High-temperature Superconducting Coil Research Articles

The Interaction Between a High-Temperature Superconducting Coil and In-Series Permanent Magnets

The Interaction Between a High-Temperature Superconducting Coil and In-Series Permanent Magnets

Effect of local and global screening current on the current decay in closed-loop HTS coils

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils are generally operated in a closed-loop persistent current mode, which is crucial for ensuring long-term stability and minimizing heat generation in various applications. However, factors such as joint resistance, flux creep, and losses due to external fields can lead to accelerated decay of the coil’s current, making it challenging to achieve an effective persistent current mode. To gain insight into the current decay characteristics of HTS coils, we built a finite element method based model coupled with a lumped parameter electric circuit model. The model is initially verified against the experiment of an inductive magnetized HTS coil subject to a magnetic field perpendicular to the tape surface. The results indicate that the proposed model is highly effective in predicting the current decay behavior of this magnetized HTS coil and is able to provide high accuracy. With the help of this model, we have experimentally and numerically studied the behavior of a current-carrying closed-loop HTS coil subject to external alternating fields. The HTS coil is charged by a DC power supply and then shorted using a thermally-controlled persistent current switch. The current decay behavior of the HTS coil is examined under various scenarios. The simulation results show excellent agreement with experimental data, further validating the effectiveness and versatility of the modeling strategy. The influence of both local and global screening currents on the current decay performance of the closed-loop HTS coils has been investigated. For every case examined, rapid demagnetization occurred in the initial cycle of the applied alternating field. Furthermore, the current decay rate demonstrated a slight dependence on the frequency of the applied fields. Additionally, the resulting resistance has been thoroughly characterized. These insights contribute to the knowledge of the behavior and performance of closed-loop HTS coils, facilitating their practical application.

Experimental AC loss study on REBCO coil assemblies coupled with an iron cylinder

In high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power devices, the presence of iron cores changes the magnetic field profile around the HTS coil windings, potentially affecting their AC loss characteristics. AC loss measurements for HTS coil windings coupled with an iron core using the electrical method can lead to a significant error, owing to the indirect estimation of the iron core loss through using a copper test coil. To investigate the cause of the experimental error and the influence of an iron core on coil AC losses, transport AC losses of REBCO double pancake coil (DPC) assemblies coupled with an iron cylinder were measured. A 40-turn 1DPC and an 80-turn 2DPC assembly wound with 4 mm SuperPower wire were employed in the measurements. To ensure the same iron core loss using the HTS coil assembly and the copper coil, 2D finite element method simulations were conducted iteratively to design the iron core and the copper coil to get the same local magnetic field distributions in the designed iron core for the two cases. The main cause of the error is due to the difference in local magnetic flux densities in the iron core generated by the HTS coil assembly and the copper coil even when the ampere-turns of the coils are identical. We showed that the simulation-guided measurement method can assure accurate AC loss measurement in the HTS coil assemblies coupled with iron cores. Compared with the AC losses in the 1DPC and 2DPC coil assemblies without the iron cylinder, the presence of the iron cylinder significantly increases the coil losses. Frequency dependence is observed in the coil AC losses of the 1DPC and 2DPC assemblies when coupled with the iron cylinder. This is due to the eddy current induced in the iron cylinder generating a magnetic field, which influences the coil AC loss.

Feasibility study on quench detection methods of Raman and Rayleigh scattering techniques in optical fiber encapsulated HTS coils

Quench detection is a key issue to be solved for safe operation of high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. Recently, distributed optical fiber sensors based on Raman and Rayleigh scattering techniques are proposed for quench detection in HTS applications. However, sensing and demodulating principles of these two techniques are different, and they may show different performances in quench detection. In this paper, a 13 m long optical fiber encapsulated HTS coil (OF-coil) was fabricated. Two sensing devices based on Raman and Rayleigh techniques, which are named Raman-device and Rayleigh-device, were prepared. Overcurrent and heater induced quench detection experiments in the OF-coil were carried out and the above two devices were used for quench detection. The results show that both Raman-device and Rayleigh-device can measure temperature changes of the OF-coil in the overcurrent experiment. And their quench response time is 36 s and 14 s, respectively. In heater induced quench detection experiment, Rayleigh-device can successfully acquire local temperature rise of the OF-coil, and the quench response time is 1.7 s. For Raman-device, its spatial resolution is too large to realize local quench detection.

