Anisotropy of 2G HTS racetrack coils in external magnetic fields

Pancake or racetrack coils wound with second generation high-temperature superconductors (2G HTSs) are important elements for numerous applications of HTS. The applications of these coils are primarily in rotating machines such as motors and generators where they must withstand external magnetic fields from various orientations. The characterization of 2G HTS coils is mostly focused on AC loss assessment, critical current and maximum magnetic field evaluation. In this study, racetrack coils will be placed in different orientations of external magnetic fields - Jc (Ic) versus angle measurements will be performed and interpreted. Full attention is paid to studies of anisotropy Jc versus angle curves for short samples of 2G HTS tapes. As will be shown, the shape of the Jc versus angle curves for tapes has a strong influence on the Jc (Ic) versus angle curves for coils. In this work, a unique and unpredicted behavior of the Jc versus angle curves for the 2G HTS racetrack coils was found. This will be analyzed and fully explained. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Design and market considerations for axial flux superconducting electric machine design

In this paper, the authors investigate a number of design and market considerations for an axial flux superconducting electric machine design that uses high temperature superconductors. The axial flux machine design is assumed to utilise high temperature superconductors in both wire (stator winding) and bulk (rotor field) forms, to operate over a temperature range of 65-77 K, and to have a power output in the range from 10s of kW up to 1 MW (typical for axial flux machines), with approximately 2-3 T as the peak trapped field in the bulk superconductors. The authors firstly investigate the applicability of this type of machine as a generator in small- and medium-sized wind turbines, including the current and forecasted market and pricing for conventional turbines. Next, a study is also carried out on the machine's applicability as an in-wheel hub motor for electric vehicles. Some recommendations for future applications are made based on the outcome of these two studies. Finally, the cost of YBCO-based superconducting (2G HTS) wire is analysed with respect to competing wire technologies and compared with current conventional material costs and current wire costs for both 1G and 2G HTS are still too great to be economically feasible for such superconducting devices.

Plenary talk - Applied HTS research and practical applications in Europe

The development of long-length, high current density Bi2Sr 2CaCu2Ox wires and (RE)Ba2Cu 3Oy coated conductors has now advanced such that superconducting magnets for energy applications and high field applications are progressing rapidly. Europe, along with China, Korea the US and Japan is an important player in the development and exploitation of High Temperature Superconductors in practical applications. © 2013 IEEE.

Magnetic characterisation of large grain, bulk Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor-soft ferromagnetic alloy hybrid structures

Large grain, bulk Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) high temperature superconductors (HTS) have significant potential for use in a variety of practical applications that incorporate powerful quasi-permanent magnets. In the present work, we investigate how the trapped field of such magnets can be improved by combining bulk YBCO with a soft FeNi, ferromagnetic alloy. This involves machining the alloy into components of various shapes, such as cylinders and rings, which are attached subsequently to the top surface of a solid, bulk HTS cylinder. The effect of these modifications on the magnetic hysteresis curve and trapped field of the bulk superconductor at 77 K are then studied using pick-up coil and Hall probe measurements. The experimental data are compared to finite element modelling of the magnetic flux distribution using Campbell's algorithm. Initially we establish the validity of the technique involving pick-up coils wrapped around the bulk superconductor to obtain its magnetic hysteresis curve in a non-destructive way and highlight the difference between the measured signal and the true magnetization of the sample. We then consider the properties of hybrid ferromagnet/superconductor (F/S) structures. Hall probe measurements, together with the results of the model, establish that flux lines curve outwards through the ferromagnet, which acts, effectively, like a magnetic short circuit. Magnetic hysteresis curves show that the effects of the superconductor and the ferromagnet simply add when the ferromagnet is saturated fully by the applied field. The trapped field of the hybrid structure is always larger than that of the superconductor alone below this saturation level, and especially when the applied field is removed. The results of the study show further that the beneficial effects on the trapped field are enhanced when the ferromagnet covers the entire surface of the superconductor for different ferromagnetic components of various shapes and fixed volume. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Raman-forbidden mode and oxygen ordering in Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+gamma single crystals annealed in oxygen

A Raman-forbidden phonon mode at about 840 cm(-1) is observed popularly on the surface of pun and La-doped Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+y (0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 0.8) single crystals annealed in oxygen. A remarkable excitation dependence of this additional line is found. Based on the properties of the structure of the Bi-O layer with excess oxygen atoms and the similarity in the appearance of the Raman-forbidden modes between RBa2Cu3Ox (R = Y, Nd, Gd, Pr) and Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6+y systems, we attribute the manifestation of this additional line to the ordering of the interstitial oxygen in the Bi-O layers. Our results provide Raman evidences for confirming that the ordering of the movable oxygen may exist universally in high-temperature superconductors.

