Current Distribution in Wide YBCO Tapes

Abstract

The need of a better mechanical behaviour and the stabilization of coated conductors for applications, as Magnets, cables or Fault Current Limiters, has motivated the lamination of tapes with stainless steel or copper alloys, increasing so the elastic modulus of the conductors and their mechanical performance. Some of the stainless steels used are magnetic, thus introducing some perturbations of the current flow when energizing the conductor. In order to detect these possible perturbations, the magnetic self field in the surface of the tape has been explored by Hall mapping technique at several current loads in a monotonically driven cyclic sequence. By increasing current steps when loading up, crossing the critical field threshold, and decreasing down to remanent state. Deviation from the expected magnetic map has been observed. In this work, we will report on the resulting measurements, and the current flow is calculated by solving the inverse problem for a 12 mm wide stainless steel reinforced Coated Conductor tape. We discuss on the likely origin of the observed perturbations.