A design study on 20 kW class axial flux motor with HTS field winding for 100 MPa liquid hydrogen pump

This paper presents a design study of a low-speed, high torque 20 kW class motor with a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) field coil for a liquid hydrogen centrifugal pump. The motor is designed based on three key concepts: 1) employing an axial-flux motor topology that can increase torque density by reducing the axial length together with a centrifugal pump; 2) using liquid hydrogen in a pump as a coolant for HTS coil; 3) adopting no-insulation (NI) YBCO solenoid coils as field coils of the motor to improve coil protection as well as mechanical stability. In the design process, first, an electromagnetic design of the axial type motor is obtained considering the required performance of previous commercial pumps. Considering the current and temperature margin to secure the HTS coils' stable operation, two types of HTS coils (solenoid type and triangle type) are designed and their performances are compared. Second, to evaluate validity of the electromagnetic designs, mechanical stresses in the HTS coils are estimated. By comparing the solenoid type and the triangle type, it is confirmed that the solenoid type has a distinct stress-reducing effect in terms of magnetic stress as well as rotational stress. Our design study results show the potential superior performance of the axial flux motor with HTS coils for several tens of kW applications with low speed and high torque loads such as liquid hydrogen pumps.

Study of the demagnetization behavior of no-insulation persistent-current mode HTS coils under external AC fields by 3D FEM simulation

The no-insulation (NI) winding technique is promising for applications in the persistent-current mode (PCM) operation of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. To produce an NI PCM coil, it is essential to understand its demagnetization behavior (i.e. decay of persistent DC current) under an external AC field, which occurs in maglev trains, electric machines and other dynamic magnet systems. For this purpose, a 3D finite-element method (FEM) model, capturing the full electromagnetic properties of NI HTS coils is established. This work studied three kinds of AC fields, observing the impact of turn-to-turn contact resistivity on demagnetization rates, which is attributed to current distribution modulations. Under a transverse AC field, the lower contact resistivity attracts more transport current to flow in the radial pathway to bypass the ‘dynamic resistance’ generated in the superconductor, leading to slower demagnetization. Under an axial AC field, the demagnetization rate exhibits a non-monotonic relation with the contact resistivity: (1) the initial decrease in contact resistivity leads to a concentration of induced AC current on the outer turns, which accelerates the demagnetization; (2) the further decrease in contact resistivity makes the current smartly redistribute to avoid flowing through the loss-concentrated outer turns, thus slowing down the demagnetization. Under a rotating DC field, a hybrid of transverse and axial fields, the impact of contact resistivity on the demagnetization rate exhibits combined characteristics of the transverse and axial components. Additionally, quantitative prediction of the demagnetization rate of NI PCM coil under external AC field is instructive for practical designs and operations, which is tested by this 3D FEM model, and a comparison with experimental results is conducted.

A high-performance electromagnetic code to simulate high-temperature superconductors

Superconductivity is a physical phenomenon of some materials that allow them to conduct electrical current without resistance. This property has a wide range of applications. In particular, type-II high-temperature superconductors appear promising for building strong electromagnets carrying large amounts of current in the extreme conditions foreseen for future fusion reactors. However, their fabrication and related experiments are highly expensive and complex. Therefore, there is an increasing need for numerical models to guide the design optimization of superconducting cables and to predict their performance. In this work, we present a new code to simulate high-temperature superconductors (HTS) based on the edge finite element discretization of Maxwell’s equations in the time domain using the widely adopted H-formulation in the superconductor analysis community. This code is integrated in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Alya suite and obtain an excellent performance up to 1024 processors in MareNostrum 4 supercomputer. This capacity allows to us to solve a wide variate of problems in big domains in relatively reduce amount of computer time, being a promising tool to aboard HTS coils design problems. Furthermore, validations against experimental data are presented and code results for superconducting tapes with different magnetic properties are analyzed.

