleurov, V.; Kagalovsky, V.; Lerner, I. V.; Yurkevich, I. V.

2018-05-01

We revise a phase diagram for the sliding Luttinger liquid (SLL) of coupled one-dimensional quantum wires packed in two- or three-dimensional arrays in the absence of a magnetic field. We analyse whether physically justifiable (reasonable) inter-wire interactions, i.e. either the screened Coulomb or ‘Coulomb-blockade’ type interactions, stabilise the SLL phase. Calculating the scaling dimensions of the most relevant perturbations (the inter-wire single-particle hybridisation, charge-density wave, and superconducting inter-wire couplings), we find that their combination always destroys the SLL phase for the repulsive intra-wire interaction. However, suppressing the inter-wire tunnelling of repulsive fermions (when the charge-density wave is the only remaining perturbation), one can observe a stability region emerging due to the inter-wire forward scattering interaction.

Magnesium Diboride Current Leads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panek, John

2010-01-01

A recently discovered superconductor, magnesium diboride (MgB2), can be used to fabricate conducting leads used in cryogenic applications. Dis covered to be superconducting in 2001, MgB2 has the advantage of remaining superconducting at higher temperatures than the previously used material, NbTi. The purpose of these leads is to provide 2 A of electricity to motors located in a 1.3 K environment. The providing environment is a relatively warm 17 K. Requirements for these leads are to survive temperature fluctuations in the 5 K and 11 K heat sinks, and not conduct excessive heat into the 1.3 K environment. Test data showed that each lead in the assembly could conduct 5 A at 4 K, which, when scaled to 17 K, still provided more than the required 2 A. The lead assembly consists of 12 steelclad MgB2 wires, a tensioned Kevlar support, a thermal heat sink interface at 4 K, and base plates. The wires are soldered to heavy copper leads at the 17 K end, and to thin copper-clad NbTi leads at the 1.3 K end. The leads were designed, fabricated, and tested at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe - Institut foer Technische Physik before inclusion in Goddard's XRS (X-Ray Spectrometer) instrument onboard the Astro-E2 spacecraft. A key factor is that MgB2 remains superconducting up to 30 K, which means that it does not introduce joule heating as a resistive wire would. Because the required temperature ranges are 1.3-17 K, this provides a large margin of safety. Previous designs lost superconductivity at around 8 K. The disadvantage to MgB2 is that it is a brittle ceramic, and making thin wires from it is challenging. The solution was to encase the leads in thin steel tubes for strength. Previous designs were so brittle as to risk instrument survival. MgB2 leads can be used in any cryogenic application where small currents need to be conducted at below 30 K. Because previous designs would superconduct only at up to 8 K, this new design would be ideal for the 8-30 K range.

Apparatus and method to pulverize rock using a superconducting electromagnetic linear motor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ignatiev, Alex (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A rock pulverizer device based on a superconducting linear motor. The superconducting electromagnetic rock pulverizer accelerates a projectile via a superconducting linear motor and directs the projectile at high speed toward a rock structure that is to be pulverized by collision of the speeding projectile with the rock structure. The rock pulverizer is comprised of a trapped field superconducting secondary magnet mounted on a movable car following a track, a wire wound series of primary magnets mounted on the track, and the complete magnet/track system mounted on a vehicle used for movement of the pulverizer through a mine as well as for momentum transfer during launch of the rock breaking projectile.

Toroidal constant-tension superconducting magnetic energy storage units

DOEpatents

Herring, J. Stephen

1992-01-01

A superconducting magnetic energy storage unit is provided in which the magnet is wound in a toroidal fashion such that the magnetic field produced is contained only within the bore of the magnet, and thus producing a very low external field. The superconducting magnet includes a coolant channel disposed through the wire. The bore of the magnet comprises a storage volume in which cryogenic coolant is stored, and this volume supplies the coolant to be delivered to the coolant channel in the magnet.

Toroidal constant-tension superconducting magnetic energy storage units

DOEpatents

Herring, J.S.

1992-11-03

A superconducting magnetic energy storage unit is provided in which the magnet is wound in a toroidal fashion such that the magnetic field produced is contained only within the bore of the magnet, and thus producing a very low external field. The superconducting magnet includes a coolant channel disposed through the wire. The bore of the magnet comprises a storage volume in which cryogenic coolant is stored, and this volume supplies the coolant to be delivered to the coolant channel in the magnet. 6 figs.

A 1 T, 0. 33 m bore superconducting magnet operating with cryocoolers at 12 K

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

van der Laan, M.T.G.; Tax, R.B.; ten Kate, H.H.J.

1992-01-01

The application of small cryocoolers for cooling a superconducting magnet at 12 K has important advantages especially for small and medium sized magnets. A simple construction and a helium free magnet system is obtained. The demonstration magnet developed is a six coil system with a volume of 75 L and can be regarded as a 1:3 scale MRI magnet. With a current of 100 A, a 1 T central field is generated with a maximum of 1.9 T in the windings. The magnet consists of six coil formers and five aluminum spacing rings, providing easy service and disassembly. The superconductor,more » a 0.6 mm diameter Nb{sub 3}Sn wire, is wound on the thin walled stainless steel coil formers after which the coil is heat treated and vacuum impregnated. Afterwards, the coil system is assembled and the electrical and thermal connections are made. This paper describes the development of the superconducting magnet.« less

Development of Mini-pole Superconducting Undulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jan, J. C.; Hwang, C. S.; Lin, P. H.; Chang, C. H.; Lin, F. Y.

2007-01-01

A mini-pole superconducting undulator with a 15mm period length (SU15) was developed at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC). The coil was wound by a superconducting (SC) NbTi wire with small dimensions and low Cu/SC ratio. The design field strength of SU15 with 158turns/pole was 1.4T at 215A, and the magnet gap was 5.6 mm. Extra trim coils and poles are mounted on the main iron pole. The trim coils directly compensate for the strength error of the peak field. The prototype racetrack iron pole was fabricated via electric discharge machining to produce a complete set of 40-poles. The coil was impregnated by epoxy and wrapped in Kapton to maintain insulation between coil and iron pole. A substitution beam duct was built and assembled with the magnet array and tested in the test Dewar. The conceptual design of bath liquid helium (LHe) cryostat has to tolerate more image current and radiation heating on the beam duct.

High-Density Superconducting Cables for Advanced ACTPol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pappas, C. G.; Austermann, J.; Beall, J. A.; Duff, S. M.; Gallardo, P. A.; Grace, E.; Henderson, S. W.; Ho, S. P.; Koopman, B. J.; Li, D.; McMahon, J.; Nati, F.; Niemack, M. D.; Niraula, P.; Salatino, M.; Schillaci, A.; Schmitt, B. L.; Simon, S. M.; Staggs, S. T.; Stevens, J. R.; Vavagiakis, E. M.; Ward, J. T.; Wollack, E. J.

2016-07-01

Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) is an upcoming Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) receiver upgrade, scheduled to deploy in 2016, that will allow measurement of the cosmic microwave background polarization and temperature to the highest precision yet with ACT. The AdvACT increase in sensitivity is partly provided by an increase in the number of transition-edge sensors (TESes) per array by up to a factor of two over the current ACTPol receiver detector arrays. The high-density AdvACT TES arrays require 70 \\upmu m pitch superconducting flexible cables (flex) to connect the detector wafer to the first-stage readout electronics. Here, we present the flex fabrication process and test results. For the flex wiring layer, we use a 400-nm-thick sputtered aluminum film. In the center of the cable, the wiring is supported by a polyimide substrate, which smoothly transitions to a bare (uncoated with polyimide) silicon substrate at the ends of the cable for a robust wedge wire-bonding interface. Tests on the first batch of flex made for the first AdvACT array show that the flex will meet the requirements for AdvACT, with a superconducting critical current above 1 mA at 500 mK, resilience to mechanical and cryogenic stress, and a room temperature yield of 97 %.

High-Density Superconducting Cables for Advanced ACTPol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pappas, C. G.; Austermann, J.; Beall, J. A.; Duff, S. M.; Gallardo, P. A.; Grace, E.; Henderson, S. W.; Ho, S. P.; Koopman, B. J.; Li, D.;

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Composite ceramic superconducting wires for electric motor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halloran, John W.

1990-04-01

Silver clad polycrystalline Y-123 wire is being fabricated with a continuous reel-to-reel process. Scale-up activities are underway to produce enough wire for the field coils of the HTSC motor. Green HTSC fiber were produced in kilometer lengths, and sintered wires up to 166 meters long. The 77K Jc values are 1000-2800 A/sq cm in self field. To improve Jc of the Y-123 wire, development began on directional crystallization, including preliminary work at A. D. Little and Oak Ridge National Lab. Large lots of BiSCCO material were produced to fabricated fibers and sintered polycrystalline BiSSCO wire as rolled tape. Work continued in collaboration with Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories on rapid thermal processing of Y-123, with most emphasis on characterizing the rapid oxygenation effect. The design of the HTSC homopolar motor has been improved to increase the output from field coils by using six smaller coils, each with separately optimized current. Motor construction is in progress. Preliminary design is underway on a dc heteropolar motor with HTSC field windings and armature and a brushless trapped flux permanent magnet dc motor, in which the field is produced by trapped flux in an HTSC rotor.

Development of superconducting magnets for RAON 28 GHz ECR ion source.

PubMed

Heo, Jeongil; Choi, Sukjin; Kim, Yonghwan; Hong, In-Seok

2016-02-01

RAON, a 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECR IS), was designed and tested as a Rare Isotope Science Project. It is expected that RAON would provide not only rare-isotope beams but also stable heavy ions ranging from protons to uranium. In order to obtain the steady heavy-ion beam required for ECR IS, we must use a 28 GHz microwave source as well as a high magnetic field. A superconducting magnet using a NbTi wire was designed and manufactured for producing the ECR IS and a test was conducted. In this paper, the design and fabrication of the superconducting magnet for the ECR IS are presented. Experimental results show that the quench current increases whenever quenching occurs, but it has not yet reached the designed current. The experiment is expected to reveal the ideal conditions required to reach the designed current.

Design, manufacturing and tests of first cryogen-free MgB2 prototype coils for offshore wind generators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarmiento, G.; Sanz, S.; Pujana, A.; Merino, J. M.; Iturbe, R.; Apiñaniz, S.; Nardelli, D.; Marino, I.

2014-05-01

Although renewable sector has started to take advantage of the offshore wind energy recently, the development is very intense. Turbines reliability, size, and cost are key aspects for the wind industry, especially in marine locations. A superconducting generator will allow a significant reduction in terms of weight and size, but cost and reliability are two aspects to deal with. MgB2 wire is presented as one promising option to be used in superconducting coils for wind generators. This work shows the experimental results in first cryogen-free MgB2 prototype coils, designed according to specific requirements of TECNALIA's wind generator concept.

From Ions to Wires to the Grid: The Transformational Science of LANL Research in High-Tc Superconducting Tapes and Electric Power Applications

ScienceCinema

Marken, Ken

2018-01-09

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) has been tasked to lead national efforts to modernize the electric grid, enhance security and reliability of the energy infrastructure, and facilitate recovery from disruptions to energy supplies. LANL has pioneered the development of coated conductors – high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes – which permit dramatically greater current densities than conventional copper cable, and enable new technologies to secure the national electric grid. Sustained world-class research from concept, demonstration, transfer, and ongoing industrial support has moved this idea from the laboratory to the commercial marketplace.

Composite ceramic superconducting wires for electric motor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halloran, John W.

1988-12-01

This is the Second Quarterly report on a project to develop HTSC wire for an HTSC motor. The raw material for fiber production is an improved YBa2Cu3O(7-x) powder. Continuous spools of green YBa2Cu3O(7-x) fiber are being produced. The major effort in fiber spinning is aimed at improving fiber quality and reducing fiber. Binder burnout and sintering has been intensively investigated. Fiber sintering fibers is done by the rapid zone sintering method. A continuous furnace received near the end of this Quarter will be used for continuous sintering. Continuous silver coated green fiber are produced. We have made progress toward continuous cladding using the mechanical cladding concept. The melt spinning process was successfully applied to YBa2Cu3O(7-x) powders at 50 vol percent solids loadings. The cladding work centered on mechanical cladding of silver treated filaments by solder bonding to copper strips. Aluminum deposits on YBa2Cu3O(7-x) filament surfaces were produced by MOCVD at ATM, but the superconductivity was degraded. Electrical characterization work focused on methods of making low resistance contacts on YBa2Cu3O(7-x) filaments. Emerson Motor Division has begun work on DC heteropolar and homopolar motor designs. The mechanical stresses on conventional copper wires during winding have been characterized to determine the mechanical parameters of motor building.

High temperature superconductors as a technological discontinuity in the power cable industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beales, T.P.; McCormack, J.S.

1994-12-31

The advent of superconductivity above 77 K represents to the power cable industry a technological discontinuity analogous to that seen in the copper telecommunications industry by the arrival of optical fibres. This phenomenon is discussed along with technical criteria and performance targets needed for high temperature superconducting wire to have an economic impact in transmission cables.

High temperature superconductors as a technological discontinuity in the power cable industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beales, T. P.; Mccormack, J. S.

1995-01-01

The advent of superconductivity above 77 K represents to the power cable industry a technological discontinuity analogous to that seen in the copper telecommunications industry by the arrival of optical fibers. This phenomenon is discussed along with technical criteria and performance targets needed for high temperature superconducting wire to have an economic impact in transmission cables.

Scalable designs for quasiparticle-poisoning-protected topological quantum computation with Majorana zero modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karzig, Torsten; Knapp, Christina; Lutchyn, Roman M.; Bonderson, Parsa; Hastings, Matthew B.; Nayak, Chetan; Alicea, Jason; Flensberg, Karsten; Plugge, Stephan; Oreg, Yuval; Marcus, Charles M.; Freedman, Michael H.

2017-06-01

We present designs for scalable quantum computers composed of qubits encoded in aggregates of four or more Majorana zero modes, realized at the ends of topological superconducting wire segments that are assembled into superconducting islands with significant charging energy. Quantum information can be manipulated according to a measurement-only protocol, which is facilitated by tunable couplings between Majorana zero modes and nearby semiconductor quantum dots. Our proposed architecture designs have the following principal virtues: (1) the magnetic field can be aligned in the direction of all of the topological superconducting wires since they are all parallel; (2) topological T junctions are not used, obviating possible difficulties in their fabrication and utilization; (3) quasiparticle poisoning is abated by the charging energy; (4) Clifford operations are executed by a relatively standard measurement: detection of corrections to quantum dot energy, charge, or differential capacitance induced by quantum fluctuations; (5) it is compatible with strategies for producing good approximate magic states.

Negative magnetoresistance of ultra-narrow superconducting nanowires in the resistive state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arutyunov, K. Yu.

2008-02-01

We present a phenomenological model that qualitatively explains negative magnetoresistance in quasi-one-dimensional superconducting channels in the resistive state. The model is based on the assumption that fluctuations of the order parameter (phase slips) are responsible for the finite effective resistance of a narrow superconducting wire sufficiently close to the critical temperature. Each fluctuation is accompanied by an instantaneous formation of a quasi-normal region, of the order of the non-equilibrium quasiparticle relaxation length, ‘pinned’ to the core of the phase slip. The effective time-averaged voltage measured in experiments is a sum of two terms. The first is the conventional contribution associated with the rate of the fluctuations via the Josephson relation. The second term is the Ohmic contribution of this quasi-normal region. Depending on the material properties of the wire, there might be a range of magnetic fields where the first term is not significantly affected, while the second term is effectively suppressed, contributing to the experimentally observed negative magnetoresistance.

Static Measurements on HTS Coils of Fully Superconducting AC Electric Machines for Aircraft Electric Propulsion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Benjamin B.; Hunker, Keith R.; Hartwig, Jason; Brown, Gerald V.

2017-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been developing the high efficiency and high-power density superconducting (SC) electric machines in full support of electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) systems for a future electric aircraft. A SC coil test rig has been designed and built to perform static and AC measurements on BSCCO, (RE)BCO, and YBCO high temperature superconducting (HTS) wire and coils at liquid nitrogen (LN2) temperature. In this paper, DC measurements on five SC coil configurations of various geometry in zero external magnetic field are measured to develop good measurement technique and to determine the critical current (Ic) and the sharpness (n value) of the super-to-normal transition. Also, standard procedures for coil design, fabrication, coil mounting, micro-volt measurement, cryogenic testing, current control, and data acquisition technique were established. Experimentally measured critical currents are compared with theoretical predicted values based on an electric-field criterion (Ec). Data here are essential to quantify the SC electric machine operation limits where the SC begins to exhibit non-zero resistance. All test data will be utilized to assess the feasibility of using HTS coils for the fully superconducting AC electric machine development for an aircraft electric propulsion system.

Applications of Superconductivity and Impact on U.S. Economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvamanickam, Venkat

2014-03-01

In the past few decades, low temperature superconducting wires (niobium-titanium) have enabled multibillion dollar industries such as magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy which otherwise would not have been possible. High temperature superconductors (HTS) hold the promise of impacting even a larger market in diverse applications such as energy, health, military, telecommunication, transportation and research. HTS tapes are now being manufactured in quantities of few hundred kilometers annually with current carrying capacity of about 300 times that of copper wire of the same cross section. Power transmission cables up to few kilometers in length made with HTS tapes have already been inserted in the power grid world-wide. In the past few of years, tremendous advancements have occurred in nanoscale defect engineering in these thin film superconducting tapes that has led to a doubling of critical current performance in high magnetic fields and operating temperatures of interest for various applications. Technologies developed in this area have been successfully inserted in production HTS tapes by industry. With the availability of such high performance HTS tapes, a number of coil-based applications are now being aggressively pursued by several institutions. HTS coils enable power devices with high power density with significant weight, size and power benefits. Energy storage, generation, use, transformation and transmission applications as well as magnetic applications such as magnetic shields, plasma confinement, and ultra-high field magnets are becoming possible with the availability of high-performance HTS tapes. An overview of the development and use of superconductors in electric power and magnetic applications will be provided in this presentation.

Diffusion studies and critical current in superconducting Nb-Ti-Ta artificial pinning center wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bormio-Nunes, C.; Gomes, P. M. N.; Tirelli, M. A.; Ghivelder, L.

2005-08-01

The diffusion between Nb-20%Ta (wt %) and pure Ti is studied at temperatures of 973, 1023, and 1073K, for duration times among 25 and 121h in an artificial pinning center (APC) wire composed of a Ti core surrounded by a Nb-20%Ta layer. The produced diffusion layer is a ternary alloy with superconducting properties, such as critical field Bc2 and critical current density JC, which intrinsically depend on the layer composition. Measurements of layer morphology and composition were performed, and the results show a preferential diffusion of Nb and Ta into Ti. There is a slight diffusion of Ti into Nb through grain boundaries. The presence of Ta also slows down the diffusion of Nb in Ti if compared to the couple formed by pure Nb and Ti. Regarding the mechanical properties of the composite wire, the use of lower temperatures to form the ternary phase is desirable in order to avoid a larger portion of the diffusion layer rich in Ti that favorites α-Ti precipitations that are detrimental to the wire ductility. The best JC value was obtained for the sample heat treated at 973K. The improvement of the flux-line pinning was associated with a sharp change of the diffusion layer composition rather than pinning by normal layer interfaces, suggesting a new source of pinning in this kind of material. Nb-Ti-Ta ternary alloys have the potential to be used in superconducting magnets when fields above 12T are required.

Fabrication of a Kilopixel Array of Superconducting Microcalorimeters with Microstripline Wiring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, James

2012-01-01

A document describes the fabrication of a two-dimensional microcalorimeter array that uses microstrip wiring and integrated heat sinking to enable use of high-performance pixel designs at kilopixel scales (32 X 32). Each pixel is the high-resolution design employed in small-array test devices, which consist of a Mo/Au TES (transition edge sensor) on a silicon nitride membrane and an electroplated Bi/Au absorber. The pixel pitch within the array is 300 microns, where absorbers 290 microns on a side are cantilevered over a silicon support grid with 100-micron-wide beams. The high-density wiring and heat sinking are both carried by the silicon beams to the edge of the array. All pixels are wired out to the array edge. ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) oxide underlayer is deposited underneath the sensor layer. The sensor (TES) layer consists of a superconducting underlayer and a normal metal top layer. If the sensor is deposited at high temperature, the ECR oxide can be vacuum annealed to improve film smoothness and etch characteristics. This process is designed to recover high-resolution, single-pixel x-ray microcalorimeter performance within arrays of arbitrarily large format. The critical current limiting parts of the circuit are designed to have simple interfaces that can be independently verified. The lead-to-TES interface is entirely determined in a single layer that has multiple points of interface to maximize critical current. The lead rails that overlap the TES sensor element contact both the superconducting underlayer and the TES normal metal

Improved superconducting magnet wire

DOEpatents

Schuller, I.K.; Ketterson, J.B.

1983-08-16

This invention is directed to a superconducting tape or wire composed of alternating layers of copper and a niobium-containing superconductor such as niobium of NbTi, Nb/sub 3/Sn or Nb/sub 3/Ge. In general, each layer of the niobium-containing superconductor has a thickness in the range of about 0.05 to 1.5 times its coherence length (which for Nb/sub 3/Si is 41 A) with each copper layer having a thickness in the range of about 170 to 600 A. With the use of very thin layers of the niobium composition having a thickness within the desired range, the critical field (H/sub c/) may be increased by factors of 2 to 4. Also, the thin layers of the superconductor permit the resulting tape or wire to exhibit suitable ductility for winding on a magnet core. These compositions are also characterized by relatively high values of critical temperature and therefore will exhibit a combination of useful properties as superconductors.

Entanglement Properties and Quantum Phases for a Fermionic Disordered One-Dimensional Wire with Attractive Interactions.

PubMed

Berkovits, Richard

2015-11-13

A fermionic disordered one-dimensional wire in the presence of attractive interactions is known to have two distinct phases, a localized and superconducting, depending on the strength of interaction and disorder. The localized region may also exhibit a metallic behavior if the system size is shorter than the localization length. Here we show that the superconducting phase has a distribution of the entanglement entropy distinct from the metallic regime. The entanglement entropy distribution is strongly asymmetric with a Lévy α-stable distribution (compared to the Gaussian metallic distribution), as is seen also for the second Rényi entropy distribution. Thus, entanglement properties may reveal properties which cannot be detected by other methods.

Composite superconducting wires obtained by high-rate tinning in molten Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosav, A. D.; Konopko, L. A.; Leporda, N. I.

1991-01-01

Long lengths of metal superconductor composites were prepared by passing a copper wire through the bismuth based molten oxide system at a constant speed. The key to successful composite preparation is the high pulling speed involved, which permits minimization of the severe interaction between the unbuffered metal surface and the oxide melt. Depending on the temperature of the melt and the pulling speed, a coating with different thickness and microstructure appeared. The nonannealed thick coatings contained a Bi2(Sr,Ca)2Cu1O6 phase as a major component. After relatively short time annealing at 800 C, both resistivity and initial magnetization versus temperature measurements show superconducting transitions beginning in the 110 to 115 K region. The effects of annealing and composition on obtained results are discussed. This method of manufacture led to the fabrication of wire with a copper core in a dense covering with uniform thickness of about h approximately equal to 5 to 50 microns. Composite wires with h approximately equal to 10 microns (h/d approximately equal to 0.1) sustained bending on a 15 mm radius frame without cracking during flexing.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, A.; Takeuchi, T.; Nishijima, S.; Ochiai, K.; Nishijima, G.; Watanabe, K.; Shikama, T.

2010-04-01

To investigate the effect of neutron irradiation on superconducting properties, a collaboration network was established among superconducting material engineering and neutronics fields. Within the framework, irradiation test of Nb3Sn and Nb3Al wires by 14 MeV fusion neutron was planned and carried out at Fusion Neutronics Source in Japan Atomic Energy Agency. After the irradiation, critical current and critical magnetic field were measured with 28 T hybrid magnet at Institute for Metals Research in Tohoku University. The irradiation to 3.52×1020 n/m2 showed a slight increase of the critical current of the Nb3Sn wire, and the irradiation to 1.78×1021 n/m2 made the critical current appreciably larger. Regarding the critical magnetic field, no clear change was observed. In the case of Nb3Al wire, a sample irradiated to 1.78×1021 n/m2 showed no increase of the critical current below 200 A which was the limit of the power supply. As for the critical magnetic field, there was no clear improvement similar to the Nb3Sn wire. The increase of the critical current would be caused by knock-on effect of the fast neutron.

Quench dynamics of the Josephson current in a topological Josephson junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Dihao; Liu, Jie

2018-01-01

The 4 π -periodic Josephson effect is a distinguishing feature of a topological Josephson junction. However, stringent conditions make it hard to observe in experiments. In this work, we study the transient transport properties in a topological Josephson junction numerically. We show that the 4 π Josephson current can be sustained under nonequilibrium conditions. The properties of the Josephson current are analyzed for different conditions and three main regimes are identified. First, when both the superconducting wires of the Josephson junction lie in the topologically nontrivial region, a 4 π Josephson current can appear upon suddenly applying a dc voltage. Second, when one superconducting wire lies in the trivial region, while the other wire lies in the nontrivial region, the Josephson current is 2 π periodic but the component of the higher-order Josephson current increases. Third, when both wires lie in the trivial region, a stable 2 π Josephson current is observed. Most importantly, the fractional Josephson effect is fragile in the presence of disorder. Hence experiments should be designed carefully to eliminate the effect of disorder. These results could be helpful to optimize fine-tuning of the experimental parameters to observe the 4 π -periodic Josephson current in a topological Josephson junction.

Improvement in the transport critical current density and microstructure of isotopic Mg11B2 monofilament wires by optimizing the sintering temperature

PubMed Central

Qiu, Wenbin; Jie, Hyunseock; Patel, Dipak; Lu, Yao; Luzin, Vladimir; Devred, Arnaud; Somer, Mehmet; Shahabuddin, Mohammed; Kim, Jung Ho; Ma, Zongqing; Dou, Shi Xue; Hossain, Md. Shahriar Al

2016-01-01

Superconducting wires are widely used in fabricating magnetic coils in fusion reactors. In consideration of the stability of 11B against neutron irradiation and lower induced radio-activation properties, MgB2 superconductor with 11B serving as boron source is an alternative candidate to be used in fusion reactor with severe irradiation environment. In present work, a batch of monofilament isotopic Mg11B2 wires with amorphous 11B powder as precursor were fabricated using powder-in-tube (PIT) process at different sintering temperature, and the evolution of their microstructure and corresponding superconducting properties was systemically investigated. Accordingly, the best transport critical current density (Jc) = 2 × 104 A/cm2 was obtained at 4.2 K and 5 T, which is even comparable to multi-filament Mg11B2 isotope wires reported in other work. Surprisingly, transport Jc vanished in our wire which was heat-treated at excessively high temperature (800 °C). Combined with microstructure observation, it was found that lots of big interconnected microcracks and voids that can isolate the MgB2 grains formed in this whole sample, resulting in significant deterioration in inter-grain connectivity. The results can be a constructive guide in fabricating Mg11B2 wires to be used as magnet coils in fusion reactor systems such as ITER-type tokamak magnet. PMID:27824144

Quench degradation limit of multifilamentary AgBi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x round wires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ye, Liyang; Li, Pei; Shen, Tengming

Understanding safe operating limits of composite superconducting wires is important for the design of superconducting magnets. Here we report measurements of quench-induced critical current density Jc degradation in commercial Ag/Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x (Bi-2212) round wires using heater-induced quenches at 4.2 K in self magnetic field that reveal a general degradation behavior. J c degradation strongly depends on the local hot spot temperature T max, and is nearly independent of operating current, the temperature gradient along the conductor dT max/dx, and the temperature rising rate dT max/dt. Both J c and n value (where n is an index ofmore » the sharpness of the superconductor-to-normal transition) exhibit small but irreversible degradation when T max exceeds 400-450 K, and large degradation occurs when Tmax exceeds 550 K. This behavior was consistently found for a series of Bi-2212 wires with widely variable wire architectures and porosity levels in the Bi-2212 filaments, including a wire processed using a standard partial melt processing and in which Bi-2212 filaments are porous, an overpressure processed wire in which Bi-2212 filaments are nearly porosity-free and that has a J c(4.2 K, self field) exceeding 8000 A/mm 2, and a wire that has nearly no filament to filament bridges after reaction. Microstructural observations of degraded wires reveal cracks in the Bi-2212 filaments perpendicular to the wire axis, indicating that the quench-induced I c degradation is primarily driven by strain. These results further suggest that the quench degradation temperature limit depends on the strain state of Bi-2212 filaments and this dependence shall be carefully considered when engineering a high-field Bi-2212 magnet.« less

Quench degradation limit of multifilamentary AgBi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x round wires

DOE PAGES

Ye, Liyang; Li, Pei; Shen, Tengming; ...

2016-02-02

Understanding safe operating limits of composite superconducting wires is important for the design of superconducting magnets. Here we report measurements of quench-induced critical current density Jc degradation in commercial Ag/Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x (Bi-2212) round wires using heater-induced quenches at 4.2 K in self magnetic field that reveal a general degradation behavior. J c degradation strongly depends on the local hot spot temperature T max, and is nearly independent of operating current, the temperature gradient along the conductor dT max/dx, and the temperature rising rate dT max/dt. Both J c and n value (where n is an index ofmore » the sharpness of the superconductor-to-normal transition) exhibit small but irreversible degradation when T max exceeds 400-450 K, and large degradation occurs when Tmax exceeds 550 K. This behavior was consistently found for a series of Bi-2212 wires with widely variable wire architectures and porosity levels in the Bi-2212 filaments, including a wire processed using a standard partial melt processing and in which Bi-2212 filaments are porous, an overpressure processed wire in which Bi-2212 filaments are nearly porosity-free and that has a J c(4.2 K, self field) exceeding 8000 A/mm 2, and a wire that has nearly no filament to filament bridges after reaction. Microstructural observations of degraded wires reveal cracks in the Bi-2212 filaments perpendicular to the wire axis, indicating that the quench-induced I c degradation is primarily driven by strain. These results further suggest that the quench degradation temperature limit depends on the strain state of Bi-2212 filaments and this dependence shall be carefully considered when engineering a high-field Bi-2212 magnet.« less

JPRS Report Science & Technology Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-02

Electronics •Superconducting Wiring in LSI •One Wafer Computer •Josephson Devices •SQUID Devices Infrared Sensor Magnetic Sensor •Superconducting...Guinier- de Wolff monochromatic focusing camera (CoK* radiation) and with Philips APD-10 auto-powder diffractometer (CuKÄ radiation). Pure Si was used as...crystallized and smooth surface. The values indicated in Fig. 2 were the thickness monitored by a quartz oscillating sensor located near the

The Development of High Transition Temperature Superconducting Ceramic Thick Films and Wire Composites

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-02

number of protein or sugar agents were experimented with including Agar, pectin, carboxymethylcellulose, gelatin, alginic acid, xanthan gum , guar gum ...I) Introduction and Description of Scientific Goals 1 II) Material and Powder Synthesis 1 A) Freeze Dried Fabrication of Powders 1 B) Utilization of...composites. II). Material and Powder Synthesis The availability of a reliable technique for producing large quantities of phase pure, submicron powders

PREFACE: 11th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (EUCAS2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farinon, Stefania; Pallecchi, Ilaria; Malagoli, Andrea; Lamura, Gianrico

2014-05-01

During the 11th edition of the European Conference on Applied Superconductivity, successfully held in Genoa from 15-19 September 2013, more than one thousand participants from over 40 countries were registered and contributions of 7 plenary lectures, 23 invited talks, 203 oral talks and 550 posters were presented. The present issue of Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) collects the 218 submitted papers that were peer reviewed and accepted in the Conference Proceedings. Similarly to the Superconductor Science and Technology Special issue: ''EUCAS 11th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity'' which contains some plenary and invited contributions, as well as some selected contributions, in this issue the papers are sorted according to the four traditional topics of interest of EUCAS, namely Materials (56 papers), Wires and Tapes (47 papers), Large Scale Applications (64 papers) and Electronics (51 papers). While the it Superconductors Science and Technology special issue focuses on the scientific and technological highlights of the conference, this collection provides an overall view of the worldwide research activity on applied superconductivity, mirroring the main guidelines and the hottest issues, which range from basic studies on newly discovered superconducting compounds to the state-of-the-art advances in large scale applications, wires and tapes fabrication and electronics. We would like to point out that, among the JPCS contributions, six papers present works financed by ongoing EU-Japan projects, three papers belong to the session on junctions and SQUIDs dedicated to the memory of Antonio Barone and one paper belongs to the session on pinning and flux dynamics dedicated to the memory of John Clem. Finally, we would like to thank all the people whose careful work contributed to the preparation of this JPCS issue, in particular the session chairs as well as the peer reviewers. The Editors Stefania Farinon (Editor in Chief, Large Scale), Ilaria Pallecchi (Materials), Andrea Malagoli (Wires and Tapes), and Gianrico Lamura (Electronics)

R&D of high reliable refrigeration system for superconducting generators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hosoya, T.; Shindo, S.; Yaguchi, H.

1996-12-31

Super-GM carries out R&D of 70 MW class superconducting generators (model machines), refrigeration system and superconducting wires to apply superconducting technology to electric power apparatuses. The helium refrigeration system for keeping field windings of superconducting generator (SCG) in cryogenic environment must meet the requirement of high reliability for uninterrupted long term operation of the SCG. In FY 1992, a high reliable conventional refrigeration system for the model machines was integrated by combining components such as compressor unit, higher temperature cold box and lower temperature cold box which were manufactured utilizing various fundamental technologies developed in early stage of the projectmore » since 1988. Since FY 1993, its performance tests have been carried out. It has been confirmed that its performance was fulfilled the development target of liquefaction capacity of 100 L/h and impurity removal in the helium gas to < 0.1 ppm. Furthermore, its operation method and performance were clarified to all different modes as how to control liquefaction rate and how to supply liquid helium from a dewar to the model machine. In addition, the authors have made performance tests and system performance analysis of oil free screw type and turbo type compressors which greatly improve reliability of conventional refrigeration systems. The operation performance and operational control method of the compressors has been clarified through the tests and analysis.« less

Enhanced zero-bias Majorana peak in the differential tunneling conductance of disordered multisubband quantum-wire/superconductor junctions.

PubMed

Pientka, Falko; Kells, Graham; Romito, Alessandro; Brouwer, Piet W; von Oppen, Felix

2012-11-30

A recent experiment Mourik et al. [Science 336, 1003 (2012)] on InSb quantum wires provides possible evidence for the realization of a topological superconducting phase and the formation of Majorana bound states. Motivated by this experiment, we consider the signature of Majorana bound states in the differential tunneling conductance of multisubband wires. We show that the weight of the Majorana-induced zero-bias peak is strongly enhanced by mixing of subbands, when disorder is added to the end of the quantum wire. We also consider how the topological phase transition is reflected in the gap structure of the current-voltage characteristic.

Processing and characterization of superconducting solenoids made of Bi-2212/Ag-alloy multifilament round wire for high field magnet applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Peng

As the only high temperature superconductor with round wire (RW) geometry, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212) superconducting wire has the advantages of being multi-filamentary, macroscopically isotropic and twistable. With overpressure (OP) processing techniques recently developed by our group at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), the engineering current density (Je) of Bi-2212 RW can be dramatically increased. For example, Je of more than 600 A/mm 2 (4.2 K and 20 T) is achieved after 100 bar OP processing. With these intrinsically beneficial properties and recent processing progress, Bi-2212 RW has become very attractive for high field magnet applications, especially for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnets and accelerator magnets etc. This thesis summarizes my graduate study on Bi-2212 solenoids for high field and high homogeneity NMR magnet applications, which mainly includes performance study of Bi-2212 RW insulations, 1 bar and OP processing study of Bi-2212 solenoids, and development of superconducting joints between Bi-2212 RW conductors. Electrical insulation is one of the key components of Bi-2212 coils to provide sufficient electrical standoff within coil winding pack. A TiO 2/polymer insulation offered by nGimat LLC was systematically investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dielectric property measurements, and transport critical current (Ic) property measurements. About 29% of the insulation by weight is polymer. When the Bi-2212 wire is fully heat treated, this decomposes with slow heating to 400 °C in flowing O2. After the full reaction, we found that the TiO2 did not degrade the critical current properties, adhered well to the conductor, and provided a breakdown voltage of more than 100 V. A Bi-2212 RW wound solenoid coil was built using this insulation being offered by nGimat LLC. The coil resistance was constant through coil winding, polymer burn-off and full coil reaction. The coil was successfully tested at the NHMFL generating 33.8 T combined magnetic field in a 31.2 T background field. Multiple quenches occurred safely, which also illustrates that the insulation provided sufficient dielectric standoff. For Bi-2212 RW with a typical as-drawn diameter of 1.0-1.5 mm, this 15 microm thick insulation allows a very high coil packing factor of ~0.74, whereas earlier alumino-silicate braid insulation only allows packing factors of 0.38-0.48. In addition to the commercial TiO2/polymer insulation, we have also investigated sol-gel based ceramic coatings through collaboration with Harran University and another TiO2 based insulation coating at the NHMFL. Since Bi-2212 superconducting coils employ the Wind-and-React (W&R) technology, there are some potential issues in processing Bi-2212 coils, in particular for coils with a large thermal mass and dense oxide insulation coating. For this study, several Bi-2212 test solenoids with an outer diameter (OD) of about 90 mm were built and heat treated in 1 bar flowing oxygen with deadweights applied so as to simulate large coil packs. After the heat treatment (HT), coils were epoxy impregnated and cut. Winding pack was checked using SEM in terms of conductor geometry and insulation. Some samples were extracted to measure transport critical current Ic and critical temperature Tc. The results are very promising: test coils presented low creep behavior after standard partial melt HT under mechanical load, and no Ic degradation was found due to the application of mechanical load, and no inadequate oxygenation issue was seen for thick coils with ceramic coating on the wire. However, coils were partially electrically shorted after 1 bar HT under mechanical load, and we believe that increasing insulation coating thickness is necessary. In addition, several small solenoids were manufactured to study OP processing of Bi-2212 coils. The preliminary results indicate that there are some gaps between turns due to densification of wires (~4% wire diameter reduction) during 50-100 bar OP processing, and the diameter shrinking of conductors will potentially lead to coil sagging. So far, we have developed some methods to solve the issue of coil sagging, such as using flexible coil flange to allow smooth sagging of winding pack during OP processing. We have also investigated electrical joints between Bi-2212 RW conductors, which include resistive joints and superconducting joints. For resistive Bi-2212 joints, we evaluated conventional diffusion bonding method and soldering method. In general, the joints (with 42 mm joint length) resistances are below 200 nO at 4.2 K and magnetic fields up to 13.5 T, and the effect of magnetoresistance is clearly present. In addition to resistive joints, we successfully developed a superconducting joint between Bi-2212 RW conductors for persistent current mode (PCM) operations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Simple debugging techniques for embedded subsystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacPherson, Matthew S.; Martin, Kevin S.

1990-08-01

This paper describes some of the tools and methods used for developing and debugging embedded subsystems at Fermilab. Specifically, these tools have been used for the Flying Wire project and are currently being employed for the New TECAR upgrade. The Flying Wire is a subsystem that swings a wire through the beam in order to measure luminosity and beam density distribution, and TECAR (Tevatron excitation controller and regulator) controls the power-supply ramp generation for the superconducting Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab. In both instances the subsystem hardware consists of a VME crate with one or more processors, shared memory and a network connection to the accelerator control system. Two real-time-operating systems are currently being used: VRTX for the Flying Wire system, and MTOS for New TECAR. The code which runs in these subsystems is a combination of C and assembler and is developed using the Microtec cross-development tools on a VAX 8650 running VMS. This paper explains how multiple debuggers are used to give the greatest possible flexibility from assembly to high-level debugging. Also discussed is how network debugging and network downloading can make a very effective and efficient means of finding bugs in the subsystem environment. The debuggers used are PROBE1, TRACER and the MTOS debugger.

Direct measurement of interfilament resistance in Nb3Sn strands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corato, V.; Muzzi, L.; Vetrella, U. Besi; della Corte, A.

2009-05-01

In modeling the properties of superconducting multifilamentary strands, transverse resistivity plays a crucial role in the definition of the coupling losses in ac regime, as well as of the current transfer length, that affects the transport properties of Nb3Sn wires subject to bending strain. We present the first direct measurement of the interfilament transverse resistance in superconducting strands from room temperature to 4.2 K. Results have been compared to the transverse resistance of a sample on which the outer copper stabilization layer has been removed by chemical etching, obtaining interesting indication on the preferential current paths within the wire cross section. An excellent agreement between experimental data and theoretical models has been found in describing the whole strand, while improvements are required in modeling the filamentary region alone.

Quantum phase slip phenomenon in ultra-narrow superconducting nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arutyunov, Konstantin Yu.; Hongisto, Terhi T.; Lehtinen, Janne S.; Leino, Leena I.; Vasiliev, Alexander L.

2012-02-01

The smaller the system, typically - the higher is the impact of fluctuations. In narrow superconducting wires sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc thermal fluctuations are responsible for the experimentally observable finite resistance. Quite recently it became possible to fabricate sub-10 nm superconducting structures, where the finite resistivity was reported within the whole range of experimentally obtainable temperatures. The observation has been associated with quantum fluctuations capable to quench zero resistivity in superconducting nanowires even at temperatures T-->0. Here we demonstrate that in tiny superconducting nanorings the same phenomenon is responsible for suppression of another basic attribute of superconductivity - persistent currents - dramatically affecting their magnitude, the period and the shape of the current-phase relation. The effect is of fundamental importance demonstrating the impact of quantum fluctuations on the ground state of a macroscopically coherent system, and should be taken into consideration in various nanoelectronic applications.

Superconducting MgB2 wires with vanadium diffusion barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hušek, I.; Kováč, P.; Melišek, T.; Kulich, M.; Rosová, A.; Kopera, L.; Szundiová, B.

2017-10-01

Single-core MgB2 wires with a vanadium barrier and Cu stabilization have been made by the in situ powder-in-tube (PIT) and internal magnesium diffusion (IMD) into boron processes. Heat treatment of PIT wires was done at the temperature range of 650 °C-850 °C/30 min. Critical currents of differently treated MgB2/V/Cu wires have been measured and related with the structure of MgB2. It was found that critical current density of MgB2/V wire annealed above 700 °C decreases rapidly. The obtained results clearly show that vanadium is a well formable metal and can be applied as an effective diffusion barrier for MgB2 wires heat-treated at temperatures ≤700 °C. This temperature limit is well applicable for MgB2 wires with high current densities made by PIT and also by the IMD process.