Probing warm dense lithium by inelastic X-ray scattering

One of the grand challenges of contemporary physics is understanding strongly interacting quantum systems comprising such diverse examples as ultracold atoms in traps, electrons in high-temperature superconductors and nuclear matter. Warm dense matter, defined by temperatures of a few electron volts and densities comparable with solids, is a complex state of such interacting matter. Moreover, the study of warm dense matter states has practical applications for controlled thermonuclear fusion, where it is encountered during the implosion phase, and it also represents laboratory analogues of astrophysical environments found in the core of planets and the crusts of old stars, Here we demonstrate how warm dense matter states can be diagnosed and structural properties can be obtained by inelastic X-ray scattering measurements on a compressed lithium sample. Combining experiments and ab initio simulations enables us to determine its microscopic state and to evaluate more approximate theoretical models for the ionic structure.

Interaction between vortices and impurities in a d-wave superconductor /

High temperature superconductors were discovered in 1986, but despite considerable research efforts, both experimental and theoretical, these materials remain poorly understood. Because their electronic structure is both inhomogeneous and highly correlated, a full understanding will require knowledge of quasiparticle properties both in real space and momentum space. In this thesis, we will present a theoretical analysis of the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data in BSCCO. We introduce the Bogoliubov-De Gennes Hamiltonian and solve it numerically on a two-dimensional 20 x 20 lattice under a magnetic field perpendicular to the surface. We consider a vortex at the center of our model. We introduce a Zn impurity in our lattice as a microscopic probe of the physical properties of BSCCO. By direct numerical diagonalization of the lattice BogoliubovDe Gennes Hamiltonian for different positions of the impurity, we can calculate the interaction between the vortex and the impurity in a d-wave superconductor.

Evaluation of Electrical Properties of Lap Joints for BSCCO and YBCO Tapes

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Interstitial oxygen mobility in superconducting samples of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y

Since high-temperature superconductors were discovered, several studies have been made on their physical properties, attempting to associate them to the origin of superconductivity. Obviously, the oxygen atoms interstitially dissolved in the matrix have an important role in superconductivity, since they move easily in the lattice. In addition, they contribute to hole creation in the CuO2 planes. Anelastic spectroscopy ( internal friction) measurements are sensitive tools for the study of defects in solids, in particular for oxygen mobility. In this paper, Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y samples with several different amounts of interstitial oxygen were analysed by means of anelastic spectroscopy measurements. The measurements were performed by using a torsion pendulum operating at a frequency of about 40 Hz. Complex relaxation structures were observed and attributed to the shift of the oxygen interstitial atoms in BiO chains.

Superconducting vortex fluctuations in YBa2Cu3O7-δ

Measurements of magnetization in YBa2Cu3O7-δ single crystals were performed for applied fields H parallel and perpendicular to the ab planes. The data show a temperature T = T* at which the magnetization M(T*) is independent of the applied field. This result is interpreted as due to vortex fluctuations of an anisotropic 3-D superconductor.

Universal scaling in BCS superconductivity in three dimensions in non-s waves

The solutions of a renormalized BCS equation are studied in three space dimensions in s, p and d waves for finite-range separable potentials in the weak to medium coupling region. In the weak-coupling limit, the present BCS model yields a small coherence length ξ and a large critical temperature, T c, appropriate for some high-T c materials. The BCS gap, T c, ξ and specific heat C s(T c) as a function of zero-temperature condensation energy are found to exhibit potential-independent universal scalings. The entropy, specific heat, spin susceptibility and penetration depth as a function of temperature exhibit universal scaling below T c in p and d waves.

Test results of fault current limiter using YBCO tapes with shunt protection

A Fault Current Limiter (FCL) based on high temperature superconducting elements with four tapes in parallel were designed and tested in 220 V line for a fault current peak between 1 kA to 4 kA. The elements employed second generation (2G) HTS tapes of YBCO coated conductor with stainless steel reinforcement. The tapes were electrically connected in parallel with effective length of 0.4 m per element (16 elements connected in series) constituting a single-phase unit. The FCL performance was evaluated through over-current tests and its recovery characteristics under load current were analyzed using optimized value of the shunt protection. The projected limiting ratio achieved a factor higher than 4 during fault of 5 cycles without degradation. Construction details and further test results will be shown in the paper. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Properties of individual YBCO layers in a two-layered design for energy-efficient digital data cables

We are developing two-layered Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO) thin film structures for energy efficient data links for superconducting electronics and present the results of their property measurements. High temperature superconductors (HTS) are advantageous for the implementation of energy-efficient cables interconnecting low temperature superconductor-based circuits and other cryogenic electronics circuits at higher temperature stages. The advantages of the HTS cables come from their low loss and low dispersion properties, allowing ballistic transfer of low power signals with very high bandwidth, low heat conduction and negligible inter-line crosstalk. The microstrip line cable geometry for typical materials is a two-layered film, in which the two superconducting layers are separated by an insulation layer with a minimized permittivity. We have made a proof of concept design of two YBCO films grown by pulsed laser deposition and then assembled into a sandwich with uniform insulating interlayer of tens of micrometers thick. We report on results obtained from such systems assembled in different ways. Structural and electromagnetic properties have been examined on individual films and on the corresponding sandwich composite. © 2013 IEEE.

Electrical and Superconducting Properties in Lap Joints for YBCO Tapes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)