Experimental study on AC loss of 1G and 2G HTS coils with an identical structure, geometry and number of turns

Devices made of High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) will suffer AC loss during AC operations, which has unnegligible influence on energy consumption, overall efficiency, cooling cost, and operational stability of the devices. In this study, comparative measurements on 1G and 2G HTS coil samples with an identical structure, geometry, and number of turns were systematically conducted with a calorimetric method at different current values (I rmss) and frequencies (fs). The AC loss characteristics of the HTS samples were analyzed and compared based on the experimental results. The results show that eddy current and coupling play a more dominant role than magnetic hysteresis in the total AC loss of coils made of HTS tapes. The AC loss of both samples increases with I rms and f, but the AC loss is more sensitive to I rms than to f. Under the same conditions, the 1G coil sample has a slightly larger AC loss than the 2G one.

A quench detection method for parallel co-wound HTS coils based on current redistribution

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductors (CCs) have become the preferred material for superconducting magnet applications due to their high engineering current density and high mechanical strength. However, due to the low quench zone propagation velocity of CCs, magnets wound with CCs suffer from severe quench risks. Therefore, a rapid, sensitive, and reliable quench detection method is crucial for the safe operation of such HTS magnets. In this paper, we propose a quench detection method based on current redistribution, in which two pieces of HTS CCs are soldered together at each end and insulated in the middle part, which are then parallel co-wound into a double-pancake coil. The two tightly coupled windings and low resistance joints form a very low inductance current loop, resulting in fast current redistribution between the two co-windings even at the inception of quench (with still low quench voltage). We deduced analytical solutions of the current redistribution process under different magnet operational scenarios, including constant current operation, charging and discharging, and proposed quench detection criteria. Corresponding quench tests were performed on a small scale co-wound HTS coil, and the results well verified the analytical solutions and the effectiveness of the quench detection method. Our work may be useful for lowering the risks in HTS magnet quench in various applications.

Enhancement of high-temperature superconducting coil stability using doped smart insulation materials for superconducting magnet applications

This study reports a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil containing molybdenum doped vanadium trioxide (V2O3:Mo) as turn-to-turn insulation material to ameliorate the electrical properties of both insulated and non-insulated (NI) coils. The electrical characteristics and thermal stability of the V2O3:Mo insulated coil against NI and V2O3 insulated coils were investigated through charge-discharge, over-current, and quench tests. The findings revealed that the V2O3:Mo and V2O3 insulated coils demonstrated a faster charge/discharge rate than the NI coil due to the high resistance of the V2O3: Mo or V2O3 insulator which obstructed the current to flow away from the azimuthal current path. In the over-current test at 160A, the V2O3:Mo insulated and NI coils exhibited higher electrical stability than the V2O3 insulated coil because the excessive currents above their critical values bypassed between the turn-to-turn contact. Moreover, the V2O3:Mo insulated coil demonstrated a 2.1times improvement in the minimum quench energy compared to the V2O3 insulated coil at 70 % of the coil's current-carrying capacity, which is an essential performance parameter for the operation of superconducting magnets.