Evaluation of a Three-Channel High-Temperature Superconducting Magnetometer System

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

achieved by the best commercially available fluxgate magnetometers demonstrated to date and is only surpassed by low temperature superconducting...wire lines carry the analog SQUID magnetometer signal as well as dc power and ground, and the fiberoptic lines carry digital clock and data signals...with the magnetometers mounted on the three-sensor probe used in the sensor evaluated here. This probe is not highly stabilized with respect to the

SMES for wind energy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul Antony, Anish

Renewable energy sources are ubiquitous, wind energy in particular is one of the fastest growing forms of renewable energy, yet the stochastic nature of wind creates fluctuations that threaten the stability of the electrical grid. In addition to stability with increased wind energy, the need for additional load following capability is a major concern hindering increased wind energy penetration. Improvements in power electronics are required to increase wind energy penetration, but these improvements are hindered by a number of limitations. Changes in physical weather conditions, insufficient capacity of the transmission line and inaccurate wind forecasting greatly stymie their effect and ultimately lead to equipment damage. With this background, the overall goal of this research effort is to pitch a case for superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) by (1) optimally designing the SMES to be coupled with wind turbines thus reducing wind integration challenges and (2) to help influence decision makers in either increasing superconducting wire length/fill factor or improving superconducting splice technology thereby increasing the storage capacity of the SMES. Chapter 1 outlines the scope of this thesis by answering the following questions (1) why focus on wind energy? (2) What are the problems associated with increasing wind energy on the electric grid? (3) What are the current solutions related to wind integration challenges and (4) why SMES? Chapter 2, presents a detailed report on the study performed on categorizing the challenges associated with integrating wind energy into the electric grid. The conditions under which wind energy affected the electric grid are identified both in terms of voltage stability and excess wind generation. Chapter 3, details a comprehensive literature review on the different superconducting wires. A technology assessment of the five selected superconductors: [Niobium Titanium (NbTi), Niobium Tin (Nb3Sn), Bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide (BSCCO), Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) and Magnesium diboride (MgB 2)] is carried out. The assessed attributes include superconducting transition temperature (Tc), critical current density (Jc ), the irreversibility field (H*) and the superconducting critical field (Hc). Chapter 4 presents the design of a solenoid shaped 1MJ MgB2 SMES. This SMES is used to mitigate the problem of momentary interruptions on a wind turbine. The total length of superconducting wire required for a 1MJ solenoid is calculated to be 21km. The maximum wire lengths currently available are 6km thus we hypothesize that either wire lengths have to be increased or work has to be done on MgB2 superconducting splice technology for multifilament wire. Another design consisting of 8 solenoids storing 120 kJ each is presented. The stress analysis on the proposed coil is performed using finite element analysis exhibiting the safety of the proposed design. Chapter 5 presents the design of a toroid shaped 20MJ MgB2 SMES. This is used to mitigate the problem of sustained interruptions on a wind turbine. The toroid coil is chosen since the magnetic field could be completely contained within the coil, thus reducing stray magnetic fields. A combination of genetic algorithm and nonlinear programming is used in determining the design. In Chapter 6, the different methods of operation of the SMES are examined. The Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based SMES topology was chosen based on its ease of switching. The VSC switching strategy is based on a sinusoidal pulse width modulation technique. EMTDC/PSCAD software was used to demonstrate the efficacy of the VSC based SMES coupled to a wind turbine. The wind generator was modeled as an induction machine feeding into a load. The simulation results established that SMES connected to wind turbines improved output quality. Although the efficacy of SMES for wind energy has been stated previously in other work, this chapter specifically demonstrates through simulation results the utility of SMES in voltage sag mitigation for momentary interruptions. The 1MJ SMES mitigates voltage sags for a useful duration ~50 seconds. In conclusion (Chapter 7), we believe that in this dissertation, we have documented the design of SMES for both momentary and sustained interruptions in wind turbines. We have put forth some novel and relevant hypotheses, developed and performed suitable simulation studies to validate these hypotheses. By doing so, we have been able to expand our knowledge in our quest to grasp the underlying mechanisms of storage systems in wind energy integration. Although the resulting analysis has allowed us to gain valuable insight, we feel that it is only the tip of the iceberg, and that many yet unknown discoveries are to be made. We remain hopeful that the future of SMES for wind energy will only look brighter from here onward. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Progress in magnetic sensor technology for sea mine detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clem, Ted R.

1997-07-01

A superconducting magnetic-field gradiometer developed in the 1980's has been demonstrated infusion with acoustic sensors to enhance shallow water sea mine detection and classification, especially for buried mine detection and the reduction of acoustic false alarm rates. This sensor incorporated niobium bulk and wire superconducting components cooled by liquid helium to a temperature of 4 degrees K. An advanced superconducting gradiometer prototype is being developed to increase sensitivity and detection range. This sensor features all thin film niobium superconducting components and a new liquid helium cooling concept. In the late 1980's, a new class of 'high Tc' superconductors was discovered with critical temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen. The use of liquid nitrogen refrigeration offers new opportunities for this sensor technology, providing significant reduction in the size of sensor packages and in the requirements for cryogenic support and logistics. As a result of this breakthrough, a high Tc sensor concept using liquid nitrogen refrigeration has been developed for mine reconnaissance applications and a test article of that concept is being fabricated and evaluated. In addition to these developments in sensor technology, new signal processing approaches and recent experimental results have ben obtained to demonstrate an enhanced D/C capability. In this paper, these recent advances in sensor development and new results for an enhanced D/C capability will be reviewed and a current perspective on the role of magnetic sensors for mine detection and classification will be addressed.

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

PubMed

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

2014-03-25

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 × 10(4) A/cm(2) in 10 T and 4.3 × 10(4) A/cm(2) 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.

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

PubMed Central

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

2014-01-01

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. PMID:24663054

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

LENR BEC Clusters on and below Wires through Cavitation and Related Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stringham, Roger; Stringham, Julie

2011-03-01

During the last two years I have been working on BEC cluster densities deposited just under the surface of wires, using cavitation, and other techniques. If I get the concentration high enough before the clusters dissipate, in addition to cold fusion related excess heat (and other effects, including helium-4 formation) I anticipate that it may be possible to initiate transient forms of superconductivity at room temperature.

Quantitative correlation between the void morphology of niobium-tin wires and their irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading.

PubMed

Barth, C; Seeber, B; Rack, A; Calzolaio, C; Zhai, Y; Matera, D; Senatore, C

2018-04-26

Understanding the critical current performance variation of Nb 3 Sn superconducting wires under mechanical loading is a crucial issue for the design of next generation accelerator and fusion magnets. In these applications, the mechanical properties of the conductors may become a limiting factor due to the strong electro-magnetic forces resulting from the combination of large magnets and intense magnetic fields. In particular, the presence of voids in the superconducting filament structure, which are formed during the fabrication and the reaction heat treatment, determines localized stress concentrations and possibly the formation of cracks. In this work, we demonstrate a quantitative correlation between the void morphology and the electro-mechanical limits measured on different Bronze route Nb 3 Sn wires. Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) prior to the reaction heat treatment is utilized to partially eliminate the voids. The wires' void distributions - with and without HIP treatment - are detected and statistically analyzed using high energy X-ray micro tomography. The stress concentration due to the shape and distribution of the voids as well as their impact on the electro-mechanical properties are determined through finite element method modeling. Finally, the results are quantitatively correlated with the experimentally determined limits of the irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading.

Apparatus and process for making a superconducting magnet for particle accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarabak, A.J.; Sunderman, W.H.; Mendola, E.G.

1992-03-10

This patent describes an apparatus for manufacturing a coil of superconducting material. It comprises a horizontally disposed winding mandrel; an adjustable support for receiving a spool of superconducting material, the spool having a vertical axis; means for translating the spool of superconducting material in a generally oval path around the winding mandrel so that the superconducting material is de-reeled from the spool, in order to wind a predetermined amount of superconducting material onto the mandrel, such that a coil of superconducting material is formed; means for guiding the superconducting material from the spool so as to deliver the superconducting materialmore » to the winding mandrel on a plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the spool and parallel with a winding plane on the winding mandrel; means for imparting a tensioning force on the superconducting material as it is guided from the spool; means for rotating the winding mandrel about the horizontal axis thereof; means for clamping the superconducting material against the winding mandrel as the wire is wound thereon; means for securing the coil to the winding mandrel for lifting mandrel with the coil thereon; and means for curing the coil of superconducting material whereby a finished coil of superconducting material is formed.« less

Weakly-coupled quasi-1D helical modes in disordered 3D topological insulator quantum wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dufouleur, J.; Veyrat, L.; Dassonneville, B.; Xypakis, E.; Bardarson, J. H.; Nowka, C.; Hampel, S.; Schumann, J.; Eichler, B.; Schmidt, O. G.; Büchner, B.; Giraud, R.

2017-04-01

Disorder remains a key limitation in the search for robust signatures of topological superconductivity in condensed matter. Whereas clean semiconducting quantum wires gave promising results discussed in terms of Majorana bound states, disorder makes the interpretation more complex. Quantum wires of 3D topological insulators offer a serious alternative due to their perfectly-transmitted mode. An important aspect to consider is the mixing of quasi-1D surface modes due to the strong degree of disorder typical for such materials. Here, we reveal that the energy broadening γ of such modes is much smaller than their energy spacing Δ, an unusual result for highly-disordered mesoscopic nanostructures. This is evidenced by non-universal conductance fluctuations in highly-doped and disordered Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 nanowires. Theory shows that such a unique behavior is specific to spin-helical Dirac fermions with strong quantum confinement, which retain ballistic properties over an unusually large energy scale due to their spin texture. Our result confirms their potential to investigate topological superconductivity without ambiguity despite strong disorder.

Weakly-coupled quasi-1D helical modes in disordered 3D topological insulator quantum wires

PubMed Central

Dufouleur, J.; Veyrat, L.; Dassonneville, B.; Xypakis, E.; Bardarson, J. H.; Nowka, C.; Hampel, S.; Schumann, J.; Eichler, B.; Schmidt, O. G.; Büchner, B.; Giraud, R.

2017-01-01

Disorder remains a key limitation in the search for robust signatures of topological superconductivity in condensed matter. Whereas clean semiconducting quantum wires gave promising results discussed in terms of Majorana bound states, disorder makes the interpretation more complex. Quantum wires of 3D topological insulators offer a serious alternative due to their perfectly-transmitted mode. An important aspect to consider is the mixing of quasi-1D surface modes due to the strong degree of disorder typical for such materials. Here, we reveal that the energy broadening γ of such modes is much smaller than their energy spacing Δ, an unusual result for highly-disordered mesoscopic nanostructures. This is evidenced by non-universal conductance fluctuations in highly-doped and disordered Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 nanowires. Theory shows that such a unique behavior is specific to spin-helical Dirac fermions with strong quantum confinement, which retain ballistic properties over an unusually large energy scale due to their spin texture. Our result confirms their potential to investigate topological superconductivity without ambiguity despite strong disorder. PMID:28374744

Weakly-coupled quasi-1D helical modes in disordered 3D topological insulator quantum wires.

PubMed

Dufouleur, J; Veyrat, L; Dassonneville, B; Xypakis, E; Bardarson, J H; Nowka, C; Hampel, S; Schumann, J; Eichler, B; Schmidt, O G; Büchner, B; Giraud, R

2017-04-04

Disorder remains a key limitation in the search for robust signatures of topological superconductivity in condensed matter. Whereas clean semiconducting quantum wires gave promising results discussed in terms of Majorana bound states, disorder makes the interpretation more complex. Quantum wires of 3D topological insulators offer a serious alternative due to their perfectly-transmitted mode. An important aspect to consider is the mixing of quasi-1D surface modes due to the strong degree of disorder typical for such materials. Here, we reveal that the energy broadening γ of such modes is much smaller than their energy spacing Δ, an unusual result for highly-disordered mesoscopic nanostructures. This is evidenced by non-universal conductance fluctuations in highly-doped and disordered Bi2Se3 and Bi 2 Te 3 nanowires. Theory shows that such a unique behavior is specific to spin-helical Dirac fermions with strong quantum confinement, which retain ballistic properties over an unusually large energy scale due to their spin texture. Our result confirms their potential to investigate topological superconductivity without ambiguity despite strong disorder.

Development of improved superconductive axial gradiometers for biomagnetic SQUID applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budnyk, M. M.; Minov, Yu. D.; Lyakhno, V. Yu.; Desnenko, V. A.; Linnik, A. S.; Shopen, O. B.

2018-03-01

SQUID magnetometers for biomagnetic measurements are equipped with superconductive gradiometers which are required to provide a high signal-to-noise ratio at low frequencies, sufficient mechanical strength and sustained performance under repeated thermal cycles, as well as a low level of intrinsic magnetic noise. This paper describes the design of a gradiometer made with a carbon-fiber reinforced composite material for magnetic cardiography measurements. The thermal coefficient of linear expansion (TCLE) of the carbon fiber composite can be precisely adjusted to match that of the superconducting detector coil wire. This is achieved thanks to the difference in the TCLE of carbon fibers in the longitudinal and transverse directions and is realized by varying the laying directions of the fiber in the composite. The data of magnetic susceptibility measurements on carbon fiber composite are reported, showing the magnetic susceptibility about six times smaller than that of graphite. The presented gradiometer design provides a high degree of balancing and is patented along side other specific techniques.

Construction and Performance of a Superconducting Multipole Wiggler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, C. S.; Wang, B.; Chen, J. Y.; Chang, C. H.; Chen, H. H.; Fan, T. C.; Lin, F. Y.; Huang, M. H.; Chang, C. C.; Hsu, S. N.; Hsiung, G. Y.; Hsu, K. T.; Chen, J.; Chien, Y. C.; Chen, J. R.; Chen, C. T.

2004-05-01

A 3.2 Tesla superconducting multipole wiggler was designed and fabricated as an X-ray source. The magnet assembly, which consists of 32 pairs of racetrack NbTi superconducting coils with a periodic length of 60 mm, provides 28 effective poles. A 1.4056 m long elliptical cold-bore stainless steel beam duct with taper flanges and a wall thickness of 1 mm, was developed and constructed to fit the ultra-high vacuum condition for electron beam. The magnetic field strength was measured in liquid helium using a cryogenic Hall probe, revealing a field behavior very close to behavior consistent with the designed values. A Hall generator and the stretch wire methods are used to determine the transfer function of the peak field, the first and second integrated field distributions, and the good field region of the magnet. The quench protection of the magnet, the control algorithm for automatic filling of liquid helium, and the boil off rate of liquid helium and liquid nitrogen will also be discussed.

Magnetic characteristics and AC losses of DC type-II superconductors under oscillating magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robert, B. C.; Ruiz, H. S.

2018-07-01

Remarkable features on the magnetic moment of type-II superconducting (SC) wires of cylindrical shape, subjected to direct current conditions (DC) and transverse oscillating (AC) magnetic fields, are reported. We show how for relatively low amplitudes of the applied magnetic field, B a , the superconducting wire rapidly develops a saturation state, | {M}p| , characterizing the limits of magnetization loops that exhibit a Boolean-like behaviour. Regardless of the premagnetization state of the SC wire, we show how after two cycles of magnetic relaxation, boolean-like ±M p states can be measured during the entire period of time from which the external magnetic field B 0 ranges from 0 to ±B a , with the signs rule defined by the sign of the slope ΔB 0y (t). In addition, for the practical implementation of SC DC wires sharing the right of way with AC lines, we report that for relatively low values of magnetic field, {B}a≤slant {B}P/2, being B P the analytical value for the full penetration field in absence of transport current, I tr, the use of semi-analytical approaches for the calculation of AC losses leads to a significant underestimation of the actual contribution of the induction losses. This phenomena is particularly relevant at dimensionless fields {b}a< 1-{i}a2/3, being b a = B a /B P and, i a = I a /I c the amplitude of an AC or DC transport current, due to the local motion of flux front profiles being dominated by the occurrence of transport current. On the other hand, we have found that regardless of the nature of the transport current, either be DC or AC, when a transverse oscillating magnetic field greater than the classical limit b a = (1 - i a ) is applied to the SC wire, the difference between the obtained AC losses in both situations results to be negligible indistinctly of the approach used, semi-analytical or numerical. Thus, the actual limits from which the estimation of the AC losses can be used as an asset for the deployment of DC SC wires sharing the right of way with AC lines, against the sole use of SC wires for the transmission of AC transport current, are established.

Correction coil cable

DOEpatents

Wang, S.T.

1994-11-01

A wire cable assembly adapted for the winding of electrical coils is taught. A primary intended use is for use in particle tube assemblies for the Superconducting Super Collider. The correction coil cables have wires collected in wire array with a center rib sandwiched therebetween to form a core assembly. The core assembly is surrounded by an assembly housing having an inner spiral wrap and a counter wound outer spiral wrap. An alternate embodiment of the invention is rolled into a keystoned shape to improve radial alignment of the correction coil cable on a particle tube in a particle tube assembly. 7 figs.

Dissipative cryogenic filters with zero dc resistance.

PubMed

Bluhm, Hendrik; Moler, Kathryn A

2008-01-01

The authors designed, implemented, and tested cryogenic rf filters with zero dc resistance, based on wires with a superconducting core inside a resistive sheath. The superconducting core allows low frequency currents to pass with negligible dissipation. Signals above the cutoff frequency are dissipated in the resistive part due to their small skin depth. The filters consist of twisted wire pairs shielded with copper tape. Above approximately 1 GHz, the attenuation is exponential in omega, as typical for skin depth based rf filters. By using additional capacitors of 10 nF per line, an attenuation of at least 45 dB above 10 MHz can be obtained. Thus, one single filter stage kept at mixing chamber temperature in a dilution refrigerator is sufficient to attenuate room temperature black body radiation to levels corresponding to 10 mK above about 10 MHz.

Improvements of fabrication processes and enhancement of critical current densities in (Ba,K)Fe2As2 HIP wires and tapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyon, Sunseng; Suwa, Takahiro; Tamegai, Tsuyoshi; Takano, Katsutoshi; Kajitani, Hideki; Koizumi, Norikiyo; Awaji, Satoshi; Zhou, Nan; Shi, Zhixiang

2018-05-01

We fabricated (Ba,K)Fe2As2 superconducting wires and tapes using the powder-in-tube method and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). HIP wires and tapes showed a high value of transport critical current density (J c) exceeding 100 kAcm‑2 at T = 4.2 K and the self-field. Transport J c in the HIP wire reached 38 kAcm‑2 in a high magnetic field of 100 kOe. This value is almost twice larger than the previous highest value of J c among round wires using iron-based superconductors. Enhancement of J c in the wires and tapes was caused by improvement of the drawing process, which caused degradation of the core, formation of microcracks, weak links between grains, and random orientation of grains. Details of the effect of the improved fabrication processes on the J c are discussed.

Simulation of the cabling process for Rutherford cables: An advanced finite element model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabanes, J.; Garlasche, M.; Bordini, B.; Dallocchio, A.

2016-12-01

In all existing large particle accelerators (Tevatron, HERA, RHIC, LHC) the main superconducting magnets are based on Rutherford cables, which are characterized by having: strands fully transposed with respect to the magnetic field, a significant compaction that assures a large engineering critical current density and a geometry that allows efficient winding of the coils. The Nb3Sn magnets developed in the framework of the HL-LHC project for improving the luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are also based on Rutherford cables. Due to the characteristics of Nb3Sn wires, the cabling process has become a crucial step in the magnet manufacturing. During cabling the wires experience large plastic deformations that strongly modify the geometrical dimensions of the sub-elements constituting the superconducting strand. These deformations are particularly severe on the cable edges and can result in a significant reduction of the cable critical current as well as of the Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR) of the stabilizing copper. In order to understand the main parameters that rule the cabling process and their impact on the cable performance, CERN has developed a 3D Finite Element (FE) model based on the LS-Dyna® software that simulates the whole cabling process. In the paper the model is presented together with a comparison between experimental and numerical results for a copper cable produced at CERN.

Aspects technologiques d'un alternateur synchrone entièrement supraconducteur de 18 kVA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Védrine, P.; Brunet, Y.; Tixador, P.; Bonnet, P.; Laumond, Y.; Sabrié, J. L.

1991-02-01

Taking advantage of the recent development of low loss a.c. superconducting conductors, the realization of a fully superconducting generator is now possible. In collaboration with GEC-ALSTHOM we have first, in the CRTBT-LEG lab, defined the main characteristics of the machine and the technological problems induced by the use of superconducting wires both at the armature and the field windings. We have now constructed the first fully superconducting generator with separated cryostats, for the stator and rotor windings. Le faible niveau de pertes en régime alternatif obtenu dans des brins multifilamentaires NbTi produits par GEC-ALSTHOM, a permis à partir de 1984 d'envisager la réalisation d'un alternateur synchrone dont les deux enroulements, inducteur et induit, seraient supraconducteurs. Le travail entrepris au CRTBT-LEG en collaboration avec GEC-ALSTHOM a eu pour objectif de définir les caractéristiques de la machine, d'identifier puis de résoudre les problèmes technologiques liés aux conditions d'utilisation de ces supraconducteurs, afin de réaliser maintenant, le premier alternateur entièrement supraconducteur à axe horizontal avec des cryostats statorique et rotorique séparés.

Superconductor cable

DOEpatents

Allais, Arnaud [Hannover, DE; Schmidt, Frank [Langenhagen, DE

2009-12-15

A superconductor cable includes a superconductive cable core (1) and a cryostat (2) enclosing the same. The cable core (1) has a superconductive conductor (3), an insulation (4) surrounding the same and a shielding (5) surrounding the insulation (4). A layer (3b) of a dielectric or semiconducting material is applied to a central element (3a) formed from a normally conducting material as a strand or tube and a layer (3c) of at least one wire or strip of superconductive material is placed helically on top. The central element (3a) and the layer (3c) are connected to each other in an electrically conducting manner at the ends of the cable core (1).

Edge-mode superconductivity in a two-dimensional topological insulator.

PubMed

Pribiag, Vlad S; Beukman, Arjan J A; Qu, Fanming; Cassidy, Maja C; Charpentier, Christophe; Wegscheider, Werner; Kouwenhoven, Leo P

2015-07-01

Topological superconductivity is an exotic state of matter that supports Majorana zero-modes, which have been predicted to occur in the surface states of three-dimensional systems, in the edge states of two-dimensional systems, and in one-dimensional wires. Localized Majorana zero-modes obey non-Abelian exchange statistics, making them interesting building blocks for topological quantum computing. Here, we report superconductivity induced in the edge modes of semiconducting InAs/GaSb quantum wells, a two-dimensional topological insulator. Using superconducting quantum interference we demonstrate gate-tuning between edge-dominated and bulk-dominated regimes of superconducting transport. The edge-dominated regime arises only under conditions of high-bulk resistivity, which we associate with the two-dimensional topological phase. These experiments establish InAs/GaSb as a promising platform for the confinement of Majoranas into localized states, enabling future investigations of non-Abelian statistics.

Rapid and semi-analytical design and simulation of a toroidal magnet made with YBCO and MgB 2 superconductors

DOE PAGES

Dimitrov, I. K.; Zhang, X.; Solovyov, V. F.; ...

2015-07-07

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 the considerable filament size of these wires require the concomitant development of dedicated optimization methods that account for the critical current density in type-II superconductors. In this study, we report on the novel application and results of a CPU-efficient semianalytical computer code based on the Radia 3-D magnetostatics software package. Our algorithm is used to simulate andmore » optimize the energy density of a superconducting magnetic energy storage device model, based on design constraints, such as overall size and number of coils. The rapid performance of the code is pivoted on analytical calculations of the magnetic field based on an efficient implementation of the Biot-Savart law for a large variety of 3-D “base” geometries in the Radia package. The significantly reduced CPU time and simple data input in conjunction with the consideration of realistic input variables, such as material-specific, temperature, and magnetic-field-dependent critical current densities, have enabled the Radia-based algorithm to outperform finite-element approaches in CPU time at the same accuracy levels. Comparative simulations of MgB 2 and YBCO-based devices are performed at 4.2 K, in order to ascertain the realistic efficiency of the design configurations.« less

Characterization System of Multi-pixel Array TES Microcalorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimoto, Shota; Maehata, Keisuke; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Yamanaka, Yoshihiro; Sakai, Kazuhiro; Nagayoshi, Kenichiro; Yamamoto, Ryo; Hayashi, Tasuku; Muramatsu, Haruka

We have constructed characterization system for 64-pixel array transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter using a 3He-4He dilution refrigerator (DR) with the cooling power of 60 µW at a temperature of 100 mK. A stick equipped with 384 of Manganin wires was inserted into the refrigerator to perform characteristic measurements of 64-pixel array TES microcalorimeter and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) array amplifiers. The stick and Manganin wires were thermally anchored at temperatures of 4 and 1 K with sufficient thermal contact. The cold end of the Manganin wires were thermally anchored and connected to CuNi clad NbTi wires at 0.7 K anchor. Then CuNi clad NbTi wires were wired to connectors placed on the holder mounted on the cold stage attached to the base plate of the mixing chamber. The heat flow to the cold stage through the installed wires was estimated to be 0.15 µW. In the operation test the characterization system maintained temperature below 100 mK.

Superconducting light generator for large offshore wind turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanz, S.; Arlaban, T.; Manzanas, R.; Tropeano, M.; Funke, R.; Kováč, P.; Yang, Y.; Neumann, H.; Mondesert, B.

2014-05-01

Offshore wind market demands higher power rate and reliable turbines in order to optimize capital and operational cost. These requests are difficult to overcome with conventional generator technologies due to a significant weight and cost increase with the scaling up. Thus superconducting materials appears as a prominent solution for wind generators, based on their capacity to held high current densities with very small losses, which permits to efficiently replace copper conductors mainly in the rotor field coils. However the state-of-the-art superconducting generator concepts still seem to be expensive and technically challenging for the marine environment. This paper describes a 10 MW class novel direct drive superconducting generator, based on MgB2 wires and a modular cryogen free cooling system, which has been specifically designed for the offshore wind industry needs.

Asymmetric nanowire SQUID: Linear current-phase relation, stochastic switching, and symmetries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, A.; Bezryadin, A.

2017-09-01

We study nanostructures based on two ultrathin superconducting nanowires connected in parallel to form a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The measured function of the critical current versus magnetic field, IC(B ) , is multivalued, asymmetric, and its maxima and minima are shifted from the usual integer and half integer flux quantum points. We also propose a low-temperature-limit model which generates accurate fits to the IC(B ) functions and provides verifiable predictions. The key assumption of our model is that each wire is characterized by a sample-specific critical phase ϕC defined as the phase difference at which the supercurrent in the wire is the maximum. For our nanowires ϕC is much greater than the usual π /2 , which makes a qualitative difference in the behavior of the SQUID. The nanowire current-phase relation is assumed linear, since the wires are much longer than the coherence length. The model explains single-valuedness regions where only one vorticity value nv is stable. Also, it predicts regions where multiple vorticity values are stable because the Little-Parks (LP) diamonds, which describe the region of stability for each winding number nv in the current-field diagram, can overlap. We also observe and explain regions in which the standard deviation of the switching current is independent of the magnetic field. We develop a technique that allows a reliable detection of hidden phase slips and use it to determine the boundaries of the LP diamonds even at low currents where IC(B ) is not directly measurable.

Development of a Novel Method for the Exploration of the Thermal Response of Superfluid Helium Cooled Superconducting Cables to Pulse Heat Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winkler, T.; Koettig, T.; van Weelderen, R.; Bremer, J.; ter Brake, H. J. M.

Management of transient heat deposition in superconducting magnets and its extraction from the aforementioned is becoming increasingly important to bring high energy particle accelerator performance to higher beam energies and intensities. Precise knowledge of transient heat deposition phenomena in the magnet cables will permit to push the operation of these magnets as close as possible to their current sharing limit, without unduly provoking magnet quenches. With the prospect of operating the Large Hadron Collider at CERN at higher beam energies and intensities an investigation into the response to transient heat loads of LHC magnets, operating in pressurized superfluid helium, is being performed. The more frequently used approach mimics the cable geometry by resistive wires and uses Joule-heating to deposit energy. Instead, to approximate as closely as possible the real magnet conditions, a novel method for depositing heat in cable stacks made out of superconducting magnet-cables has been developed. The goal is to measure the temperature difference as a function of time between the cable stack and the superfluid helium bath depending on heat load and heat pulse length. The heat generation in the superconducting cable and precise measurement of small temperature differences are major challenges. The functional principle and experimental set-up are presented together with proof of principle measurements.

Near net shape processing of continuous lengths of superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Danyluk, Steven; McNallan, Michael; Troendly, Robert; Poeppel, Roger; Goretta, Kenneth; Lanagan, Michael

1997-01-01

A system and method for mechanically forming a ceramic superconductor product. A system for making the ceramic superconductor includes a metallic channel portion having a cross section for receiving a ceramic superconductor powder, a roll to mechanically reduce the channel cross section and included superconductor powder and a cap portion welded to the channel portion using a localized high energy source. The assembled bar is then mechanically reduced to form a tape or wire end product.

Shielded high-Tc bscco tapes or wires for high field applications

DOEpatents

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Lelovic, Milan; Eror, Nicholas G.

2002-01-01

A composite superconductor having an interior component of multiple filaments of superconducting Bi-2223 sheathed in a Ag or Ag alloy material, and a RE, TI or Hg based superconductor surrounding the interior component.

Shielded high-TC BSCCO tapes or wires for high field applications

DOEpatents

Balachandran, Uthamalingam; Lelovic, Milan; Eror, Nicholas G.

2001-01-01

A composite superconductor having an interior component of multiple filaments of superconducting Bi-2223 sheathed in a Ag or Ag alloy material, and a RE, TI or Hg based superconductor surrounding the interior component.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

Method for fabricating multi-strand superconducting cable

DOEpatents

Borden, A.R.

1985-04-01

Multi-strand superconducting cables adapted to be used, for example, to wind a magnet are fabricated by directing wire strands inwardly from spools disposed on the perimeter of a rotating disk and wrapping them diagonally around a tapered mandrel with a flattened cross-sectional shape with a core having a wedge-shaped channel. As the cable is pulled axially, flexibly coupled wedge-shaped pieces are continuously passed through the channel in the mandrel and inserted into the cable as an internal support therefor.

Apparatus and method for fabricating multi-strand superconducting cable

DOEpatents

Borden, Albert R.

1986-01-01

Multi-strand superconducting cables adapted to be used, for example, to wind a magnet is fabricated by directing wire strands inwardly from spools disposed on the perimeter of a rotating disk and wrapping them diagonally around a tapered mandrel with a flattened cross-sectional shape with a core having a wedge-shaped channel. As the cable is pulled axially, flexibly coupled wedge-shaped pieces are continuously passed through the channel in the mandrel and inserted into the cable as an internal support therefor.

Liquid Hydrogen Recirculation System for Forced Flow Cooling Test of Superconducting Conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Y.; Kainuma, T.; Shigeta, H.; Shiotsu, M.; Tatsumoto, H.; Naruo, Y.; Kobayashi, H.; Nonaka, S.; Inatani, Y.; Yoshinaga, S.

2017-12-01

The knowledge of forced flow heat transfer characteristics of liquid hydrogen (LH2) is important and necessary for design and cooling analysis of high critical temperature superconducting devices. However, there are few test facilities available for LH2 forced flow cooling for superconductors. A test system to provide a LH2 forced flow (∼10 m/s) of a short period (less than 100 s) has been developed. The test system was composed of two LH2 tanks connected by a transfer line with a controllable valve, in which the forced flow rate and its period were limited by the storage capacity of tanks. In this paper, a liquid hydrogen recirculation system, which was designed and fabricated in order to study characteristics of superconducting cables in a stable forced flow of liquid hydrogen for longer period, was described. This LH2 loop system consists of a centrifugal pump with dynamic gas bearings, a heat exchanger which is immersed in a liquid hydrogen tank, and a buffer tank where a test section (superconducting wires or cables) is set. The buffer tank has LHe cooled superconducting magnet which can produce an external magnetic field (up to 7T) at the test section. A performance test was conducted. The maximum flow rate was 43.7 g/s. The lowest temperature was 22.5 K. It was confirmed that the liquid hydrogen can stably circulate for 7 hours.

GLAG theory for superconducting property variations with A15 composition in Nb3Sn wires.

PubMed

Li, Yingxu; Gao, Yuanwen

2017-04-25

We present a model for the variation of the upper critical field H c2 with Sn content in A15-type Nb-Sn wires, within the Ginzburg-Landau-Abrikosov-Gor'kov (GLAG) theory frame. H c2 at the vicinity of the critical temperature T c is related quantitatively to the electrical resistivity ρ, specific heat capacity coefficient γ and T c . H c2 versus tin content is theoretically formulated within the GLAG theory, and generally reproduces the experiment results. As Sn content gradually approaches the stoichiometry, A15-type Nb-Sn undergoes a transition from the dirty limit to clean limit, split by the phase transformation boundary. The H-T phase boundary and pinning force show different behaviors in the cubic and tetragonal phase. We dipict the dependence of the composition gradient on the superconducting properties variation in the A15 layer, as well as the curved tail at vicinity of H c2 in the Kramer plot of the Nb 3 Sn wire. This helps understanding of the inhomogeneous-composition inducing discrepancy between the results by the state-of-art scaling laws and experiments.

A method for building low loss multi-layer wiring for superconducting microwave devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunsworth, A.; Barends, R.; Chen, Yu; Chen, Zijun; Chiaro, B.; Fowler, A.; Foxen, B.; Jeffrey, E.; Kelly, J.; Klimov, P. V.; Lucero, E.; Mutus, J. Y.; Neeley, M.; Neill, C.; Quintana, C.; Roushan, P.; Sank, D.; Vainsencher, A.; Wenner, J.; White, T. C.; Neven, H.; Martinis, John M.; Megrant, A.

2018-02-01

Complex integrated circuits require multiple wiring layers. In complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor processing, these layers are robustly separated by amorphous dielectrics. These dielectrics would dominate energy loss in superconducting integrated circuits. Here, we describe a procedure that capitalizes on the structural benefits of inter-layer dielectrics during fabrication and mitigates the added loss. We use a deposited inter-layer dielectric throughout fabrication and then etch it away post-fabrication. This technique is compatible with foundry level processing and can be generalized to make many different forms of low-loss wiring. We use this technique to create freestanding aluminum vacuum gap crossovers (airbridges). We characterize the added capacitive loss of these airbridges by connecting ground planes over microwave frequency λ/4 coplanar waveguide resonators and measuring resonator loss. We measure a low power resonator loss of ˜3.9 × 10-8 per bridge, which is 100 times lower than that of dielectric supported bridges. We further characterize these airbridges as crossovers, control line jumpers, and as part of a coupling network in gmon and fluxmon qubits. We measure qubit characteristic lifetimes (T1s) in excess of 30 μs in gmon devices.

FINAL REPORT. DOE Grant Award Number DE-SC0004062

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chiesa, Luisa

With the support of the DOE-OFES Early Career Award and the Tufts startup support the PI has developed experimental and analytical expertise on the electromechanical characterization of Low Temperature Superconductor (LTS) and High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) for high magnetic field applications. These superconducting wires and cables are used in fusion and high-energy physics magnet applications. In a short period of time, the PI has built a laboratory and research group with unique capabilities that include both experimental and numerical modeling effort to improve the design and performance of superconducting cables and magnets. All the projects in the PI’s laboratory exploremore » the fundamental electromechanical behavior of superconductors but the types of materials, geometries and operating conditions are chosen to be directly relevant to real machines, in particular fusion machines like ITER.« less

Flux-pinning and inhomogeneity in MgB 2 /Fe wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husnjak, O.; Babić, E.; Kušević, I.; Wang, X. L.; Soltanian, S.; Dou, S. X.

2007-08-01

Transport critical current densities Jc and irreversibility fields B of undoped and nanoparticle doped (10 wt% SiC) Fe-sheathed MgB 2 wires were measured from 2 to 40 K in magnetic field B≤16 T. For the best segments of wires (≤1 cm) both the magnitude and field variations of Jc and the pinning force density Fp=JcB depend only on the magnitude of B, hence the strength of flux-pinning. B of doped wire for T≤30 K is ˜1.4 times larger than that of undoped and reaches that of NbTi (10 T at 4.2 K) already at 20 K. Accordingly, its high-field Jcs and Fps are large, typically three times larger than the best literature results, and are limited by the porosity and inhomogeneity of the superconducting cores in present-day MgB 2 wires.

NASA superconducting magnetic mirror facility. [for thermonuclear research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, J. J.; Swanson, M. C.; Nichols, C. R.; Bloy, S. J.; Nagy, L. A.; Brady, F. J.

1973-01-01

The design details and initial test results of a superconducting magnetic mirror facility that has been constructed at NASA Lewis Research Center for use in thermonuclear research are summarized. The magnet system consists of four solenoidal coils which are individually rated at 5.0 T. Each coll is composed of an inner, middle, and outer winding. The inner winding is wound of stabilized Nb3Sn superconducting ribbon, and the middle and outer windings are wound of stabilized Nb-Ti superconducting wire. When arranged in the mirror geometry, the four coils will produce 8.7 T at the mirrors and a 1.8 mirror ratio. The magnet has a 41-cm diameter clear bore which is open to atmosphere. Distance between the mirrors is 111 cm. Presently there are only three magnets in the facility; the fourth magnet is being rebuilt.

NASA superconducting magnetic mirror facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinmann, J. J.; Swanson, M. C.; Nichols, C. R.; Obloy, S. J.; Nagy, L. A.; Brady, F. J.

1973-01-01

This report summarizes the design details and initial test results of a superconducting magnetic mirror facility that has been constructed at NASA Lewis Research Center for use in thermonuclear research. The magnet system consists of four solenoidal coils which are individually rated at 5.0 T. Each coil is composed of an inner, middle, and outer winding. The inner winding is wound of stabilized Nb3SN superconducting ribbon, and the middle and outer windings are wound of stabilized Nb-Ti superconducting wire. When arranged in the mirror geometry, the four coils will produce 8.7 T at the mirrors and a 1.8 mirror ratio. The magnet has a 41-cm diameter clear bore which is open to atmosphere. Distance between the mirrors is 111 cm. Presently there are only three magnets in the facility; the fourth magnet is being rebuilt.

Flux transformers made of commercial high critical temperature superconducting wires.

PubMed

Dyvorne, H; Scola, J; Fermon, C; Jacquinot, J F; Pannetier-Lecoeur, M

2008-02-01

We have designed flux transformers made of commercial BiSCCO tapes closed by soldering with normal metal. The magnetic field transfer function of the flux transformer was calculated as a function of the resistance of the soldered contacts. The performances of different kinds of wires were investigated for signal delocalization and gradiometry. We also estimated the noise introduced by the resistance and showed that the flux transformer can be used efficiently for weak magnetic field detection down to 1 Hz.

Near net shape processing of continuous lengths of superconducting wire

DOEpatents

Danyluk, S.; McNallan, M.; Troendly, R.; Poeppel, R.; Goretta, K.; Lanagan, M.

1997-08-26

A system and method for mechanically forming a ceramic superconductor product are disclosed. A system for making the ceramic superconductor includes a metallic channel portion having a cross section for receiving a ceramic superconductor powder, a roll to mechanically reduce the channel cross section and included superconductor powder and a cap portion welded to the channel portion using a localized high energy source. The assembled bar is then mechanically reduced to form a tape or wire end product. 9 figs.

Experimental results from an X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer utilizing multi-wire proportional counter for KSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, S. G., E-mail: sglee@nfri.re.kr; Kim, Y. S.; Yoo, J. W.

2016-11-15

The inconsistency of the first experimental results from the X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research device utilizing a multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) is clarified after improving the photon-count rate of the data acquisition system for the MWPC and ground loop isolator for the whole spectrometer system. The improved MWPC is successfully applied to pure Ohmic plasmas as well as plasmas with high confinement modes.

Fabrication of multifilamentary Nb/sub 3/(Al,Ge) wires through a modified jelly roll process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tachikawa, K.; Kamisada, Y.; Suzuki, E.

Recently, development of Nb/sub 3/Al multifilamentary wires has gained much interests since high-field performance superior to that of Nb/sub 3/Sn can be expected in these wires. In this study, Nb/Al-Ge alloy composites were fabricated into multifilamentary wires through a modified jelly roll (MJR) process. A Nb mesh sheet produced at the Teledyne Wah Chang Co. was used as Nb component. An Al-Ge alloy prepared by a conventional casting process was forged and rolled into a sheet of 0.2 mm in thickness. The Nb/Al-Ge composite was prepared by wrapping the Nb mesh sheet together with the Al-Ge alloy sheet around amore » Nb core into a jelly roll form. The MJR composite was encased in a Cu-Ni alloy tube of which outer diameter was 43 mm. The resulting composite was hydrostatically pressed and extruded into a rod of 18 mm in diameter. A Nb barrier was then inserted between the MJR and the Cu-Ni jacket. The composite rod was swaged and drawn into a wire without any intermediate annealing. The wire was able to be drawn down to a very small diameter of 0.1 mm. The cross-sectional configuration of the MJR composite was not much disturbed by the fabrication. Superconducting transition temperature Tc of the wire, after different heat treatment including a rapid quenching from high temperatures by a continuous electron beam irradiation, was studied, and an onset Tc of 19.3K has been achieved.« less

Probing transport mechanisms of BaFe₂As₂ superconducting films and grain boundary junctions by noise spectroscopy.

PubMed

Barone, C; Romeo, F; Pagano, S; Adamo, M; Nappi, C; Sarnelli, E; Kurth, F; Iida, K

2014-08-22

An important step forward for the understanding of high-temperature superconductivity has been the discovery of iron-based superconductors. Among these compounds, iron pnictides could be used for high-field magnet applications, resulting more advantageous over conventional superconductors, due to a high upper critical field as well as its low anisotropy at low temperatures. However, the principal obstacle in fabricating high quality superconducting wires and tapes is given by grain boundaries. In order to study these effects, the dc transport and voltage-noise properties of Co-doped BaFe₂As₂ superconducting films with artificial grain boundary junctions have been investigated. A specific procedure allows the separation of the film noise from that of the junction. While the former shows a standard 1/f behaviour, the latter is characterized by an unconventional temperature-dependent multi-Lorentzian voltage-spectral density. Moreover, below the film superconducting critical temperature, a peculiar noise spectrum is found for the grain boundary junction. Possible theoretical interpretation of these phenomena is proposed.

