Numerical Evaluation of Thermal and Electromagnetic Stress in Frame-Reinforced Stacked REBCO Pancakes Coils

Abstract

To achieve high-field rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) coils, the mechanism of the deterioration of or damage to such coils needs to be clarified. A REBCO coil experiences various stresses and strains during the winding, cooling down, charging, and discharging processes. Furthermore, the additional force and stress due to a screening current has become an issue in REBCO coils. To protect REBCO coils from large electromagnetic stress in a high field, a reinforcement structure called the Y-based oxide superconductor and reinforcing outer integrated (YOROI) coil was proposed. This study numerically evaluated the effect of the YOROI coil structures against thermal and electromagnetic stress using a two-dimensional axisymmetric structural analysis. This simulation considered the following: 1) the mechanical stress induced by 10 N of winding tension, 2) thermal stress during cooling from 300 K to 10 K, and 3) electromagnetic stress, which included the additional stress due to a screening current during the charging process. The mechanical behavior due to each process was investigated, and the effect of the YOROI structures was also examined.