Development of metal-organic deposition-derived second-generation high-temperature superconductor tapes and artificial flux pinning

The second-generation high-temperature superconductor tape(2G-HTS,also known as a coated conductor)based on REBaCuO(REBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-δ))exhibits high current density and potential cost-effective price/performance,compared with conventional superconducting materials.Using commercial 2G-HTS tapes,more than a dozen cable vendors had been manufacturing REBCO cables,such as the latest kilometer-class REBCO cable,which was incorporated into a civil grid on December 2021,as part of the recordbreaking 35-kV-voltage superconductor cable demonstration project in downtown Shanghai.This paper describes the development of HTS-coated conductors,then outlines the various technological routes for their preparation,reviews the artificial flux pinning of coated conductors,and finally summarizes the technological breakthroughs,the latest research advances,and provides an outlook on their application prospects.

Method with reliable accuracy and fast speed for measuring operational current of HTS NI closed-loop coils in steady persistent-current-mode

This study proposes a method for measuring the operational current of high temperature superconducting(HTS)non‐insulation(NI)closed‐loop coils,which operate in the steady persistent‐current‐mode(PCM).HTS NI closed‐loop coils are promising for many easily‐quenching direct‐current(DC)applications,where their performance is determined by magnetomotive forces,total number of turns,and dimensions.As the primary interface parameter in an application system,the operational current must be accurately and rapidly measured.Generally,this is achieved by dividing the measured magnetic field by the coil constant.However,even if the influence of the screening current induced field(SCIF)is not considered,existing methods for the coil constant may be disturbed by the performance and location of Hall sensors,or experience a long measuring period.Therefore,a relatively accurate and fast method is proposed in this study,which is based on adjusting the output current of the adjustable power supply and monitoring the coil voltage as an indicator.The proposed method was validated through experiments and simulations using an equivalent circuit model coupled with a finite element method(FEM)model,and its current accuracy can be equivalent to the resolution of the employed power supply.It was demonstrated that this method reduced the requirements for Hall sensor’s performance and location,and has a more reliable accuracy in contrast to the simulation method.Compared to the experimentally conventional method,the proposed method presents a significantly faster speed.The impact of the SCIF was considered and proven to be negligible for the tested pancake coils.Even for coils whose coil constant vibrates owing to the SCIF,this method can be adapted to directly measure various operational currents.Furthermore,it was demonstrated that the measurement error can be influenced by the current discrepancy among turns when the coil is not in the steady PCM,and a procedure for reducing this error was proposed.

China’s participation in the international RRT for I_(c) measurement of superconducting cables organized by IEC/TC90

Currently,IEC/TC90 is working on standardizing the method for measuring critical current(Ic)in superconducting cables.At the end of 2020,an international round robin test(RRT)was organized,in which five Chinese institutions participated,and four accomplished the test.The electric-field versus current(E-I)curves obtained by each institution are highly repeatable.Those obtained by different institutions are nearly identical after appropriate curve averaging,indicating high reproducibility,except the last participant's inner core curves.The discrepancy was later determined to be the result of sample cable damage.After excluding highly deviated data,it is determined that the maximum relative standard uncertainty in I_(c) is 0.7%,and the maximum relative standard uncertainty in n-value is 12.8%.The I_(c)values are comparable to Japan's domestic RRT results,but the n-values are significantly different.The test results support the DC four-terminal method as a recommended test method,with a target relative uncertainty of less than 2%for the Ic value.

Nucleation and epitaxy growth of high-entropy REBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-δ)(RE=Y,Dy,Gd,Sm,Eu)thin films by metal organic deposition

High-entropy REBa_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-δ)(RE=Y_(0.7)+Dy_(0.2)+Gd_(0.2)+Sm_(0.2)+Eu_(0.2))(HE-REBCO) superconducting films doped with multiple rare earth elements were successfully fabricated with thickness up to 800 nm by a trifluoroacetate-metal organic deposition(TFA-MOD).The enhanced entropy change ΔS of the HEREBCO system promotes the c-axis growth of REBCO thin film in the competition with a/b-axis growth.The microstructure and element distribution were investigated by the transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS).The results show that HE-REBCO films have a great amount of stacking defects,lattice distortions and various rare earth oxides.Furthermore,the microstrain of HE-REBCO films increases significantly compared to the undoped YBCO and(Y,Dy)BCO films.Finally,the superco nducting critical temperature(T_c^(onset)) of HE-REBCO films is about 93 K,and the in-field properties are significantly improved,especially at the temperature of about 77 K.The maximum pinning force density(F_(p,max)) of the HE-REBCO samples at 77 K is 1.7 times higher than that of the undoped YBCO films.