Coherent quantum phase slip.

PubMed

Astafiev, O V; Ioffe, L B; Kafanov, S; Pashkin, Yu A; Arutyunov, K Yu; Shahar, D; Cohen, O; Tsai, J S

2012-04-18

A hundred years after the discovery of superconductivity, one fundamental prediction of the theory, coherent quantum phase slip (CQPS), has not been observed. CQPS is a phenomenon exactly dual to the Josephson effect; whereas the latter is a coherent transfer of charges between superconducting leads, the former is a coherent transfer of vortices or fluxes across a superconducting wire. In contrast to previously reported observations of incoherent phase slip, CQPS has been only a subject of theoretical study. Its experimental demonstration is made difficult by quasiparticle dissipation due to gapless excitations in nanowires or in vortex cores. This difficulty might be overcome by using certain strongly disordered superconductors near the superconductor-insulator transition. Here we report direct observation of CQPS in a narrow segment of a superconducting loop made of strongly disordered indium oxide; the effect is made manifest through the superposition of quantum states with different numbers of flux quanta. As with the Josephson effect, our observation should lead to new applications in superconducting electronics and quantum metrology.

Design of a conduction-cooled 4 T superconducting racetrack for a multi-field coupling measurement system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yu-Quan; Ma, Li-Zhen; Wu, Wei; Guan, Ming-Zhi; Wu, Bei-Min; Mei, En-Ming; Xin, Can-Jie

2015-12-01

A conduction-cooled superconducting magnet producing a transverse field of 4 T has been designed for a new generation multi-field coupling measurement system, which will be used to study the mechanical behavior of superconducting samples at cryogenic temperatures and intense magnetic fields. A compact cryostat with a two-stage GM cryocooler is designed and manufactured for the superconducting magnet. The magnet is composed of a pair of flat racetrack coils wound by NbTi/Cu superconducting composite wires, a copper and stainless steel combinational former and two Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy superconducting current leads. The two coils are connected in series and can be powered with a single power supply. In order to support the high stress and attain uniform thermal distribution in the superconducting magnet, a detailed finite element (FE) analysis has been performed. The results indicate that in the operating status the designed magnet system can sufficiently bear the electromagnetic forces and has a uniform temperature distribution. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11327802, 11302225), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2014M560820) and National Scholarship Foundation of China (201404910172)

Lightweight MgB2 superconducting 10 MW wind generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marino, I.; Pujana, A.; Sarmiento, G.; Sanz, S.; Merino, J. M.; Tropeano, M.; Sun, J.; Canosa, T.

2016-02-01

The offshore wind market demands a higher power rate and more reliable turbines in order to optimize capital and operational costs. The state-of-the-art shows that both geared and direct-drive conventional generators are difficult to scale up to 10 MW and beyond due to their huge size and weight. Superconducting direct-drive wind generators are considered a promising solution to achieve lighter weight machines. This work presents an innovative 10 MW 8.1 rpm direct-drive partial superconducting generator using MgB2 wire for the field coils. It has a warm iron rotor configuration with the superconducting coils working at 20 K while the rotor core and the armature are at ambient temperature. A cooling system based on cryocoolers installed in the rotor extracts the heat from the superconducting coils by conduction. The generator's main parameters are compared against a permanent magnet reference machine, showing a significant weight and size reduction. The 10 MW superconducting generator concept will be experimentally validated with a small-scale magnetic machine, which has innovative components such as superconducting coils, modular cryostats and cooling systems, and will have similar size and characteristics as the 10 MW generator.

Accelerating the introduction of HTS products for a broad range of electric power and industrial applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eaton, Russell

2002-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE), as part of its Superconductivity Program for Electric Systems, is successfully pursuing the development of electric power and industrial devices, incorporating significant high-temperature superconducting (HTS) components or subsystems, through its innovative Superconducting Partnership Initiative (SPI). The objective of the SPI is to accelerate the commercial introduction of the HTS products for a broad range of electric power and industrial applications. DOE's approach to accomplishing the SPI objective is to support cost shared projects carried out by industry led teams. DOE will fund projects to develop HTS devices that are either in (1) the research and development stage (Phase 1), (2) the pre-commercialization stage (Phase II), or (3) the commercial entry stage (Phase III). DOE's industry partners must contribute at least half a project's costs. These teams will include capabilities needed to develop the device as well as to develop the business plan for the commercial product introduction. DOE's partners consist of vertically integrated teams consisting of equipment manufacturers, HTS wire and coil suppliers, national laboratories, and end users, primarily utilities. These partners carry out the multi-year technology development efforts, consisting generally of design, construction, and testing of the HTS system. Finally, commercialization of HTS products will be discussed primarily in terms of benefits these products will have over competing products based upon conventional conductors and the critical need for affordable, practical HTS materials and conductors for these applications. .

Selected papers from the 11th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (EUCAS 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdeghini, Carlo; Putti, Marina

2014-04-01

The 11th edition of the European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (EUCAS) was held in Genoa (15-19 September 2013) and registered the participation of more than one thousand attendants from over 40 countries. During the conference seven plenary lectures, 23 invited, and 203 oral contributions and 550 posters have been presented, all focused on recent developments in the field of superconductivity applications. This issue of Superconductor Science Technology is a collection of some of the plenary and invited contributions. Moreover, the winners of the EUCAS prizes (the electronics prize dedicated to the memory of Antonio Barone), and the most significant oral contributions selected by the 125 chairs involved in the organization, have been invited to submit their papers. The remaining papers presented at the conference will be published in the Journal Physics Conference Series, edited by S Farinon, G Lamura, A Malagoli and I Pallecchi. The papers have been organized into the four traditional topics of interest of EUCAS, namely materials, wires and tapes, large scale applications, and electronics. The plenary lectures on these four topics have been collected: Potential of iron-based superconductors for practical materials in the future (J Shimoyama), Coated conductors for power applications: materials challenges (J Obradors), Challenges and status of ITER conductor production (A Devred), and the Impact of superconducting devices in imaging in neuroscience (G L Romani). We hope that this issue will let you taste the flavours, hear the sounds and see the colours of this exciting EUCAS edition. The very large participation in EUCAS 2013 has allowed debates on a wide range of topics, starting from the most basic studies on emergent materials up to the new developments in electronics and large scale applications. A round table on HTS Conductors was experimented for the first time gathering material scientists, wire manufacturers and device builders in a stimulating, broad and overcrowded discussion. We believe that this volume will also provide a useful update on the state of the art in the applications of superconductivity. We would like to conclude by thanking the various committees for their great contribution to the organization of EUCAS 2013: the International Advisory Board for the choice of plenary speakers, the Program Committee (and, in particular, the program co- chairs G Balestrino, G Grasso, P Fabbricatore, and S Pagano) which took the full load of the scientific program definition, and, especially, the members of the Local Organizing Committee that, with their enthusiastic support, have allowed us to carry out this successful EUCAS 2013 edition.

Magnetic and superconducting nanowires.

PubMed

Piraux, L; Encinas, A; Vila, L; Mátéfi-Tempfli, S; Mátéfi-Tempfli, M; Darques, M; Elhoussine, F; Michotte, S

2005-03-01

This article is focused on the use of electrodeposition and of various nanoporous templates for the fabrication of metallic nanowires made from single metals (Ni, Co, Pb, Sn), alloys (NiFe, CoFe, CoPt), and multilayers (Co/Cu, NiFe/Cu). An overview is given of our recent studies performed on both magnetic and superconducting nanowires. Using different approaches entailing measurements on both single wires and arrays, numerous interesting physical properties have been identified in relation to the nanoscopic dimensions of these materials. Finally, various novel applications of the nanowires are also discussed.

High-Tc thermal bridges for space-borne cryogenic infrared detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wise, S. A.; Buckley, J. D.; Nolt, I.; Hooker, M. W.; Haertling, G. H.; Selim, R.; Caton, R.; Buoncristiani, A. M.

1993-01-01

The potential for using high-temperature superconductive elements, screen-printed onto ceramic substrates, as thermal bridges to replace the currently employed manganin wires is studied at NASA-LaRC. Substrate selection is considered to be the most critical parameter in device production. Due to the glass-like thermal behavior of yttria-stabilized-zirconia (YSZ) and fused silica substrates, these materials are found to reduce the heat load significantly. The estimated thermal savings for superconductive leads printed onto YSZ or fused silica substrates range from 6 to 14 percent.

Magnesium doping of boron nitride nanotubes

DOEpatents

Legg, Robert; Jordan, Kevin

2015-06-16

A method to fabricate boron nitride nanotubes incorporating magnesium diboride in their structure. In a first embodiment, magnesium wire is introduced into a reaction feed bundle during a BNNT fabrication process. In a second embodiment, magnesium in powder form is mixed into a nitrogen gas flow during the BNNT fabrication process. MgB.sub.2 yarn may be used for superconducting applications and, in that capacity, has considerably less susceptibility to stress and has considerably better thermal conductivity than these conventional materials when compared to both conventional low and high temperature superconducting materials.

Decaying spectral oscillations in a Majorana wire with finite coherence length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleckenstein, C.; Domínguez, F.; Traverso Ziani, N.; Trauzettel, B.

2018-04-01

Motivated by recent experiments, we investigate the excitation energy of a proximitized Rashba wire in the presence of a position dependent pairing. In particular, we focus on the spectroscopic pattern produced by the overlap between two Majorana bound states that appear for values of the Zeeman field smaller than the value necessary for reaching the bulk topological superconducting phase. The two Majorana bound states can arise because locally the wire is in the topological regime. We find three parameter ranges with different spectral properties: crossings, anticrossings, and asymptotic reduction of the energy as a function of the applied Zeeman field. Interestingly, all these cases have already been observed experimentally. Moreover, since an increment of the magnetic field implies the increase of the distance between the Majorana bound states, the amplitude of the energy oscillations, when present, gets reduced. The existence of the different Majorana scenarios crucially relies on the fact that the two Majorana bound states have distinct k -space structures. We develop analytical models that clearly explain the microscopic origin of the predicted behavior.

Deterministic phase slips in mesoscopic superconducting rings

PubMed Central

Petković, I.; Lollo, A.; Glazman, L. I.; Harris, J. G. E.

2016-01-01

The properties of one-dimensional superconductors are strongly influenced by topological fluctuations of the order parameter, known as phase slips, which cause the decay of persistent current in superconducting rings and the appearance of resistance in superconducting wires. Despite extensive work, quantitative studies of phase slips have been limited by uncertainty regarding the order parameter's free-energy landscape. Here we show detailed agreement between measurements of the persistent current in isolated flux-biased rings and Ginzburg–Landau theory over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field and ring size; this agreement provides a quantitative picture of the free-energy landscape. We also demonstrate that phase slips occur deterministically as the barrier separating two competing order parameter configurations vanishes. These results will enable studies of quantum and thermal phase slips in a well-characterized system and will provide access to outstanding questions regarding the nature of one-dimensional superconductivity. PMID:27882924

Deterministic phase slips in mesoscopic superconducting rings.

PubMed

Petković, I; Lollo, A; Glazman, L I; Harris, J G E

2016-11-24

The properties of one-dimensional superconductors are strongly influenced by topological fluctuations of the order parameter, known as phase slips, which cause the decay of persistent current in superconducting rings and the appearance of resistance in superconducting wires. Despite extensive work, quantitative studies of phase slips have been limited by uncertainty regarding the order parameter's free-energy landscape. Here we show detailed agreement between measurements of the persistent current in isolated flux-biased rings and Ginzburg-Landau theory over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field and ring size; this agreement provides a quantitative picture of the free-energy landscape. We also demonstrate that phase slips occur deterministically as the barrier separating two competing order parameter configurations vanishes. These results will enable studies of quantum and thermal phase slips in a well-characterized system and will provide access to outstanding questions regarding the nature of one-dimensional superconductivity.

Superconducting magnets for traveling-wave maser application. Technical documentary report, Oct 1960--Mar 1962

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okwit, S.; Siegel, K.; Smith, J.G.

1962-09-01

Results of an investigation to determine the feasibility of incorporating superconducting magnet techniques in the design of traveling-wave maser systems are reported. Several different types of magnet configurations were investigated: isomagnets, Helmholtz coils, modified Helmholtz coils, air-core solenoids, and magnetic end-loaded air-core solenoids. The magnetic end-loaded air-core solenoid was found to be the best configuration for the S-band maser under consideration. This technique yielded relatively large regions of field homogeneity with relatively small aspect ratios (length of solenoid/diameter of solenoid). Several small-scale models of full-length superconducting magnets and foreshortened end-loaded superconducting magnets were constructed using un-annealed niobium wire. Measurements havemore » shown that these magnets were adequate for traveling-wave maser applications that require magnetic fields up to 2,200 G and marginal for magnetic fields up to 2,500 G.« less

Study of the electromagnetic characteristics of multiple HTSPPT modules based on the configuration of toroidal structure for inductive pulsed power supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Cunshan; Zheng, Xinxin; Li, Haitao; Li, Zhenmei; Zhang, Tao; Jiao, Can

2018-04-01

High temperature superconducting pulsed power transformer (HTSPPT) is an important device for pulsed power supplies. It consists of a superconducting primary and a normal conducting secondary, which is used for energy storage and current amplification. The critical current density, the energy storage, and the coupling coefficient are three main performance indexes. They are affected by the geometry parameters of HTSPPT modules, such as the height and the width of the superconducting coils. In addition, the hoop stress of the HTSPPT coils is limited by the maximum tensile strength of high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. In this paper, Bi-2223/Ag HTS tapes are selected as the wire of primary inductor and the toroidal structure model is selected for multiple HTSPPT modules. The relationships between the geometry parameters of HTSPPT modules and the electrical performance are studied.

Superconducting Properties in Arrays of Nanostructured β-Gallium

DOE PAGES

Moura, K. O.; Pirate, K. R.; Beron, F.; ...

2017-11-10

Samples of nanostructured β-Ga wires were synthesized by a novel method of metallic-flux nanonucleation. Several superconducting properties were observed, revealing the stabilization of a weak-coupling type-II-like superconductor (T c≈ 6.2 K) with a Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ GL = 1.18. This contrasts the type-I superconductivity observed for the majority of Ga phases, including small spheres of β-Ga with diameters near 15 μm. Remarkably, our magnetization curves reveal a crossover field H D, where we propose that the Abrikosov vortices are exactly touching their neighbors inside the Ga nanowires. A phenomenological model is proposed to explain this result by assuming that onlymore » a single row of vortices is allowed inside a nanowire under perpendicular applied field, with an appreciable depletion of Cooper pair density at the nanowire edges. Lastly, these results are expected to shed light on the growing area of superconductivity in nanostructured materials.« less

High-temperature superconducting undulator magnets

DOE PAGES

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Kasa, Matthew; Ivanyushenkov, Yury; ...

2017-02-13

Here, this paper presents test results on a prototype superconducting undulator magnet fabricated using 15% Zr-doped rare-earth barium copper oxide high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. On an 11-pole magnet we demonstrate an engineering current density, J e, of more than 2.1 kA mm -2 at 4.2 K, a value that is 40% higher than reached in comparable devices wound with NbTi-wire, which is used in all currently operating superconducting undulators. A novel winding scheme enabling the continuous winding of tape-shaped conductors into the intricate undulator magnets as well as a partial interlayer insulation procedure were essential in reaching this advancemore » in performance. Currently, there are rapid advances in the performance of HTS; therefore, achieving even higher current densities in an undulator structure or/and operating it at temperatures higher than 4.2 K will be possible, which would substantially simplify the cryogenic design and reduce overall costs.« less

Deterministic phase slips in mesoscopic superconducting rings

DOE PAGES

Petković, Ivana; Lollo, A.; Glazman, L. I.; ...

2016-11-24

The properties of one-dimensional superconductors are strongly influenced by topological fluctuations of the order parameter, known as phase slips, which cause the decay of persistent current in superconducting rings and the appearance of resistance in superconducting wires. Despite extensive work, quantitative studies of phase slips have been limited by uncertainty regarding the order parameter’s free-energy landscape. Here we show detailed agreement between measurements of the persistent current in isolated flux-biased rings and Ginzburg–Landau theory over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field and ring size; this agreement provides a quantitative picture of the free-energy landscape. Furthermore, we also demonstrate thatmore » phase slips occur deterministically as the barrier separating two competing order parameter configurations vanishes. These results will enable studies of quantum and thermal phase slips in a well-characterized system and will provide access to outstanding questions regarding the nature of one-dimensional superconductivity.« less

Development of 66 kV class REBCO superconducting cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohya, M.; Masuda, T.; Amemiya, N.; Ishiyama, A.; Ohkuma, T.

Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) has been involved in the development of 66 kV/5 kA-class HTS cables using REBCO wires. One of the technical targets was to reduce the AC loss to less than 2 W/m/phase at 5 kA. SEI developed a clad-type textured metal substrate with lower magnetization loss than NiW substrates. REBCO wires of 30 mm wide were slit into 4 mm-wide strips, and these strips were wound spirally on a former with small gaps. The measured AC loss of the manufactured cable was 1.8 W/m/phase at 5 kA, achieving the AC loss goal. Another important target was to manage fault current. The copper protection layers were designed based on simulation findings. Fault current tests (max. 31.5 kA, 2 sec) showed that the designed HTS cable has the required withstanding performance. The development of the elemental technologies was finished on schedule, and a 15 m-long HTS cable system will be constructed to demonstrate that it meets all the required specifications.

Application of superconducting coils to the NASA prototype magnetic balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haldeman, C. W.; Kraemer, R. A.; Phey, S. W.; Alishahi, M. M.; Covert, E. E.

1981-01-01

Application of superconducting coils to a general purpose magnetic balance was studied. The most suitable currently available superconducting cable for coils appears to be a bundle of many fine wires which are transposed and are mechanically confined. Sample coils were tested at central fields up to .5 Tesla, slewing rates up to 53 Tesla/ sec and frequencies up to 30 Hz. The ac losses were measured from helium boil-off and were approximately 20% higher than those calculated. Losses were dominated by hysteresis and a model for loss calculation which appears suitable for design purposes is presented along with computer listings. Combinations of two coils were also tested and interaction losses are reported. Two feasible geometries are also presented for prototype magnetic balance using superconductors.

Andreev spectrum with high spin-orbit interactions: Revealing spin splitting and topologically protected crossings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murani, A.; Chepelianskii, A.; Guéron, S.; Bouchiat, H.

2017-10-01

In order to point out experimentally accessible signatures of spin-orbit interaction, we investigate numerically the Andreev spectrum of a multichannel mesoscopic quantum wire (N) with high spin-orbit interaction coupled to superconducting electrodes (S), contrasting topological and nontopological behaviors. In the nontopological case (square lattice with Rashba interactions), we find that the Kramers degeneracy of Andreev levels is lifted by a phase difference between the S reservoirs except at multiples of π , when the normal quantum wires can host several conduction channels. The level crossings at these points invariant by time-reversal symmetry are not lifted by disorder. Whereas the dc Josephson current is insensitive to these level crossings, the high-frequency admittance (susceptibility) at finite temperature reveals these level crossings and the lifting of their degeneracy at π by a small Zeeman field. We have also investigated the hexagonal lattice with intrinsic spin-orbit interaction in the range of parameters where it is a two-dimensional topological insulator with one-dimensional helical edges protected against disorder. Nontopological superconducting contacts can induce topological superconductivity in this system characterized by zero-energy level crossing of Andreev levels. Both Josephson current and finite-frequency admittance carry then very specific signatures at low temperature of this disorder-protected Andreev level crossing at π and zero energy.

Strain control of composite superconductors to prevent degradation of superconducting magnets due to a quench: I. Ag/Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x multifilament round wires

DOE PAGES

Ye, Liyang; Li, Pei; Jaroszynski, Jan; ...

2016-12-01

The critical current of many practical superconductors is sensitive to strain, and this sensitivity is exacerbated during a quench that induces a peak local strain which can be fatal to superconducting magnets. Here, a new method is introduced to quantify the influence of the conductor stress and strain state during normal operation on the margin to degradation during a quench, as measured by the maximum allowable hot spot temperature T allowable, for composite wires within superconducting magnets. The first conductor examined is Ag-sheathed Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x round wire carrying high engineering critical current density, J E, of 550more » A mm -2 at 4.2 K and 15 T. The critical axial tensile stress of this conductor is determined to be 150 MPa and, in the absence of Lorentz forces, T allowable is greater than 450 K. With increasing axial tensile stress, σ a, however, T allowable decreases nonlinearly, dropping to 280 K for σ a = 120 MPa and to 160 K for σ a = 145 MPa. T allowable(σ a) is shown to be nonlinear and independent of magnetic field from 15 to 30 T. T allowable(σ a) dictates the balance between magnetic field generation, which increases with the magnet operating current and stress, and the safety margin, which decreases with decreasing T allowable, and therefore has important engineering value. Lastly, it is also shown that T allowable(σ a) can be predicted accurately by a general strain model, showing that strain control is the key to preventing degradation of superconductors during a quench.« less

A 1 kA-class cryogen-free critical current characterization system for superconducting coated conductors.

PubMed

Strickland, N M; Hoffmann, C; Wimbush, S C

2014-11-01

A cryogenic electrical transport measurement system is described that is particularly designed to meet the requirements for routine and effective characterization of commercial second generation high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires in the form of coated conductors based on YBa2Cu3O7. Specific design parameters include a base temperature of 20 K, an applied magnetic field capability of 8 T (provided by a HTS split-coil magnet), and a measurement current capacity approaching 1 kA. The system accommodates samples up to 12 mm in width (the widest conductor size presently commercially available) and 40 mm long, although this is not a limiting size. The sample is able to be rotated freely with respect to the magnetic field direction about an axis parallel to the current flow, producing field angle variations in the standard maximum Lorentz force configuration. The system is completely free of liquid cryogens for both sample cooling and magnet cool-down and operation. Software enables the system to conduct a full characterization of the temperature, magnetic field, and field angle dependence of the critical current of a sample without any user interaction. The system has successfully been used to measure a wide range of experimental and commercially-available superconducting wire samples sourced from different manufacturers across the full range of operating conditions. The system encapsulates significant advances in HTS magnet design and efficient cryogen-free cooling technologies together with the capability for routine and automated high-current electrical transport measurements at cryogenic temperatures. It will be of interest to both research scientists investigating superconductor behavior and commercial wire manufacturers seeking to accurately characterize the performance of their product under all desired operating conditions.

Strain control of composite superconductors to prevent degradation of superconducting magnets due to a quench: I. Ag/Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x multifilament round wires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ye, Liyang; Li, Pei; Jaroszynski, Jan

The critical current of many practical superconductors is sensitive to strain, and this sensitivity is exacerbated during a quench that induces a peak local strain which can be fatal to superconducting magnets. Here, a new method is introduced to quantify the influence of the conductor stress and strain state during normal operation on the margin to degradation during a quench, as measured by the maximum allowable hot spot temperature T allowable, for composite wires within superconducting magnets. The first conductor examined is Ag-sheathed Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x round wire carrying high engineering critical current density, J E, of 550more » A mm -2 at 4.2 K and 15 T. The critical axial tensile stress of this conductor is determined to be 150 MPa and, in the absence of Lorentz forces, T allowable is greater than 450 K. With increasing axial tensile stress, σ a, however, T allowable decreases nonlinearly, dropping to 280 K for σ a = 120 MPa and to 160 K for σ a = 145 MPa. T allowable(σ a) is shown to be nonlinear and independent of magnetic field from 15 to 30 T. T allowable(σ a) dictates the balance between magnetic field generation, which increases with the magnet operating current and stress, and the safety margin, which decreases with decreasing T allowable, and therefore has important engineering value. Lastly, it is also shown that T allowable(σ a) can be predicted accurately by a general strain model, showing that strain control is the key to preventing degradation of superconductors during a quench.« less

First steps towards small arrays of Mo/Au microcalorimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, J.; Kirk, E. C.; Thomsen, K.; van den Brandt, B.; Lerch, Ph; Scandella, L.; Zehnder, A.; Mango, S.; Ott, H. R.; Huber, M.; Hilton, G. C.; Martinis, J. M.

2000-04-01

We are developing small arrays of microcalorimeters based on transition edge sensors made with Mo/Au bilayers deposited on silicon nitride membranes and Au absorbers. The superconducting transition of the bilayers is adjusted to be around 130 mK with a transition width better than a millikelvin by use of the proximity effect between the Au and Mo films. We built a dilution refrigerator and wired it for 2 channel operation in order to study thermal coupling issues between thermometers within the array. The device fabrication procedure as well as preliminary results are presented.

Quantitative correlation between the void morphology of niobium-tin wires and their irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading

DOE PAGES

Barth, Christian; Seeber, B.; Rack, A.; ...

2018-04-26

Understanding the critical current performance variation of Nb 3Sn superconducting wires under mechanical loading is a crucial issue for the design of next generation accelerator and fusion magnets. In these applications, the mechanical properties of the conductors may become a limiting factor due to the strong electro-magnetic forces resulting from the combination of large magnets and intense magnetic fields. In particular, the presence of voids in the superconducting filament structure, which are formed during the fabrication and the reaction heat treatment, determines localized stress concentrations and possibly the formation of cracks. In this work, we demonstrate a quantitative correlation betweenmore » the void morphology and the electro-mechanical limits measured on different Bronze route Nb 3Sn wires. Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) prior to the reaction heat treatment is utilized to partially eliminate the voids. The wires’ void distributions - with and without HIP treatment - are detected and statistically analyzed using high energy X-ray micro tomography. The stress concentration due to the shape and distribution of the voids as well as their impact on the electro-mechanical properties are determined through finite element method modeling. Lastly, the results are quantitatively correlated with the experimentally determined limits of the irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading.« less

Quantitative correlation between the void morphology of niobium-tin wires and their irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barth, Christian; Seeber, B.; Rack, A.

Understanding the critical current performance variation of Nb 3Sn superconducting wires under mechanical loading is a crucial issue for the design of next generation accelerator and fusion magnets. In these applications, the mechanical properties of the conductors may become a limiting factor due to the strong electro-magnetic forces resulting from the combination of large magnets and intense magnetic fields. In particular, the presence of voids in the superconducting filament structure, which are formed during the fabrication and the reaction heat treatment, determines localized stress concentrations and possibly the formation of cracks. In this work, we demonstrate a quantitative correlation betweenmore » the void morphology and the electro-mechanical limits measured on different Bronze route Nb 3Sn wires. Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) prior to the reaction heat treatment is utilized to partially eliminate the voids. The wires’ void distributions - with and without HIP treatment - are detected and statistically analyzed using high energy X-ray micro tomography. The stress concentration due to the shape and distribution of the voids as well as their impact on the electro-mechanical properties are determined through finite element method modeling. Lastly, the results are quantitatively correlated with the experimentally determined limits of the irreversible critical current degradation upon mechanical loading.« less

Local switching of two-dimensional superconductivity using the ferroelectric field effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, K. S.; Gabay, M.; Jaccard, D.; Shibuya, K.; Ohnishi, T.; Lippmaa, M.; Triscone, J.-M.

2006-05-01

Correlated oxides display a variety of extraordinary physical properties including high-temperature superconductivity and colossal magnetoresistance. In these materials, strong electronic correlations often lead to competing ground states that are sensitive to many parameters-in particular the doping level-so that complex phase diagrams are observed. A flexible way to explore the role of doping is to tune the electron or hole concentration with electric fields, as is done in standard semiconductor field effect transistors. Here we demonstrate a model oxide system based on high-quality heterostructures in which the ferroelectric field effect approach can be studied. We use a single-crystal film of the perovskite superconductor Nb-doped SrTiO3 as the superconducting channel and ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 as the gate oxide. Atomic force microscopy is used to locally reverse the ferroelectric polarization, thus inducing large resistivity and carrier modulations, resulting in a clear shift in the superconducting critical temperature. Field-induced switching from the normal state to the (zero resistance) superconducting state was achieved at a well-defined temperature. This unique system could lead to a field of research in which devices are realized by locally defining in the same material superconducting and normal regions with `perfect' interfaces, the interface being purely electronic. Using this approach, one could potentially design one-dimensional superconducting wires, superconducting rings and junctions, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) or arrays of pinning centres.

Composite Ceramic Superconducting Wires for Electric Motor Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-10

on several approaches to overcome weak link behavio. by melt texturing. Design was completed for the first generation HTSC motor , a drum DC homopolar ...29 3.2 Homopolar Motor ....................................................... 29 3.3 Testing...35 3.3.3 Homopolar Tests............................................. 35 3.4 Other Motors

Development of a 10 m quasi-isotropic strand assembled from 2G wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, Changtao; Wang, Yinshun; Hou, Yanbing; Li, Yan; Zhang, Han; Fu, Yu; Jiang, Zhe

2018-03-01

Quasi-isotropic strands made of second generation (2G) high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires are attractive to applications of high-field magnets at low temperatures and power transmission cables at liquid nitrogen temperature in virtue of their high current carrying capability and well mechanical property. In this contribution, a 10 m length quasi-isotropic strand is manufactured and successfully tested in liquid nitrogen to verify the feasibility of an industrial scale production of the strand by the existing cabling technologies. The strand with copper sheath consists of 72 symmetrically assembled 2G wires. The uniformity of critical properties of long quasi-isotropic strands, including critical current and n-value, is very important for their using. Critical currents as well as n-values of the strand are measured every 1 m respectively and compared with the simulation results. Critical current and n-value of the strand are calculated basing on the self-consistent model solved by the finite element method (FEM). Effects of self-field on the critical current and n-value distributions in wires of the strand are analyzed in detail. The simulation results show good agreement with the experimental data and the 10 m quasi-isotropic strand has good critical properties uniformity.

Quasiclassical theory of disordered multi-channel Majorana quantum wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neven, Patrick; Bagrets, Dmitry; Altland, Alexander

2013-05-01

Multi-channel spin-orbit quantum wires, when subjected to a magnetic field and proximity coupled to an s-wave superconductor, may support Majorana states. We study what happens to these systems in the presence of disorder. Inspired by the widely established theoretical methods of mesoscopic superconductivity, we develop á la Eilenberger a quasiclassical approach to topological nanowires valid in the limit of strong spin-orbit coupling. We find that the ‘Majorana number’ {\\cal M} , distinguishing between the state with Majorana fermions (symmetry class B) and no Majorana fermions (class D), is given by the product of two Pfaffians of gapped quasiclassical Green's functions fixed by the right and left terminals connected to the wire. A numerical solution of the Eilenberger equations reveals that the class D disordered quantum wires are prone to the formation of the zero-energy anomaly (class D impurity spectral peak) in the local density of states that shares the key features of the Majorana peak. In this way, we confirm the robustness of our previous conclusions (Bagrets and Altland 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 227005) on a more restrictive system setup. Generally speaking, we find that the quasiclassical approach provides a highly efficient means to address disordered class D superconductors both in the presence and in the absence of topological structures.

Little-Parks oscillations in superconducting ring with Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharon, Omri J.; Sharoni, Amos; Berger, Jorge; Shaulov, Avner; Yeshurun, Yosi

2018-03-01

Nb nano-rings connected serially by Nb wires exhibit, at low bias currents, the typical parabolic Little-Parks magnetoresistance oscillations. As the bias current increases, these oscillations become sinusoidal. This result is ascribed to the generation of Josephson junctions caused by the combined effect of current-induced phase slips and the non-uniformity of the order parameter along each ring due to the Nb wires attached to it. This interpretation is validated by further increasing the bias current, which results in magnetoresistance oscillations typical of a SQUID.

Understanding Irreversible Degradation of Nb3Sn Wires with Fundamental Fracture Mechanics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhai, Yuhu; Calzolaio, Ciro; Senatore, Carmine

2014-08-01

Irreversible performance degradation of advanced Nb3Sn superconducting wires subjected to transverse or axial mechanical loading is a critical issue for the design of large-scale fusion and accelerator magnets such as ITER and LHC. Recent SULTAN tests indicate that most cable-in-conduit conductors for ITER coils made of Nb3Sn wires processed by various fabrication techniques show similar performance degradation under cyclic loading. The irreversible degradation due to filament fracture and local strain accumulation in Nb3Sn wires cannot be described by the existing strand scaling law. Fracture mechanic modeling combined with X-ray diffraction imaging of filament micro-crack formation inside the wires under mechanicalmore » loading may reveal exciting insights to the wire degradation mechanisms. We apply fundamental fracture mechanics with a singularity approach to study influence of wire filament microstructure of initial void size and distribution to local stress concentration and potential crack propagation. We report impact of the scale and density of the void structure on stress concentration in the composite wire materials for crack initiation. These initial defects result in an irreversible degradation of the critical current beyond certain applied stress. We also discuss options to minimize stress concentration in the design of the material microstructure for enhanced wire performance for future applications.« less

MgB2 wire diameter reduction by hot isostatic pressing—a route for enhanced critical current density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morawski, A.; Cetner, T.; Gajda, D.; Zaleski, A. J.; Häßler, W.; Nenkov, K.; Rindfleisch, M. A.; Tomsic, M.; Przysłupski, P.

2018-07-01

The effect of wire diameter reduction on the critical current density of pristine MgB2 wire was studied. Wires were treated by a hot isostatic pressing method at 570 °C and at pressures of up to 1.1 GPa. It was found that the wire diameter reduction induces an increase of up to 70% in the mass density of the superconducting cores. This feature leads to increases in critical current, critical current density, and pinning force density. The magnitude and field dependence of the critical current density are related to both grain connectivity and structural defects, which act as effective pinning centers. High field transport properties were obtained without doping of the MgB2 phase. A critical current density jc of 3500 A mm‑2 was reached at 4 K, 6 T for the best sample, which was a five-fold increase compared to MgB2 samples synthesized at ambient pressure.

Magnetic Calorimeter Arrays with High Sensor Inductance and Dense Wiring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, T. R.; Balvin, M. A.; Bandler, S. R.; Devasia, A. M.; Nagler, P. C.; Smith, S. J.; Yoon, W.

2018-05-01

We describe prototype arrays of magnetically coupled microcalorimeters fabricated with an approach scalable to very large format arrays. The superconducting interconnections and sensor coils have sufficiently low inductance in the wiring and sufficiently high inductance in the coils in each pixel, to enable arrays containing greater than 4000 sensors and 100,000 X-ray absorbers to be used in future astrophysics missions such as Lynx. We have used projection lithography to create submicron patterns (e.g., 400 nm lines and spaces) in our niobium sensor coils and wiring, integrated with gold-erbium sensor films and gold X-ray absorbers. Our prototype devices will explore the device physics of metallic magnetic calorimeters as feature sizes are reduced to nanoscale.

Correction coil cable

DOEpatents

Wang, Sou-Tien

1994-11-01

A wire cable assembly (10, 310) adapted for the winding of electrical coils is taught. A primary intended use is for use in particle tube assemblies (532) for the superconducting super collider. The correction coil cables (10, 310) have wires (14, 314) collected in wire arrays (12, 312) with a center rib (16, 316) sandwiched therebetween to form a core assembly (18, 318 ). The core assembly (18, 318) is surrounded by an assembly housing (20, 320) having an inner spiral wrap (22, 322) and a counter wound outer spiral wrap (24, 324). An alternate embodiment (410) of the invention is rolled into a keystoned shape to improve radial alignment of the correction coil cable (410) on a particle tube (733) in a particle tube assembly (732).

Method of texturing a superconductive oxide precursor

DOEpatents

DeMoranville, Kenneth L.; Li, Qi; Antaya, Peter D.; Christopherson, Craig J.; Riley, Jr., Gilbert N.; Seuntjens, Jeffrey M.

1999-01-01

A method of forming a textured superconductor wire includes constraining an elongated superconductor precursor between two constraining elongated members placed in contact therewith on opposite sides of the superconductor precursor, and passing the superconductor precursor with the two constraining members through flat rolls to form the textured superconductor wire. The method includes selecting desired cross-sectional shape and size constraining members to control the width of the formed superconductor wire. A textured superconductor wire formed by the method of the invention has regular-shaped, curved sides and is free of flashing. A rolling assembly for single-pass rolling of the elongated precursor superconductor includes two rolls, two constraining members, and a fixture for feeding the precursor superconductor and the constraining members between the rolls. In alternate embodiments of the invention, the rolls can have machined regions which will contact only the elongated constraining members and affect the lateral deformation and movement of those members during the rolling process.

Experiment of low resistance joints for the ITER correction coil.

PubMed

Liu, Huajun; Wu, Yu; Wu, Weiyue; Liu, Bo; Shi, Yi; Guo, Shuai

2013-01-01

A test method was designed and performed to measure joint resistance of the ITER correction coil (CC) in liquid helium (LHe) temperature. A 10 kA superconducting transformer was manufactured to provide the joints current. The transformer consisted of two concentric layer-wound superconducting solenoids. NbTi superconducting wire was wound in the primary coil and the ITER CC conductor was wound in the secondary coil. The primary and the secondary coils were both immersed in liquid helium of a 300 mm useful bore diameter cryostat. Two ITER CC joints were assembled in the secondary loop and tested. The current of the secondary loop was ramped to 9 kA in several steps. The two joint resistances were measured to be 1.2 nΩ and 1.65 nΩ, respectively.

Comparison of Superconducting Transition Characteristics of Two Iridium/Gold Bilayer Transition Edge Sensor Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunieda, Yuichi; Fukuda, Daiji; Ohno, Masashi; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Nakazawa, Masaharu; Inou, Tadashi; Ataka, Manabu

2004-05-01

We are developing a high-energy-resolution X-ray microcalorimeter for X-ray fluorescent spectrometry using a superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) that consists of a bilayer of iridium and gold (Ir/Au). In this paper, we have studied the superconducting transition characteristics of two different bilayer structures. Type 1 is a simple stacked bilayer where a square-pattern film of iridium is covered with an identical pattern of gold. Type 2 is based on the Type 1 Ir/Au film, however, it has Au side banks. The resistance-temperature characteristics of these films are investigated by a four-wired resistance measurement method. As a result, the transition curve of Type 2 obeyed the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory; however, the transition curve of Type 1 was entirely different from that of Type 2. The reason there was a difference in these transition curves of the two devices is discussed in terms of the difference in the electric current distribution inside TESs. Even if we assume a uniform bilayer film and a uniform proximity effect over the entire film, the current density inside the device affects the characteristics of the transition curves.

Probing transport mechanisms of BaFe2As2 superconducting films and grain boundary junctions by noise spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Barone, C.; Romeo, F.; Pagano, S.; Adamo, M.; Nappi, C.; Sarnelli, E.; Kurth, F.; Iida, K.

2014-01-01

An important step forward for the understanding of high-temperature superconductivity has been the discovery of iron-based superconductors. Among these compounds, iron pnictides could be used for high-field magnet applications, resulting more advantageous over conventional superconductors, due to a high upper critical field as well as its low anisotropy at low temperatures. However, the principal obstacle in fabricating high quality superconducting wires and tapes is given by grain boundaries. In order to study these effects, the dc transport and voltage-noise properties of Co-doped BaFe2As2 superconducting films with artificial grain boundary junctions have been investigated. A specific procedure allows the separation of the film noise from that of the junction. While the former shows a standard 1/f behaviour, the latter is characterized by an unconventional temperature-dependent multi-Lorentzian voltage-spectral density. Moreover, below the film superconducting critical temperature, a peculiar noise spectrum is found for the grain boundary junction. Possible theoretical interpretation of these phenomena is proposed. PMID:25145385

Low temperature superconductor and aligned high temperature superconductor magnetic dipole system and method for producing high magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, Ramesh; Scanlan, Ronald; Ghosh, Arup K.

A dipole-magnet system and method for producing high-magnetic-fields, including an open-region located in a radially-central-region to allow particle-beam transport and other uses, low-temperature-superconducting-coils comprised of low-temperature-superconducting-wire located in radially-outward-regions to generate high magnetic-fields, high-temperature-superconducting-coils comprised of high-temperature-superconducting-tape located in radially-inward-regions to generate even higher magnetic-fields and to reduce erroneous fields, support-structures to support the coils against large Lorentz-forces, a liquid-helium-system to cool the coils, and electrical-contacts to allow electric-current into and out of the coils. The high-temperature-superconducting-tape may be comprised of bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper-oxide or rare-earth-metal, barium-copper-oxide (ReBCO) where the rare-earth-metal may be yttrium, samarium, neodymium, or gadolinium. Advantageously, alignment of themore » large-dimension of the rectangular-cross-section or curved-cross-section of the high-temperature-superconducting-tape with the high-magnetic-field minimizes unwanted erroneous magnetic fields. Alignment may be accomplished by proper positioning, tilting the high-temperature-superconducting-coils, forming the high-temperature-superconducting-coils into a curved-cross-section, placing nonconducting wedge-shaped-material between windings, placing nonconducting curved-and-wedge-shaped-material between windings, or by a combination of these techniques.« less

Shot Noise in Superconducting Wires Applied with a Periodic Electric Field.

PubMed

Chen, Qiao; Xu, Ning

2018-05-01

We have investigated the differential conductance and shot noise for the system of superconducting nanowires irradiated with a periodic electric field by nonequilibrium Green's functions. The numerical results show that the coupling between the Majorana bound states (MBSs) can be tuned by the periodic electric field. The width of barriers has huge influence on the coupling of MBSs, however, the separation between barriers affect the coupling faintly. The coupling increases with the width of barriers, the number of barriers and the strength of barriers. In addition, super-Poissonian shot noise emerges as the coupling increases.

Evaluation of high temperature superconductive thermal bridges for space borne cryogenic detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Elaine P.

1996-01-01

Infrared sensor satellites are used to monitor the conditions in the earth's upper atmosphere. In these systems, the electronic links connecting the cryogenically cooled infrared detectors to the significantly warmer amplification electronics act as thermal bridges and, consequently, the mission lifetimes of the satellites are limited due to cryogenic evaporation. High-temperature superconductor (HTS) materials have been proposed by researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley's Research Center (NASA-LaRC) as an alternative to the currently used manganin wires for electrical connection. The potential for using HTS films as thermal bridges has provided the motivation for the design and the analysis of a spaceflight experiment to evaluate the performance of this superconductive technology in the space environment. The initial efforts were focused on the preliminary design of the experimental system which allows for the quantitative comparison of superconductive leads with manganin leads, and on the thermal conduction modeling of the proposed system. Most of the HTS materials were indicated to be potential replacements for the manganin wires. In the continuation of this multi-year research, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the sources of heat transfer on the thermal bridges that have been neglected in the preliminary conductive model and then to develop a methodology for the estimation of the thermal conductivities of the HTS thermal bridges in space. The Joule heating created by the electrical current through the manganin wires was incorporated as a volumetric heat source into the manganin conductive model. The radiative heat source on the HTS thermal bridges was determined by performing a separate radiant interchange analysis within a high-T(sub c) superconductor housing area. Both heat sources indicated no significant contribution on the cryogenic heat load, which validates the results obtained in the preliminary conduction model. A methodology was presented for the estimation of the thermal conductivities of the individual HTS thermal bridge materials and the effective thermal conductivities of the composite HTS thermal bridges as functions of temperature. This methodology included a sensitivity analysis and the demonstration of the estimation procedure using simulated data with added random errors. The thermal conductivities could not be estimated as functions of temperature; thus the effective thermal conductivities of the HTS thermal bridges were analyzed as constants.