Effect of charging sequence of background coil and insert coil on screening current in high-field non-insulated hybrid superconducting magnets

The hybrid superconducting magnet with low-temperature superconductor (LTS) for background coil and high-temperature superconductor (HTS) for insert coil is a dependable approach towards achieving high magnetic fields. However, challenges related to screening currents considerably limit the realization of higher field strengths. Due to the historical dependence of screening currents in superconductors on the magnetization path, the shunt currents in non-insulated (NI) superconducting coils can alter the effective magnetization path. Consequently, the charging sequence of LTS coils and NI HTS coils can influence the behavior of screening currents. We establish an electromagnetic and mechanical model for a 32 T NI hybrid superconducting magnet and conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of screening current induced stress (SCIS), screening current induced field (SCIF), and loss under three different charging sequences. The results indicate that when the NI insert coils are charged first, the hoop stress is slightly lower compared to the other two charging sequences, but the instantaneous power and total losses are the highest. When both the insert and background coils are charged simultaneously, the hoop stress is the highest, yet the instantaneous power and total losses are the lowest, accompanied by a more uniform magnetic field ascent. These findings provide valuable insights for the design and selection of charging sequences of ultra-high-field NI hybrid superconducting magnets.

Temperature dependent behavior of a kA-class superconducting flux pump with a continuous cylindrical stator

A high temperature superconducting (HTS) dynamo is a type of device known as a “flux pump” that can inject DC into a closed superconducting circuit. Here, we report experimental results from a variable-temperature dynamo-type HTS flux pump operated within a cryo-cooled chamber. This device employs a “continuous stator” topology, whereby an HTS “coated conductor” is wrapped to form a cylinder around a mechanical rotor such that applied flux from the rotor magnet must always penetrate the stator. This leads to a high current device that can inject >1 kA into a series-connected HTS coil at 53 K. The open-circuit DC output voltage (Voc) from this HTS dynamo has been studied at stator temperatures between 35 and 95 K and attained a maxima at a temperature ∼5 K lower than the stator Tc. At lower temperatures, Voc decreases and falls to zero below ∼40 K. This non-intuitive effect is found to be due to flux-screening by critical currents flowing with the HTS stator, which increase with decreasing temperature. These shielding currents prevent flux from penetrating the HTS stator and, hence, reduce the magnitude of locally induced emf (and thus DC output) within the HTS film. A key implication of these results is that all magnetically driven HTS flux pumps should be operated at temperatures well above their flux-screening point, and this consideration must be taken into account for future designs of multi-kA class HTS flux pumps.

Unraveling quench dynamics and real-time continuous detection in HTS tapes through distributed fiber optic sensing

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes, coils, and magnets often experiences intricate quench instabilities and failures during high current-carrying operations, posing challenges to their practical applications. This study addresses the need for a measurement approach capable of monitoring multi-field signals in superconducting structures within cryogenic and extreme electromagnetic environments. We explore the application of distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) technology, specifically employing the optical frequency domain reflectometry scheme, which offers distinct advantages over traditional point-type electrical testing methods, particularly for superconducting materials and magnets. In this experimental study, we continuously track the quench evolution process in superconducting tapes using both bonded and stress-free fibers for real-time monitoring. A comprehensive analysis of the acquired temperature and thermoelastic strain profiles provides essential insights into the dynamic behavior of quench events. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of DFOS in identifying and characterizing the onset and propagation of quenches. By arranging bonded and stress-free fibers in parallel on the HTS tape’s surface, we successfully decouple the effects of strain-temperature cross-sensitivity, enabling the extraction of temperature and train profiles. The bonded fiber optic sensor demonstrates rapid sensitivity to the thermally quenched events. Temporal derivatives of voltage and thermal strain exhibit characteristic plateaus and slope changes during quenches, respectively. The voltage rate displays two plateaus corresponding to superconducting-to-normal transitions, while strain rates exhibit potential as criteria for identifying quench events in HTS materials. Moreover, DFOS outperforms traditional terminal average voltage measurement, capturing quench evolution tails from the initial point of quench until the complete transition of the segment into the normal state. This experiment provides a solid foundation for further exploration of the underlying quench mechanism.

