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IEEE We have previously reported the development of a cryogen-free critical current characterization system able to measure field-angle dependences of voltage-current characteristics of short-length superconducting tapes to temperatures of 25 K, fields up to 8 T and currents up to 875 A. We have now extended the existing system and built a parallel system which further extends the parameter space to 10 K, 12 T, 1600 A. With a software suite that fully automates batch measurements we have been able to generate detailed coverage of the temperature-field-angle-current parameter space relevant to many of the applications proposed for high-temperature superconducting tapes. We describe the improvements to the system and present data from commercial tape samples that illustrates the utility of the instrument.

The accessible performance range for most magnetic confinement plasma physics devices expands markedly with increasing magnetic flux density. The MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center is investigating the use of high-temperature superconductors as a low cost means to significantly enhance the performance characteristics of small to moderate scale devices. Our initial investigation emphasized the no-insulation winding technique as a means to produce highly stable dc magnets for devices operating at moderate to high magnetic flux density. We present design, manufacture, and test results for a double pancake coil wound from a 500 m length of 12 mm wide REBCO tape. The coil provides on-axis magnetic flux density within an 8 cm clear bore in excess of 0.5 T when operated in liquid nitrogen and in excess of 6 T when operated in liquid helium. The ultimate aim of the program is to develop conduction-cooled HTS coil modules that can be used for both linear and toroidal plasma devices.