Correlation between fabrication factor and superconducting properties of the Tl-and-Bi-based high-Tc superconductor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maki, Naoki; Okada, Michiya; Doi, Toshiya J.; Kanai, Tsuneyuki; Sato, Junichi; Higashiyama, Kazutoshi

1995-01-01

Large critical current densities (J(sub c)) were obtained in c axis oriented Tl-1 223/Ag composite tapes fabricated by spraying methods without a vacuum. Transport measurements at 77K under a zero field indicated a J(sub c) of 9 x 10(exp 4) A/sq cm and 7 x 10(exp 3) A/sq cm at 1T for the tapes fabricated by spray pyrolysis. The novel GPM method was also applied for Bi-2212/Ag PIT composite wire, and found to be very effective for improving the distribution of voids, which caused from the melt-solidifying process. The GPM showed a marked effect for obtaining homogeneous long wire. A 1 T class coil was successfully fabricated with monocore wire.

Apparatus and method for pulsed laser deposition of materials on wires and pipes

DOEpatents

Fernandez, Felix E.

2003-01-01

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed which allow uniform coatings to be applied by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on inner and outer surfaces of cylindrical objects, such as rods, pipes, tubes, and wires. The use of PLD makes this technique particularly suitable for complex multicomponent materials, such as superconducting ceramics. Rigid objects of any length, i.e., pipes up to a few meters, and with diameters from less than 1 centimeter to over 10 centimeters can be coated using this technique. Further, deposition is effected simultaneously onto an annular region of the pipe wall. This particular arrangement simplifies the apparatus, reduces film uniformity control difficulties, and can result in faster operation cycles. In addition, flexible wires of any length can be continuously coated using the disclosed invention.

Indigenously developed bending strain setup for I-V characterization of superconducting tapes and wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchal, Arun; Bano, Anees; Ghate, Mahesh; Raj, Piyush; Pradhan, Subrata

2017-04-01

An indigenously developed bending strain setup to examine the effect of pure bending on critical current of superconducting tapes and strands has been presented in this paper. This set up is capable of applying various bending radius in situ at cryogenic temperature with rack and pinion gear mechanism. The bending strain applied on samples can be controlled externally by rotational input which is transferred in the form of bending radius during experiments. The working principle, design and optimization of this set up have been discussed. The performance and validation of this setup has been done on various HTS tapes and copper strands at 77 K in actual experimental facility. Effect of bending radius (15.5 mm - 48 mm) i.e. strains and ramp rate (2 A/s - 8 A/s) is observed on current capability of various HTS Tapes. It is observed that in uniform bending condition, degradation in current carrying capacity BSCCO and Di-BSCCO (˜ 30 %) is more as compare to YBCO (˜ 2.75 %) at 77 K. The effect of pure mechanical strain has been experimentally observed and presented.

Bose Condensation and Lasing in Optical Microstructures - Part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szymanska, M. H.

2002-04-01

In the first part of this thesis I study the intermediate regime between ordinary lasing and a BEC of exciton polaritons. I take into account the fermionic structure of polaritons, treating the excitons as two-level systems coupled to a single mode in a microcavity. I introduce decoherence and dissipation processes to this system. Employing many-body Green function techniques, similar to those used by Abrikosov and Gor'kov in their theory of gapless superconductivity, I provide a mathematical structure that unifies models of lasers with models of condensates. This allows me to study the stability of the polariton condensate with respect to decoherence processes and the crossover between the polariton condensate and the laser. I give detailed indications of a regime in which the condensate should be observed to guide experimental work and show how to distinguish the Bose condensate from a laser. The second part of this thesis is concerned with properties of excitons and modelling of excitonic lasing in quasi-one-dimensional quantum wires. I develop a very general numerical method of calculating the properties of wires with different shapes and materials. Using this method I study the properties of very wide range of T-shaped quantum wires.

Very-high thermal and electrical conductivity in overpressure-processed Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonura, M.; Avitabile, F.; Barth, C.; Jiang, J.; Larbalestier, D.; Fête, A.; Leo, A.; Bottura, L.; Senatore, C.

2018-05-01

The residual-resistivity ratio (RRR) of the normal-metal matrix is a key parameter for the electrical and thermal stability of technical superconductors. In Bi2Sr2CaCu2 {{{O}}}8+x (Bi-2212) round wires, the precursor powders are embedded in a Ag matrix without any diffusion barrier, and elemental diffusion from the superconducting filaments into the Ag might be expected to contaminate the matrix during the melt processing required for high critical current density development. This work shows that the overpressure processing, which is adopted to enhance the critical current performance, improves the thermal and electrical conductivities of the conductor, too. In the case of wires reacted with a standard processing performed in 1 bar O2, the RRR of the Ag matrix is about 90, in spite of the simple conductor design that does not include diffusion barriers. Increasing the total reaction pressure to 100 bar improves the RRR to about 200. The differences in RRR reflect on the thermal conductivity of the whole conductor, which has been investigated in magnetic fields up to 19 T.

Experimental design for the evaluation of high-T(sub c) superconductive thermal bridges in a sensor satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Elaine P.; Lee, Kasey M.

1994-01-01

Infrared sensor satellites, which consist of cryogenic infrared sensor detectors, electrical instrumentation, and data acquisition systems, are used to monitor the conditions of the earth's upper atmosphere in order to evaluate its present and future changes. Currently, the electrical connections (instrumentation), which act as thermal bridges between the cryogenic infrared sensor and the significantly warmer data acquisition unit of the sensor satellite system, constitute a significant portion of the heat load on the cryogen. As a part of extending the mission life of the sensor satellite system, the researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Langley Research Center (NASA-LaRC) are evaluating the effectiveness of replacing the currently used manganin wires with high-temperature superconductive (HTS) materials as the electrical connections (thermal bridges). In conjunction with the study being conducted at NASA-LaRC, the proposed research is to design a space experiment to determine the thermal savings on a cryogenic subsystem when manganin leads are replaced by HTS leads printed onto a substrate with a low thermal conductivity, and to determine the thermal conductivities of HTS materials. The experiment is designed to compare manganin wires with two different types of superconductors on substrates by determining the heat loss by the thermal bridges and providing temperature measurements for the estimation of thermal conductivity. A conductive mathematical model has been developed and used as a key tool in the design process and subsequent analysis.

Three-Dimensional Wiring for Extensible Quantum Computing: The Quantum Socket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béjanin, J. H.; McConkey, T. G.; Rinehart, J. R.; Earnest, C. T.; McRae, C. R. H.; Shiri, D.; Bateman, J. D.; Rohanizadegan, Y.; Penava, B.; Breul, P.; Royak, S.; Zapatka, M.; Fowler, A. G.; Mariantoni, M.

2016-10-01

Quantum computing architectures are on the verge of scalability, a key requirement for the implementation of a universal quantum computer. The next stage in this quest is the realization of quantum error-correction codes, which will mitigate the impact of faulty quantum information on a quantum computer. Architectures with ten or more quantum bits (qubits) have been realized using trapped ions and superconducting circuits. While these implementations are potentially scalable, true scalability will require systems engineering to combine quantum and classical hardware. One technology demanding imminent efforts is the realization of a suitable wiring method for the control and the measurement of a large number of qubits. In this work, we introduce an interconnect solution for solid-state qubits: the quantum socket. The quantum socket fully exploits the third dimension to connect classical electronics to qubits with higher density and better performance than two-dimensional methods based on wire bonding. The quantum socket is based on spring-mounted microwires—the three-dimensional wires—that push directly on a microfabricated chip, making electrical contact. A small wire cross section (approximately 1 mm), nearly nonmagnetic components, and functionality at low temperatures make the quantum socket ideal for operating solid-state qubits. The wires have a coaxial geometry and operate over a frequency range from dc to 8 GHz, with a contact resistance of approximately 150 m Ω , an impedance mismatch of approximately 10 Ω , and minimal cross talk. As a proof of principle, we fabricate and use a quantum socket to measure high-quality superconducting resonators at a temperature of approximately 10 mK. Quantum error-correction codes such as the surface code will largely benefit from the quantum socket, which will make it possible to address qubits located on a two-dimensional lattice. The present implementation of the socket could be readily extended to accommodate a quantum processor with a (10 ×10 )-qubit lattice, which would allow for the realization of a simple quantum memory.

Investigations of Crossed Andreev Reflection in Hybrid Superconductor-Ferromagnet Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colci O'Hara, Madalina

2009-01-01

Cooper pair splitting is predicted to occur in hybrid devices where a superconductor is coupled to two ferromagnetic wires placed at a distance less than the superconducting coherence length. This thesis searches for signatures of this process, called crossed Andreev reflection (CAR), in three device geometries. The first devices studied are…

Progress in high performance DI-BSCCO wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, M.; Ayai, N.; Fujikami, J.; Kobayashi, S.; Yamazaki, K.; Yamade, S.; Ishida, T.; Kato, T.; Hayashi, K.; Sato, K.; Hata, R.; Iihara, J.; Yamaguchi, K.; Kumakura, H.; Kitaguchi, H.; Osamura, K.; Shimoyama, J.

2008-03-01

The high performances of Dynamically Innovative BSCCO (DI-BSCCO) wire have been reviewed. Critical current (Ic) has reached 210 A (77 K and self-field), which is equivalent 500 A per 10 mm width, by total optimization of whole manufacturing process including Controlled Over Pressure (CT-OP) sintering. The further higher Ic value will be available on preferable oxide filaments with the improved c-axis orientation of Bi2223 grains, the minimized non-superconducting phases, and so on. The Ic of long length wires has been reached 203 A of 42 m 180 A of 1,400 m. Ic in the magnetic field at low temperature has showed great improvements in comparison with the past 150 A class wire. The mechanical performances has been improved due to the densification of the Bi2223 filaments up to 100% by CT-OP process, moreover have been dynamically improved by reinforcement with stainless steel tapes or brass tapes. These results can enable DI-BSCCO wire to be applied for the cryogenic applications such as motors, magnets, cables and so on.

A frequency and sensitivity tunable microresonator array for high-speed quantum processor readout

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Whittaker, J. D., E-mail: jwhittaker@dwavesys.com; Swenson, L. J.; Volkmann, M. H.

Superconducting microresonators have been successfully utilized as detection elements for a wide variety of applications. With multiplexing factors exceeding 1000 detectors per transmission line, they are the most scalable low-temperature detector technology demonstrated to date. For high-throughput applications, fewer detectors can be coupled to a single wire but utilize a larger per-detector bandwidth. For all existing designs, fluctuations in fabrication tolerances result in a non-uniform shift in resonance frequency and sensitivity, which ultimately limits the efficiency of bandwidth utilization. Here, we present the design, implementation, and initial characterization of a superconducting microresonator readout integrating two tunable inductances per detector. Wemore » demonstrate that these tuning elements provide independent control of both the detector frequency and sensitivity, allowing us to maximize the transmission line bandwidth utilization. Finally, we discuss the integration of these detectors in a multilayer fabrication stack for high-speed readout of the D-Wave quantum processor, highlighting the use of control and routing circuitry composed of single-flux-quantum loops to minimize the number of control wires at the lowest temperature stage.« less

Insulation effect on thermal stability of Coated Conductors wires in liquid nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubeli, Thomas; Dutoit, Bertrand; Martynova, Irina; Makarevich, Artem; Molodyk, Alexander; Samoilenkov, Sergey

2017-02-01

Superconducting wires are not perfectly homogeneous in term of critical current as well as stabilization. In resistive fault current limiter applications this could lead to hot spots if the fault current is only slightly above the nominal current of the device. Increasing stabilization by using thicker silver coating for example may prevent this problem but this method implies longer wire length to maintain the same impedance during a fault. Very efficient cooling in another way to prevent hot spots, this can be achieved in nucleate boiling regime. Optimal insulation can be used to prevent film boiling regime, staying in nucleate boiling regime in a much broader temperature range. In this work a novel technique is used to monitor in real time the temperature of the wire during the quench. Using this method several increasing insulation thicknesses are tested, measuring for each the heat exchange rate to the nitrogen bath. Exchange rate measurements are made in quasistatic regime and during the re-cooling of the wire. SuperOx wires provided with different insulation thicknesses exhibit an excellent stability, far above a bare wire. On the other side, for very thick insulations the stability gain is lost. Re-cooling speeds dependency on insulation thicknesses is measured too.

Conceptual designs of conduction cooled MgB2 magnets for 1.5 and 3.0 T full body MRI systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baig, Tanvir; Amin, Abdullah Al; Deissler, Robert J.; Sabri, Laith; Poole, Charles; Brown, Robert W.; Tomsic, Michael; Doll, David; Rindfleisch, Matthew; Peng, Xuan; Mendris, Robert; Akkus, Ozan; Sumption, Michael; Martens, Michael

2017-04-01

Conceptual designs of 1.5 and 3.0 T full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets using conduction cooled MgB2 superconductor are presented. The sizes, locations, and number of turns in the eight coil bundles are determined using optimization methods that minimize the amount of superconducting wire and produce magnetic fields with an inhomogeneity of less than 10 ppm over a 45 cm diameter spherical volume. MgB2 superconducting wire is assessed in terms of the transport, thermal, and mechanical properties for these magnet designs. Careful calculations of the normal zone propagation velocity and minimum quench energies provide support for the necessity of active quench protection instead of passive protection for medium temperature superconductors such as MgB2. A new ‘active’ protection scheme for medium T c based MRI magnets is presented and simulations demonstrate that the magnet can be protected. Recent progress on persistent joints for multifilamentary MgB2 wire is presented. Finite difference calculations of the quench propagation and temperature rise during a quench conclude that active intervention is needed to reduce the temperature rise in the coil bundles and prevent damage to the superconductor. Comprehensive multiphysics and multiscale analytical and finite element analysis of the mechanical stress and strain in the MgB2 wire and epoxy for these designs are presented for the first time. From mechanical and thermal analysis of our designs we conclude there would be no damage to such a magnet during the manufacturing or operating stages, and that the magnet would survive various quench scenarios. This comprehensive set of magnet design considerations and analyses demonstrate the overall viability of 1.5 and 3.0 T MgB2 magnet designs.

Conceptual designs of conduction cooled MgB2 magnets for 1.5 and 3.0T full body MRI systems

PubMed Central

Baig, Tanvir; Al Amin, Abdullah; Deissler, Robert J; Sabri, Laith; Poole, Charles; Brown, Robert W; Tomsic, Michael; Doll, David; Rindfleisch, Matthew; Peng, Xuan; Mendris, Robert; Akkus, Ozan; Sumption, Michael; Martens, Michael

2017-01-01

Conceptual designs of 1.5 and 3.0 T full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets using conduction cooled MgB2 superconductor are presented. The sizes, locations, and number of turns in the eight coil bundles are determined using optimization methods that minimize the amount of superconducting wire and produce magnetic fields with an inhomogeneity of less than 10 ppm over a 45 cm diameter spherical volume. MgB2 superconducting wire is assessed in terms of the transport, thermal, and mechanical properties for these magnet designs. Careful calculations of the normal zone propagation velocity and minimum quench energies provide support for the necessity of active quench protection instead of passive protection for medium temperature superconductors such as MgB2. A new ‘active’ protection scheme for medium Tc based MRI magnets is presented and simulations demonstrate that the magnet can be protected. Recent progress on persistent joints for multifilamentary MgB2 wire is presented. Finite difference calculations of the quench propagation and temperature rise during a quench conclude that active intervention is needed to reduce the temperature rise in the coil bundles and prevent damage to the superconductor. Comprehensive multiphysics and multiscale analytical and finite element analysis of the mechanical stress and strain in the MgB2 wire and epoxy for these designs are presented for the first time. From mechanical and thermal analysis of our designs we conclude there would be no damage to such a magnet during the manufacturing or operating stages, and that the magnet would survive various quench scenarios. This comprehensive set of magnet design considerations and analyses demonstrate the overall viability of 1.5 and 3.0 T MgB2 magnet designs. PMID:29170604

Conceptual designs of conduction cooled MgB2 magnets for 1.5 and 3.0T full body MRI systems.

PubMed

Baig, Tanvir; Al Amin, Abdullah; Deissler, Robert J; Sabri, Laith; Poole, Charles; Brown, Robert W; Tomsic, Michael; Doll, David; Rindfleisch, Matthew; Peng, Xuan; Mendris, Robert; Akkus, Ozan; Sumption, Michael; Martens, Michael

2017-04-01

Conceptual designs of 1.5 and 3.0 T full-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets using conduction cooled MgB 2 superconductor are presented. The sizes, locations, and number of turns in the eight coil bundles are determined using optimization methods that minimize the amount of superconducting wire and produce magnetic fields with an inhomogeneity of less than 10 ppm over a 45 cm diameter spherical volume. MgB 2 superconducting wire is assessed in terms of the transport, thermal, and mechanical properties for these magnet designs. Careful calculations of the normal zone propagation velocity and minimum quench energies provide support for the necessity of active quench protection instead of passive protection for medium temperature superconductors such as MgB 2 . A new 'active' protection scheme for medium T c based MRI magnets is presented and simulations demonstrate that the magnet can be protected. Recent progress on persistent joints for multifilamentary MgB 2 wire is presented. Finite difference calculations of the quench propagation and temperature rise during a quench conclude that active intervention is needed to reduce the temperature rise in the coil bundles and prevent damage to the superconductor. Comprehensive multiphysics and multiscale analytical and finite element analysis of the mechanical stress and strain in the MgB 2 wire and epoxy for these designs are presented for the first time. From mechanical and thermal analysis of our designs we conclude there would be no damage to such a magnet during the manufacturing or operating stages, and that the magnet would survive various quench scenarios. This comprehensive set of magnet design considerations and analyses demonstrate the overall viability of 1.5 and 3.0 T MgB 2 magnet designs.

Liquid-Hydrogen-Cooled 450-hp Electric Motor Test Stand Being Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kascak, Albert F.; Trudell, Jeffrey J.; Brown, Gerald V.

2005-01-01

With growing concerns about global warming, there is a need to develop pollution-free aircraft. One approach is to use hydrogen-fueled aircraft that use fuel cells or turbogenerators to produce electric power to drive the electric motors that turn the aircraft s propulsive fans. Hydrogen fuel would be carried as a liquid, stored at its boiling point of 20.5 K (-422.5 F). Conventional electric motors, however, are too heavy for aircraft propulsion. We need to develop high-power, lightweight electric motors (highpower- density motors). One approach is to increase the conductivity of the wires by cooling them with liquid hydrogen (LH2). This would allow superconducting rotors with an ironless core. In addition, the motor could use very pure aluminum or copper, substances that have low resistances at cryogenic temperatures. A preliminary design of a 450-hp LH2-cooled electric motor was completed and is being manufactured by a contractor. This motor will be tested at the NASA Glenn Research Center and will be used to test different superconducting materials such as magnesium diboride (MgB2). The motor will be able to operate at speeds of up to 6000 rpm.

Precision measurement and modeling of superconducting magnetic bearings for the satellite test of the equivalence principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapilewski, Glen Alan

The Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP) is a modern version of Galileo's experiment of dropping two objects from the leaning tower of Pisa. The Equivalence Principle states that all objects fall with the same acceleration, independent of their composition. The primary scientific objective of STEP is to measure a possible violation of the Equivalence Principle one million times better than the best ground based tests. This extraordinary sensitivity is made possible by using cryogenic differential accelerometers in the space environment. Critical to the STEP experiment is a sound fundamental understanding of the behavior of the superconducting magnetic linear bearings used in the accelerometers. We have developed a theoretical bearing model and a precision measuring system with which to validate the model. The accelerometers contain two concentric hollow cylindrical test masses, of different materials, each levitated and constrained to axial motion by a superconducting magnetic bearing. Ensuring that the bearings satisfy the stringent mission specifications requires developing new testing apparatus and methods. The bearing is tested using an actively-controlled table which tips it relative to gravity. This balances the magnetic forces from the bearing against a component of gravity. The magnetic force profile of the bearing can be mapped by measuring the tilt necessary to position the test mass at various locations. An operational bearing has been built and is being used to verify the theoretical levitation models. The experimental results obtained from the bearing test apparatus were inconsistent with the previous models used for STEP bearings. This led to the development of a new bearing model that includes the influence of surface current variations in the bearing wires and the effect of the superconducting transformer. The new model, which has been experimentally verified, significantly improves the prediction of levitation current, accurately estimates the relationship between tilting and translational modes, and predicts the dependence of radial mode frequencies on the bearing current. In addition, we developed a new model for the forces produced by trapped magnetic fluxons, a potential source of imperfections in the bearing. This model estimates the forces between magnetic fluxons trapped in separate superconducting objects.

Method and apparatus to trigger superconductors in current limiting devices

DOEpatents

Yuan, Xing; Hazelton, Drew Willard; Walker, Michael Stephen

2004-10-26

A method and apparatus for magnetically triggering a superconductor in a superconducting fault current limiter to transition from a superconducting state to a resistive state. The triggering is achieved by employing current-carrying trigger coil or foil on either or both the inner diameter and outer diameter of a superconductor. The current-carrying coil or foil generates a magnetic field with sufficient strength and the superconductor is disposed within essentially uniform magnetic field region. For superconductor in a tubular-configured form, an additional magnetic field can be generated by placing current-carrying wire or foil inside the tube and along the center axial line.

Effects of repeated bending load at room temperature for composite Nb3Sn wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo; Katagiri, Kazumune

2003-09-01

In order to realize a react and wind (R&W) method for Nb3Sn wires, the influences of a bending load at room temperature are investigated. Usually, the superconducting wires undergo bending loads at room temperature repeatedly during winding and insulation processes. We define these bending loads as 'pre-bending' treatments. We applied the pre-bending strain of 0 and 0.5% to the highly strengthened CuNb/(Nb, Ti)3Sn wires, and measured the stress/strain properties and critical currents. The improvements of stress dependence of normalized critical current and the increase of the maximum critical current by the pre-bending treatments were found. The model based on the distribution of the local tensile strain as a bending strain describes the experimental results well without the increase of the maximum critical current. When the pre-bending strain was applied, the calculated results indicate that the mechanical properties are improved due to the local work hardening, and hence the stress dependence of Ic increases.

A fully analytic treatment of resonant inductive coupling in the far field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedwick, Raymond J.

2012-02-01

For the application of resonant inductive coupling for wireless power transfer, fabrication of flat spiral coils using ribbon wire allows for analytic expressions of the capacitance and inductance of the coils and therefore the resonant frequency. The expressions can also be used in an approximate way for the analysis of coils constructed from cylindrical wire. Ribbon wire constructed from both standard metals as well as high temperature superconducting material is commercially available, so using these derived expressions as a basis, a fully analytic treatment is presented that allows for design trades to be made for hybrid designs incorporating either technology. The model is then extended to analyze the performance of the technology as applied to inductively coupled communications, which has been demonstrated as having an advantage in circumstances where radiated signals would suffer unacceptable levels of attenuation.

A fast response, low heat generating activation method for LHe level sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhury, Anup; Sahu, Santosh; Kanjilal, Dinakar

2018-06-01

A superconducting liquid helium (LHe) level sensor of length 300 mm has been fabricated based on the principle of differential heat transfer characteristic in helium gas compared to that in liquid. The sensor wire used has a diameter of 38 μm, and the wire was obtained from a pack of multifilament wires. A full thermo-electrical characterisation of the sensor was carried out in a dedicated setup. Its dynamic thermal response was also studied to understand its timing characteristics at different liquid levels and excitation currents. Based on the sensor characterisation, a new level measurement technique is evaluated which can reduce the heat load going to LHe during sensor activation without compromising on its sensitivity or accuracy. The timing response with this technique will make the level detection faster compared to the conventional techniques.

Development of toroid-type HTS DC reactor series for HVDC system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kwangmin; Go, Byeong-Soo; Park, Hea-chul; Kim, Sung-kyu; Kim, Seokho; Lee, Sangjin; Oh, Yunsang; Park, Minwon; Yu, In-Keun

2015-11-01

This paper describes design specifications and performance of a toroid-type high-temperature superconducting (HTS) DC reactor. The first phase operation targets of the HTS DC reactor were 400 mH and 400 A. The authors have developed a real HTS DC reactor system during the last three years. The HTS DC reactor was designed using 2G GdBCO HTS wires. The HTS coils of the toroid-type DC reactor magnet were made in the form of a D-shape. The electromagnetic performance of the toroid-type HTS DC reactor magnet was analyzed using the finite element method program. A conduction cooling method was adopted for reactor magnet cooling. The total system has been successfully developed and tested in connection with LCC type HVDC system. Now, the authors are studying a 400 mH, kA class toroid-type HTS DC reactor for the next phase research. The 1500 A class DC reactor system was designed using layered 13 mm GdBCO 2G HTS wire. The expected operating temperature is under 30 K. These fundamental data obtained through both works will usefully be applied to design a real toroid-type HTS DC reactor for grid application.

Simulation of the Vortex Dynamics in a Real Pinning Landscape of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ Coated Conductors

DOE PAGES

Sadovskyy, I. A.; Koshelev, A. E.; Glatz, A.; ...

2016-01-01

The ability of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) to carry very large currents with almost no dissipation makes them irreplaceable for high-power applications. The development and further improvement of HTS-based cables require an in-depth understanding of the superconducting vortex dynamics in the presence of complex pinning landscapes. We present a critical current analysis of a real HTS sample in a magnetic field by combining state-of-the-art large-scale Ginzburg-Landau simulations with reconstructive three-dimensional scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy tomography of the pinning landscape in Dy-doped YBa 2Cu 3O 7-δ. This methodology provides a unique look at the vortex dynamics in the presence of a complex pinning landscape responsiblemore » for the high-current-carrying-capacity characteristic of commercial HTS wires. Finally, our method demonstrates very good functional and quantitative agreement of the critical current between simulation and experiment, providing a new predictive tool for HTS wire designs.« less

Simulation of the Vortex Dynamics in a Real Pinning Landscape of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ Coated Conductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sadovskyy, I. A.; Koshelev, A. E.; Glatz, A.

The ability of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) to carry very large currents with almost no dissipation makes them irreplaceable for high-power applications. The development and further improvement of HTS-based cables require an in-depth understanding of the superconducting vortex dynamics in the presence of complex pinning landscapes. We present a critical current analysis of a real HTS sample in a magnetic field by combining state-of-the-art large-scale Ginzburg-Landau simulations with reconstructive three-dimensional scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy tomography of the pinning landscape in Dy-doped YBa 2Cu 3O 7-δ. This methodology provides a unique look at the vortex dynamics in the presence of a complex pinning landscape responsiblemore » for the high-current-carrying-capacity characteristic of commercial HTS wires. Finally, our method demonstrates very good functional and quantitative agreement of the critical current between simulation and experiment, providing a new predictive tool for HTS wire designs.« less

Simulation of the Vortex Dynamics in a Real Pinning Landscape of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ Coated Conductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sadovskyy, I. A.; Koshelev, A. E.; Glatz, A.

Tmore » he ability of high-temperature superconductors (HSs) to carry very large currents with almost no dissipation makes them irreplaceable for high-power applications. he development and further improvement of HS-based cables require an in-depth understanding of the superconducting vortex dynamics in the presence of complex pinning landscapes. Here, we present a critical current analysis of a real HS sample in a magnetic field by combining state-of-the-art large-scale Ginzburg-Landau simulations with reconstructive three-dimensional scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy tomography of the pinning landscape in Dy-doped YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 - δ . his methodology provides a unique look at the vortex dynamics in the presence of a complex pinning landscape responsible for the high-current-carrying-capacity characteristic of commercial HS wires. Our method demonstrates very good functional and quantitative agreement of the critical current between simulation and experiment, providing a new predictive tool for HS wire designs.« less

PREFACE: MEM07: The 5th Annual Workshop on Mechanical and Electromagnetic Properties of Composite Superconductors (Princeton, NJ, USA, 21 24 August 2007)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larbalestier, D. C.; Osamura, K.; Hampshire, D. P.

2008-05-01

MEM07 was the 5th international workshop concentrating on the mechanical and electrical properties of composite superconductors, which are the technological conductor forms from which practical superconducting devices are made. Such superconducting conductors respond to important challenges we currently face, especially those concerned with the proper management of the world's energy resources. Superconductivity provides a means to address the challenges in the generation, transmission and distribution, and use of energy. For energy generation, the ITER Fusion Tokomak (now underway in France) provides exciting new challenges for the whole superconductivity community, due to the enormous size and strong fields of the plasma confinement superconducting magnets that will form the largest and most powerful superconducting machine yet built. Significant attention was paid at MEM07 to the modeling, characterization, testing and validation of the high-amperage Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit conductors needed for ITER. As for electric energy industry uses, there was much discussion of both first generation (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Ox conductors and the rapidly emerging second generation coated conductors made from YBa2Cu37-x. High-performing, affordable conductors of these materials are vital for large capacity transmission cables, energy storage systems, fault current limiters, generators and motors—many prototypes of which are being pursued in technologically advanced countries. There is a broad consensus that the prototype stage for high-current-high-field superconducting applications is nearing its end and that large scale applications are technologically feasible. However full industrialization of large-scale superconducting technologies in electric utility applications will benefit from continuous improvement in critical current, lower ac loss, higher strength and other vital conductor properties. The establishment of optimal procedures for the system design accompanying scale-up is a second vital task. As system design is dependent on material development, there is a critical need to study the key issues in developing high performance superconducting materials. The emphases of MEM07 were The mechanical properties of superconductors including the influence of stress and strain on the critical current of practical conductors including YBCO and ReBCO coated conductors, BSCCO tapes, MgB2 wires and Nb3Sn filamentary conductors. The intrinsic strain effects on critical current density in Nb3Sn, YBCO, BSCCO and MgB2. Recent advances in critical current, the mechanical properties and the reduction in ac losses of HTS tapes and wires. The compositional and microstructural dependence of E-J characteristics and explanations based on flux pinning, grain boundary weak-links and other mechanisms. Standardized test-methods: international cooperative research work to establish test methods for assessing the mechano-electromagnetic properties of superconductors based on the activities of IEC/TC90 and VAMAS/TWA-16. More than 60 researchers from more than 12 countries attended the MEM07 workshop, and about 40 presentations were made. A small selection of papers (15) from the workshop are included in this special issue of Superconductor Science and Technology. Taken together with papers published at earlier MEM meetings, this issue provides an updated view of some of the current state-of-the-art research in the mechano-electromagnetic properties of composite superconductors. The workshop was organized under the activities of the NEDO Grant Project (Applied Superconductivity, 2004EA004) and VAMAS/TWA-16. The meeting was organized by a committee composed of David Larbalestier (Conference Chair) aided by MEM05 and MEM06 Conference Chairs Kozo Osamura (Research Institute for Applied Sciences, Kyoto, Japan), Damian Hampshire (Durham University, UK) and Arman Nyilas (CEME). The Program Committee was composed of Ettore Salpietro (European Fusion Development Agreement), Neil Mitchell (ITER), Kozo Osamura, Damian Hampshire and Arman Nyilas. We express our great thanks to all those whose efforts were key in organizing the meeting, with very special thanks to our Meeting Planner Kate Liu who organized matters large and small with discretion and great efficiency.

Mechanical properties of high-temperature superconducting wires. Ph.D. Thesis - Illinois Inst. of Tech.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goretta, K. C.; Cluff, J. A.; Joo, J.; Lanagan, M. T.; Singh, J. P.; Vasanthamohan, N.; Xin, Y.; Wong, K. W.

1995-01-01

Bending strength, fracture toughness, and elastic modulus data were acquired for YBa2Cu3O(x), Bi2Sr2CaCu2O(x) (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x), and Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O(x) bars. These data and thermal expansion coefficients strongly suggest that the maximum possible tensile strain without fracture of bulk tapes or wires is approximately equals 0.2%. In Ag-clad conductors, residual stresses will be of limited benefit, but fractures produced by larger strains can be accommodated by shunting current through the Ag.

A novel modeling to predict the critical current behavior of Nb3Sn PIT strand under transverse load based on a scaling law and Finite Element Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tiening; Chiesa, Luisa; Takayasu, Makoto; Bordini, Bernardo

2014-09-01

Superconducting Nb3Sn 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 currently available do not follow a common measurement standard making the comparison between different data sets difficult. Recently at the University of Geneva, a new device has been developed to characterize the critical current of Nb3Sn strands under transverse loads. In this work we present a new 2D Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to predict the electro-mechanical response of a PIT strand that was tested at the University of Geneva when transverse load is applied. The FEA provides the strain map for the superconducting filaments when the load is applied. Those strain maps are then used to evaluate the critical current behavior of a PIT strand using a recently developed scaling law that correlates the superconducting properties of a wire with the strain invariants due to the load applied on the superconductor. The benefits and limitations of this method are discussed based on the comparison between the critical current simulation results obtained with the filament strain map and the experimental results available for PIT strands.

PREFACE: EUCAS '09: The 9th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (Dresden, Germany, 13-17 September 2009) EUCAS '09: The 9th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity (Dresden, Germany, 13-17 September 2009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzapfel, Bernhard; Schultz, Ludwig; Schlörb, Heike

2010-03-01

During the 9th European Conference on Applied Superconductivity, 6 plenary, 22 invited, 206 oral and 429 poster contributions were presented on recent developments in the field of applied superconductivity. This issue of Superconductor Science and Technology contains plenary, invited and a selection of contributed oral papers of the four main EUCAS areas: materials, wires and tapes, large scale applications and electronics. The remaining contributed papers that were selected for the conference proceedings will be published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series. The Dresden EUCAS conference, with 712 participants from 43 countries, continued the tradition of preceding EUCAS conferences of combining basic superconductivity research contributions with the discussion of recent material advances and new developments in large scale and electronic applications. In Dresden, contributions on the recently discovered Fe-based superconductors were presented for the first time during a EUCAS conference and their potential for applications was intensively discussed. Among all the high level papers of this issue we particularly want to highlight the plenary contribution of Praveen Chaudhari on grain boundaries in cuprate superconductors. In his paper Praveen discusses the Jc limitation in HTSC tapes and tunnelling spectroscopy in LSCO thin film bicrystals. Just a few weeks ago we received the sad news that Praveen had passed away on 13 January 2010. Already fighting with his serious illness, Praveen spent all his efforts last fall finishing his plenary talk and paper. This paper will remind us always of his contributions to basic and applied aspects of superconductivity in general and especially his important work on HTSC grain boundaries. Finally we want to acknowledge the help of the International Advisory and National Committees in setting up the scientific program and we would especially like to express our gratitude to all the members of the Local Organization Committee. Their enthusiastic and well organized work made this Dresden EUCAS conference a memorable event for all participants.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Kasa, Matthew; Ivanyushenkov, Yury

Here, this paper presents test results on a prototype superconducting undulator magnet fabricated using 15% Zr-doped rare-earth barium copper oxide high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes. On an 11-pole magnet we demonstrate an engineering current density, J e, of more than 2.1 kA mm -2 at 4.2 K, a value that is 40% higher than reached in comparable devices wound with NbTi-wire, which is used in all currently operating superconducting undulators. A novel winding scheme enabling the continuous winding of tape-shaped conductors into the intricate undulator magnets as well as a partial interlayer insulation procedure were essential in reaching this advancemore » in performance. Currently, there are rapid advances in the performance of HTS; therefore, achieving even higher current densities in an undulator structure or/and operating it at temperatures higher than 4.2 K will be possible, which would substantially simplify the cryogenic design and reduce overall costs.« less

A linear induction motor with a coated conductor superconducting secondary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Zheng, Shijun; Li, Jing; Ma, Guang Tong; Yen, Fei

2018-07-01

A linear induction motor system composed of a high-Tc superconducting secondary with close-ended coils made of REBCO coated conductor wire was designed and tested experimentally. The measured thrust, normal force and power loss are presented and explained by combining the flux dynamics inside superconductors with existing linear drive theory. It is found that an inherent capacitive component associated to the flux motion of vortices in the Type-II superconductor reduces the impedance of the coils; from such, the associated Lorentz forces are drastically increased. The resulting breakout thrust of the designed linear motor system was found to be extremely high (up to 4.7 kN/m2) while the associated normal forces only a fraction of the thrust. Compared to its conventional counterparts, high-Tc superconducting secondaries appear to be more feasible for use in maglev propulsion and electromagnetic launchers.

Globally optimal superconducting magnets part II: symmetric MSE coil arrangement.

PubMed

Tieng, Quang M; Vegh, Viktor; Brereton, Ian M

2009-01-01

A globally optimal superconducting magnet coil design procedure based on the Minimum Stored Energy (MSE) current density map is outlined. The method has the ability to arrange coils in a manner that generates a strong and homogeneous axial magnetic field over a predefined region, and ensures the stray field external to the assembly and peak magnetic field at the wires are in acceptable ranges. The outlined strategy of allocating coils within a given domain suggests that coils should be placed around the perimeter of the domain with adjacent coils possessing alternating winding directions for optimum performance. The underlying current density maps from which the coils themselves are derived are unique, and optimized to possess minimal stored energy. Therefore, the method produces magnet designs with the lowest possible overall stored energy. Optimal coil layouts are provided for unshielded and shielded short bore symmetric superconducting magnets.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moura, K. O.; Pirate, K. R.; Beron, F.

Samples of nanostructured β-Ga wires were synthesized by a novel method of metallic-flux nanonucleation. Several superconducting properties were observed, revealing the stabilization of a weak-coupling type-II-like superconductor (T c≈ 6.2 K) with a Ginzburg-Landau parameter κ GL = 1.18. This contrasts the type-I superconductivity observed for the majority of Ga phases, including small spheres of β-Ga with diameters near 15 μm. Remarkably, our magnetization curves reveal a crossover field H D, where we propose that the Abrikosov vortices are exactly touching their neighbors inside the Ga nanowires. A phenomenological model is proposed to explain this result by assuming that onlymore » a single row of vortices is allowed inside a nanowire under perpendicular applied field, with an appreciable depletion of Cooper pair density at the nanowire edges. Lastly, these results are expected to shed light on the growing area of superconductivity in nanostructured materials.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petković, Ivana; Lollo, A.; Glazman, L. I.

The properties of one-dimensional superconductors are strongly influenced by topological fluctuations of the order parameter, known as phase slips, which cause the decay of persistent current in superconducting rings and the appearance of resistance in superconducting wires. Despite extensive work, quantitative studies of phase slips have been limited by uncertainty regarding the order parameter’s free-energy landscape. Here we show detailed agreement between measurements of the persistent current in isolated flux-biased rings and Ginzburg–Landau theory over a wide range of temperature, magnetic field and ring size; this agreement provides a quantitative picture of the free-energy landscape. Furthermore, we also demonstrate thatmore » phase slips occur deterministically as the barrier separating two competing order parameter configurations vanishes. These results will enable studies of quantum and thermal phase slips in a well-characterized system and will provide access to outstanding questions regarding the nature of one-dimensional superconductivity.« less

Design, Fabrication, and Test of a Superconducting Dipole Magnet Based on Tilted Solenoids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caspi, S.; Dietderich, D. R.; Ferracin, P.

2007-06-01

It can be shown that, by superposing two solenoid-like thin windings that are oppositely skewed (tilted) with respect to the bore axis, the combined current density on the surface is 'cos-theta' like and the resulting magnetic field in the bore is a pure dipole. As a proof of principle, such a magnet was designed, built and tested as part of a summer undergraduate intern project. The measured field in the 25mm bore, 4 single strand layers using NbTi superconductor, exceeded 1 T. The simplicity of this high field quality design, void of typical wedges end-spacers and coil assembly, is especiallymore » suitable for insert-coils using High Temperature Superconducting wire as well as for low cost superconducting accelerator magnets for High Energy Physics. Details of the design, construction and test are reported.« less

Robust transport signatures of topological superconductivity in topological insulator nanowires.

PubMed

de Juan, Fernando; Ilan, Roni; Bardarson, Jens H

2014-09-05

Finding a clear signature of topological superconductivity in transport experiments remains an outstanding challenge. In this work, we propose exploiting the unique properties of three-dimensional topological insulator nanowires to generate a normal-superconductor junction in the single-mode regime where an exactly quantized 2e2/h zero-bias conductance can be observed over a wide range of realistic system parameters. This is achieved by inducing superconductivity in half of the wire, which can be tuned at will from trivial to topological with a parallel magnetic field, while a perpendicular field is used to gap out the normal part, except for two spatially separated chiral channels. The combination of chiral mode transport and perfect Andreev reflection makes the measurement robust to moderate disorder, and the quantization of conductance survives to much higher temperatures than in tunnel junction experiments. Our proposal may be understood as a variant of a Majorana interferometer which is easily realizable in experiments.

Method of constructing a superconducting magnet

DOEpatents

Satti, John A.

1981-01-01

A superconducting magnet designed to produce magnetic flux densities of the order of 4 to 5 Webers per square meter is constructed by first forming a cable of a plurality of matrixed superconductor wires with each wire of the plurality insulated from each other one. The cable is shaped into a rectangular cross-section and is wound with tape in an open spiral to create cooling channels. Coils are wound in a calculated pattern in saddle shapes to produce desired fields, such as dipoles, quadrupoles, and the like. Wedges are inserted between adjacent cables as needed to maintain substantially radial placement of the long dimensions of cross sections of the cables. After winding, individual strands in each of the cables are brought out to terminals and are interconnected to place all of the strands in series and to maximize the propagation of a quench by alternating conduction from an inner layer to an outer layer and from top half to bottom half as often as possible. Individual layers are separated from others by spiraled aluminum spacers to facilitate cooling. The wound coil is wrapped with an epoxy tape that is cured by heat and then machined to an interference fit with an outer aluminum pipe which is then affixed securely to the assembled coil by heating it to make a shrink fit. In an alternate embodiment, one wire of the cable is made of copper or the like to be heated externally to propagate a quench.

Superconducting magnet

DOEpatents

Satti, John A.

