Modelling of electromagnetic loss in HTS coated conductors over a wide frequency band

Abstract

Electromagnetic loss is a crucial factor to evaluate the performance of high temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductors (CCs). Although the loss characteristics around power frequency have been well studied, it is still unclear how loss varies towards high frequencies above kHz level, which is important to a wide range of applications, such as wireless power transfer. This paper is to investigate the frequency dependence of both magnetization and transport current loss in HTS CCs and therefore, to provide comprehensive analyses through a detailed multilayer model reflecting their actual structures. In this paper, a T-formulation based multilayer numerical model for HTS CCs, consisting of HTS layer, substrate, silver overlayer, and copper stabilizers, has been developed. Both magnetization loss and transport current loss over a wide frequency range, from 50 Hz to 1 MHz, have been simulated and discussed. The results obtained by the existing thin film model based on T-formulation, multilayer model and homogenization model by H-formulation are also presented and compared. The proposed multilayer model has been validated by experimental measurements, which has proven the widely adopted HTS thin film model to be inapplicable for frequencies above 100 Hz. In addition, most magnetization losses occur in the copper stabilizers above 1.2 kHz due to skin effect. Results can be used to study the performance of HTS devices towards high frequencies at kHz or even MHz level.