Magnetization study of ITER-type internal-Sn Nb3Sn superconducting wire

Through magnetization measurement with a SQUID magnetometer the heat treatment optimization of an international thermonuclear experimental reactor （ITER）-type internal-Sn Nb3Sn superconducting wire has been investigated. The irreversibility temperature T^＊ （H）, which is mainly dependent on A15 phase composition, was obtained by a warming and cooling cycle at a fixed field. The hysteresis width △M（H） which reflects the flux pinning situation of the A15 phase is determined by the sweeping of magnetic field at a constant temperature. The results obtained from differently heat-treated samples show that the combination of T^＊ （H） with AM（H） measurement is very effective for optimizing the heat reaction process. The heat treatment condition of the ITER-type wire is optimized at 675℃/128 h, which results in a composition closer to stoichiometric Nb3Sn and a state with best flux pinning.

Penalty-Finite Element Analysis of the Eddy Current Loss in a Fully-Stabilized Multifilamentary Superconducting Wire

The paper is mainly concerned with the penalty incurred in finite element analysis of the eddy-current loss problem in a fully established multi-filamentary superconducting wire. A finite element model with 4-node quadrilateral isoparametric elements is formulated for the present problem. Unlike the conventional vector potential scheme in use for electromagnetic field problem, the present work features a direct computational approach to eddy current loss. Simplicity and remarkable enhancement in computational accuracy can be obtained with the proposed method.

Selection of Fe as a barrier for manufacturing low-cost MgB2 multifilament wires-Advanced microscopy study between Fe and B reaction

The high cost of using the niobium(Nb)barrier for manufacturing magnesium diboride(MgB2)mono-and multi-filamentary wires for large-scale applications has become one of the barriers to replacing current commercial niobium-titanium superconductors.The potential of replacing the Nb barrier with a low-cost iron(Fe)barrier for multifilament MgB2 superconducting wires is investigated in this manuscript.Therefore,MgB2 wires with Fe barrier sintered with different temperatures are studied(from 650°C to 900°C for 1 h)to investigate the non-superconducting reaction phase of Fe-B.Their superconducting performance including engineering critical current density(Je)and n-value are tested at 4.2 K in various external magnetic fields.The best sample sintered at 650°C for 1 h has achieved a Je value of 3.64×10^(4) A cm^(−2) and an n-value of 61 in 2 T magnetic field due to the reduced formation of Fe2B,better grain connectivity and homogenous microstructure.For microstructural analysis,the focused ion beam(FIB)is utilised for the first time to acquire three-dimensional microstructures and elemental mappings of the interface between the Fe barrier and MgB2 core of different wires.The results have shown that if the sintering temperature can be controlled properly,the Je and n-value of the wire are still acceptable for magnet applications.The formation of Fe2B is identified along the edge of MgB2,as the temperature increases,the content of Fe2B also increases which causes the degradation in the performance of wires.

Hofstadter's Butterfly and Phase Transition of Checkerboard Superconducting Network in a Magnetic Field

We study the magnetic effect of the checkerboard superconducting wire network. Based on the de Gennes- Alexader theory, we obtain difference equations for superconducting order parameter in the wire network. Through solving these difference equations, we obtain the eigenvalues, linked to the coherence length, as a function of magnetic field. The diagram of eigenvalues shows a fractal structure, being so-called Hofstadter＇s butterfly. We also calculate and discuss the dependence of the transition temperature of the checkerboard superconducting wire network on the applied magnetic field, which is related to up-edge of the Hofstadter＇s butterfly spectrum.

Fabrication and Microstructure of BSCCO Superconductive Wires Made by LHPG Method

Laser heated pedestal growth technique (LHPG) has been used to fabricate BSCCO (BiSrCaCuO) superconductive wires.The critical current density of the wires has surpassed 5000A/cm^2 (78K, OT;cross area=1.04 mm^2).The fiber rods obtained directly from LHPG method are semiconductive and after heat treatment at temperature range from 780 to 870℃,they transformed into superconductive wires.Triple junctions and sharp grain boundary exist in the sample.HREM studies showed the intergrowth of (010) and (110),the occasional missing of CaCuO_2 layer in the 2212 phase.