1980-01-01

A superconducting magnet designed to produce magnetic flux densities of the order of 4 to 5 Webers per square meter is constructed by first forming a cable of a plurality of matrixed superconductor wires with each wire of the plurality insulated from each other one. The cable is shaped into a rectangular cross-section and is wound with tape in an open spiral to create cooling channels. Coils are wound in a calculated pattern in saddle shapes to produce desired fields, such as dipoles, quadrupoles, and the like. Wedges are inserted between adjacent cables as needed to maintain substantially radial placement of the long dimensions of cross sections of the cables. After winding, individual strands in each of the cables are brought out to terminals and are interconnected to place all of the strands in series and to maximize the propagation of a quench by alternating conduction from an inner layer to an outer layer and from top half to bottom half as often as possible. Individual layers are separated from others by spiraled aluminum spacers to facilitate cooling. The wound coil is wrapped with an epoxy tape that is cured by heat and then machined to an interference fit with an outer aluminum pipe which is then affixed securely to the assembled coil by heating it to make a shrink fit. In an alternate embodiment, one wire of the cable is made of copper or the like to be heated externally to propagate a quench.

PERSISTENT CURRENT EFFECT IN 15-16 T NB3SN ACCELERATOR DIPOLES AND ITS CORRECTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kashikhin, V. V.; Zlobin, A. V.

2016-11-08

Nb3Sn magnets with operating fields of 15-16 T are considered for the LHC Energy Doubler and a future Very High Energy pp Collider. Due to large coil volume, high critical current density and large superconducting (SC) filament size the persistent current effect is very large in Nb3Sn dipoles al low fields. This paper presents the results of analysis of the persistent current effect in the 15 T Nb3Sn dipole demonstrator being developed at FNAL, and describes different possibilities of its correction including passive SC wires, iron shims and coil geometry.

Projets et développemepts en cryoélectrotechnique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tixador, P.; Laumond, Y.

1991-02-01

The use of superconductivity in electrical engineering is reviewed. It deals with low T_c superconductors as only applications under development are considered. The article describes first the " classical " uses under constant or slow varying magnetic field: coils for Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, they are expected as a power system stabilizer and not only as a energy storage system. The present status of superconducting field a.c. generators is reviewed and the different programs over the world are described: in Germany (KWU/Siemens), in UDSSR, and in Japan where the program Super GM is led by the Engineering Research Association for Superconductive Generation Equipment and Materials. After a description of ultra-fine multifilamentary wires for 50-60 Hz use their applications are reviewed: electrical machines, above all fully superconducting a.c. generators, transformers and limiters based on the superconducting-normal transition above the critical current. Les diverses applications de la supraconductivité en électrotechnique ou courants forts sont passées en revue. Comme il s'agit de développements en cours, seule la supraconductivité à basse température est considérée. Les applications " classiques " des supraconducteurs sont abordées en premier. Ce sont les bobines de stockage (S.M.E.S.), qui peuvent fonctionner également en régulateur, les alternateurs à inducteur supraconducteur (SC) avec les programmes japonais (super GM), allemand (KWU Siemens) et soviétique, sans oublier la lévitation magnétique... Ensuite, après un bref rappel sur les multifilamentaires ultrafins utilisables aux fréquences industrielles apparus en 1983, l'article considère les applications de ces nouveaux conducteurs SC : machines électriques avec les alternateurs entièrement supraconducteurs surtout, transformateurs et enfin limiteurs qui utilisent le phénomène original de la transition supra/normal pour limiter les surintensités.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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 FEM calculations are then used to model the electromagnetic response of eight probe designs, consisting of an eddy current drive coil coupled to a SQUID surrounded by superconducting and/or high permeability magnetic shielding. Simulations are carried out with the eddy current probes located a finite distance above a conducting surface. Results are quantified in terms of shielding and focus factors for each probe design.

Rugged superconducting detector for monitoring infrared energy sources in harsh environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laviano, F.; Gerbaldo, R.; Ghigo, G.; Gozzelino, L.; Minetti, B.; Rovelli, A.; Mezzetti, E.

2010-12-01

Broadband electromagnetic characterization of hot plasmas, such as in nuclear fusion reactors and related experiments, requires detecting systems that must withstand high flux of particles and electromagnetic radiations. We propose a rugged layout of a high temperature superconducting detector aimed at 3 THz collective Thomson scattering (CTS) spectroscopy in hot fusion plasma. The YBa2Cu3O7 - x superconducting film is patterned by standard photolithography and the sensing area of the device is created by means of high-energy heavy ion irradiation, in order to modify the crystal structure both of the superconducting film and of the substrate. This method diminishes process costs and resulting device fragility due to membrane or air-bridge structures that are commonly needed for MIR and FIR radiation detection. Moreover the sensing area of the device is wired by the same superconducting material and thus excellent mechanical strength is exhibited by the whole device, due to the oxide substrate. Continuous wave operation of prototype devices is demonstrated at liquid nitrogen temperature, for selected infrared spectra of broadband thermal energy sources. Several solutions, which exploit the advantages coming from the robustness of this layout in terms of intrinsic radiation hardness of the superconducting material and of the needed optical components, are analysed with reference to applications of infrared electromagnetic detectors in a tokamak machine environment.

Understanding the densification process of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox round wires with overpressure processing and its effect on critical current density

PubMed Central

Matras, M. R.; Jiang, J.; Larbalestier, D. C.; Hellstrom, E. E.

2016-01-01

Overpressure (OP) processing increases the critical current density (JC) of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (2212) round wires by shrinking the surrounding Ag matrix around the 2212 filaments, driving them close to full density and greatly increasing the 2212 grain connectivity. Indeed densification is vital for attaining the highest JC. Here, we investigate the time and temperature dependence of the wire densification. We find that the wire diameter decreases by 3.8 ± 0.3 % after full heat treatment at 50 atm and 100 atm OP. At 50 atm OP pressure, the filaments start densifying above 700 °C and reach a 3.30 ± 0.07 % smaller diameter after 2 h at 820 °C, which is below the melting point of 2212 powder. The densification is homogeneous and does not change the filament shape before melting. The growth of non-superconducting phases is observed at 820 °C, suggesting that time should be minimized at high temperature prior to melting the 2212 powder. Study of an open-ended 2.2 m long wire sample shows that full densification and the high OP JC (JC varies by about 3.1 times over the 2.2 m long wire) is reached about 1 m from the open ends, thus showing that coil-length wires can be protected from leaky seals by adding at least 1 m of sacrificial wire at each end. PMID:28479675

Method for making high-critical-current-density YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 superconducting layers on metallic substrates

DOEpatents

Feenstra, Roeland; Christen, David; Paranthaman, Mariappan

1999-01-01

A method is disclosed for fabricating YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 superconductor layers with the capability of carrying large superconducting currents on a metallic tape (substrate) supplied with a biaxially textured oxide buffer layer. The method represents a simplification of previously established techniques and provides processing requirements compatible with scale-up to long wire (tape) lengths and high processing speeds. This simplification has been realized by employing the BaF.sub.2 method to grow a YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 film on a metallic substrate having a biaxially textured oxide buffer layer.

Synthesis of Bi.sub.1.8 Pb.sub.0.4 Sr.sub.2 Ca.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x superconductor

DOEpatents

Smith, Michael G.

1996-01-01

Two-powder processes for the synthesis of superconducting (Bi, Pb)-2223/Ag-clad wires by the oxide-powder-in-the-robe are provided. The first precursor powder, of nominal stoichiometry CaCuO.sub.x, is a solution-synthesized mixture of Ca.sub.0.45 Cu.sub.0.55 O.sub.2 and CaO. Using these oxide precursor mixtures, superconducting tapes with well-aligned grains and reproducible critical current densities J.sub.c in the range of 20,000 to 26,000 A/cm.sup.2 at 75 K in self-field after annealing less than 200 hours were obtained.

Synthesis of Bi{sub 1.8}Pb{sub 0.4}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} superconductor

DOEpatents

Smith, M.G.

1996-10-29

Two-powder processes for the synthesis of superconducting (Bi, Pb)-2223/Ag-clad wires by the oxide-powder-in-the-robe are provided. The first precursor powder, of nominal stoichiometry CaCuO{sub x}, is a solution-synthesized mixture of Ca{sub 0.45}Cu{sub 0.55}O{sub 2} and CaO. Using these oxide precursor mixtures, superconducting tapes with well-aligned grains and reproducible critical current densities J{sub c} in the range of 20,000 to 26,000 A/cm{sup 2} at 75 K in self-field after annealing less than 200 hours were obtained. 2 figs.

NMR and MRI apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Clarke, John; Kelso, Nathan; Lee, SeungKyun; Moessle, Michael; Myers, Whittier; McDermott, Robert; ten Haken, Bernard; Pines, Alexander; Trabesinger, Andreas

2007-03-06

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals are detected in microtesla fields. Prepolarization in millitesla fields is followed by detection with an untuned dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Because the sensitivity of the SQUID is frequency independent, both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral resolution are enhanced by detecting the NMR signal in extremely low magnetic fields, where the NMR lines become very narrow even for grossly inhomogeneous measurement fields. Additional signal to noise benefits are obtained by use of a low noise polarization coil, comprising litz wire or superconducting materials. MRI in ultralow magnetic field is based on the NMR at ultralow fields. Gradient magnetic fields are applied, and images are constructed from the detected NMR signals.

Kinetic analysis of MgB2 layer formation in advanced internal magnesium infiltration (AIMI) processed MgB2 wires

PubMed Central

Li, G. Z.; Sumption, M. D.; Collings, E. W.

2015-01-01

Significantly enhanced critical current density (Jc) for MgB2 superconducting wires can be obtained following the advanced internal Mg infiltration (AIMI) route. But unless suitable precautions are taken, the AIMI-processed MgB2 wires will exhibit incomplete MgB2 layer formation, i.e. reduced superconductor core size and hence suppressed current-carrying capability. Microstructural characterization of AIMI MgB2 wires before and after the heat treatment reveals that the reaction mechanism changes from a “Mg infiltration-reaction” at the beginning of the heat treatment to a “Mg diffusion-reaction” once a dense MgB2 layer is formed. A drastic drop in the Mg transport rate from infiltration to diffusion causes the termination of the MgB2 core growth. To quantify this process, a two-stage kinetic model is built to describe the MgB2 layer formation and growth. The derived kinetic model and the associated experimental observations indicate that fully reacted AIMI-processed MgB2 wires can be achieved following the optimization of B particle size, B powder packing density, MgB2 reaction activation energy and its response to the additions of dopants. PMID:26973431

Thermal conductance of Nb thin films at sub-kelvin temperatures.

PubMed

Feshchenko, A V; Saira, O-P; Peltonen, J T; Pekola, J P

2017-02-03

We determine the thermal conductance of thin niobium (Nb) wires on a silica substrate in the temperature range of 0.1-0.6 K using electron thermometry based on normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions. We find that at 0.6 K, the thermal conductance of Nb is two orders of magnitude lower than that of Al in the superconducting state, and two orders of magnitude below the Wiedemann-Franz conductance calculated with the normal state resistance of the wire. The measured thermal conductance exceeds the prediction of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, and demonstrates a power law dependence on temperature as T 4.5 , instead of an exponential one. At the same time, we monitor the temperature profile of the substrate along the Nb wire to observe possible overheating of the phonon bath. We show that Nb can be successfully used for thermal insulation in a nanoscale circuit while simultaneously providing an electrical connection.

Thermal conductance of Nb thin films at sub-kelvin temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feshchenko, A. V.; Saira, O.-P.; Peltonen, J. T.; Pekola, J. P.

2017-02-01

We determine the thermal conductance of thin niobium (Nb) wires on a silica substrate in the temperature range of 0.1-0.6 K using electron thermometry based on normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions. We find that at 0.6 K, the thermal conductance of Nb is two orders of magnitude lower than that of Al in the superconducting state, and two orders of magnitude below the Wiedemann-Franz conductance calculated with the normal state resistance of the wire. The measured thermal conductance exceeds the prediction of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, and demonstrates a power law dependence on temperature as T4.5, instead of an exponential one. At the same time, we monitor the temperature profile of the substrate along the Nb wire to observe possible overheating of the phonon bath. We show that Nb can be successfully used for thermal insulation in a nanoscale circuit while simultaneously providing an electrical connection.

Transport and emittance study for 18 GHz superconducting-ECR ion source at RCNP.

PubMed

Yorita, T; Hatanaka, K; Fukuda, M; Ueda, H; Kibayashi, M; Morinobu, S; Tamii, A

2012-02-01

As the upgrade program of the azimuthally varying field (AVF) cyclotron is at the cyclotron facility of the RCNP, Osaka University for the improvement of the quality, stability, and intensity of accelerated beams, an 18 GHz superconducting (SC) ECR ion source has been installed to increase beam currents and to extend the variety of ions, especially for highly charged heavy ions which can be accelerated by RCNP AVF cyclotron. The production development of several ions such as B, O, N, Ne, Ar, Ni, Kr, and Xe has been performed by Yorita et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79, 02A311(2008); 81, 02A332 (2010)]. Further studies for the beam transport have been done in order to improve the beam current more for injection of cyclotron. The effect of field leakage of AVF main coil is not negligible and additional steering magnet has been installed and then beam transmission has been improved. The emittance monitor has also been developed for the purpose of investigating correlation between emittance of beam from ECR ion sources and injection efficiency. The monitor consists with BPM82 with rotating wire for fast measurement for efficient study.

Composite Ceramic Superconducting Wires for Electric Motor Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-30

current a-yi t6-ransition. - Emerson Motor Division has begun work on DC heteropolar and homopolar motor designs. The mechanical stresses on conventional...Emerson Motor Division has begun work on DC heteropolar motor designs and, through Professor Novotny at U. Wisconsin, DC homopolar machines. The...123 3.2 Literature Research .............................. .. 124 3 3.3 Application Study .............................. .. 124 3.3.1 Homopolar Motor

Composite Ceramic Superconducting Wires for Electric Motor Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-30

of Y-123, with most: emphasis on clna-acterizing the rapid oxygenation effect. The design of the HTSC_ homopolar motor has been improved to increase...oxygenation effect. The design of the HTSC homopolar motor has been improved to increase the output from field coils by using six smaller coils, each... Motor Design Enhancements ................................. 49 3.3 Homopolar Motor Construction ........................................ 54 3.4 Advanced

R&D Progress of HTS Magnet Project for Ultrahigh-field MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tosaka, Taizo; Miyazaki, Hiroshi; Iwai, Sadanori; Otani, Yasumi; Takahashi, Masahiko; Tasaki, Kenji; Nomura, Shunji; Kurusu, Tsutomu; Ueda, Hiroshi; Noguchi, So; Ishiyama, Atsushi; Urayama, Shinichi; Fukuyama, Hidenao

An R&D project on high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets using rare-earth Ba2Cu3O7 (REBCO) wires was started in 2013. The project objective is to investigate the feasibility of adapting REBCO magnets to ultrahigh field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. REBCO wires are promising components for UHF-MRI magnets because of their superior superconducting and mechanical properties, which make them smaller and lighter than conventional ones. Moreover, REBCO magnets can be cooled by the conduction-cooling method, making liquid helium unnecessary. In the past two years, some test coils and model magnets have been fabricated and tested. This year is the final year of the project. The goals of the project are: (1) to generate a 9.4 T magnetic field with a small test coil, (2) to generate a homogeneous magnetic field in a 200 mm diameter spherical volume with a 1.5 T model magnet, and (3) to perform imaging with the 1.5 T model magnet. In this paper, the progress of this R&D is described. The knowledge gained through these R&D results will be reflected in the design of 9.4 T MRI magnets for brain and whole body imaging.

Low frequency electrical noise across contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting bulk YBa2Cu3O7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, J.; Chen, T. M.

1991-01-01

Virtually every device that makes use of the new ceramic superconductors will need normal conductor to superconductor contacts. The current-voltage and electrical noise characteristics of these contacts could become important design considerations. I-V and low frequency electrical noise measurements are presented on contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7. The contacts were formed by first sputtering gold palladium pads onto the surface of the bulk superconductor and then using silver epoxy to attach a wire(s) to each pad. Voltage across the contacts was found for small current densities. The voltage spectral density, S sub v(f), a quantity often used to characterize electrical noise, very closely followed an empirical relationship given by S sub v(f) = C(VR)sq/f, where V is the DC voltage across the contact, R is the contact resistance, F is frequency, and C is a contant found to be 2 x 10(exp -10)/Omega sq at 78 K. This relationship was found to be independent of contact area, contact geometry, sample fabrication technique, and sample density.

Low frequency electrical noise across contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting bulk YBa2Cu3O7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, J.; Chen, T. M.

1990-01-01

Virtually every device that makes use of the new ceramic superconductors will need normal conductor to supercondutor contacts. The current-voltage and electrical noise characteristics of these contacts could be become important design considerations. I-V and low frequency electrical noise measurements are presented on contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7. The contacts were formed by first sputtering gold palladium pads onto the surface of the bulk superconductor and then using silver epoxy to attach a wire(s) to each pad. Voltage across the contacts was found for small current densities. The voltage spectral density, S sub v(f), a quanity often used to characterize electrical noise, very closely followed an empirical relationship given by, S sub v(f) = C(VR)sq/f, where V is the DC voltage across the contact, R is the contact resistance, F is frequency, and C is a contant found to be 2 x 10(exp -10)/Omega sq at 78 K. This relationship was found to be independent of contact area, contact geometry, sample fabrication technique, and sample density.

Nonequilibrium optical control of dynamical states in superconducting nanowire circuits.

PubMed

Madan, Ivan; Buh, Jože; Baranov, Vladimir V; Kabanov, Viktor V; Mrzel, Aleš; Mihailovic, Dragan

2018-03-01

Optical control of states exhibiting macroscopic phase coherence in condensed matter systems opens intriguing possibilities for materials and device engineering, including optically controlled qubits and photoinduced superconductivity. Metastable states, which in bulk materials are often associated with the formation of topological defects, are of more practical interest. Scaling to nanosize leads to reduced dimensionality, fundamentally changing the system's properties. In one-dimensional superconducting nanowires, vortices that are present in three-dimensional systems are replaced by fluctuating topological defects of the phase. These drastically change the dynamical behavior of the superconductor and introduce dynamical periodic long-range ordered states when the current is driven through the wire. We report the control and manipulation of transitions between different dynamically stable states in superconducting δ 3 -MoN nanowire circuits by ultrashort laser pulses. Not only can the transitions between different dynamically stable states be precisely controlled by light, but we also discovered new photoinduced hidden states that cannot be reached under near-equilibrium conditions, created while laser photoexcited quasi-particles are outside the equilibrium condition. The observed switching behavior can be understood in terms of dynamical stabilization of various spatiotemporal periodic trajectories of the order parameter in the superconductor nanowire, providing means for the optical control of the superconducting phase with subpicosecond control of timing.

Room-temperature growth of thin films of niobium on strontium titanate (0 0 1) single-crystal substrates for superconducting joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, Yuhei; Tonooka, Kazuhiko; Yoshida, Yoshiyuki; Furuse, Mitsuho; Takashima, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

With the eventual aim of forming joints between superconducting wires of YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO), thin films of Nb were grown at room-temperature on SrTiO3 (STO) (0 0 1), a single-crystal substrate that shows good lattice matching with YBCO. The crystallinity, surface morphology, and superconducting properties of the Nb thin films were investigated and compared with those of similar films grown on a silica glass substrate. The Nb thin films grew with an (hh0) orientation on both substrates. The crystallinity of the Nb thin films on the STO substrate was higher than that on the silica glass substrate. X-ray diffraction measurements and observation of the surface morphology by atomic-force microscopy indicated that Nb grew in the plane along the [1 0 0] and [0 1 0] directions of the STO substrate. This growth mode relaxes strain between Nb and STO, and is believed to lead to the high crystallinity observed. As a result, the Nb thin films on the STO substrates showed lower electric resistivity and a higher superconducting transition temperature than did those on the silica glass substrates. The results of this study should be useful in relation to the production of superconducting joints.

Nonequilibrium optical control of dynamical states in superconducting nanowire circuits

PubMed Central

Madan, Ivan; Baranov, Vladimir V.

2018-01-01

Optical control of states exhibiting macroscopic phase coherence in condensed matter systems opens intriguing possibilities for materials and device engineering, including optically controlled qubits and photoinduced superconductivity. Metastable states, which in bulk materials are often associated with the formation of topological defects, are of more practical interest. Scaling to nanosize leads to reduced dimensionality, fundamentally changing the system’s properties. In one-dimensional superconducting nanowires, vortices that are present in three-dimensional systems are replaced by fluctuating topological defects of the phase. These drastically change the dynamical behavior of the superconductor and introduce dynamical periodic long-range ordered states when the current is driven through the wire. We report the control and manipulation of transitions between different dynamically stable states in superconducting δ3-MoN nanowire circuits by ultrashort laser pulses. Not only can the transitions between different dynamically stable states be precisely controlled by light, but we also discovered new photoinduced hidden states that cannot be reached under near-equilibrium conditions, created while laser photoexcited quasi-particles are outside the equilibrium condition. The observed switching behavior can be understood in terms of dynamical stabilization of various spatiotemporal periodic trajectories of the order parameter in the superconductor nanowire, providing means for the optical control of the superconducting phase with subpicosecond control of timing. PMID:29670935

Measurement of a Conduction Cooled Nb3Sn Racetrack Coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, HS; Kovacs, C.; Rochester, J.; Sumption, MD; Tomsic, M.; Peng, X.; Doll, D.

2017-12-01

Use of superconducting coils for wind turbines and electric aircraft is of interest because of the potential for high power density and weight reduction. Here we test a racetrack coil developed as a proof-of-concept for cryogen-free superconducting motors and generators. The coil was wound with 1209 m of 0.7-mm-diameter insulated tube-type Nb3Sn wire. The coil was epoxy-impregnated, instrumented, covered with numerous layers of aluminized mylar insulation, and inserted vertically into a dewar. The system was cooled to 4.2 K, and a few inches of liquid helium was allowed to collect at the bottom of the dewar but below the coil. The coil was cooled by conduction via copper cooling bars were attached to the coil but also were immersed in the liquid helium at their lower ends. Several current tests were performed on the coil, initially in voltage mode, and one run in current mode. The maximum coil Ic at 4.2 K was 480 A, generating 3.06 T at the surface of the coil. The coil met the design targets with a noticeable margin.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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 (150 V/50 A) a permis de valider expérimentalement cette conception. Nous aborderons l'extrapolation d'un limiteur de taille industrielle (63 kV/1 250 A). Les résultats seront comparés à des limiteurs supraconducteurs résistifs et de type DASC.

Understanding the densification process of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O x round wires with overpressure processing and its effect on critical current density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matras, M. R.; Jiang, J.; Larbalestier, D. C.; Hellstrom, E. E.

2016-10-01

Overpressure (OP) processing increases the critical current density ({{\\boldsymbol{J}}}{{C}}) of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O x (2212) round wires by shrinking the surrounding Ag matrix around the 2212 filaments, driving them close to full density and greatly increasing the 2212 grain connectivity. Indeed densification is vital for attaining the highest {{\\boldsymbol{J}}}{{C}}. Here, we investigate the time and temperature dependence of the wire densification. We find that the wire diameter decreases by 3.8 ± 0.3% after full heat treatment at 50 atm and 100 atm OP. At 50 atm OP pressure, the filaments start densifying above 700 °C and reach a 3.30 ± 0.07% smaller diameter after 2 h at 820 °C, which is below the melting point of 2212 powder. The densification is homogeneous and does not change the filament shape before melting. The growth of non-superconducting phases is observed at 820 °C, suggesting that time should be minimized at high temperature prior to melting the 2212 powder. Study of an open-ended 2.2 m long wire sample shows that full densification and the high OP {{\\boldsymbol{J}}}{{C}} ({{\\boldsymbol{J}}}{{C}} varies by about 3.1 times over the 2.2 m long wire) is reached about 1 m from the open ends, thus showing that coil-length wires can be protected from leaky seals by adding at least 1 m of sacrificial wire at each end.

Low-noise magnetometer based on inductance modulation in high-critical-temperature superconductor coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enpuku, Keiji; Matsuo, Masaaki; Yoshida, Yujiro; Yamashita, Shigeya; Sasayama, Teruyoshi; Yoshida, Takashi

2018-06-01

We developed a magnetometer based on inductance modulation of a coil made from a high-critical-temperature superconducting material. The coil inductance was modulated over time via a modulation current applied to a magnetic wire that was inserted into the coil. The magnetic field was then converted into a signal voltage using this time-dependent inductance. The relationship between magnetometer performance and the modulation current conditions was studied. Under appropriate conditions, the magnetometer had responsivity of 885 V/T. The magnetic field noise was 1.3 pT/Hz1/2 in the white noise region and 5.6 pT/Hz1/2 at f = 1 Hz.

Overview of Superconductivity and Challenges in Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flükiger, Rene

2012-01-01

Considerable progress has been achieved during the last few decades in the various fields of applied superconductivity, while the related low temperature technology has reached a high level. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are so far the most successful applications, with tens of thousands of units worldwide, but high potential can also be recognized in the energy sector, with high energy cables, transformers, motors, generators for wind turbines, fault current limiters and devices for magnetic energy storage. A large number of magnet and cable prototypes have been constructed, showing in all cases high reliability. Large projects involving the construction of magnets, solenoids as well as dipoles and quadrupoles are described in the present book. A very large project, the LHC, is currently in operation, demonstrating that superconductivity is a reliable technology, even in a device of unprecedented high complexity. A project of similar complexity is ITER, a fusion device that is presently under construction. This article starts with a brief historical introduction to superconductivity as a phenomenon, and some fundamental properties necessary for the understanding of the technical behavior of superconductors are described. The introduction of superconductivity in the industrial cycle faces many challenges, first for the properties of the base elements, e.g. the wires, tapes and thin films, then for the various applied devices, where a number of new difficulties had to be resolved. A variety of industrial applications in energy, medicine and communications are briefly presented, showing how superconductivity is now entering the market.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Hasse, Quentin; Ivanyushenkov, Yury

The use of second-generation high-temperature superconducting-coated conductors enables an enhancement of the performance of undulator magnets. However, preventing the motion of the wire and providing sufficient conduction cooling to the winding stacks have remained challenges. In this study, we have evaluated epoxy impregnation techniques to address these issues. Epoxy resin was prepared with different nanopowders and the effect on the performance of the undulator coil pack was investigated. All epoxy impregnated coils showed smaller n values and some degree of deterioration of the critical current I c. The I c degradation was most pronounced for epoxy mixed with high aspectmore » ratio multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). It has been found that the crack formation in the epoxy results in plastic deformation of the copper stabilizer layer, which causes the underlying ceramic REBCO superconducting layer to crack resulting in degradation of the superconducting tape performance. As a result, careful adjustment of epoxy thickness surrounding the superconductor and the powder ratio in the epoxy eliminate the performance degradation.« less

Effect of annealing high-dose heavy-ion irradiated high-temperature superconductor wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strickland, N. M.; Wimbush, S. C.; Kluth, P.; Mota-Santiago, P.; Ridgway, M. C.; Kennedy, J. V.; Long, N. J.

2017-10-01

Heavy-ion irradiation of high-temperature superconducting thin films has long been known to generate damage tracks of amorphized material that are of close-to-ideal dimension to effectively contribute to pinning of magnetic flux lines and thereby enhance the in-field critical current. At the same time, though, the presence of these tracks reduces the superconducting volume fraction available to transport current while the irradiation process itself generates oxygen depletion and disorder in the remaining superconducting material. We have irradiated commercially available superconducting coated conductors consisting of a thick film of (Y,Dy)Ba2Cu3O7 deposited on a buffered metal tape substrate in a continuous reel-to-reel process. Irradiation was by 185 MeV 197Au ions. A high fluence of 3 × 1011 ions/cm2 was chosen to emphasize the detrimental effects. The critical current was reduced following this irradiation, but annealing at relatively low temperatures of 200 °C and 400 °C substantially restore the critical current of the irradiated material. At high fields and high temperatures there is a net benefit of critical current compared to the untreated material.

First Tests of Prototype SCUBA-2 Superconducting Bolometer Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodcraft, Adam L.; Ade, Peter A. R.; Bintley, Dan; Hunt, Cynthia L.; Sudiwala, Rashmi V.; Hilton, Gene C.; Irwin, Kent D.; Reintsema, Carl D.; Audley, Michael D.; Holland, Wayne S.; MacIntosh, Mike

2006-09-01

We present results of the first tests on a 1280 pixel superconducting bolometer array, a prototype for SCUBA-2, a sub-mm camera being built for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii. The bolometers are TES (transition edge sensor) detectors; these take advantage of the large variation of resistance with temperature through the superconducting transition. To keep the number of wires reasonable, a multiplexed read-out is used. Each pixel is read out through an individual DC SQUID; room temperature electronics switch between rows in the array by biasing the appropriate SQUIDs in turn. Arrays of 100 SQUIDs in series for each column then amplify the output. Unlike previous TES arrays, the multiplexing elements are located beneath each pixel, making large arrays possible, but construction more challenging. The detectors are constructed from Mo/Cu bi-layers; this technique enables the transition temperature to be tuned using the proximity effect by choosing the thickness of the normal and superconducting materials. To achieve the required performance, the detectors are operated at a temperature of approximately 120 mK. We describe the results of a basic characterisation of the array, demonstrating that it is fully operational, and give the results of signal to noise measurements.

Superconducting Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) system for Grumman Maglev concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalsi, Swarn S.

1994-01-01

The Grumman developed Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) Maglev system has the following key characteristics: a large operating airgap--40 mm; levitation at all speeds; both high speed and low speed applications; no deleterious effects on SC coils at low vehicle speeds; low magnetic field at the SC coil--less than 0.35 T; no need to use non-magnetic/non-metallic rebar in the guideway structure; low magnetic field in passenger cabin--approximately 1 G; low forces on the SC coil; employs state-of-the-art NbTi wire; no need for an active magnet quench protection system; and lower weight than a magnet system with copper coils. The EMS Maglev described in this paper does not require development of any new technologies. The system could be built with the existing SC magnet technology.

Two chamber reaction furnace

DOEpatents

Blaugher, Richard D.

1998-05-05

A vertical two chamber reaction furnace. The furnace comprises a lower chamber having an independently operable first heating means for heating the lower chamber and a gas inlet means for admitting a gas to create an ambient atmosphere, and an upper chamber disposed above the lower chamber and having an independently operable second heating means for heating the upper chamber. Disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is a vapor permeable diffusion partition. The upper chamber has a conveyor means for conveying a reactant there through. Of particular importance is the thallinating of long-length thallium-barium-calcium-copper oxide (TBCCO) or barium-calcium-copper oxide (BCCO) precursor tapes or wires conveyed through the upper chamber to thereby effectuate the deposition of vaporized thallium (being so vaporized as the first reactant in the lower chamber at a temperature between about 700.degree. and 800.degree. C.) on TBCCO or BCCO tape or wire (the second reactant) at its simultaneous annealing temperature in the upper chamber of about 800.degree. to 950.degree. C. to thereby replace thallium oxide lost from TBCCO tape or wire because of the high annealing temperature or to deposit thallium on BCCO tape or wire. Continuously moving the tape or wire provides a single-step process that effectuates production of long-length TBCCO superconducting product.

Vertical two chamber reaction furnace

DOEpatents

Blaugher, Richard D.

1999-03-16

A vertical two chamber reaction furnace. The furnace comprises a lower chamber having an independently operable first heating means for heating the lower chamber and a gas inlet means for admitting a gas to create an ambient atmosphere, and an upper chamber disposed above the lower chamber and having an independently operable second heating means for heating the upper chamber. Disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is a vapor permeable diffusion partition. The upper chamber has a conveyor means for conveying a reactant there through. Of particular importance is the thallinating of long-length thallium-barium-calcium-copper oxide (TBCCO) or barium-calcium-copper oxide (BCCO) precursor tapes or wires conveyed through the upper chamber to thereby effectuate the deposition of vaporized thallium (being so vaporized as the first reactant in the lower chamber at a temperature between about 700.degree. and 800.degree. C.) on TBCCO or BCCO tape or wire (the second reactant) at its simultaneous annealing temperature in the upper chamber of about 800.degree. to 950.degree. C. to thereby replace thallium oxide lost from TBCCO tape or wire because of the high annealing temperature or to deposit thallium on BCCO tape or wire. Continuously moving the tape or wire provides a single-step process that effectuates production of long-length TBCCO superconducting product.

Two chamber reaction furnace

DOEpatents

Blaugher, R.D.

1998-05-05

A vertical two chamber reaction furnace is described. The furnace comprises a lower chamber having an independently operable first heating means for heating the lower chamber and a gas inlet means for admitting a gas to create an ambient atmosphere, and an upper chamber disposed above the lower chamber and having an independently operable second heating means for heating the upper chamber. Disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is a vapor permeable diffusion partition. The upper chamber has a conveyor means for conveying a reactant there through. Of particular importance is the thallinating of long-length thallium-barium-calcium-copper oxide (TBCCO) or barium-calcium-copper oxide (BCCO) precursor tapes or wires conveyed through the upper chamber to thereby effectuate the deposition of vaporized thallium (being so vaporized as the first reactant in the lower chamber at a temperature between about 700 C and 800 C) on TBCCO or BCCO tape or wire (the second reactant) at its simultaneous annealing temperature in the upper chamber of about 800 to 950 C to thereby replace thallium oxide lost from TBCCO tape or wire because of the high annealing temperature or to deposit thallium on BCCO tape or wire. Continuously moving the tape or wire provides a single-step process that effectuates production of long-length TBCCO superconducting product. 2 figs.

Vertical two chamber reaction furnace

DOEpatents

Blaugher, R.D.

1999-03-16

A vertical two chamber reaction furnace is disclosed. The furnace comprises a lower chamber having an independently operable first heating means for heating the lower chamber and a gas inlet means for admitting a gas to create an ambient atmosphere, and an upper chamber disposed above the lower chamber and having an independently operable second heating means for heating the upper chamber. Disposed between the lower chamber and the upper chamber is a vapor permeable diffusion partition. The upper chamber has a conveyor means for conveying a reactant there through. Of particular importance is the thallinating of long-length thallium-barium-calcium copper oxide (TBCCO) or barium-calcium-copper oxide (BCCO) precursor tapes or wires conveyed through the upper chamber to thereby effectuate the deposition of vaporized thallium (being so vaporized as the first reactant in the lower chamber at a temperature between about 700 and 800 C) on TBCCO or BCCO tape or wire (the second reactant) at its simultaneous annealing temperature in the upper chamber of about 800 to 950 C to thereby replace thallium oxide lost from TBCCO tape or wire because of the high annealing temperature or to deposit thallium on BCCO tape or wire. Continuously moving the tape or wire provides a single-step process that effectuates production of long-length TBCCO superconducting product. 2 figs.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Flanagan, Gene; Johnson, Rolland

High field superconducting magnets are used in particle colliders, fusion energy devices, and spectrometers for medical imaging and advanced materials research. Magnets capable of generating fields of 20-30 T are needed by future accelerator facilities. A 20-30 T magnet will require the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) and therefore the challenges of high field HTS magnet development need to be addressed. Superconducting Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O x (Bi2212) conductors fabricated by the oxide-powder-in-tube (OPIT) technique have demonstrated the capability to carry large critical current density of 10 5 A/cm 2 at 4.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 45more » T. Available in round wire multi-filamentary form, Bi2212 may allow fabrication of 20-50 T superconducting magnets. Until recently the performance of Bi2212 has been limited by challenges in realizing high current densities (J c ) in long lengths. This problem now is solved by the National High Magnetic Field Lab using an overpressure (OP) processing technique, which uses external pressure to process the conductor. OP processing also helps remove the ceramic leakage that results when Bi-2212 liquid leaks out from the sheath material and reacts with insulation, coil forms, and flanges. Significant advances have also been achieved in developing novel insulation materials (TiO 2 coating) and Ag-Al sheath materials that have higher mechanical strengths than Ag-0.2wt.% Mg, developing heat treatment approaches to broadening the maximum process temperature window, and developing high-strength, mechanical reinforced Bi-2212 cables. In the Phase I work, we leveraged these new opportunities to prototype overpressure processed solenoids and test them in background fields of up to 14 T. Additionally a design of a fully superconducting 30 T solenoid was produced. This work in conjunction with the future path outlined in the Phase II proposal would provide a major step toward qualifying Bi2212 technology for use in high-field accelerator magnets. Additionally, the performance parameters match key requirements of a final muon beam cooling solenoid. This technology will also be of interest to high-field NMR manufacturers.« less

Quasiclassical Eilenberger theory of the topological proximity effect in a superconducting nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanev, Valentin; Galitski, Victor

2014-05-01

We use the quasiclassical Eilenberger theory to study the topological superconducting proximity effects between a segment of a nanowire with a p-wave order parameter and a metallic segment. This model faithfully represents key qualitative features of an experimental setup, where only a part of a nanowire is in immediate contact with a bulk superconductor, inducing topological superconductivity. It is shown that the Eilenberger equations represent a viable alternative to the Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory of the topological superconducting heterostructures and provide a much simpler quantitative description of some observables. For our setup, we obtain exact analytical solutions for the quasiclassical Green's functions and the density of states as a function of position and energy. The correlations induced by the boundary involve terms associated with both p-wave and odd-frequency pairing, which are intertwined and contribute to observables on an equal footing. We recover the signatures of the standard Majorana mode near the end of the superconducting segment, but find no such localized mode induced in the metallic segment. Instead, the zero-bias feature is spread out across the entire metallic part in accordance with the previous works. In shorter wires, the Majorana mode and delocalized peak split up away from zero energy. For long metallic segments, nontopological Andreev bound states appear and eventually merge together, giving rise to a gapless superconductor.

Composite Ceramic Superconducting Wires for Electric Motor Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-28

anneal, reaching a zero stress condition. One must consider the kinetics of stress relaxation to estimate the retained residual stress. Also, upon cooling...temperature residual stress. Starting from zero stress after intercalation, thermomechanical stress builds up from around 300’C or so, depending upon...silicon diode thermometer. The sample filament is electroded in a four-point geometry using either silver epoxy over sputteredd silver pads or fired-on

Enthalpy - Improved Dielectric Insulation for Superconducting Wires.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-05-01

these materials are also bein, studickd as regenerator matrix materials for Stirling cycle cryocoolers (7), yet, 1’~l incredibly enough, their...1A0.Az 4. TI T LE (iind SThti tfe) 5 TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERFID Enthalpy - Improved Dielectric Insulation for Final JUN 80 - MAR 82...resistance, and suggestions are made for improving these conductivities. The SC-2 and SC-3 type materials have near-metallic thermal conductivities near

Apparatus producing constant cable tension for intermittent demand

DOEpatents

Lauritzen, T.

1984-05-23

This invention relates to apparatus for producing constant tension in cable or the like when it is unreeled and reeled from a drum or spool under conditions of intermittent demand. The invention is particularly applicable to the handling of superconductive cable, but the invention is also applicable to the unreeling and reeling of other strands, such as electrical cable, wire, cord, other cables, fish line, wrapping paper and numerous other materials.

Thermal conductance of Nb thin films at sub-kelvin temperatures

PubMed Central

Feshchenko, A. V.; Saira, O.-P.; Peltonen, J. T.; Pekola, J. P.

2017-01-01

We determine the thermal conductance of thin niobium (Nb) wires on a silica substrate in the temperature range of 0.1–0.6 K using electron thermometry based on normal metal-insulator-superconductor tunnel junctions. We find that at 0.6 K, the thermal conductance of Nb is two orders of magnitude lower than that of Al in the superconducting state, and two orders of magnitude below the Wiedemann-Franz conductance calculated with the normal state resistance of the wire. The measured thermal conductance exceeds the prediction of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory, and demonstrates a power law dependence on temperature as T4.5, instead of an exponential one. At the same time, we monitor the temperature profile of the substrate along the Nb wire to observe possible overheating of the phonon bath. We show that Nb can be successfully used for thermal insulation in a nanoscale circuit while simultaneously providing an electrical connection. PMID:28155895

Application of active quenching of second generation wire for current limiting

DOE PAGES

Solovyov, Vyacheslav F.; Li, Qiang

2015-10-19

Superconducting fault current limiters (SFCL's) are increasingly implemented in the power grid as a protection of substation equipment from fault currents. Resistive SFCL's are compact and light, however they are passively triggered and thus may not be sufficiently sensitive to respond to faults in the distribution grid. Here, we explore the prospect of adding an active management feature to a traditional resistive SFCL. A flexible radio-frequency coil, which is an integral part of the switching structure, acts as a triggering device. We show that the application of a short, 10 ms, burst of ac magnetic field during the fault triggersmore » a uniform quench of the wire and significantly reduces the reaction time of the wire at low currents. The ac field burst generates a high density of normal zones, which merge into a continuous resistive region at a rate much faster than that of sparse normal zones created by the transport current alone.« less

The Superconductors That Magnets Really Want: What Stands in the Way? (Superconductors for Accelerator Use: What Next and How Close is the Ideal Conductor?)

ScienceCinema

Larbalestier, David

2018-01-11

There are over 5000 superconducting materials but only about 5 have ever been useful for applications in magnets, while HEP, which has been so vital for the development of superconducting magnet technology has made virtually every magnet out of just one, the simple bcc alloy Nb-Ti with Tc of 9 K and upper critical field ~ 14T (at 2K). Significant demonstrations of the capability of the brittle intermetallic Nb3Sn have shown that fields of more than 15 T can be generated in dipole form. But Nb-Ti and Nb3Sn are staid, conventional superconductors, far from the cutting edge of superconducting science research where cuprates like YBa2Cu3O7-x and Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox remain at the scientific forefront and in 2008 were joined by the recently discovered Fe-As pnictide superconductors. What could it mean to have materials for magnets with 10 times the Tc of Nb-Ti (90-120 K) and 3 or more times the critical field (100-240 T)? One enormous barrier is that higher Tc so far always means more complexity and a more localized superconducting interaction which is sensitive to local loss of superconductivity. The issue that has made the cuprate high temperature superconductors so hard to apply is that grain boundaries which form a 3D network in any practical wire form, easily acquire degraded superconducting properties. But conductors can now be made with extreme texture so that grain boundaries are minimized. Moreover almost practical conductors of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox and YBa2Cu3O7-x are now are in production and in late 2008 we were, at the Magnet Lab, able to make small solenoids operating at high current density in fields of 32 and almost 34 T respectively. Within the HEP community, there is enthusiasm to embrace HTS conductors for new very high field machines that could, like the Muon Collider, use fields of 30-50 T. In my talk I would like to explore the underlying science controlling such potential applications.