Non-uniform current distribution in parallel-wound no-insulation high-temperature superconductor coil during ramping and fast discharging operations

A parallel-wound no-insulation (PWNI) high-temperature superconductor (HTS) coil is a kind of pancake-shaped no-insulation (NI) coil wound with parallel-stacked HTS tapes, which combines the characteristics of a NI coil and non-twisted stacked-tape cable. It shows a significant advantage in accelerating the ramping response compared with traditional NI HTS coils wound by a single tape, and is a promising alternative for large-scale high-field magnets. The stacked cable approach can lead to current redistribution between parallel tapes during ramping operations. It couples with the turn-to-turn current redistribution and leads to a much more complicated current redistribution inside the PWNI coil, the mechanism of which remains unclear so far. The aim of this work is to investigate electromagnetic behavior of a PWNI HTS coil in ramping and fast discharging process. A simulation model was developed by integrating an equivalent circuit network model and an improved T–A model. A three-tape PWNI coil and its insulated counterpart were wound and tested, and this model was validated by charging and discharging tests. Results show that there is a significant non-uniform current distribution on parallel tapes in the same turn during ramping operations and the maximum azimuthal current (transport current) can be 2.26 times the minimum one in the three-tape PWNI coil in this study. Meanwhile, the radial current shows a considerable accumulation in the tape near turn-to-turn contacts and the radial current through the turn-to-turn contacts can be 4.16 times of that the flow through tape-to-tape contacts (parallel tapes) in the same turn. During the fast discharging process, a significant coupling current is generated in the PWNI coil, leading to a large opposite transport current in local areas; the amplitude of variation of this can be 4.66 times the initial operating current. The radial current shows a similar distribution but opposite direction to that during ramping, and its amplitude is two orders of magnitude higher. These results provide practical guidelines for the design of large-scale high-field HTS magnets.

HTS conductor coil by in-situ winding technology for large-scale high-field magnet

High temperature superconducting (HTS) conductors have become important candidates to be used in large-scale high-field magnets, owing to its high critical current density as well as good mechanical properties. At present, there are various forms of HTS conductors proposed. In this work, we reported the fabrication of the REBCO HTS coil using in-situ winding technology. The six-layer coil with a diameter of 410 mm achieved a total current of 2562 A, and generated a central magnetic field of 7.8 mT at 77 K. The stress, deformation, and defect caused during conventional winding procedure could be significantly decreased using in-situ winding technology, indicating it has great potential for the large-scale high-field magnets in next-generation fusion reactors.

MOSFET-based HTS flux pump

We have developed a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) flux pump using high-power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) for switching. For its primary coil, two commercial transformers are utilized, each consisting of two copper coils wound on a single iron core, which enables changing the load current over primary current ratio (101 or 194) between the primary and secondary coils. Full-wave rectification is achieved with two half-wave secondary circuits, each of them having six HTS one-turn coils to lower the resistance. Each secondary coil is composed out of nickel-reinforced BSCCO tapes, where 12 MOSFETs have been soldered in parallel straight to the tapes and controlled with analog electronics. Secondary coils are clamped to custom-made copper-stabilized HTS current leads. A support structure for keeping the HTS coils in place was 3D-printed using cryogenic-compatible composite material PETG-CF20. Resistances of the two secondary circuits were measured to be 4 and 7 at 77 K with a total critical current of 980 A. We successfully ramped up a 50 µH Conductor on Round Core solenoid at 77 K using our HTS flux pump with 50 Hz AC voltage source. We achieved a maximal load current of 900 A and exceeded the 715 A critical current of the solenoid. During the thermal runaway of the magnet, the increased load voltage limits the maximum load current supplied by the flux pump.

