Fabrication of an HTSC electrical switch

Abstract

The possibility and apparent ease of transferring superconductors from the superconducting (i.e., ideally conducting) into the normal (i.e., well insulating) state and back has attracted interest in utilizing this specific feature of superconductors in the field of electrical switches. The discovery of high-temperature superconductors (HTSCs) in 1986 opened up new prospects. Due to the possibility of liquid-nitrogen cooling, devices made up of HTSC materials may be more simple and economical. The problem of the application of HTSC materials in electrical switches has been formulated by a Hungarian power engineering company. The investigation under this project is aimed at the creation of a prototype controlled HTSC switch. The use of the proposed switch would offer a novel way of suppressing the arcs developing in heavy current-switching equipment. This paper describes the results of the first stage of the project. This stage includes the fabrication of silver-sheathed bulk YBaCuO samples and that of metal contacts.