Football coil: a device to produce absolute minimum magnetic field and an isochronous cyclotron for heavy ions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Szu, H.H.

An electric solenoid is considered which consists of several discrete, circular and superconducting wires. The size of each loop varies from one to several meters in the radius. Furthermore, if such a solenoid is made into a football shape by squeezing the ends symmetrically, it is referred to here as a football coil. A discussion is given of the theory of synergic focusing; phase stability and universal orbit; application and computer simulation; and ion self-fields and self-focusing. An isochronous cyclotron was designed using the superconducted football coil and van resonators with flare height. It can accelerate various species of heavymore » ions; the heavier the rest mass of an ion, the better the present scheme will be.« less

Physical mechanisms of timing jitter in photon detection by current-carrying superconducting nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorova, Mariia; Semenov, Alexej; Hübers, Heinz-Wilhelm; Charaev, Ilya; Kuzmin, Artem; Doerner, Steffen; Siegel, Michael

2017-11-01

We studied timing jitter in the appearance of photon counts in meandering nanowires with different fractional amount of bends. Intrinsic timing jitter, which is the probability density function of the random time delay between photon absorption in current-carrying superconducting nanowire and appearance of the normal domain, reveals two different underlying physical mechanisms. In the deterministic regime, which is realized at large photon energies and large currents, jitter is controlled by position-dependent detection threshold in straight parts of meanders. It decreases with the increase in the current. At small photon energies, jitter increases and its current dependence disappears. In this probabilistic regime jitter is controlled by Poisson process in that magnetic vortices jump randomly across the wire in areas adjacent to the bends.

Characterization of superconducting nanowire single-photon detector with artificial constrictions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Ling; Liu, Dengkuan; Wu, Junjie

2014-06-15

Statistical studies on the performance of different superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) on one chip suggested that random constrictions existed in the nanowire that were barely registered by scanning electron microscopy. With the aid of advanced e-beam lithography, artificial geometric constrictions were fabricated on SNSPDs as well as single nanowires. In this way, we studied the influence of artificial constrictions on SNSPDs in a straight forward manner. By introducing artificial constrictions with different wire widths in single nanowires, we concluded that the dark counts of SNSPDs originate from a single constriction. Further introducing artificial constrictions in SNSPDs, we studied themore » relationship between detection efficiency and kinetic inductance and the bias current, confirming the hypothesis that constrictions exist in SNSPDs.« less

Electron Spin Resonance at the Level of 1 04 Spins Using Low Impedance Superconducting Resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichler, C.; Sigillito, A. J.; Lyon, S. A.; Petta, J. R.

2017-01-01

We report on electron spin resonance measurements of phosphorus donors localized in a 200 μ m2 area below the inductive wire of a lumped element superconducting resonator. By combining quantum limited parametric amplification with a low impedance microwave resonator design, we are able to detect around 2 ×1 04 spins with a signal-to-noise ratio of 1 in a single shot. The 150 Hz coupling strength between the resonator field and individual spins is significantly larger than the 1-10 Hz coupling rates obtained with typical coplanar waveguide resonator designs. Because of the larger coupling rate, we find that spin relaxation is dominated by radiative decay into the resonator and dependent upon the spin-resonator detuning, as predicted by Purcell.

Pantechnik new superconducting ion source: PantechniK Indian Superconducting Ion Source.

PubMed

Gaubert, G; Bieth, C; Bougy, W; Brionne, N; Donzel, X; Leroy, R; Sineau, A; Vallerand, C; Villari, A C C; Thuillier, T

2012-02-01

The new ECR ion source PantechniK Indian Superconducting Ion Source (PKISIS) was recently commissioned at Pantechnik. Three superconducting coils generate the axial magnetic field configuration, while the radial magnetic field is done with the multi-layer permanent magnets. Special care was devoted to the design of the hexapolar structure, allowing a maximum magnetic field of 1.32 T at the wall of the 82 mm diameter plasma chamber. The three superconducting coils using low temperature superconducting wires are cooled by a single double stage cryo-cooler (4.2 K). Cryogen-free technology is used, providing reliability and easy maintenance at low cost. The maximum installed RF power (18.0 GHz) is of 2 kW. Metallic beams can be produced with an oven (T(max) = 1400 °C) installed with an angle of 5° with respect to the source axis or a sputtering system, mounted on the axis of the source. The beam extraction system is constituted of three electrodes in accel-decel configuration. The new source of Pantechnik is conceived for reaching optimum performances at 18 GHz RF frequencies. PKISIS magnetic fields are 2.1 T axial B(inj) and 1.32 T radial field in the wall, variable B(min) with an independent coil and a large and opened extraction region. Moreover, PKISIS integrates modern design concepts, like RF direct injection (2 kW availability), dc-bias moving disk, out-of-axis oven and axial sputtering facility for metal beams. Finally, PKISIS is also conceived in order to operate in a high-voltage platform with minor power consumption.

Solderability study of RABiTS-based YBCO coated conductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yifei; Duckworth, Robert C.; Ha, Tam T.; Gouge, Michael J.

2011-08-01

The solderability of commercially available YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) coated conductors that were made from Rolling Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrates (RABiTS)-based templates was studied. The coated conductors, also known as second-generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires (in the geometry of flat tapes about 4 mm wide), were laminated with copper, brass, or stainless steel strips as stabilizers. To understand the factors that influence their solderability, surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the wire surfaces. The solderability of three solders, 52In48Sn, 67Bi33In, and 100In (wt.%), was evaluated using a standard test (IPC/ECA J-STD-002) and with two different commercial fluxes. It was found that the solderability varied with the solder and flux but the three different wires showed similar solderability for a fixed combination of solder and flux. Solder joints of the 2G wires were fabricated using the tools and the procedures recommended by the HTS wire manufacturer. The solder joints were made in a lap-joint geometry and with the superconducting sides of the two wires face-to-face. The electrical resistances of the solder joints were measured at 77 K, and the results were analyzed to qualify the soldering materials and evaluate the soldering process. It was concluded that although the selection of soldering materials affected the resistance of a solder joint, the resistivity of the stabilizer was the dominant factor.

Solderability Study of RABiTS-Based YBCO Coated Conductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Yifei; Duckworth, Robert C; Ha, Tam T

2011-01-01

The solderability of commercially available YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-x} (YBCO) coated conductors that were made from Rolling Assisted Biaxially Textured Substrates (RABiTS)-based templates was studied. The coated conductors, also known as second-generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wires (in the geometry of flat tapes about 4 mm wide), were laminated with copper, brass, or stainless steel strips as stabilizers. To understand the factors that influence their solderability, surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the wire surfaces. The solderability of three solders, 52In48Sn, 67Bi33In, and 100In (wt.%), was evaluated using a standard test (IPC/ECA J-STD-002) and withmore » two different commercial fluxes. It was found that the solderability varied with the solder and flux but the three different wires showed similar solderability for a fixed combination of solder and flux. Solder joints of the 2G wires were fabricated using the tools and the procedures recommended by the HTS wire manufacturer. The solder joints were made in a lap-joint geometry and with the superconducting sides of the two wires face-to-face. The electrical resistances of the solder joints were measured at 77 K, and the results were analyzed to qualify the soldering materials and evaluate the soldering process. It was concluded that although the selection of soldering materials affected the resistance of a solder joint, the resistivity of the stabilizer was the dominant factor.« less

Development of Ground Coils with Low Eddy Current Loss by Applying the Compression Molding Method after the Coil Winding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Masao; Aiba, Masayuki; Takahashi, Noriyuki; Ota, Satoru; Okada, Shigenori

In a magnetically levitated transportation (MAGLEV) system, a huge number of ground coils will be required because they must be laid for the whole line. Therefore, stable performance and reduced cost are essential requirements for the ground coil development. On the other hand, because the magnetic field changes when the superconducting magnet passes by, an eddy current will be generated in the conductor of the ground coil and will result in energy loss. The loss not only increases the magnetic resistance for the train running but also brings an increase in the ground coil temperature. Therefore, the reduction of the eddy current loss is extremely important. This study examined ground coils in which both the eddy current loss and temperature increase were small. Furthermore, quantitative comparison for the eddy current loss of various magnet wire samples was performed by bench test. On the basis of the comparison, a round twisted wire having low eddy current loss was selected as an effective ground coil material. In addition, the ground coils were manufactured on trial. A favorable outlook to improve the size accuracy of the winding coil and uneven thickness of molded resin was obtained without reducing the insulation strength between the coil layers by applying a compression molding after winding.

Permanent magnets composed of high temperature superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, Roy; Chen, In-Gann; Liu, Jay; Lau, Kwong

1991-01-01

A study of persistent, trapped magnetic field has been pursued with high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials. The main effort is to study the feasibility of utilization of HTS to fabricate magnets for various devices. The trapped field, when not in saturation, is proportional to the applied field. Thus, it should be possible to replicate complicated field configurations with melt-textured YBa2Cu3O7 (MT-Y123) material, bypassing the need for HTS wires. Presently, materials have been developed from which magnets of 1.5 T, at 77 K, can be fabricated. Much higher field is available at lower operating temperature. Stability of a few percent per year is readily attainable. Results of studies on prototype motors and minimagnets are reported.

Low-Temperature Properties of Silver

PubMed Central

Smith, David R.; Fickett, F. R.

1995-01-01

Pure silver is used extensively in the preparation of high-temperature superconductor wires, tapes, films, and other configurations in which the silver not only shields the superconducting material from the surrounding materials, but also provides a degree of flexibility and strain relief, as well as stabilization and low-resistance electrical contact. Silver is relatively expensive, but at this stage of superconductor development, its unique combination of properties seems to offer the only reasonable means of achieving usable lengths of conductor. In this role, the low-temperature physical (electrical, thermal, magnetic, optical) and mechanical properties of the silver all become important. Here we present a collection of properties data extracted from the cryogenic literature and, to the extent possible, selected for reliability. PMID:29151733

A superconducting bolometer camera for APEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jethava, N.; Kreysa, E.; Siringo, G.; Esch, W.; Gemünd, H.-P.; May, T.; Anders, S.; Fritzsch, L.; Boucher, R.; Zakosarenko, V.; Meyer, H.-G.

2006-06-01

We present the experimental results of voltage-biased superconducting bolometers (VSB) on silicon nitride (Si 3N 4) membranes with niobium wiring developed in collaboration between the Institut fur Physikalische Hochtechnologie (IPHT), Jena, Germany and the Max-Planck-Institut fur Radioastronomie (MPIfR), Bonn, Germany. The bolometer current is measured with the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), and as expected, the current responsivity is proportional to the inverse of the bias voltage. The experiments were performed with bilayer gold-palladium molybdenum thermistor at 300 mK 3He cooled cryostat and the desired transition temperature of T c = 450 mK is achieved. The strong negative electro-thermal feedback of the VSB maintains the constant bolometer temperature and reduces the response time from 4 ms to 100 μs. We have tested thermistors of various size and shape on a continuous membrane and achieved a noise equivalent power (NEP) of 3.5 × 10 -16 W/√Hz. The measured NEP is relatively high due to the comparatively high background and high thermal conductance of the unstructured silicon nitride (Si 3N 4) membrane. We have fabricated 8-leg spider structured membranes in three different geometries and the relation between the geometry and the thermal conductance (G) is studied. Using the COSMOS finite element analysis tool, we have modeled the TES bolometers to determine the thermal conductance for different geometries and calculated the various parameters. Due to the demands of large number pixel bolometer camera we plan to implement multiplex readout with integrated SQUIDs in our design.

Quantum Piston - Quantum Preservation, Simulation and Transfer In Oxide Nanostructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-28

might exist and be detected in nanowires ‘drawn’ at these interfaces by the University of Pittsburgh team. Important experimental advances have...zero modes might exist and be detected in nanowires ‘drawn’ at these interfaces by the University of Pittsburgh team. In thinking about the...possibility of Majorana zero modes in nanowires are LAO/STO interfaces, it became clear that one important feature of superconductivity in these wires is that

Experimental Setup for the Investigation of Superconducting Persistent Current

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

This documentation is intended to support future investigations of coated conductors in either tape or wire form or for bulk superconductors in an...Introduction Second-generation, high-temperature, coated superconductors , such as yttrium barium copper oxide (Y1Ba2Cu3O7-δ, or REBCO, or RE123), are...source applications.8 In order to push the high-temperature superconductors to a more mature degree, new knowledge and deeper understanding of the

Superconducting cable-in-conduit low resistance splice

DOEpatents

Artman, Thomas A.

2003-06-24

A low resistance splice connects two cable-in-conduit superconductors to each other. Dividing collars for arranging sub-cable units from each conduit are provided, along with clamping collars for mating each sub-cable wire assembly to form mated assemblies. The mated assemblies ideally can be accomplished by way of splicing collar. The mated assemblies are cooled by way of a flow of coolant, preferably helium. A method for implementing such a splicing is also described.

Thermoreflectance microscopy measurements of the Joule heating characteristics of high- Tc superconducting terahertz emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashiwagi, Takanari; Tanaka, Taiga; Watanabe, Chiharu; Kubo, Hiroyuki; Komori, Yuki; Yuasa, Takumi; Tanabe, Yuki; Ota, Ryusei; Kuwano, Genki; Nakamura, Kento; Tsujimoto, Manabu; Minami, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Klemm, Richard A.; Kadowaki, Kazuo

2017-12-01

Joule heating is the central issue in order to develop high-power and high-performance terahertz (THz) emission from mesa devices employing the intrinsic Josephson junctions in a layered high transition-temperature Tc superconductor. Here, we describe a convenient local thermal measurement technique using charge-coupled-device-based thermoreflectance microscopy, with the highest spatial resolution to date. This technique clearly proves that the relative temperature changes of the mesa devices between different bias points on the current-voltage characteristics can be measured very sensitively. In addition, the heating characteristics on the surface of the mesa devices can be detected more directly without any special treatment of the mesa surface such as previous coatings with SiC micro-powders. The results shown here clearly indicate that the contact resistance strongly affects the formation of an inhomogeneous temperature distribution on the mesa structures. Since the temperature and sample dependencies of the Joule heating characteristics can be measured quickly, this simple thermal evaluation technique is a useful tool to check the quality of the electrical contacts, electrical wiring, and sample defects. Thus, this technique could help to reduce the heating problems and to improve the performance of superconducting THz emitter devices.

Design of a New Superconducting Magnet System for High Strength Minimum-B Fields for ECRIS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, D. Z.; Benitez, J. Y.; Hodgkinson, A.

A novel Mixed Axial and Radial field System (MARS) seeks to enhance the B fields inside the plasma chamber within the limits of a given conductor, thereby making it possible to raise the operating fields for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs). The MARS concept consists of a hexagonally shaped closed-loop coil and a set of auxiliary solenoids. The application of MARS will be combined with a hexagonal plasma chamber to maximize the use of the radial fields at the chamber inner surfaces. Calculations using Opera's TOSCA-3D solver have shown that MARS can potentially generate up to 50% higher fieldsmore » and use of only about one half of the same superconducting wire, as compared with existing magnet designs in ECRISs. A MARS magnet system built with Nb 3 Sn coils could generate a high strength minimum-B field of maxima of ≥ 10 T on axis and ~6 T radially in an ECRIS plasma chamber. Following successful development, the MARS magnet system will be the best magnet scheme for the next generation of ECRISs. This paper will present the MARS concept, magnet design, prototyping a copper closed-loop coil, and discussions.« less

Design of a New Superconducting Magnet System for High Strength Minimum-B Fields for ECRIS

DOE PAGES

Xie, D. Z.; Benitez, J. Y.; Hodgkinson, A.; ...

2016-06-01

A novel Mixed Axial and Radial field System (MARS) seeks to enhance the B fields inside the plasma chamber within the limits of a given conductor, thereby making it possible to raise the operating fields for Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRISs). The MARS concept consists of a hexagonally shaped closed-loop coil and a set of auxiliary solenoids. The application of MARS will be combined with a hexagonal plasma chamber to maximize the use of the radial fields at the chamber inner surfaces. Calculations using Opera's TOSCA-3D solver have shown that MARS can potentially generate up to 50% higher fieldsmore » and use of only about one half of the same superconducting wire, as compared with existing magnet designs in ECRISs. A MARS magnet system built with Nb 3 Sn coils could generate a high strength minimum-B field of maxima of ≥ 10 T on axis and ~6 T radially in an ECRIS plasma chamber. Following successful development, the MARS magnet system will be the best magnet scheme for the next generation of ECRISs. This paper will present the MARS concept, magnet design, prototyping a copper closed-loop coil, and discussions.« less

Frequency multiplexed superconducting quantum interference device readout of large bolometer arrays for cosmic microwave background measurements.

PubMed

Dobbs, M A; Lueker, M; Aird, K A; Bender, A N; Benson, B A; Bleem, L E; Carlstrom, J E; Chang, C L; Cho, H-M; Clarke, J; Crawford, T M; Crites, A T; Flanigan, D I; de Haan, T; George, E M; Halverson, N W; Holzapfel, W L; Hrubes, J D; Johnson, B R; Joseph, J; Keisler, R; Kennedy, J; Kermish, Z; Lanting, T M; Lee, A T; Leitch, E M; Luong-Van, D; McMahon, J J; Mehl, J; Meyer, S S; Montroy, T E; Padin, S; Plagge, T; Pryke, C; Richards, P L; Ruhl, J E; Schaffer, K K; Schwan, D; Shirokoff, E; Spieler, H G; Staniszewski, Z; Stark, A A; Vanderlinde, K; Vieira, J D; Vu, C; Westbrook, B; Williamson, R

2012-07-01

A technological milestone for experiments employing transition edge sensor bolometers operating at sub-Kelvin temperature is the deployment of detector arrays with 100s-1000s of bolometers. One key technology for such arrays is readout multiplexing: the ability to read out many sensors simultaneously on the same set of wires. This paper describes a frequency-domain multiplexed readout system which has been developed for and deployed on the APEX-SZ and South Pole Telescope millimeter wavelength receivers. In this system, the detector array is divided into modules of seven detectors, and each bolometer within the module is biased with a unique ∼MHz sinusoidal carrier such that the individual bolometer signals are well separated in frequency space. The currents from all bolometers in a module are summed together and pre-amplified with superconducting quantum interference devices operating at 4 K. Room temperature electronics demodulate the carriers to recover the bolometer signals, which are digitized separately and stored to disk. This readout system contributes little noise relative to the detectors themselves, is remarkably insensitive to unwanted microphonic excitations, and provides a technology pathway to multiplexing larger numbers of sensors.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eddy, N.; Fellenz, B.; Prieto, P.

The first cryomodule for the beam test facility at the Fermilab New-Muon-Lab building is currently under RF commissioning. Among other diagnostics systems, the transverse position of the helium gas return pipe with the connected 1.3 GHz SRF accelerating cavities is measured along the {approx}15 m long module using a stretched-wire position monitoring system. An overview of the wire position monitor system technology is given, along with preliminary results taken at the initial module cooldown, and during further testing. As the measurement system offers a high resolution, we also discuss options for use as a vibration detector. An electron beam testmore » facility, based on superconducting RF (SRF) TESLA-style cryomodules is currently under construction at the Fermilab New-Muon-Lab (NML) building. The first, so-called type III+, cryomodule (CM-1), equipped with eight 1.3 GHz nine-cell accelerating cavities was recently cooled down to 2 K, and is currently under RF conditioning. The transverse alignment of the cavity string within the cryomodule is crucial for minimizing transverse kick and beam break-up effects, generated by the high-order dipole modes of misaligned accelerating structures. An optimum alignment can only be guaranteed during the assembly of the cavity string, i.e. at room temperatures. The final position of the cavities after cooldown is uncontrollable, and therefore unknown. A wire position monitoring system (WPM) can help to understand the transverse motion of the cavities during cooldown, their final location and the long term position stability after cryo-temperatures are settled, as well as the position reproducibility for several cold-warm cycles. It also may serve as vibration sensor, as the wire acts as a high-Q resonant detector for mechanical vibrations in the low-audio frequency range. The WPM system consists out of a stretched-wire position detection system, provided with help of INFN-Milano and DESY Hamburg, and RF generation and read-out electronics, developed at Fermilab.« less

Performance of 2G-HTS REBCO undulator coils impregnated epoxies mixed with different fillers

DOE PAGES

Kesgin, Ibrahim; Hasse, Quentin; Ivanyushenkov, Yury; ...

2016-12-12

The use of second-generation high-temperature superconducting-coated conductors enables an enhancement of the performance of undulator magnets. However, preventing the motion of the wire and providing sufficient conduction cooling to the winding stacks have remained challenges. In this study, we have evaluated epoxy impregnation techniques to address these issues. Epoxy resin was prepared with different nanopowders and the effect on the performance of the undulator coil pack was investigated. All epoxy impregnated coils showed smaller n values and some degree of deterioration of the critical current I c. The I c degradation was most pronounced for epoxy mixed with high aspectmore » ratio multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). It has been found that the crack formation in the epoxy results in plastic deformation of the copper stabilizer layer, which causes the underlying ceramic REBCO superconducting layer to crack resulting in degradation of the superconducting tape performance. As a result, careful adjustment of epoxy thickness surrounding the superconductor and the powder ratio in the epoxy eliminate the performance degradation.« less

Adaptation of superconducting fault current limiter to high-speed reclosing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koyama, T.; Yanabu, S.

2009-10-01

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.

Phase-driven collapse of the Cooper condensate in a nanosized superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ronzani, Alberto; D'Ambrosio, Sophie; Virtanen, Pauli; Giazotto, Francesco; Altimiras, Carles

2017-12-01

Superconductivity can be understood in terms of a phase transition from an uncorrelated electron gas to a condensate of Cooper pairs in which the relative phases of the constituent electrons are coherent over macroscopic length scales. The degree of correlation is quantified by a complex-valued order parameter, whose amplitude is proportional to the strength of the pairing potential in the condensate. Supercurrent-carrying states are associated with nonzero values of the spatial gradient of the phase. The pairing potential and several physical observables of the Cooper condensate can be manipulated by means of temperature, current bias, dishomogeneities in the chemical composition, or application of a magnetic field. Here we show evidence of complete suppression of the energy gap in the local density of quasiparticle states (DOS) of a superconducting nanowire upon establishing a phase difference equal to π over a length scale comparable to the superconducting coherence length. These observations are consistent with a complete collapse of the pairing potential in the center of the wire, in accordance with theoretical modeling based on the quasiclassical theory of superconductivity in diffusive systems. Our spectroscopic data, fully exploring the phase-biased states of the condensate, highlight the profound effect that extreme phase gradients exert on the amplitude of the pairing potential. Moreover, the sharp magnetic response (up to 27 mV/Φ0) observed near the onset of the superconducting gap collapse regime is exploited to realize magnetic flux detectors with noise-equivalent resolution as low as 260 n Φ0/√{Hz} .

The Effect of Sintering Temperature on The Rolled Silver-Sheathed Monofilament Bi,Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Superconducting Wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrik; Sebleku, P.; Siswayanti, B.; Pramono, A. W.

2017-05-01

The manufacture of high critical temperature (Tc) Bi, Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (HTS BPSCCO) superconductor wire fabricated by power-in-tube (PIT) is a multi-step process. The main difficulty is that the value of Tc superconductor wire determined by various factors for each step. The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of sintering parameters on the properties of final rolled material. The fabrication process of 1 m rolled-silver sheath monofilament superconductor BPSCCO wire using mechanical deformation process including rolling and drawing has been carried out. The pure silver powders were melted and formed into pure silver (Ag) tube. The tube was 10 mm in diameter with a sheath material: superconductor powders ratio of about 6 : 1. Starting powders, containing the nominal composition of Bi2-Sr2-Cam-1-Cum-Oy, were inserted into the pure silver tube and rolled until it reached a diameter of 4 mm. A typical area reduction ratio of about 5% per step has been proposed to prevent microcracking during the cold-drawing process. The process of rolling of the silver tube was subsequently repeated to obtain three samples and then followed by heat-treated at 820 °C, 840 °C, and 860 °C, respectively. The surface morphology was analyzed by using SEM; the crystal structure was studied by using X-RD, whereas the superconductivity was investigated by using temperature dependence resistivity measurement by using four-point probe technique. SEM images showed the porosity of the cross-sectional surface of the samples. The sample with low heating temperature showed porosity more than the one with high temperature. The value of critical temperature (Tc) of the sample with a dwelling time of heating of 8 hours is 70 K. At above 70 K, it shows the behavior of conductor properties. However, the porosity increased as the heating time increased up to 24 hours. The critical temperature was difficult to be identified due to its porosity. According to XRD results, the Bi-2212 phase is prominent in all samples.

A Solid Nitrogen Cooled MgB2 “Demonstration” Coil for MRI Applications

PubMed Central

Yao, Weijun; Bascuñán, Juan; Kim, Woo-Seok; Hahn, Seungyong; Lee, Haigun; Iwasa, Yukikazu

2009-01-01

A 700-mm bore superconducting magnet was built and operated in our laboratory to demonstrate the feasibility of newly developed MgB2 superconductor wire for fabricating MRI magnets. The magnet, an assembly of 10 coils each wound with a reacted and s-glass insulated wire ~1-km long, was immersed in solid nitrogen rather than in a bath of liquid cryogen. This MgB2 magnet was designed to operate in the temperature range 10–15 K, maintained by a cryocooler. A combination of this “wide” temperature range and immersion of the winding in solid nitrogen enables this magnet to operate under conditions not possible with a low temperature superconductor (LTS) counterpart. Tested individually at 13 K, each coil could carry current up to 100 A. When assembled into the magnet, some coils, however, became resistive, causing the magnet to prematurely quench at currents ranging from 79 A to 88 A, at which point the magnet generated a center field of 0.54 T. Despite the presence of a large volume (50 liters) of solid nitrogen in the cold body, cooldown from 77 K to 10 K went smoothly. PMID:20390056

Tunneling spectroscopy of a spiral Luttinger liquid in contact with superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dong E.; Levchenko, Alex

2014-03-01

One-dimensional wires with Rashba spin-orbit coupling, magnetic field, and strong electron-electron interactions are described by a spiral Luttinger liquid model. We develop a theory to investigate the tunneling density of states into a spiral Luttinger liquid in contact with superconductors at its two ends. This approach provides a way to disentangle the delicate interplay between superconducting correlations and strong electron interactions. If the wire-superconductor boundary is dominated by Andreev reflection, we find that in the vicinity of the interface the zero-bias tunneling anomaly reveals a power law enhancement with the unusual exponent. This zero-bias due to Andreev reflections may coexist and thus mask possible peak due to Majorana bound states. Far away from the interface strong correlations inherent to the Luttinger liquid prevail and restore conventional suppression of the tunneling density of states at the Fermi level, which acquires a Friedel-like oscillatory envelope with the period renormalized by the strength of the interaction. D.E.L. was supported by Michigan State University and in part by ARO through Contract No. W911NF-12-1-0235. A.L. acknowledges support from NSF under Grant No. PHYS-1066293, and the hospitality of the Aspen Center for Physics.

Probing spin helical surface states in topological HgTe nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, J.; Kozlovsky, R.; Gorini, C.; Liu, M.-H.; Weishäupl, S.; Maier, H.; Fischer, R.; Kozlov, D. A.; Kvon, Z. D.; Mikhailov, N.; Dvoretsky, S. A.; Richter, K.; Weiss, D.

2018-01-01

Nanowires with helical surface states represent key prerequisites for observing and exploiting phase-coherent topological conductance phenomena, such as spin-momentum locked quantum transport or topological superconductivity. We demonstrate in a joint experimental and theoretical study that gated nanowires fabricated from high-mobility strained HgTe, known as a bulk topological insulator, indeed preserve the topological nature of the surface states, that moreover extend phase-coherently across the entire wire geometry. The phase-coherence lengths are enhanced up to 5 μ m when tuning the wires into the bulk gap, so as to single out topological transport. The nanowires exhibit distinct conductance oscillations, both as a function of the flux due to an axial magnetic field and of a gate voltage. The observed h /e -periodic Aharonov-Bohm-type modulations indicate surface-mediated quasiballistic transport. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the scaling of the observed gate-dependent conductance oscillations reveals the topological nature of these surface states. To this end we combined numerical tight-binding calculations of the quantum magnetoconductance with simulations of the electrostatics, accounting for the gate-induced inhomogeneous charge carrier densities around the wires. We find that helical transport prevails even for strongly inhomogeneous gating and is governed by flux-sensitive high-angular momentum surface states that extend around the entire wire circumference.

An innovative technique to synthesize C-doped MgB2 by using chitosan as the carbon source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bovone, G.; Vignolo, M.; Bernini, C.; Kawale, S.; Siri, A. S.

2014-02-01

Here, we report a new technique to synthesize carbon-doped MgB2 powder. Chitosan was innovatively used as the carbon source during the synthesis of boron from boron oxide. This allowed the introduction of local defects, which later on served as pinning centers in MgB2, in the boron lattice itself, avoiding the traditional and time consuming ways of ex situ MgB2 doping (e.g. ball milling). Two volume percentages of C-doping have been tried and its effect on the superconducting properties, evaluated by magnetic and transport measurements, are discussed here. Morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy revealed nano-metric grains’ distribution in the boron and MgB2 powder. Mono-filamentary MgB2 wires have been fabricated by an ex situ powder-in-tube technique by using the thus prepared carbon-doped MgB2 and pure MgB2 powders. Transport property measurements on these wires were made and compared with MgB2 wire produced using commercial boron.

Exfoliated YBCO filaments for second-generation superconducting cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovyov, Vyacheslav; Farrell, Paul

2017-01-01

The second-generation high temperature superconductor (2G HTS) wire is the most promising conductor for high-field magnets such as accelerator dipoles and compact fusion devices. The key element of the wire is a thin Y1Ba2Cu3O7 (YBCO) layer deposited on a flexible metal substrate. The substrate, which becomes incorporated in the 2G conductor, reduces the electrical and mechanical performance of the wire. This is a process that exfoliates the YBCO layer from the substrate while retaining the critical current density of the superconductor. Ten-centimeter long coupons of exfoliated YBCO layers were manufactured, and detailed structural, electrical, and mechanical characterization were reported. After exfoliation, the YBCO layer was supported by a 75 μm thick stainless steel foil, which makes for a compact, mechanically stronger, and inexpensive conductor. The critical current density of the filaments was measured at both 77 K and 4.2 K. The exfoliated YBCO retained 90% of the original critical current. Similarly, tests in an external magnetic field at 4.2 K confirmed that the pinning strength of the YBCO layer was also retained following exfoliation.

Flux Noise due to Spins in SQUIDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaForest, Stephanie

Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) are currently being used as flux qubits and read-out detectors in a variety of solid-state quantum computer architectures. The main limitation of SQUID qubits is that they have a coherence time of the order of 10 micros, due to the presence of intrinsic flux noise that is not yet fully understood. The origin of flux noise is currently believed to be related to spin impurities present in the materials and interfaces that form the device. Here we present a novel numerical method that enables calculations of the flux produced by spin impurities even when they are located quite close to the SQUID wire. We show that the SQUID will be particularly sensitive to spins located at its wire edges, generating flux shifts of up to 4 nano flux quanta, much higher than previous calculations based on the software package FastHenry. This shows that spin impurities in a particular region along the wire's surface play a much more important role in producing flux noise than other spin impurities located elsewhere in the device.

Potential applications of microtesla magnetic resonance imaging detected using a superconducting quantum interference device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Whittier Ryan

This dissertation describes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of protons performed in a precession field of 132 muT. In order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a pulsed 40-300 mT magnetic field prepolarizes the sample spins and an untuned second-order superconducting gradiometer coupled to a low transition temperature superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) detects the subsequent 5.6-kHz spin precession. Imaging sequences including multiple echoes and partial Fourier reconstruction are developed. Calculating the SNR of prepolarized SQUID-detected MRI shows that three-dimensional Fourier imaging yields higher SNR than slice-selection imaging. An experimentally demonstrated field-cycling pulse sequence and post-processing algorithm mitigate image artifacts caused by concomitant gradients in low-field MRI. The magnetic field noise of SQUID untuned detection is compared to the noise of SQUID tuned detection, conventional Faraday detection, and the Nyquist noise generated by conducting biological samples. A second-generation microtesla MRI system employing a low-noise SQUID is constructed to increase SNR. A 2.4-m cubic, eddy-current shield with 6-mm thick aluminum walls encloses the experiment to attenuate external noise. The measured noise is 0.75 fT Hz 1/2 referred to the bottom gradiometer loop. Solenoids wound from 30-strand braided wire to decrease Nyquist noise and cooled by either liquid nitrogen or water polarize the spins. Copper wire coils wound on wooden supports produce the imaging magnetic fields and field gradients. Water phantom images with 0.8 x 0.8 x 10 mm3 resolution have a SNR of 6. Three-dimensional 1.6 x 1.9 x 14 mm3 images of bell peppers and 3 x 3 x 26 mm3 in vivo images of the human arm are presented. Since contrast based on the transverse spin relaxation rate (T1 ) is enhanced at low magnetic fields, microtesla MRI could potentially be used for tumor imaging. The measured T1 of ex vivo normal and cancerous prostate tissue differ significantly at 132 muT. A single-sided MRI system designed for prostate imaging could achieve 3 x 3 x 5 mm3 resolution in 8 minutes. Existing SQUID-based magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems could be used as microtesla MRI detectors. A commercial 275-channel MEG system could acquire 6-minute brain images with (4 mm)3 resolution and SNR 16.

'Beautiful' unconventional synthesis and processing technologies of superconductors and some other materials.

PubMed

Badica, Petre; Crisan, Adrian; Aldica, Gheorghe; Endo, Kazuhiro; Borodianska, Hanna; Togano, Kazumasa; Awaji, Satoshi; Watanabe, Kazuo; Sakka, Yoshio; Vasylkiv, Oleg

2011-02-01

Superconducting materials have contributed significantly to the development of modern materials science and engineering. Specific technological solutions for their synthesis and processing helped in understanding the principles and approaches to the design, fabrication and application of many other materials. In this review, we explore the bidirectional relationship between the general and particular synthesis concepts. The analysis is mostly based on our studies where some unconventional technologies were applied to different superconductors and some other materials. These technologies include spray-frozen freeze-drying, fast pyrolysis, field-assisted sintering (or spark plasma sintering), nanoblasting, processing in high magnetic fields, methods of control of supersaturation and migration during film growth, and mechanical treatments of composite wires. The analysis provides future research directions and some key elements to define the concept of 'beautiful' technology in materials science. It also reconfirms the key position and importance of superconductors in the development of new materials and unconventional synthesis approaches.

SQUID position sensor development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torii, Rodney

1996-11-01

I describe the development of an inductance position sensor for the STEP (satellite test of the equivalence principle) accelerometer. I have measured the inductance (with an experimental error of 0.5%) of a single-turn thin-film niobium pick-up coil as a function of the distance from a thin-film niobium disc (both at 4.2 K and superconducting). The circular pick-up coil had a diameter of 4 cm with a track width of 0264-9381/13/11A/022/img1. The disc (mock test mass) had a diameter of 4 cm. The distance range between the coil and disc was set by the range of a low-temperature differential capacitance sensor: 0 - 2 mm with a resolution of 0264-9381/13/11A/022/img2. The full range of the low-temperature translation stage was 0 - 4 mm. The inductance was measured using an LCR meter in a four-wire configuration. The measured inductance was compared to the inductance of a circular loop above a superconducting plane. Due to the fact that the thin-film disc is of finite size, the calculation differed from experiment by as much as 12%. I have also calculated the inductance by segmenting the thin-film niobium disc into 500 concentric rings (each with a width of 0264-9381/13/11A/022/img3). A discrepancy between calculation and experiment of approximately 3% was found.

EFFECTS of DUAL DOPING OF C AND TiC NANOPARTICLES ON SUPERCONDUCTING PROPERTIES OF Fe-SHEATHED MgB{sub 2} TAPES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, H.; Liang, G.

2010-04-08

Fe-sheathed MgB{sub 2} wires doped with C and TiC nanoparticles in the formula MgB{sub 2-x}C{sub x}+yTiC(x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, and y = 0, 2.5 wt.%, 5 wt.%) were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the core materials in the wires contain small amount of Fe{sub 2}B and MgO impurity phases, and the peaks shift with the variation of doping amount. It is found that the critical temperature T{sub c} decreases with the increase of doping amount. Strong in-field current carrying capability enhancement was observed on MgB{sub 1.95}C{sub 0.05}+2.5 wt.% TiC.

Proposal to probe quantum nonlocality of Majorana fermions in tunneling experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sau, Jay D.; Swingle, Brian; Tewari, Sumanta

2015-07-01

Topological Majorana fermion (MF) quasiparticles have been recently suggested to exist in semiconductor quantum wires with proximity induced superconductivity and a Zeeman field. Although the experimentally observed zero bias tunneling peak and a fractional ac-Josephson effect can be taken as necessary signatures of MFs, neither of them constitutes a sufficient "smoking gun" experiment. Since one pair of Majorana fermions share a single conventional fermionic degree of freedom, MFs are in a sense fractionalized excitations. Based on this fractionalization we propose a tunneling experiment that furnishes a nearly unique signature of end state MFs in semiconductor quantum wires. In particular, we show that a "teleportation"-like experiment is not enough to distinguish MFs from pairs of MFs, which are equivalent to conventional zero energy states, but our proposed tunneling experiment, in principle, can make this distinction.

Lessons learned from the manufacture of the W7-X planar coils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viebke, H.; Gustke, D.; Rummel, T.; Sborchia, C.; Schroeder, R.; Williams, D.; Bates, S.; Leigh, B.; Winter, R.

2006-06-01

WENDELSTEIN 7-X (W7-X) is a superconducting stellarator. The planar coils are in charge to modify the magnetic filed configuration of the W7-X. The major challenges during manufacturing were the fabrication of the cable-in-conduit conductor, the accuracy of the coil cases after welding and machining and the development of electrical joints with a resistance below 1 nΩ. Leaks were detected during repetitive in the case cooling system, which were caused by stress corrosion cracking. High voltage tests in a reduced vacuum environment (Paschen conditions) revealed that the insulation had to be reinforced and the quench detection wires had to be exchanged. This paper gives an overview about the main technical challenges of the planar coils and the lessons learned during production.

Overview of Materials and Power Applications of Coated Conductors Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiohara, Yuh; Taneda, Takahiro; Yoshizumi, Masateru

2012-01-01

There are high expectations for coated conductors in electric power applications such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) systems, power cables, and transformers owing to their ability to contribute to stabilizing and increasing the capacity of the electric power supply grid as well as to reducing CO2 emission as a result of their high critical-current characteristics. Research and development has been performed on wires/tapes and electric power devices worldwide. The Materials and Power Applications of Coated Conductors (M-PACC) Project is a five-year national project in Japan started in 2008, supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), to develop both coated conductors that meet market requirements and basic technologies for the above-mentioned power applications using coated conductors. In this article, research and development results are reviewed and compared with the interim/final targets of the project, and future prospects are discussed.

Torsional texturing of superconducting oxide composite articles

DOEpatents

Christopherson, Craig John; Riley, Jr., Gilbert N.; Scudiere, John

2002-01-01

A method of texturing a multifilamentary article having filaments comprising a desired oxide superconductor or its precursors by torsionally deforming the article is provided. The texturing is induced by applying a torsional strain which is at least about 0.3 and preferably at least about 0.6 at the surface of the article, but less than the strain which would cause failure of the composite. High performance multifilamentary superconducting composite articles having a plurality of low aspect ratio, twisted filaments with substantially uniform twist pitches in the range of about 1.00 inch to 0.01 inch (25 to 0.25 mm), each comprising a textured desired superconducting oxide material, may be obtained using this texturing method. If tighter twist pitches are desired, the article may be heat treated or annealed and the strain repeated as many times as necessary to obtain the desired twist pitch. It is preferred that the total strain applied per step should be sufficient to provide a twist pitch tighter than 5 times the diameter of the article, and twist pitches in the range of 1 to 5 times the diameter of the article are most preferred. The process may be used to make a high performance multifilamentary superconducting article, having a plurality of twisted filaments, wherein the degree of texturing varies substantially in proportion to the radial distance from the center of the article cross-section, and is substantially radially homogeneous at any given cross-section of the article. Round wires and other low aspect ratio multifilamentary articles are preferred forms. The invention is not dependent on the melting characteristics of the desired superconducting oxide. Desired oxide superconductors or precursors with micaceous or semi-micaceous structures are preferred. When used in connection with desired superconducting oxides which melt irreversibly, it provides multifilamentary articles that exhibit high DC performance characteristics and AC performance markedly superior to any currently available for these materials. In a preferred embodiment, the desired superconducting oxide material is BSCCO 2223.

Transport current density at temperatures up to 25 K of Cu/Ag composite sheathed 122-type tapes and wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shifa; Lin, Kaili; Yao, Chao; Zhang, Xianping; Dong, Chiheng; Wang, Dongliang; Awaji, Satoshi; Kumakura, Hiroaki; Ma, Yanwei

2017-11-01

The fabrication of iron-based superconductors with high transport critical current density (J c) and low cost is a crucial determinant of whether they can be used for practical applications. In this paper, Cu/Ag composite sheathed Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 (Sr122) tapes and Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 (Ba122) round wires were fabricated via an ex situ powder-in-tube method and heat-treated by the hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing process respectively. In order to thoroughly reveal the application potential of Cu/Ag composite sheathed ‘122’ iron pnictide superconductors, transport J c of tapes and wires in high fields at temperatures up to 25 K was measured. High transport J c of 4.4 × 104 A cm-2 at 4.2 K and 3.6 × 103 A cm-2 at 20 K in 10 T was achieved in Cu/Ag composite sheathed Sr122 tapes. Transport J c of Ba122 wires is 9.4 × 103 A cm-2 at 4.2 K and 1.9 × 103 A cm-2 at 20 K in 10 T. These results demonstrate the great potential of Cu/Ag composite sheathed ‘122’ iron pnictide superconducting tapes and wires for high-field applications at intermediate temperatures around 20 K, which can be easily obtained by using cryocoolers.

Evidence of incomplete annealing at 800 °C and the effects of 120 °C baking on the crystal orientation and the surface superconducting properties of cold-worked and chemically polished Nb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Z.-H.; Dzyuba, A.; Lee, P. J.; Larbalestier, D. C.; Cooley, L. D.