Quench initiation and normal zone propagation characteristics of smart insulated high-temperature superconducting coil

A smart insulation (SI) winding technique utilizing vanadium trioxide (V2O3) as a turn-to-turn insulation material is an effective means of achieving a suitable time constant and thermal stability in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. However, the low electrical conductivity of the V2O3 makes the SI coil vulnerable to damage during quenching. To address this problem, this study explored a mixture of V2O3 and molybdenum (Mo) particles to improve the thermal stability of the SI coil. Two GdBCO coils, insulated with V2O3 and V2O3:Mo, respectively, were fabricated, and quench tests were performed at various operating currents in liquid nitrogen at 77 K. The findings revealed that the V2O3:Mo-insulated coil demonstrated improvements of 82%, 25%, and 160% in the minimum quench energy, and the normal-zone propagation velocities in the longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively, at 60% of the current-carrying capacity of the coil, which are essential performance parameters in the operation of a superconducting magnet.

Toward continuum gyrokinetic study of high-field mirrors

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnetic mirrors under development exploit strong fields with high mirror ratio to compress loss cones and enhance confinement and may offer cheaper, more compact fusion power plant candidates. This new class of devices could exhibit largely unexplored interchange and gradient-driven modes. Such instabilities, and methods to stabilize them, can be studied with gyrokinetics, given the strong magnetization and prevalence of kinetic effects. Our focus here is to (a) determine if oft-used gyrokinetic models for open field lines produce the electron-confining (Pastukhov) electrostatic potential and (b) examine and address challenges faced by gyrokinetic codes in studying HTS mirrors. We show that a one-dimensional limit of said models self-consistently develops a potential qualitatively approaching the analytical Pastukhov level. Additionally, we describe the computational challenges of studying high mirror ratios with open field line gyrokinetic solvers and offer a force softening method to mitigate small time steps needed for time integration in colossal magnetic field gradients produced by HTS coils, providing a 19X speedup.

Electromagnetic-mechanical coupling analysis of high-temperature superconducting racetrack coil

The second-generation high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductor has been recognized as one of the most promising materialsfor high field magnets due to its superior electromagnetic and mechanical performances. HTS racetrack coils wound with the coated conductors are an extensively used configuration in engineering applications, such as HTS machines and high-speed maglevs. In this paper, in order to analyze the electromagnetic and mechanical behaviors of HTS racetrack coils, a 3D coupled electromagnetic-mechanical model is used to consider the effect of coil deformation and the strain dependence of critical current. The effectiveness of the coupled model is validated by comparing the numerical results with experimental data in the literature. A numerical simulation of a 3D HTS racetrack coil subjected to an external electromagnetic field is carried out using coupled and uncoupled models. The results indicate that the structure deformation can reduce the penetration depth of the screening current, and the hoop stress and strain are mainly concentrated on the circular part of the racetrack coil. Afterwards, the influences of various parameters on the electromagnetic and mechanical responses of the HTS racetrack coil are also investigated.

Characterization of flux pump-charging of high-temperature superconducting coils using coupled numerical models

Flux pumps provide a promising solution for contactless charging of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils, eliminating the need for bulk current leads and reducing the heat burden for the cryogenic system. Characterizing the nonlinear effects of an HTS coil charged by a flux pump and understanding the dynamics of the charging process is essential for promoting the practical application of flux pumps. Numerical models provide a fast and cost-effective way of achieving this. In this study, we propose a methodology for coupling HTS coil and flux pump models using an electrical circuit, resulting in reduced computation costs. We validate the effectiveness of our approach against the experimental results of an HTS coil charged by a dynamo-type flux pump. Specifically, we obtain the voltage produced by the HTS dynamo using a 3D model based on the minimum electromagnetic entropy production method and apply this voltage to the load HTS coil using a formulation finite-element method model coupled via an electrical circuit. The simulated charging current shows good agreement with experimental observations, validating our modeling strategy. The results demonstrate that the flux flow state in the HTS coil is the primary factor limiting the charging performance of the HTS dynamo as the charging current approaches the coil’s critical current. Furthermore, based on the simulation, we demonstrate that, when using flux pumps, it is advisable to leave a margin between the operating current and the critical current of the coil. Overall, our approach has the potential to be applied to HTS coils charged by any device.