2015-07-01

High-purity niobium rods were cold-worked by wire-drawing, followed by various combinations of chemical polishing and high-vacuum baking at 120 °C or annealing at 800 °C in order to better understand changes to the surface superconducting properties resulting from typical superconducting radio-frequency cavity processing. AC susceptibility measurements revealed an enhanced upper transition Tc at ˜ 9.3-9.4 K in all samples that was stable through all annealing steps, a value significantly above the accepted Tc of 9.23 K for pure annealed niobium. Corresponding elevations were seen in the critical fields, the ratio of the surface critical field Hc3 to the bulk upper critical field Hc2 rising to 2.3, well above the Ginzburg-Landau value of 1.695. Orientation imaging revealed an extensive dislocation rich sub-grain structure in the as-drawn rods, a small reduction of the surface strain after baking at 120 °C, and a substantial but incomplete recrystallization near the surface after annealing at 800 °C. We interpret these changes in surface superconducting and structural properties to extensive changes in the near-surface interstitial contamination produced by baking and annealing and to synergistic interactions between H and surface O introduced during electropolishing and buffered chemical polishing.

Synthesis of superconducting Nb 3Sn coatings on Nb substrates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barzi, E.; Franz, S.; Reginato, F.

In the present work the electrochemical and thermal syntheses of superconductive Nb 3Sn films are investigated. The Nb 3Sn phase is obtained by electrodeposition of Sn layers and Cu intermediate layers onto Nb substrates followed by high temperature diffusion in inert atmosphere. Electrodeposition was performed from aqueous solutions at current densities in the 20 to 50 mA/cm 2 range and at temperatures between 40 and 50°C. Subsequent thermal treatments were realized to obtain the Nb 3Sn superconductive phase. Glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) demonstrated that after thermal treatment interdiffusion of Nb and Sn occurred across a thickness of aboutmore » 13 μm. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) allowed accurately measuring the thickness of the Nb 3Sn phase, whose average for the various types of film samples was between 5.7 and 8.0 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the presence of a cubic Nb 3Sn phase (A15 structure) having (210) preferred orientation. The maximum obtained T c was 17.68 K and the B c20 ranged between 22.5 T and 23.8 T. With the procedure described in the present paper, coating complex shapes cost-effectively becomes possible, which is typical of electrochemical techniques. Furthermore, this approach can be implemented in classical wire processes such as "Jelly Roll" or "Rod in Tube", or directly used for producing superconducting surfaces. In conclusion, the potential of this method for Superconducting Radiofrequency (SRF) structures is also outlined.« less

Synthesis of superconducting Nb 3Sn coatings on Nb substrates

DOE PAGES

Barzi, E.; Franz, S.; Reginato, F.; ...

2015-12-01

In the present work the electrochemical and thermal syntheses of superconductive Nb 3Sn films are investigated. The Nb 3Sn phase is obtained by electrodeposition of Sn layers and Cu intermediate layers onto Nb substrates followed by high temperature diffusion in inert atmosphere. Electrodeposition was performed from aqueous solutions at current densities in the 20 to 50 mA/cm 2 range and at temperatures between 40 and 50°C. Subsequent thermal treatments were realized to obtain the Nb 3Sn superconductive phase. Glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) demonstrated that after thermal treatment interdiffusion of Nb and Sn occurred across a thickness of aboutmore » 13 μm. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) allowed accurately measuring the thickness of the Nb 3Sn phase, whose average for the various types of film samples was between 5.7 and 8.0 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the presence of a cubic Nb 3Sn phase (A15 structure) having (210) preferred orientation. The maximum obtained T c was 17.68 K and the B c20 ranged between 22.5 T and 23.8 T. With the procedure described in the present paper, coating complex shapes cost-effectively becomes possible, which is typical of electrochemical techniques. Furthermore, this approach can be implemented in classical wire processes such as "Jelly Roll" or "Rod in Tube", or directly used for producing superconducting surfaces. In conclusion, the potential of this method for Superconducting Radiofrequency (SRF) structures is also outlined.« less

A Flexible Method for Production of Stable Atomic Clusters with Variable Size for Chemical and Catalytic Activity Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

Figure 2. Picture of the spark discharge with Ga electrodes. dgap superconducting transition temperature would cause a jump in the AEM current ...failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE...materials such as gold, sodium, and aluminum will not form a sufficiently concentrated vapor cloud from a current -carrying wire to form aerosol

Large Format Transition Edge Sensor Microcalorimeter Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, J. A.; Adams, J. A.; Bandler, S. b.; Busch, S. E.; Eckart, M. E.; Ewin, A. E.; Finkbeiner, F. M.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Kelley, R. L.; Porst, J. P.;

Dislocation Majorana zero modes in perovskite oxide 2DEG

PubMed Central

Chung, Suk Bum; Chan, Cheung; Yao, Hong

2016-01-01

Much of the current experimental efforts for detecting Majorana zero modes have been centered on probing the boundary of quantum wires with strong spin-orbit coupling. The same type of Majorana zero mode can also be realized at crystalline dislocations in 2D superconductors with the nontrivial weak topological indices. Unlike at an Abrikosov vortex, at such a dislocation, there is no other low-lying midgap state than the Majorana zero mode so that it avoids usual complications encountered in experimental detections such as scanning tunneling microscope (STM) measurements. We will show that, using the anisotropic dispersion of the t2g orbitals of Ti or Ta atoms, such a weak topological superconductivity can be realized when the surface two-dimensional electronic gas (2DEG) of SrTiO3 or KTaO3 becomes superconducting, which can occur through either intrinsic pairing or proximity to existing s-wave superconductors. PMID:27139319

Highly textured oxypnictide superconducting thin films on metal substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iida, Kazumasa; Kurth, Fritz; Chihara, Masashi; Sumiya, Naoki; Grinenko, Vadim; Ichinose, Ataru; Tsukada, Ichiro; Hänisch, Jens; Matias, Vladimir; Hatano, Takafumi; Holzapfel, Bernhard; Ikuta, Hiroshi

2014-10-01

Highly textured NdFeAs(O,F) thin films have been grown on ion beam assisted deposition-MgO/Y2O3/Hastelloy substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The oxypnictide coated conductors showed a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 43 K with a self-field critical current density (Jc) of 7.0 × 10 4 A / cm 2 at 5 K, more than 20 times higher than powder-in-tube processed SmFeAs(O,F) wires. Albeit higher Tc as well as better crystalline quality than Co-doped BaFe2As2 coated conductors, in-field Jc of NdFeAs(O,F) was lower than that of Co-doped BaFe2As2. These results suggest that grain boundaries in oxypnictides reduce Jc significantly compared to that in Co-doped BaFe2As2 and, hence biaxial texture is necessary for high Jc.

Microstructures and superconducting properties of high performance MgB2 thin films deposited from a high-purity, dense Mg-B target.

PubMed

Li, G Z; Susner, M A; Bohnenstiehl, S D; Sumption, M D; Collings, E W

2015-12-01

High quality, c -axis oriented, MgB 2 thin films were successfully grown on 6H-SiC substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with subsequent in situ annealing. To obtain high purity films free from oxygen contamination, a dense Mg-B target was specially made from a high temperature, high pressure reaction of Mg and B to form large-grained (10~50 µm) MgB 2 . Microstructural analysis via electron microscopy found that the resulting grains of the film were composed of ultrafine columnar grains of 19-30 nm. XRD analysis showed the MgB 2 films to be c -axis oriented; the a -axis and c -axis lattice parameters were determined to be 3.073 ± 0.005 Å and 3.528 ± 0.010 Å, respectively. The superconducting critical temperature, T c,onset , increased monotonically as the annealing temperature was increased, varying from 25.2 K to 33.7 K. The superconducting critical current density as determined from magnetic measurements, J cm , at 5 K, was 10 5 A/cm 2 at 7.8 T; at 20 K, 10 5 A/cm 2 was reached at 3.1 T. The transport and pinning properties of these films were compared to "powder-in-tube" (PIT) and "internal-infiltration" (AIMI) processed wires. Additionally, examination of the pinning mechanism showed that when scaled to the peak in the pinning curve, the films follow the grain boundary, or surface, pinning mechanism quite well, and are similar to the response seen for C doped PIT and AIMI strands, in contrast to the behavior seen in undoped PIT wires, in which deviations are seen at high b ( b = B/B c2 ). On the other hand, the magnitude of the pinning force was similar for the thin films and AIMI conductors, unlike the values from connectivity-suppressed PIT strands.

Chemical spray pyrolysis of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O high-T(sub c) superconductors for high-field bitter magnets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derochemont, L. Pierre; Zhang, John G.; Squillante, Michael R.; Hermann, A. M.; Duan, H. M.; Andrews, Robert J.; Kelliher, Warren C.

1991-01-01

The deposition of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O thick films by spray pyrolyzing a Ba-Ca-Cu-O precursor film and diffusing thallium into the film to form the superconducting phase is examined. This approach was taken to reduce exposure to thallium and its health and safety hazards. The Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system was selected because it has very attractive features which make it appealing to device and manufacturing engineering. Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O will accommodate a number of superconducting phases. This attribute makes it very forgiving to stoichiometric fluctuations in the bulk and film. It has excellent thermal and chemical stability, and appears to be relatively insensitive to chemical impurities. Oxygen is tightly bound into the systems, consequently there is no orthorhombic (conductor) to tetragonal (insulator) transition which would affect a component's lifetime. More significantly, the thallium based superconductors appear to have harder magnetic properties than the other high-Tc oxide ceramics. Estimates using magnetoresistance measurements indicate that at 77 K Tl2Ba2CaCu2O10 will have an upper critical field, H(sub c2) fo 26 Tesla for applied fields parallel to the c-axis and approximately 1000 Tesla for fields oriented in the a-b plane. Results to date have shown that superconducting films can be reproducibly deposited on 100 oriented MgO substrates. One film had a zero resistance temperature of 111.5 K. Furthermore, x ray diffraction analysis of the films showed preferential c-axis orientation parallel to the plane of the substrate. These results have now made it possible to consider the manufacture of a superconducting tape wire which can be configured into a topology useful for high-field magnet designs. The research which leads to the preparation of these films and plans for further development are reviewed.

A high-sensitivity magnetocardiography system with a divided gradiometer array inside a low boil-off Dewar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y. H.; Yu, K. K.; Kim, J. M.; Kwon, H.; Kim, K.

2009-11-01

We fabricated a low-noise 64-channel first-order axial gradiometer system for measuring magnetocardiography (MCG) signals. The key technical features of the system are the compact structure of the gradiometer, division of the sensor array plate, direct mounting of the sensor plates into the Dewar bottom, reduced neck diameter of the liquid He Dewar, and compact readout electronics. To make the refill interval of liquid He longer, the distance between the compensation coil of the gradiometer and the input coil pads of the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) was reduced to 20 mm. By using direct ultrasonic bonding of Nb wires between the pickup coil wires and input coil pads, the superconductive connection structure became simple. The baseline of the first-order gradiometer is 70 mm, a little longer than for typical conventional axial gradiometers, to provide a larger signal amplitude for deep sources. The 64-channel gradiometer array consists of four blocks, and each block is fixed separately onto the bottom of the Dewar. The neck diameter of the He Dewar (192 mm) is smaller than the bottom diameter (280 mm) in which the gradiometers are distributed. The average boil-off rate of the Dewar is 3 l per day when the 64-channel system is in operation every day. Double relaxation oscillation SQUIDs (DROSs) having large flux-to-voltage transfer coefficients were used to operate SQUIDs via compact electronics. The magnetically shielded room (MSR) has a wall thickness of 80 mm, and consists of two layers of permalloy and one layer of aluminum. When the 64-channel system was installed inside the MSR, the field noise level of the system was about 3.5 fTrms Hz-1/2 at 100 Hz. MCG measurements with high signal quality were done successfully using the developed system. In addition to the parameter analysis method, we developed software for the three-dimensional imaging of the myocardial current on a realistic image of the heart based on the anatomical image of the torso.

A 10 GHz Y-Ba-Cu-O/GaAs hybrid oscillator proximity coupled to a circular microstrip patch antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohrer, Norman J.; Richard, M. A.; Valco, George J.; Bhasin, Kul B.

1993-01-01

A 10 GHz hybrid YBCO/GaAs microwave oscillator proximity coupled to a circular microstrip antenna has been designed, fabricated, and characterized. The oscillator was a reflection mode type using a GaAs MESFET as the active element. The feedline, transmission lines, RF chokes, and bias lines were all fabricated from YBCO superconducting thin films on a 1 cm x 1 cm lanthanum aluminate substrate. The output feedline of the oscillator was wire bonded to a superconducting feedline on a second 1 cm x 1 cm lanthanum aluminate substrate, which was in turn proximity coupled to a circular microstrip patch antenna. Antenna patterns from this active patch antenna and the performance of the oscillator measured at 77 K are reported. The oscillator had a maximum output power of 11.5 dBm at 77 K, which corresponded to an efficiency of 10 percent. In addition, the efficiency of the microstrip patch antenna together with its high temperature superconducting feedline was measured from 85 K to 30 K and was found to be 71 percent at 77 K, increasing to a maximum of 87.4 percent at 30 K.

Production of Aluminum Stabilized Superconducting Cable for the Mu2e Transport Solenoid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lombardo, Vito; Ambrosio, Giorgio; Evbota, Daniel

Here, the Fermilab Mu2e experiment, currently under construction at Fermilab, has the goal of measuring the rare process of direct muon to electron conversion in the field of a nucleus. The experiment features three large superconducting solenoids: the production solenoid (PS), the transport solenoid (TS), and the detector solenoid (DS). The TS is an “S-shaped” solenoid that sits in between the PS and the DS producing a magnetic field ranging between 2.5 and 2.0 T. This paper describes the various steps that led to the successful procurement of over 740 km of superconducting wire and 44 km of Al-stabilized Rutherfordmore » cable needed to build the 52 coils that constitute the Mu2e TS cold mass. The main cable properties and results of electrical and mechanical test campaigns are summarized and discussed. Critical current measurements of the Al-stabilized cables are presented and compared to expected critical current values as measured on extracted strands from the final cables after chemical etching of the aluminum stabilizer. A robust and reliable approach to cable welding is presented, and the effect of cable bending on the transport current is also investigated and presented.« less

Production of Aluminum Stabilized Superconducting Cable for the Mu2e Transport Solenoid

DOE PAGES

Lombardo, Vito; Ambrosio, Giorgio; Evbota, Daniel; ...

2018-01-15

Here, the Fermilab Mu2e experiment, currently under construction at Fermilab, has the goal of measuring the rare process of direct muon to electron conversion in the field of a nucleus. The experiment features three large superconducting solenoids: the production solenoid (PS), the transport solenoid (TS), and the detector solenoid (DS). The TS is an “S-shaped” solenoid that sits in between the PS and the DS producing a magnetic field ranging between 2.5 and 2.0 T. This paper describes the various steps that led to the successful procurement of over 740 km of superconducting wire and 44 km of Al-stabilized Rutherfordmore » cable needed to build the 52 coils that constitute the Mu2e TS cold mass. The main cable properties and results of electrical and mechanical test campaigns are summarized and discussed. Critical current measurements of the Al-stabilized cables are presented and compared to expected critical current values as measured on extracted strands from the final cables after chemical etching of the aluminum stabilizer. A robust and reliable approach to cable welding is presented, and the effect of cable bending on the transport current is also investigated and presented.« less

A 10 GHz Y-Ba-Cu-O/GaAs hybrid oscillator proximity coupled to a circular microstrip patch antenna

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohrer, Norman J.; Richard, M. A.; Valco, George J.; Bhasin, Kul B.

1993-01-01

A 10 GHz hybrid Y-Ba-Cu-O / GaAs microwave oscillator proximity coupled to a circular microstrip antenna was designed, fabricated and characterized. The oscillator was a reflection mode type using a GaAs MESFET as the active element. The feedline, transmission lines, RF chokes, and bias lines were all fabricated from YBa2Cu3O(7-x) superconducting thin films on a 1 cm x 1 cm lanthanum aluminate substrate. The output feedline of the oscillator was wire bonded to a superconducting feedline on a second 1 cm x 1 cm lanthanum aluminate substrate, which was in turn proximity coupled to a circular microstrip patch antenna. Antenna patterns from this active patch antenna and the performance of the oscillator measured at 77 K are reported. The oscillator had a maximum output power of 11.5 dBm at 77 K, which corresponded to an efficiency of 10 percent. In addition, the efficiency of the microstrip patch antenna together with its high temperature superconducting feedline was measured from 85 K to 30 K and was found to be 71 percent at 77 4 increasing to a maximum of 87.4 percent at 30 K.

Investigation on Prototype Superconducting Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) for 600-km/h Wheel-Type Railway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Beomyong; Lee, Changhyeong; Kim, Seokho; Lee, Changyoung; Yun, Sangwon

The existing wheel-type high-speed railway with a rotatable motor has a limit of 600 km/h speed. The normal conducting electromagnet has several disadvantages to realize 600 km/h speed. Several disadvantages are the increased space and weight, and the decreased electric efficiency to generate the required high magnetic field. In order to reduce the volume and weight, superconducting electromagnets can be considered for LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor). Prior to the fabrication of the real system, a prototype demo-coil is designed and fabricated using 2G high temperature superconducting wire. The prototype HTS coil is cooled by the conduction using a GM cryocooler. To reduce the heat penetration, thermal design was performed for the current leads, supporting structure and radiation shield considering the thermal stress. The operating temperature and current are 30∼40 K and 100 A. The coil consists of two double pancake coils (N, S pole, respectively) and it is driven on a test rail, which is installed for the test car. This paper describes the design and test results of the prototype HTS LSM system. Thermal characteristics are investigated with additional dummy thermal mass on the coil after turning off the cryocooler.

Analytical formulae for computing the critical current of an Nb3Sn strand under bending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciazynski, D.; Torre, A.

2010-12-01

Works on bending strain in Nb3Sn wires were initiated in support of the 'react-and-wind' technique used to manufacture superconducting coils. More recently, the bending strains of Nb3Sn strands in cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) under high Lorentz forces have been thought to be partly responsible for the degradation of the conductor performance in terms of critical current and n index, particularly for the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) conductors. This has led to a new wave of experiments and modelling on this subject. The computation of the current transport capability in an Nb3Sn wire under uniform bending used to be carried out through the so-called Ekin's models, and more recently through numerical simulations with electric networks. The flaws of Ekin's models are that they consider only two extreme cases or limits, namely the so-called long twist pitch (LTP) or short twist pitch (STP) cases, and that these models only allow computation of a value for the critical current without reference to the n index of the superconducting filaments (i.e. this index is implicitly assumed to be infinite). Although the numerical models allow a fine description of the wire under operation and can take into account the filament's n index, they need a refined meshing to be accurate enough and their results may be sensitive to boundary conditions (i.e. current injection in the wire), also general intrinsic parameters cannot be easily identified. In this paper, we propose clearly to go further than Ekin's models by developing, from a homogeneous model and Maxwell's equations, an analytical model to establish the general equation governing the evolution of the electric field inside an Nb3Sn strand under uniform bending (with possible longitudinal strain). Within the usual strand fabrication limits, this equation allows the definition of one single parameter to discriminate the STP and LTP cases. It is also shown that whereas Ekin's LTP model corresponds well to a limiting solution of the problem when the transverse resistivity tends toward zero (or the twist pitch tends towards infinity), Ekin's STP model must be modified (improved) when the filament's n index is finite. Since the general equation cannot be solved analytically, we start from the LTP model and develop a first order correction to be applied when the transverse resistivity, the twist pitch and the filament's n index are finite. Using a simple but realistic law for depicting the strain dependence of the critical current density in the Nb3Sn filaments, we can fully compute the corrected expression and give the result under a general analytical formula for a strand submitted to both bending and compressive/tensile strains. The results are then compared in two different cases with those obtained with the numerical code CARMEN (based on an electrical network) developed at CEA. Last, a semi-empirical formula has been developed to evolve continuously from the LTP limit to the improved STP limit when the transverse resistivity evolves from zero to infinity. The results given by this formula are again compared with the numerical simulations in two different cases. Last, comparisons with experimental results are discussed.

Pulse Tube Interference in Cryogenic Sensor Resonant Circuits - Final Paper

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lam, Tyler

2015-08-27

Transition edge sensors (TES) are extremely sensitive superconducting sensors, operating at 100 mK, which can be used to detect X-rays and Cosmic Microwave Background. The goal of our project is to design the electronics to read out an array of 10000 of these sensors by using microwave signals. However, we noticed the pulse tube used to maintain cryogenic temperatures caused interference in our readout. To determine the cause of the signal distortions, we used a detector with a 370 MHz sampling rate to collect and analyze sensor data. Although this data provided little information towards the nature of the noise,more » it was determined through a maintenance procedure than the 0.3 mm stainless steel wires were being vibrated due to acoustic waves, which distorted the signal. Replacing this wire appeared to cease the interference from the sensor data.« less

Pulse Tube Interference in Cryogenic Sensors - Oral Presentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lam, Tyler

2015-08-24

Transition edge sensors (TES) are extremely sensitive superconducting sensors, operating at 100 mK, which can be used to detect X-rays and Cosmic Microwave Background. The goal of our project is to design the electronics to read out an array of 10000 of these sensors by using microwave signals. However, we noticed the pulse tube used to maintain cryogenic temperatures caused interference in our readout. To determine the cause of the signal distortions, we used a detector with a 370 MHz sampling rate to collect and analyze sensor data. Although this data provided little information towards the nature of the noise,more » it was determined through a maintenance procedure than the 0.3 mm stainless steel wires were being vibrated due to acoustic waves, which distorted the signal. Replacing this wire appeared to cease the interference from the sensor data.« less

Numerical Stress Analysis during Cooldown and Compressive Loading in an Imperfect Nb 3Sn Wire

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

d’Hauthuille, Luc; Zhai, Yuhu

In this paper, high field superconductors are critical to the success of next step magnetic fusion confinement devices such as ITER and DEMO. The low-temperature superconducting material that is currently favored for these applications, Nb 3Sn, is susceptible to performance due to its brittleness and high strain-sensitivity. Under extreme loads, an irreversible degradation in the maximum critical current density has been shown to occur and believed to be strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and cracked filaments. Cracks in filaments are induced when sufficiently high stress concentrations occur in the wire. In this paper, we explore using finite element analysismore » the impact that voids have on the stress distributions and peak stresses under two loading conditions: transverse compressive loading in a 2D model, and a full cool down phase in a 3D model.« less

Numerical Stress Analysis during Cooldown and Compressive Loading in an Imperfect Nb 3Sn Wire

DOE PAGES

d’Hauthuille, Luc; Zhai, Yuhu

2017-07-11

In this paper, high field superconductors are critical to the success of next step magnetic fusion confinement devices such as ITER and DEMO. The low-temperature superconducting material that is currently favored for these applications, Nb 3Sn, is susceptible to performance due to its brittleness and high strain-sensitivity. Under extreme loads, an irreversible degradation in the maximum critical current density has been shown to occur and believed to be strongly influenced by two factors: plasticity and cracked filaments. Cracks in filaments are induced when sufficiently high stress concentrations occur in the wire. In this paper, we explore using finite element analysismore » the impact that voids have on the stress distributions and peak stresses under two loading conditions: transverse compressive loading in a 2D model, and a full cool down phase in a 3D model.« less

Design and manufacture of a D-shape coil-based toroid-type HTS DC reactor using 2nd generation HTS wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kwangmin; Go, Byeong-Soo; Sung, Hae-Jin; Park, Hea-chul; Kim, Seokho; Lee, Sangjin; Jin, Yoon-Su; Oh, Yunsang; Park, Minwon; Yu, In-Keun

2014-09-01

This paper describes the design specifications and performance of a real toroid-type high temperature superconducting (HTS) DC reactor. The HTS DC reactor was designed using 2G HTS wires. The HTS coils of the toroid-type DC reactor magnet were made in the form of a D-shape. The target inductance of the HTS DC reactor was 400 mH. The expected operating temperature was under 20 K. The electromagnetic performance of the toroid-type HTS DC reactor magnet was analyzed using the finite element method program. A conduction cooling method was adopted for reactor magnet cooling. Performances of the toroid-type HTS DC reactor were analyzed through experiments conducted under the steady-state and charge conditions. The fundamental design specifications and the data obtained from this research will be applied to the design of a commercial-type HTS DC reactor.

Auxiliary Components for Kilopixel Transition Edge Sensor Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Ari-David; Chervenak, James A.; Chuss, David; Hilton Gene C.; Mikula, Vilem; Henry, ROss; Wollack, Edward; Zhao, Yue

2007-01-01

We have fabricated transition edge sensor bolometer focal plane arrays sensitive to mm-submillimeter (0.1-3 THz) radiation for the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), which will probe the cosmic microwave background at 0.147,0.215, and 0.279 GHz. Central to the performance of these bolometers is a set of auxiliary resistive components. Here we discuss shunt resistors, which allow for tight optimization of bolometer time constant and sensitivity. Our shunt resistors consist of AuPd strips grown atop of interdigitated superconducting MoN, wires. We can tailor the shunt resistance by altering the dimensions of the AuPd strips and the pitch and width of the MoN, wires and can fabricate over 1000 shunts on a single 4" wafer. By modeling the resistance dependence of these parameters, a variety of different 0.77 +I-0.13 mOhm shunt resistors have been fabricated. This variety includes different shunts possessing MoN, wires with wire width equal to 1.5 and 10 microns and pitch equal to 4.5 and 26 microns, respectively. Our ability to set the resistance of the shunts hints at the scalability of our design. We have also integrated a Si02 capping layer into our shunt resistor fabrication scheme, which inhibits metal corrosion and eventual degradation of the shunt. Consequently, their robustness coupled with their high packing density makes these resistive components attractive for future kilopixel detector arrays.

Indium Hybridization of Large Format TES Bolometer Arrays to Readout Multiplexers for Far-Infrared Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Timothy M.; Costen, Nick; Allen, Christine

2007-01-01

The advance of new detector technologies combined with enhanced fabrication methods has resulted in an increase in development of large format arrays. The next generation of scientific instruments will utilize detectors containing hundreds to thousands of elements providing a more efficient means to conduct large area sky surveys. Some notable detectors include a 32x32 x-ray microcalorimeter for Constellation-X, an infrared bolometer called SAFIRE to fly on the airborne observatory SOFIA, and the sub-millimeter bolometer SCUBA-2 to be deployed at the JCMT which will use more than 10,000 elements for two colors, each color using four 32x40 arrays. Of these detectors, SCUBA-2 is farthest along in development and uses indium hybridization to multiplexers for readout of the large number of elements, a technology that will be required to enable the next generation of large format arrays. Our current efforts in working toward large format arrays have produced GISMO, the Goddard IRAM Superconducting 2-Millimeter observer. GISMO is a far infrared instrument to be field tested later this year at the IRAM 30 meter telescope in Spain. GISMO utilizes transition edge sensor (TES) technology in an 8x16 filled array format that allows for typical fan-out wiring and wire-bonding to four 1x32 NIST multiplexers. GISMO'S electrical wiring is routed along the tops of 30 micron walls which also serve as the mechanical framework for the array. This architecture works well for the 128 element array, but is approaching the limit for routing the necessary wires along the surface while maintaining a high fill factor. Larger format arrays will benefit greatly from making electrical connections through the wafer to the backside, where they can be hybridized to a read-out substrate tailored to handling the wiring scheme. The next generation array we are developing is a 32x40 element array on a pitch of 1135 microns that conforms to the NIST multiplexer, already developed for the SCUBA-2 instrument This architecture will utilize electrical connections that route from the TES to the support frame and through the wafer. The detector chip will then be hybridized to the NIST multiplexer via indium bump bonding. In our development scheme we are using substrates that allow for diagnostic testing of electrical continuity across the entire array and we are testing our process to minimize or eliminate any contact resistance at metal interfaces. Our goal is hybridizing a fully functional 32x40 array of TES bolometers to a NIST multiplexer. The following work presents our current progress toward enabling this technology.

RRR and thermal conductivity of Ag and Ag0.2wt%Mg alloy in Ag/Bi-2212 wires

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Pei; Ye, L.; Jiang. J., Jiang. J.

The residual resistivity ratio (RRR) and thermal conductivity of metal matrix in metal/superconductor composite wires are important parameters for designing superconducting magnets. However, the resistivity of silver in reacted Ag/Bi-2212 wires has yet to be determined over temperature range from 4.2 K to 80 K because Bi-2212 filaments have a critical transition temperature Tc of ~ 80 K, and because it is unknown whether the RRR of Ag/Bi-2212 degrades with Cu diffusing from Bi-2212 filaments into silver sheathes at elevated temperatures and to what degree it varies with heat treatment. We measured the resistivity of stand-alone Ag and AgMg (Ag-0.2wt%Mg)more » wires as well as the resistivity of Ag and Ag- 0.2wt%Mg in the state-of-the-art Ag/Bi-2212 round wires reacted in 1 bar oxygen at 890 °C for 1, 8, 24 and 48 hours and quickly cooled to room temperature. The heat treatment was designed to reduce the critical current Ic of Bi-2212 wires to nearly zero while allowing Cu loss to fully manifest itself. We determined that pure silver exhibits a RRR of ~ 220 while the oxide-dispersion strengthened AgMg exhibits a RRR of ~ 5 in stand-alone samples. A surprising result is that the RRR of silver in the composite round wires doesn’t degrade with extended time at 890 °C for up to 48 hours. This surprising result may be explained by our observation that the Cu that diffuses into the silver tends to form Cu2O precipitates in oxidizing atmosphere, instead of forming Ag-Cu solution alloy. We also measured the thermal conductivity and the magneto-resistivity of pure Ag and Ag-0.2 wt%Mg from 4.2 K to 300 K in magnetic fields up to 14.8 T and summarized them using a Kohler plot.« less

High Resolution Eddy-Current Wire Testing Based on a Gmr Sensor-Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreutzbruck, Marc; Allweins, Kai; Strackbein, Chris; Bernau, Hendrick

2009-03-01

Increasing demands in materials quality and cost effectiveness have led to advanced standards in manufacturing technology. Especially when dealing with high quality standards in conjunction with high throughput quantitative NDE techniques are vital to provide reliable and fast quality control systems. In this work we illuminate a modern electromagnetic NDE approach using a small GMR sensor array for testing superconducting wires. Four GMR sensors are positioned around the wire. Each GMR sensor provides a field sensitivity of 200 pT/√Hz and a spatial resolution of about 100 μm. This enables us to detect under surface defects of 100 μm in size in a depth of 200 μm with a signal-to-noise ratio of better than 400. Surface defects could be detected with a SNR of up to 10,000. Besides this remarkably SNR the small extent of GMR sensors results in a spatial resolution which offers new visualisation techniques for defect localisation, defect characterization and tomography-like mapping techniques. We also report on inverse algorithms based on either a Finite Element Method or an analytical approach. These allow for accurate defect localization on the urn scale and an estimation of the defect size.

Evidence of incomplete annealing at 800 °C and the effects of 120 °C baking on the crystal orientation and the surface superconducting properties of cold-worked and chemically polished Nb

DOE PAGES

Sung, Z. -H.; Dzyuba, A.; Lee, P. J.; ...

2015-07-01

High-purity niobium rods were cold-worked by wire-drawing, followed by various combinations of chemical polishing and high-vacuum baking at 120 °C or annealing at 800 °C in order to better understand changes to the surface superconducting properties resulting from typical superconducting radio-frequency cavity processing. AC susceptibility measurements revealed an enhanced upper transition T c at ~ 9.3–9.4 K in all samples that was stable through all annealing steps, a value significantly above the accepted T c of 9.23 K for pure annealed niobium. Corresponding elevations were seen in the critical fields, the ratio of the surface critical field H c3 tomore » the bulk upper critical field H c2 rising to 2.3, well above the Ginzburg–Landau value of 1.695. Orientation imaging revealed an extensive dislocation rich sub-grain structure in the as-drawn rods, a small reduction of the surface strain after baking at 120 °C, and a substantial but incomplete recrystallization near the surface after annealing at 800 °C. We interpret these changes in surface superconducting and structural properties to extensive changes in the near-surface interstitial contamination produced by baking and annealing and to synergistic interactions between H and surface O introduced during electropolishing and buffered chemical polishing.« less

Evidence of incomplete annealing at 800 °C and the effects of 120 °C baking on the crystal orientation and the surface superconducting properties of cold-worked and chemically polished Nb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sung, Z. -H.; Dzyuba, A.; Lee, P. J.

High-purity niobium rods were cold-worked by wire-drawing, followed by various combinations of chemical polishing and high-vacuum baking at 120 °C or annealing at 800 °C in order to better understand changes to the surface superconducting properties resulting from typical superconducting radio-frequency cavity processing. AC susceptibility measurements revealed an enhanced upper transition T c at ~ 9.3–9.4 K in all samples that was stable through all annealing steps, a value significantly above the accepted T c of 9.23 K for pure annealed niobium. Corresponding elevations were seen in the critical fields, the ratio of the surface critical field H c3 tomore » the bulk upper critical field H c2 rising to 2.3, well above the Ginzburg–Landau value of 1.695. Orientation imaging revealed an extensive dislocation rich sub-grain structure in the as-drawn rods, a small reduction of the surface strain after baking at 120 °C, and a substantial but incomplete recrystallization near the surface after annealing at 800 °C. We interpret these changes in surface superconducting and structural properties to extensive changes in the near-surface interstitial contamination produced by baking and annealing and to synergistic interactions between H and surface O introduced during electropolishing and buffered chemical polishing.« less

Evaluation of critical current density and residual resistance ratio limits in powder in tube Nb 3Sn conductors

DOE PAGES

Segal, Christopher; Tarantini, Chiara; Sung, Zu Hawn; ...

2016-06-10

High critical current density (Jc) Nb 3Sn A15 multifilamentary wires require a large volume fraction of small grain, superconducting A15 phase, as well as Cu stabilizer with high Residual Resistance Ratio (RRR) to provide electromagnetic stabilization and protection. In Powder-in-Tube (PIT) wires the unreacted Nb7.5wt.%Ta outer layer of the tubular filaments acts as a diffusion barrier and protects the interfilamentary Cu stabilizer from Sn contamination. A high RRR requirement generally imposes a restricted A15 reaction heat treatment (HT) to prevent localized full reaction of the filament that could allow Sn to reach the Cu. In this paper we investigate recentmore » high quality PIT wires that achieve a J c(12 T, 4.2 K) up to ~2500 A/mm -2 and find that the minimum diffusion barrier thickness decreases as the filament aspect ratio increases from ~1 in the inner rings of filaments to 1.3 in the outer filament rings. We found that just 2-3 diffusion barrier breaches can degrade RRR from 300 to 150 or less. Using progressive etching of the Cu we also found that the RRR degradation is localized near the external filaments where deformation is highest. Consequently minimizing filament distortion during strand fabrication is important for reducing RRR degradation. The additional challenge of developing the highest possible J c must be addressed by forming the maximum fraction of high J c small-grain (SG) A15 and minimizing low J c large-grain (LG) A15 morphologies. Finally, in one wire we found that 15% of the filaments had a significantly enhanced SG/LG A15 ratio and no residual A15 in the core, a feature that opens a path to substantial J c improvement.« less

Observations of earth eigen vibrations possibly excited by low frequency gravity waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuman, V. S.

1971-01-01

A cryogenic gravity meter made of two parts, a magnetic suspension unit and a detection module, was used to monitor earth eigen vibrations. The magnetic field and field gradient are generated by energizing a set of superconducting coils made of niobium-zirconium alloy wire. The detection module is a double Josephson junction magnetometer. The output is printed on a chart recorder and later digitized using a computer; a Fourier transformation is performed on the accumulated data. The measurements of eigen vibrations are summarized in tabular and graphical representations.

Thallous halide materials for use in cryogenic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawless, William N. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

Thallous halides, either alone or in combination with other ceramic materials, are used in cryogenic applications such as heat exchange material for the regenerator section of a closed-cycle cryogenic refrigeration section, as stabilizing coatings for superconducting wires, and as dielectric insulating materials. The thallous halides possess unusually large specific heats at low temperatures, have large thermal conductivities, are nonmagnetic, and are nonconductors of electricity. They can be formed into a variety of shapes such as spheres, bars, rods, or the like and can be coated onto substrates.

Superconducting nanowire networks formed on nanoporous membrane substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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 attributed to thermal phase slips and Little-Parks effect, revealing new phenomena at extreme conditions. This research significantly advanced our understanding on confinement effects in superconductors. Since AAO membranes of large area can be fabricated easily and filtration membranes are commercially available, the developed fabrication approach provides an alternative but more accessible templating method to achieve samples for exploring phenomena in superconductors with transverse dimensions down to few nanometers. This research also sets limitations on efforts to pursue high commensurate vortex pinning fields by increasing the density of holes in a perforated film: a reduction in the width of superconducting section between neighboring holes can turn a 2D film into a network of 1D nanowires which dissipate energy when conducting electricity due to thermal and possibly also quantum phase slippages, eliminating the desired pinning effect of the introduced hole.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sarrao, J.; Kwok, W-K; Bozovic, I.

As an energy carrier, electricity has no rival with regard to its environmental cleanliness, flexibility in interfacing with multiple production sources and end uses, and efficiency of delivery. In fact, the electric power grid was named ?the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century? by the National Academy of Engineering. This grid, a technological marvel ingeniously knitted together from local networks growing out from cities and rural centers, may be the biggest and most complex artificial system ever built. However, the growing demand for electricity will soon challenge the grid beyond its capability, compromising its reliability through voltage fluctuations thatmore » crash digital electronics, brownouts that disable industrial processes and harm electrical equipment, and power failures like the North American blackout in 2003 and subsequent blackouts in London, Scandinavia, and Italy in the same year. The North American blackout affected 50 million people and caused approximately $6 billion in economic damage over the four days of its duration. Superconductivity offers powerful new opportunities for restoring the reliability of the power grid and increasing its capacity and efficiency. Superconductors are capable of carrying current without loss, making the parts of the grid they replace dramatically more efficient. Superconducting wires carry up to five times the current carried by copper wires that have the same cross section, thereby providing ample capacity for future expansion while requiring no increase in the number of overhead access lines or underground conduits. Their use is especially attractive in urban areas, where replacing copper with superconductors in power-saturated underground conduits avoids expensive new underground construction. Superconducting transformers cut the volume, weight, and losses of conventional transformers by a factor of two and do not require the contaminating and flammable transformer oils that violate urban safety codes. Unlike traditional grid technology, superconducting fault current limiters are smart. They increase their resistance abruptly in response to overcurrents from faults in the system, thus limiting the overcurrents and protecting the grid from damage. They react fast in both triggering and automatically resetting after the overload is cleared, providing a new, self-healing feature that enhances grid reliability. Superconducting reactive power regulators further enhance reliability by instantaneously adjusting reactive power for maximum efficiency and stability in a compact and economic package that is easily sited in urban grids. Not only do superconducting motors and generators cut losses, weight, and volume by a factor of two, but they are also much more tolerant of voltage sag, frequency instabilities, and reactive power fluctuations than their conventional counterparts. The challenge facing the electricity grid to provide abundant, reliable power will soon grow to crisis proportions. Continuing urbanization remains the dominant historic demographic trend in the United States and in the world. By 2030, nearly 90% of the U.S. population will reside in cities and suburbs, where increasingly strict permitting requirements preclude bringing in additional overhead access lines, underground cables are saturated, and growth in power demand is highest. The power grid has never faced a challenge so great or so critical to our future productivity, economic growth, and quality of life. Incremental advances in existing grid technology are not capable of solving the urban power bottleneck. Revolutionary new solutions are needed ? the kind that come only from superconductivity.« less

Development of REBCO HTS Magnet of Magnetic Bearing for Large Capacity Flywheel Energy Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukoyama, Shinichi; Matsuoka, Taro; Furukawa, Makoto; Nakao, Kengo; Nagashima, Ken; Ogata, Masafumi; Yamashita, Tomohisa; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Yoshizawa, Kazuhiro; Arai, Yuuki; Miyazaki, Kazuki; Horiuchi, Shinichi; Maeda, Tadakazu; Shimizu, Hideki

A flywheel energy storage system (FESS) is a promising electrical storage system that moderates fluctuation of electrical power from renewable energy sources. The FESS can charge and discharge the surplus electrical power repetitively with the rotating energy. Particularly, the FESS that utilizes a high temperature superconducting magnetic bearing (HTS bearing) is lower loss than conventional FESS that has mechanical bearing, and has property of longer life operation than secondary batteries. The HTS bearing consists of a HTS bulk and double-pancake coils used 2nd generation REBCO wires. In the development, the HTS double-pancake coils were fabricated and were provided for a levitation test to verify the possibility of the HTS bearing. We successfully confirmed the magnetic field was achieved to design value, and levitation force in the configuration of one YBCO bulk and five double pan-cake coils was obtained to a satisfactory force of 39.2 kN (4 tons).

In situ synthesis and superconducting properties of MgB 2 fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J. H.; Yoon, H. R.; Jo, W.; Kim, J. W.; Kim, K. H.

2006-10-01

Superconducting MgB2 fibers are grown by a diffusion method, in which B filaments are exposed to Mg vapor inside a folded Ta foil over a wide range of temperature and growth time. The as-grown wires with a diameter of about 110 μm are characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Surface morphology of the fibers turns out to be dependent on growth temperature and mixing ratio of Mg and B. Radial distribution of Mg ions into B is observed over the cross-sectional area. Transport properties of the MgB2 fibers are investigated in magnetic fields from 0 to 8 T by use of a physical property measurement system. MgB2 fibers grown at 900 °C for 2 h show a superconducting transition at 38.1 K with an onset temperature as 41.7 K and ΔTc < 3.03 K. Resistance of the MgB2 fiber at room temperature is 4 Ω and residual resistivity ratio (RRR) is estimated as 4.72. It is estimated that the upper critical field Hc2 at 4 K is more than 16 T. In addition, a small amount of magneto-resistance is detected at high magnetic fields.

Fermilab Muon Campus g-2 Cryogenic Distribution Remote Control System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pei, L.; Theilacker, J.; Klebaner, A.

2015-11-05

The Muon Campus (MC) is able to measure Muon g-2 with high precision and comparing its value to the theoretical prediction. The MC has four 300 KW screw compressors and four liquid helium refrigerators. The centerpiece of the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab is a large, 50-foot-diameter superconducting muon storage ring. This one-of-a-kind ring, made of steel, aluminum and superconducting wire, was built for the previous g-2 experiment at Brookhaven. Due to each subsystem has to be far away from each other and be placed in the distant location, therefore, Siemens Process Control System PCS7-400, Automation Direct DL205 & DL05more » PLC, Synoptic and Fermilab ACNET HMI are the ideal choices as the MC g-2 cryogenic distribution real-time and on-Line remote control system. This paper presents a method which has been successfully used by many Fermilab distribution cryogenic real-time and On-Line remote control systems.« less

Characterization of the thin-film NbN superconductor for single-photon detection by transport measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Shi-Zeng; Ayala-Valenzuela, Oscar; McDonald, Ross D.; Bulaevskii, Lev N.; Holesinger, Terry G.; Ronning, Filip; Weisse-Bernstein, Nina R.; Williamson, Todd L.; Mueller, Alexander H.; Hoffbauer, Mark A.; Rabin, Michael W.; Graf, Matthias J.

2013-05-01

The fabrication of high-quality thin superconducting films is essential for single-photon detectors. Their device performance is crucially affected by their material parameters, thus requiring reliable and nondestructive characterization methods after the fabrication and patterning processes. Important material parameters to know are the resistivity, superconducting transition temperature, relaxation time of quasiparticles, and uniformity of patterned wires. In this work, we characterize micropatterned thin NbN films by using transport measurements in magnetic fields. We show that from the instability of vortex motion at high currents in the flux-flow state of the IV characteristic, the inelastic lifetime of quasiparticles can be determined to be about 2 ns. Additionally, from the depinning transition of vortices at low currents, as a function of magnetic field, the size distribution of grains can be extracted. This size distribution is found to be in agreement with the film morphology obtained from scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images.

Mu2e transport solenoid prototype tests results

DOE PAGES

Lopes, Mauricio L.; G. Ambrosio; DiMarco, J.; ...

2016-02-08

The Fermilab Mu2e experiment has been developed to search for evidence of charged lepton flavor violation through the direct conversion of muons into electrons. The transport solenoid is an s-shaped magnet which guides the muons from the source to the stopping target. It consists of fifty-two superconducting coils arranged in twenty-seven coil modules. A full-size prototype coil module, with all the features of a typical module of the full assembly, was successfully manufactured by a collaboration between INFN-Genoa and Fermilab. The prototype contains two coils that can be powered independently. In order to validate the design, the magnet went throughmore » an extensive test campaign. Warm tests included magnetic measurements with a vibrating stretched wire, electrical and dimensional checks. As a result, the cold performance was evaluated by a series of power tests as well as temperature dependence and minimum quench energy studies.« less

A persistent-mode 0.5 T solid-nitrogen-cooled MgB2 magnet for MRI.

PubMed

Ling, Jiayin; Voccio, John P; Hahn, Seungyong; Qu, Timing; Bascuñán, Juan; Iwasa, Yukikazu

2017-02-01

This paper presents construction details and test results of a persistent-mode 0.5-T MgB 2 magnet developed at the Francis Bitter Magnet Lab, MIT. The magnet, of 276-mm inner diameter and 290-mm outer diameter, consisted of a stack of 8 solenoidal coils with a total height of 460 mm. Each coil was wound with monofilament MgB 2 wire, equipped with a persistent-current switch and terminated with a superconducting joint, forming an individual superconducting loop. Resistive solder joints connected the 8 coils in series. The magnet, after being integrated into a testing system, immersed in solid nitrogen, was operated in a temperature range of 10-13 K. A two-stage cryocooler was deployed to cool a radiation shield and the cold mass that included mainly ~60 kg of solid nitrogen and the magnet. The solid nitrogen was capable of providing a uniform and stable cryogenic environment to the magnet. The magnet sustained a 0.47-T magnetic field at its center persistently in a range of 10-13 K. The current in each coil was inversely calculated from the measured field profile to determine the performance of each coil in persistent-mode operation. Persistent-current switches were successfully operated in solid nitrogen for ramping the magnet. They were also designed to absorb magnetic energy in a protection mechanism; its effectiveness was evaluated in an induced quench.

Performance of a novel SQUID-based superconducting imaging-surface magnetoencephalography system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraus, R. H.; Volegov, P.; Maharajh, K.; Espy, M. A.; Matlashov, A. N.; Flynn, E. R.

2002-03-01

Performance for a recently completed whole-head magnetoencephalography system using a superconducting imaging surface (SIS) surrounding an array of 150 SQUID magnetometers is reported. The helmet-like SIS is hemispherical in shape with a brim. Conceptually, the SIS images nearby sources onto the SQUIDs while shielding sensors from distant “noise” sources. A finite element method (FEM) description using the as-built geometry was developed to describe the SIS effect on source fields by imposing B⊥( surface)=0 . Sensors consist of 8×8 mm 2 SQUID magnetometers with 0.84 nT/ Φ0 sensitivity and <3 fT/ Hz noise. A series of phantom experiments to verify system efficacy have been completed. Simple dry-wire phantoms were used to eliminate model dependence from our results. Phantom coils were distributed throughout the volume encompassed by the array with a variety of orientations. Each phantom coil was precisely machined and located to better than 25 μm and 10 mRad accuracy. Excellent agreement between model-calculated and measured magnetic field distributions of all phantom coil positions and orientations was found. Good agreement was found between modeled and measured shielding of the SQUIDs from sources external to the array showing significant frequency-independent shielding. Phantom localization precision was better than 0.5 mm at all locations with a mean of better than 0.3 mm.

National Action Plan on Superconductivity Research and Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1989-12-01

The Superconductivity Action Plan pursuant to the Superconductivity and Competitiveness Act of 1988 is presented. The plan draws upon contributions from leaders in the technical community of the Federal Government responsible for research and development in superconductivity programs, as well as from the report of the Committee to Advise the President on Superconductivity. Input from leaders in the private sector was obtained during the formulation and review of the plan. Some contents: Coordination of the plan; Technical areas (high temperature superconductivity materials in general, high temperature superconductivity films for sensors and electronics, magnets, large area high temperature superconductivity films, bulk conductors); and Policy areas.

Charge imbalance and Josephson effects in superconductor-normal metal mesoscopic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, A. F.

2007-11-01

We consider a SBS Josephson junction the superconducting electrodes S of which are in contact with normal metal reservoirs ( B means a barrier). For temperatures near Tc we calculate an effective critical current Ic* and the resistance of the system at the currents I

Enhanced Ferromagnetism in Nanoscale GaN:Mn Wires Grown on GaN Ridges.

PubMed

Cheng, Ji; Jiang, Shengxiang; Zhang, Yan; Yang, Zhijian; Wang, Cunda; Yu, Tongjun; Zhang, Guoyi

2017-05-02

The problem of weak magnetism has hindered the application of magnetic semiconductors since their invention, and on the other hand, the magnetic mechanism of GaN-based magnetic semiconductors has been the focus of long-standing debate. In this work, nanoscale GaN:Mn wires were grown on the top of GaN ridges by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and the superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer shows that its ferromagnetism is greatly enhanced. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) reveal an obvious increase of Mn composition in the nanowire part, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and EDS mapping results further indicate the correlation between the abundant stacking faults (SFs) and high Mn doping. When further combined with the micro-Raman results, the magnetism in GaN:Mn might be related not only to Mn concentration, but also to some kinds of built-in defects introduced together with the Mn doping or the SFs.

The Improvement of Utilization Ratio of Metal Organic Sources for the Low Cost Preparation of MOCVD-synthesized YBCO Films based on a Self-heating Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ruipeng; Liu, Qing; Xia, Yudong; Tao, Bowan; Li, Yanrong

2017-12-01

We have successfully applied metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) to synthesize biaxially textured YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) superconducting films on the templates of LaMnO3/epitaxial MgO/IBAD-MgO/solution deposition planarization (SDP) Y2O3/Hastelloy tape. The YBCO films have obtained dense and smooth surface with good structure and performance. A new self-heating method, which replaced the conventional heating-wire radiation heating method, has been used to heat the Hastelloy metal tapes by us. Compared with the heating-wire radiation heating method, the self-heating method shows higher energy efficiency and lower power consumption, which has good advantage to simplify the structure of the MOCVD system. Meanwhile, the utilization ratio of metal organic sources can be increased from 6% to 20% through adopting the new self-heating method. Then the preparation cost of the YBCO films can be also greatly reduced.

Duality symmetry and power-law fading of frustration in a quantum multiconnected superconductor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, S.N.; Ralston, J.P.

1991-03-01

We generalize the Alexander--de Gennes equations to a new system of superconducting-wire networks, allowing for variation of the cross-sectional area of wires. The generalized equations are solved for a square lattice of different cross-sectional-area ratios {lambda} in the {ital x} and {ital y} directions. A symmetry of {lambda}{r arrow}1/{lambda} is related to the Aubry-Andre duality and an obvious geometric property. We find that even a slight geometric asymmetry can soften the fine structure of the magnetic phase boundary considerably. We obtain a power-law dependence on the parameter {lambda} as {lambda}{r arrow}{infinity} and {lambda}{r arrow}0. For a finite-area ratio {lambda}, wemore » speculate that a simple analytic fit incorporating the dual symmetry is close to the exact nonperturbative behavior. The system is also related analytically to a recent study of Hu and Chen, which revealed a power-law behavior for a rectangular lattice.« less

The SuperCDMS SNOLAB Detector Tower

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aramaki, Tsuguo

2016-08-01

The SuperCDMS collaboration is moving forward with the design and construction of SuperCDMS SNOLAB, where the initial deployment will include ˜ 30 kg of Ge and ˜ 5 kg of Si detectors. Here, we will discuss the associated cryogenic cold hardware required for the detector readout. The phonon signals will be read out with superconducting quantum interference device arrays and the ionization signals will use high electron mobility transistor amplifiers operating at 4 K. A number of design challenges exist regarding the required wiring complex impedance, noise pickup, vibration, and thermal isolation. Our progress to date will be presented.

Powder-in-tube and thick-film methods of fabricating high temperature superconductors having enhanced biaxial texture

DOEpatents

Goyal, Amit; Kroeger, Donald M.

2003-11-11

A method for forming an electronically active biaxially textured article includes the steps of providing a substrate having a single crystal metal or metal alloy surface, deforming the substrate to form an elongated substrate surface having biaxial texture and depositing an epitaxial electronically active layer on the biaxially textured surface. The method can include at least one annealing step after the deforming step to produce the biaxially textured substrate surface. The invention can be used to form improved biaxially textured articles, such as superconducting wire and tape articles having improved J.sub.c values.

Low temperature solution synthesis of zinc antimonide, manganese antimonide, and strontium ruthenate compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noblitt, Jennifer Lenkner

2011-12-01

Increasing energy demands are fueling research in the area of renewable energy and energy storage. In particular, Li-ion batteries and superconducting wires are attractive choices for energy storage. Improving safety, simplifying manufacturing processes, and advancing technology to increase energy storage capacity is necessary to compete with current marketed energy storage devices. These advancements are accomplished through the study of new materials and new morphologies. Increasing dependence on and rising demand for portable electronic devices has continued to drive research in the area of Li-ion batteries. In order to compete with existing batteries and be applicable to future energy needs such as powering hybrid vehicles, the drawbacks of Li-ion batteries must be addressed including (i) low power density, (ii) safety, and (iii) high manufacturing costs. These drawbacks can be addressed through new materials and morphologies for the anode, cathode, and electrolyte. New intermetallic anode materials such as ZnSb, MnSb, and Mn2Sb are attractive candidates to replace graphite, the current industry standard anode material, because they are safer while maintaining comparable theoretical capacity. Electrodeposition is an inexpensive method that could be used for the synthesis of these electrode materials. Direct electrodeposition allows for excellent electrical contact to the current collector without the use of a binder. To successfully electrodeposit zinc and manganese antimonides, metal precursors with excellent solubility in water were needed. To promote solubility, particularly for the antimony precursor, coordinating ligands were added to the deposition bath solutions. This work shows that the choice of coordinating ligand and metal-ligand speciation can alter both the electrochemistry and the film composition. This work focuses on the search for appropriate coordinating ligands, solution pH, and bath temperatures so that high quality films of ZnSb, MnSb, and Mn2Sb may be electrochemically deposited on a conducting substrate. Increasing use of natural resources for energy generation has driven research in the area of energy storage using superconducting materials. To meet energy storage needs the materials must have the following features: (i) safety, (ii) superconductivity at or above liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K), (iii) low cost manufacturing processes, and (iv) robustness. The search for materials that meet all of these criteria is on-going, specifically in the area of high temperature superconductivity. The precise mechanism of superconductivity is not known. A few theories explain some of the phenomenological aspects, but not all. In order to logically select and synthesize high temperature superconductors for industrial applications, the precise mechanism must first be elucidated. Additionally, a synthetic method that yields pure, high quality crystals is required because transition temperatures have been shown to vary depending on the preparation method due to impurities. Before measuring properties of superconductors, the development of a synthesis method that yields pure, high quality crystals is required. Most superconductors are synthesized using traditional solid state methods. This synthesis route precludes formation of kinetically stable phases. Low temperature synthesis is useful for probing thermodynamic verses kinetic stability of compounds as well as producing high quality single crystals. A novel low temperature hydrothermal synthesis of Sr-Ru-O compounds has been developed. These materials are important because of their interesting properties including superconductivity and ferromagnetism. Sr2RuO4 is particularly interesting as it is superconducting and isostructural to La2CuO 4, which is only superconducting when doped. Therefore, Sr2RuO 4 is a good choice for study of the mechanism of superconductivity. Additionally, new kinetically stable phases of the Sr-Ru-O family may be formed which may also be superconducting. Sr-Ru-O compounds were previously synthesized via the float zone method. There is one report of using hydrothermal synthesis, but the temperatures used were 480--630 °C. In general, hydrothermal methods are advantageous because of the potential for moderate temperatures and pressures to be used. Additionally, the reaction temperature, precursor choice, and reaction time can all be used to tune the composition and morphology of the product. Hydrothermal methods are inexpensive and a one-step synthesis which is very convenient to scale up for industrial application. This work shows how a hydrothermal method at temperatures between 140 °C and 210 °C was developed for the synthesis of the Sr-Ru-O family of compounds.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This report consists of vugraphs of the presentations at the conference. The conference was divided into the following sessions: (1) First Generation Wire Development: Status and Issues; (2) First Generation Wire in Pre-Commercial Prototypes; (3) Second Generation Wire Development: Private Sector Progress and Issues; (4) Second Generation Wire Development: Federal Laboratories; and (5) Fundamental Research Issues for HTS Wire Development.

IR detector system based on high-Tc superconducting bolometer on SI membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnus, M.; Hefle, G.; Heidenblut, T.; Khrebtov, Igor A.; Laukemper, J.; Michalke, W.; Neff, H.; Schwierzi, B.; Semtchinova, O. K.; Steinbeiss, E.; Tkachenko, A. D.

1996-06-01

An infrared detector system based on high-T(subscript c) superconducting (HTS) membrane bolometer is reported. Superconducting transition-edge bolometer has been manufactured by silicon micromachining using an epitaxial GdBa(subscript 2)Cu(subscript 3)O(subscript 7-x) film on an epitaxial yttria- stabilized zirconia buffer layer on silicon. The active area of the element is 0.85 X 0.85 mm(superscript 2). The membrane thickness is 1 micrometers , those of the buffer layer and HTS films are 50 nm. The detectivity of bolometer, D(superscript *), is 3.8 X 10(superscript 9) cm Hz(superscript 1/2) W(superscript -1) at 84.5 K and within the frequency regime 100 < f < 300 Hz. The optical response is 580 V/W at time constant 0.4 ms. This is one of the fastest composite type HTS-bolometer ever reported. The bolometer is mounted on a metal N(subscript 2)-liquid cryostat, which fits the preamplifier. With the volume of N(subscript 2)-reservoir being 0.1 liter, the cryostat holds nitrogen for about 8 hours. Using only wire heater with constant current, the temperature stability of about 0.03 K/h is achieved. The detector system can be used in IR- Fourier spectroscopy at wavelengths longer than the typical operating range of semiconductor detectors (wavelength greater than about 20 micrometers ).

Size effects in electrical and magnetic properties of quasi-one-dimensional tin wires in asbestos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernyaev, A. V.; Shamshur, D. V.; Fokin, A. V.; Kalmykov, A. E.; Kumzerov, Yu. A.; Sorokin, L. M.; Parfen'ev, R. V.; Lashkul, A.

2016-03-01

Bulk composites have been prepared based on one-dimensional fibers of natural chrisothil-asbestos with various internal diameters ( d = 6-2.5 nm) filled with tin. The electrical and magnetic properties of quasi-one-dimensional Sn wires have been studied at low temperatures. The electrical properties have been measured at T = 300 K at a pressure P = 10 kbar. It has been found that the superconducting (SC) characteristics of the nanocomposites (critical temperature T c and critical magnetic field H c) increase as the Sn filament diameter decreases. The temperature spreading of the resistive SC transition also increases as the Sn filament diameter decreases, which is explained by the SC order parameter fluctuations. The size effects (the increase in critical temperature T c and transition width Δ T c) in Sn nanofilaments are well described by the independent Aslamazov-Larkin and Langer-Ambegaokara fluctuation theories, which makes it possible to find the dependence of T c of the diffuse SC transition on the nanowire diameter. Using the temperature and magnetic-field dependences of the magnetic moment M( T, H), it has been found that the superconductor-normal metal phase diagram of the Sn-asbestos nanocomposite has a wider region of the SC state in T and H as compared to the data for bulk Sn. The magnetic properties of chrisotil-asbestos fibers unfilled with Sn have been studied. It has been found that the Curie law is fulfilled and that the superparamagnetism is absent in such samples. The obtained results indicate the absence of magnetically ordered impurities (magnetite) in the chrisotil-asbestos matrix, which allowed one to not consider the problem of the interaction of the magnetic subsystem of the asbestos matrix and the superconducting subsystem of Sn nanowires.

Exponential protection of zero modes in Majorana islands.

PubMed

Albrecht, S M; Higginbotham, A P; Madsen, M; Kuemmeth, F; Jespersen, T S; Nygård, J; Krogstrup, P; Marcus, C M

2016-03-10

Majorana zero modes are quasiparticle excitations in condensed matter systems that have been proposed as building blocks of fault-tolerant quantum computers. They are expected to exhibit non-Abelian particle statistics, in contrast to the usual statistics of fermions and bosons, enabling quantum operations to be performed by braiding isolated modes around one another. Quantum braiding operations are topologically protected insofar as these modes are pinned near zero energy, with the departure from zero expected to be exponentially small as the modes become spatially separated. Following theoretical proposals, several experiments have identified signatures of Majorana modes in nanowires with proximity-induced superconductivity and atomic chains, with small amounts of mode splitting potentially explained by hybridization of Majorana modes. Here, we use Coulomb-blockade spectroscopy in an InAs nanowire segment with epitaxial aluminium, which forms a proximity-induced superconducting Coulomb island (a 'Majorana island') that is isolated from normal-metal leads by tunnel barriers, to measure the splitting of near-zero-energy Majorana modes. We observe exponential suppression of energy splitting with increasing wire length. For short devices of a few hundred nanometres, sub-gap state energies oscillate as the magnetic field is varied, as is expected for hybridized Majorana modes. Splitting decreases by a factor of about ten for each half a micrometre of increased wire length. For devices longer than about one micrometre, transport in strong magnetic fields occurs through a zero-energy state that is energetically isolated from a continuum, yielding uniformly spaced Coulomb-blockade conductance peaks, consistent with teleportation via Majorana modes. Our results help to explain the trivial-to-topological transition in finite systems and to quantify the scaling of topological protection with end-mode separation.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY: Summary and comment on superconducting analogue electronics research, including materials and fabrication, as presented at ISEC 07

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foley, C. P.

2007-11-01

The main theme at ISEC 2007 for superconducting materials, fabrication and analogue electronics was the description of incremental developments, including a few new directions that indicate breakthroughs in this area of research. The work on applications focused on their cost-benefit analysis (in order to improve their appeal), the development of simpler systems, making more of the data collected, improving packaging and being responsive to the power handling requirements for commercial systems. All papers presenting this level of research highlighted the importance of obtaining all the necessary details in order to investigate analogue devices and the effectiveness and commercial viability of their systems. This stage of development is important if we are to achieve the transition of superconducting electronics from the laboratory to commercial use. There were some exciting disruptive breakthroughs reported. These were in the areas of nano-SQUIDs, rotating gradiometers, superconducting scanning tunnelling microscopy (Hayashi et al) and the potential of superconducting photonics using optical interfaces with superconducting vortex flow transistors, for example. The materials research in low (LTS), high (HTS) and medium (MTS) critical temperature superconductors was reported. In LTS, nitrides emerged as important materials for use as new tunnel barriers, either insulating or semiconducting. Papers on BaN, NbN, TaN, GaN and Nb-Si superconducting materials were also presented. The MTS material of MgB2 is still under development (Zhao et al). There were also new research groups from South Africa and Turkey attending the conference. The fabrication research presented covered the areas of critical current Ic spread, which is still an issue in reducing the reproducibility of Josephson junctions, a 150 mm process for Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb and methods to improve barrier layers using both new materials and smooth surfaces at thin film interfaces (Du et al). New methods to make sub-micron Josephson junctions using laser etching (Büttner et al) and the development of passivation layers using amorphous YBCO and SiO2 (Seidel et al) were also presented. Characterization methods using Raman and photo-emission spectroscopy (Kikunaga et al) emerged as fresh approaches. Josephson junction (JJ) research covered the areas of critical current fluctuations where results on Tl-based junctions suggested a 40 times lower δI/Ic, and LTS junctions for voltage standards using a Nb-Si barrier for improved SNS junctions (Kieler et al). Development of MTS junctions based on MgB2 are yet to be realized with the interface barrier appearing to be the limiting factor. HTS Josephson junctions were reviewed by asking the question: `Are all HTS JJs the same?' with a clear `no' as the answer. Research on intrinsic stacked junctions, sub-micron junctions, the manipulation of electronic band structure to increase energy gap and mid-gap states was also presented. Developments in packaging and cooling were not as dominant at this conference as in previous years. However, there was research reported on the importance of non-magnetic structures in packaging, the design of magnetic shielding improvement by using finite element analysis to optimize design (Tanaka et al) and the use of cryocoolers (Vernik et al). SQUID research reported some breakthrough developments with new ideas presented on nano-SQUIDs with the possible detection of a ferritin spin-flip, a successful airborne trial using a rotating gradiometer and the development of a new 4 cm long baseline planar gradiometer, achieving a sensitivity of 35 fT cm-1 Hz-½. Applications in non-destructive evaluation (NDE) covered the use of SQUIDs in the detection of stainless steel foreign objects in food, defects in wire and circuit boards and surface imaging with most developments focusing on potential customer requirements. Biomagnetic applications have continued to be embraced in the use of SQUIDs in MRI (Zotev et al), NMR, MEG (including one paper that did not use SQUIDs), immunoassays (close to single cell detection—30 cells to date) and in spinal cord injury detection using quadrapoles. Instrumentation using various devices for thermometers (fast response), micro-susceptometers, current comparators and spin-flip measurements were reported. There were few papers on the use of SQUIDs for geophysical prospecting. This area of application is now commercially mature with research in the field being presented at mineral exploration conferences. However, one paper reported the development of an HTS transient electromagnetic (TEM) system with similar sensitivities to those demonstrated by LTS systems due to improved electronics. The application of nuclear quadrupole resonance for explosives using gate arrays for noise reduction was also reported. There were some novel devices presented with an excellent overview on SQUIFs which were first suggested by Richard Feynman in his well-known university lecture series in physics. This work continues with the aim of achieving the measurement of the absolute value (or true field) of magnetic fields with the question being asked: `Can you really create a zero magnetic field environment?'. Detector research presented at the conference considered the exciting applications in THz imaging. Superconducting bolometers with anti-reflection coatings and using MgB2 (Portesi et al) were reported suggesting improved performance. The application for the improvedr discrimination of radioactive materials by spectroscopy will be very important in the implementation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Single-photon detectors were reported using Nb nanowires (NbN), ferromagnets in nanolayers and SiN transition edge absorbers. Resonators based on SQUID arrays (He et al) and frequency adjustable Josephson junctions were also reported, along with receivers for radio astronomy. Filters have been found to be improved using MgB2, which showed increased Q factors using a split-ring element design (68000 at 5 GHz). This author also used the summing-up session to talk about the need for cooperation leading up to the setting of international standards for superconducting devices. For instance, in the standardization of connections to coolers to enable black box operation, in order to achieve the long-term vision that one day anyone could source a superconducting component from a standard electronics catalogue! Finally, some general comments on the conference. There were not many students (or females) as attendees, which suggests we need to consider more closely the future generation to take the current research to fruition. Nevertheless there was a clear movement forward with some exciting new developments and some new research groups participating, but some important superconducting electronics research groups did not attend. This calls into question the status of the funding of research into superconducting electronics. However, some clear applications, where superconducting electronics provides the only solution, are clearly achieving maturity in their development and adoption. Our research community needs to make sure these developments are recognized to ensure a healthy future for superconducting electronics research, development and commercialization.

Controllable Quantum States Mesoscopic Superconductivity and Spintronics (MS+S2006)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayanagi, Hideaki; Nitta, Junsaku; Nakano, Hayato

2008-10-01

Mesoscopic effects in superconductors. Tunneling measurements of charge imbalance of non-equilibrium superconductors / R. Yagi. Influence of magnetic impurities on Josephson current in SNS junctions / T. Yokoyama. Nonlinear response and observable signatures of equilibrium entanglement / A. M. Zagoskin. Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage with a Cooper pair box / Giuseppe Falci. Crossed Andreev reflection-induced giant negative magnetoresistance / Francesco Giazotto -- Quantum modulation of superconducting junctions. Adiabatic pumping through a Josephson weak link / Fabio Taddei. Squeezing of superconducting qubits / Kazutomu Shiokawa. Detection of Berrys phases in flux qubits with coherent pulses / D. N. Zheng. Probing entanglement in the system of coupled Josephson qubits / A. S. Kiyko. Josephson junction with tunable damping using quasi-particle injection / Ryuta Yagi. Macroscopic quantum coherence in rf-SQUIDs / Alexey V. Ustinov. Bloch oscillations in a Josephson circuit / D. Esteve. Manipulation of magnetization in nonequilibrium superconducting nanostructures / F. Giazotto -- Superconducting qubits. Decoherence and Rabi oscillations in a qubit coupled to a quantum two-level system / Sahel Ashhab. Phase-coupled flux qubits: CNOT operation, controllable coupling and entanglement / Mun Dae Kim. Characteristics of a switchable superconducting flux transformer with a DC-SQUID / Yoshihiro Shimazu. Characterization of adiabatic noise in charge-based coherent nanodevices / E. Paladino -- Unconventional superconductors. Threshold temperatures of zero-bias conductance peak and zero-bias conductance dip in diffusive normal metal/superconductor junctions / Iduru Shigeta. Tunneling conductance in 2DEG/S junctions in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling / T. Yokoyama. Theory of charge transport in diffusive ferromagnet/p-wave superconductor junctions / T. Yokoyama. Theory of enhanced proximity effect by the exchange field in FS bilayers / T. Yokoyama. Theory of Josephson effect in diffusive d-wave junctions / T. Yokoyama. Quantum dissipation due to the zero energy bound states in high-T[symbol] superconductor junctions / Shiro Kawabata. Spin-polarized heat transport in ferromagnet/unconventional superconductor junctions / T. Yokoyama. Little-Parks oscillations in chiral p-wave superconducting rings / Mitsuaki Takigawa. Theoretical study of synergy effect between proximity effect and Andreev interface resonant states in triplet p-wave superconductors / Yasunari Tanuma. Theory of proximity effect in unconventional superconductor junctions / Y. Tanaka -- Quantum information. Analyzing the effectiveness of the quantum repeater / Kenichiro Furuta. Architecture-dependent execution time of Shor's algorithm / Rodney Van Meter -- Quantum dots and Kondo effects. Coulomb blockade properties of 4-gated quantum dot / Shinichi Amaha. Order-N electronic structure calculation of n-type GaAs quantum dots / Shintaro Nomura. Transport through double-dots coupled to normal and superconducting leads / Yoichi Tanaka. A study of the quantum dot in application to terahertz single photon counting / Vladimir Antonov. Electron transport through laterally coupled double quantum dots / T. Kubo. Dephasing in Kondo systems: comparison between theory and experiment / F. Mallet. Kondo effect in quantum dots coupled with noncollinear ferromagnetic leads / Daisuke Matsubayashi. Non-crossing approximation study of multi-orbital Kondo effect in quantum dot systems / Tomoko Kita. Theoretical study of electronic states and spin operation in coupled quantum dots / Mikio Eto. Spin correlation in a double quantum dot-quantum wire coupled system / S. Sasaki. Kondo-assisted transport through a multiorbital quantum dot / Rui Sakano. Spin decay in a quantum dot coupled to a quantum point contact / Massoud Borhani -- Quantum wires, low-dimensional electrons. Control of the electron density and electric field with front and back gates / Masumi Yamaguchi. Effect of the array distance on the magnetization configuration of submicron-sized ferromagnetic rings / Tetsuya Miyawaki. A wide GaAs/GaAlAs quantum well simultaneously containing two dimensional electrons and holes / Ane Jensen. Simulation of the photon-spin quantum state transfer process / Yoshiaki Rikitake. Magnetotransport in two-dimensional electron gases on cylindrical surface / Friedland Klaus-Juergen. Full counting statistics for a single-electron transistor at intermediate conductance / Yasuhiro Utsumi. Creation of spin-polarized current using quantum point contacts and its detection / Mikio Eto. Density dependent electron effective mass in a back-gated quantum well / S. Nomura. The supersymmetric sigma formula and metal-insulator transition in diluted magnetic semiconductors / I. Kanazawa. Spin-photovoltaic effect in quantum wires / A. Fedorov -- Quantum interference. Nonequilibrium transport in Aharonov-Bohm interferometer with electron-phonon interaction / Akiko Ueda. Fano resonance and its breakdown in AB ring embedded with a molecule / Shigeo Fujimoto, Yuhei Natsume. Quantum resonance above a barrier in the presence of dissipation / Kohkichi Konno. Ensemble averaging in metallic quantum networks / F. Mallet -- Coherence and order in exotic materials. Progress towards an electronic array on liquid helium / David Rees. Measuring noise and cross correlations at high frequencies in nanophysics / T. Martin. Single wall carbon nanotube weak links / K. Grove-Rasmussen. Optical preparation of nuclear spins coupled to a localized electron spin / Guido Burkard. Topological effects in charge density wave dynamics / Toru Matsuura. Studies on nanoscale charge-density-wave systems: fabrication technique and transport phenomena / Katsuhiko Inagaki. Anisotropic behavior of hysteresis induced by the in-plane field in the v = 2/3 quantum Hall state / Kazuki Iwata. Phase diagram of the v = 2 bilayer quantum Hall state / Akira Fukuda -- Trapped ions (special talk). Quantum computation with trapped ions / Hartmut Häffner.

A flying superconducting magnet and cryostat for magnetic suspension of wind-tunnel models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britcher, C.; Goodyer, M. J.; Scurlock, R. G.; Wu, Y. Y.

1984-01-01

The engineering practicality of a persistent high-field superconducting solenoid cryostat as a magnetic suspension and balance system (MSBS) for wind-tunnel testing of aircraft and missile models is examined. The test apparatus is a simple solenoid of filamentary NbTi superconductor with a cupronickel matrix. The apparatus, with a length-to-diameter ratio of 6 to 1 and a radius of 32 mm, used a 0.25 mm wire with a critical current of 27 A in an external field of 6 T. The total heat inleak of 150 mW was achieved. Helium boiloff rates were tested over a range of operating conditions, including pitch attitudes from 10 deg nose down to 90 deg nose up; the rate was estimated as low, but the aerodynamic acceptability of venting gaseous helium has not been determined. It is shown that the effectiveness of the concept increases with increasing scale, and performance in excess of that of conventional ferromagnets is achievable with reduction in size and costs, and with aptness to transonic wind-tunnel testing. Detailed specifications and schematics are included.

Space qualified hybrid superconductor/semiconductor planar oscillator circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, F. A.; Chorey, C. M.; Romanofsky, R. R.; Bhasin, K. B.

1995-01-01

We report on the space qualification of a hybrid superconductor/semiconductor planar local oscillator (LO) at 8.4 GHz. This oscillator was designed, fabricated, and tested as a component for the High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment 2 (HTSSE-2). The LO consisted of a GaAs MESFET and microstrip circuitry patterned onto a YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) high temperature superconducting (HTS) thin film on a 1.0 x 1.0 sq cm lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) substrate. At 77 K, this oscillator achieved power output levels up to 10 dBm into a 50 Ohm load. When incorporated into a full cryogenic receiver, the LO provided output powers within 0.0-3.0 dBm with less than 50 mW of dc power dissipation. Space qualification data on the sensitivity of the HTS films to the processing steps involved in the fabrication of HTS-based components are presented. Data on ohmic contacts, strength of wire bonds made to such contacts, and aging effects as well as vibration test results are discussed.

Thermo-Electron Ballistic Coolers or Heaters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Sang H.

2003-01-01

Electronic heat-transfer devices of a proposed type would exploit some of the quantum-wire-like, pseudo-superconducting properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes or, optionally, room-temperature-superconducting polymers (RTSPs). The devices are denoted thermo-electron ballistic (TEB) coolers or heaters because one of the properties that they exploit is the totally or nearly ballistic (dissipation or scattering free) transport of electrons. This property is observed in RTSPs and carbon nanotubes that are free of material and geometric defects, except under conditions in which oscillatory electron motions become coupled with vibrations of the nanotubes. Another relevant property is the high number density of electrons passing through carbon nanotubes -- sufficient to sustain electron current densities as large as 100 MA/square cm. The combination of ballistic motion and large current density should make it possible for TEB devices to operate at low applied potentials while pumping heat at rates several orders of magnitude greater than those of thermoelectric devices. It may also enable them to operate with efficiency close to the Carnot limit. In addition, the proposed TEB devices are expected to operate over a wider temperature range

A 30 mK, 13.5 T scanning tunneling microscope with two independent tips.

PubMed

Roychowdhury, Anita; Gubrud, M A; Dana, R; Anderson, J R; Lobb, C J; Wellstood, F C; Dreyer, M

2014-04-01

We describe the design, construction, and performance of an ultra-low temperature, high-field scanning tunneling microscope (STM) with two independent tips. The STM is mounted on a dilution refrigerator and operates at a base temperature of 30 mK with magnetic fields of up to 13.5 T. We focus on the design of the two-tip STM head, as well as the sample transfer mechanism, which allows in situ transfer from an ultra high vacuum preparation chamber while the STM is at 1.5 K. Other design details such as the vibration isolation and rf-filtered wiring are also described. Their effectiveness is demonstrated via spectral current noise characteristics and the root mean square roughness of atomic resolution images. The high-field capability is shown by the magnetic field dependence of the superconducting gap of CuxBi2Se3. Finally, we present images and spectroscopy taken with superconducting Nb tips with the refrigerator at 35 mK that indicate that the effective temperature of our tips/sample is approximately 184 mK, corresponding to an energy resolution of 16 μeV.

Effect of diffusion annealing regimes on the structure of Nb3Sn layers in ITER-type bronze-processed wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valova-Zaharevskaya, E. G.; Popova, E. N.; Deryagina, I. L.; Abdyukhanov, I. M.; Tsapleva, A. S.

2018-03-01

The goal of the present study is to characterize the growth kinetics and structural parameters of the Nb3Sn layers formed under various regimes of the diffusion annealing of bronze-processed Nb/Cu-Sn composites. The structure of the superconducting layers is characterized by their thickness, average size of equiaxed grains and by the ratio of fractions of columnar and equiaxed grains. It was found that at higher diffusion annealing temperatures (above 650°C) thicker superconducting layers are obtained, but the average sizes of equiaxed Nb3Sn grains even under short exposures (10 h) are much larger than after the long low-temperature annealing. At the low-temperature (575 °C) annealing the relative fraction of columnar grains increases with increasing annealing time. Based on the data obtained, optimal regimes of the diffusion annealing can be chosen, which would on the one hand ensure complete transformation of Nb into Nb3Sn of close to the stoichiometric composition, and on the other hand prevent the formation of coarse and columnar grains.

Etude théorique et expérimentale d'un processus thermique dans un limiteur supraconducteur de courant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lévêque, J.; Netter, D.; Rezzoug, A.; Caron, J. P.

1995-12-01

The increasing of fault current level in electrical networks leads to a new interest for superconducting current limiters since 1983 when an ac wire with low losses has been developed. They are based on the natural transition from the superconducting state to the normal resistive state. In order to study the transition usual models are not sufficient. This paper deals with a numerical resolution of the electro-thermical coupled problem. Computed and experimental results are favorably compared. Some factors which affect the transition as well as the influence of the starting instant are studied. L'accroissement des courants de court-circuit dans les réseaux électriques a ravivé l'intérêt pour les limiteurs supraconducteurs de courant depuis la mise au point en 1983 de fil supraconducteur à faibles pertes en régime variable. Le principe de fonctionnement de ces limiteurs est fondé sur la transition vers l'état normal du matériau supraconducteur. Les modèles simplifiés s'avèrent insuffisants pour l'étude de la transition, une méthode de résolution numérique du problème électrothermique est donc faite. Les résultats des simulations sont comparés à ceux d'expérimentation puis deux études, l'une de facteurs influant sur la propagation de la transition, l'autre du type de court-circuit, sont menées.

A persistent-mode 0.5 T solid-nitrogen-cooled MgB2 magnet for MRI

PubMed Central

Ling, Jiayin; Voccio, John P.; Hahn, Seungyong; Qu, Timing; Bascuñán, Juan; Iwasa, Yukikazu

2017-01-01

This paper presents construction details and test results of a persistent-mode 0.5-T MgB2 magnet developed at the Francis Bitter Magnet Lab, MIT. The magnet, of 276-mm inner diameter and 290-mm outer diameter, consisted of a stack of 8 solenoidal coils with a total height of 460 mm. Each coil was wound with monofilament MgB2 wire, equipped with a persistent-current switch and terminated with a superconducting joint, forming an individual superconducting loop. Resistive solder joints connected the 8 coils in series. The magnet, after being integrated into a testing system, immersed in solid nitrogen, was operated in a temperature range of 10–13 K. A two-stage cryocooler was deployed to cool a radiation shield and the cold mass that included mainly ~60 kg of solid nitrogen and the magnet. The solid nitrogen was capable of providing a uniform and stable cryogenic environment to the magnet. The magnet sustained a 0.47-T magnetic field at its center persistently in a range of 10–13 K. The current in each coil was inversely calculated from the measured field profile to determine the performance of each coil in persistent-mode operation. Persistent-current switches were successfully operated in solid nitrogen for ramping the magnet. They were also designed to absorb magnetic energy in a protection mechanism; its effectiveness was evaluated in an induced quench. PMID:28966476

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willen, E.

The development of superconducting wire and cable in the late 20th century enabled high field magnets and thus much higher beam collision energies in accelerators. These higher collision energies have allowed experiments to probe further into the structure of matter at the most fundamental, subatomic level. The behavior of the early universe, where these high energies prevailed, and its evolution over time are what these experiments seek to investigate. The subject has aroused the curiosity of not only scientists but of the public as well and has facilitated the support needed to build and operate such expensive machines and experiments.more » The path forward has not been easy, however. Success in most projects has been mixed with failure, progress with ineptitude. The building of high energy accelerators is mostly a story of capable people doing their best to develop new and unusual technology toward some defined goal, with success and failure in uneven measure along the way. It is also a story of administrative imperatives that have had unpredictable effects on a project’s success, depending mostly on the people in the administrative roles and the decisions that they have made.« less

Building Magnets at Brookhaven National Laboratory: A Condensed Account

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willen, Erich

2017-09-01

The development of superconducting wire and cable in the late twentieth century enabled high-field magnets and thus much higher beam-collision energies in accelerators. These higher collision energies have allowed experimentalists to probe further into the structure of matter at the most fundamental, subatomic level. The behavior of the early universe, where these high energies prevailed, and its evolution over time are the realm their experiments seek to investigate. The subject has aroused the curiosity of the public as well as scientists and has facilitated the support needed to build and operate such expensive machines and experiments. The path forward has not been easy, however. Success in most projects has been mixed with failure, progress with ineptitude. The building of high energy accelerators is mostly a story of capable people doing their best to develop new and unusual technology toward some defined goal, facing both success and failure along the way. It is also a story of administrative imperatives that had unpredictable effects on a project's success, depending mostly on the people in the administrative roles and the decisions that they made.

Low Field Squid MRI Devices, Components and Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, Inseob (Inventor); Penanen, Konstantin I. (Inventor); Eom, Byeong H. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Low field SQUID MRI devices, components and methods are disclosed. They include a portable low field (SQUID)-based MRI instrument and a portable low field SQUID-based MRI system to be operated under a bed where a subject is adapted to be located. Also disclosed is a method of distributing wires on an image encoding coil system adapted to be used with an NMR or MRI device for analyzing a sample or subject and a second order superconducting gradiometer adapted to be used with a low field SQUID-based MRI device as a sensing component for an MRI signal related to a subject or sample.

Low Field Squid MRI Devices, Components and Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penanen, Konstantin I. (Inventor); Eom, Byeong H. (Inventor); Hahn, Inseob (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Low field SQUID MRI devices, components and methods are disclosed. They include a portable low field (SQUID)-based MRI instrument and a portable low field SQUID-based MRI system to be operated under a bed where a subject is adapted to be located. Also disclosed is a method of distributing wires on an image encoding coil system adapted to be used with an NMR or MRI device for analyzing a sample or subject and a second order superconducting gradiometer adapted to be used with a low field SQUID-based MRI device as a sensing component for an MRI signal related to a subject or sample.

Performance of Large Format Transition Edge Sensor Microcalorimeter Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chervenak, J. A.; Adams, J. A.; Bandler, S. B.; Busch, S. E.; Eckart, M. E.; Ewin, A. E.; Finkbeiner, F. M.; Kilbourne, C. A.; Kelley, R. L.; Porst, J. P.;

Low field SQUID MRI devices, components and methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Penanen, Konstantin I. (Inventor); Eom, Byeong H. (Inventor); Hahn, Inseob (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Low field SQUID MRI devices, components and methods are disclosed. They include a portable low field (SQUID)-based MRI instrument and a portable low field SQUID-based MRI system to be operated under a bed where a subject is adapted to be located. Also disclosed is a method of distributing wires on an image encoding coil system adapted to be used with an NMR or MRI device for analyzing a sample or subject and a second order superconducting gradiometer adapted to be used with a low field SQUID-based MRI device as a sensing component for an MRI signal related to a subject or sample.