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Cuprate high-temperature superconductors (HTS), such as RE-Ba2Cu3O7−δ (REBCO, RE = rare earth), (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10−x and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8−x, have enabled the development of high-field superconducting magnets capable of generating magnetic fields far exceeding 20 T. The brittle nature of HTS requires elaborate means to protect them against the high stresses and strains associated with high-field magnet operation, and so far, has prevented reliable high-field HTS magnets from becoming a reality. Here we report a more than tenfold increase in the irreversible strain limit under axial tension (ϵirr) to over 7% in optimized high-current conductor on round core (CORC®) conductors, compared to the REBCO tapes from which the CORC® conductor is wound. Minimizing the tape winding pitch of the helical wind mechanically decouples the brittle REBCO film from the overall conductor. The REBCO tapes behave as springs, limiting the rate at which applied strain is transferred to the ceramic film. In addition, high-strength alloy cores allow the critical stress (ϵcrit) under axial tension at which initial degradation of CORC® conductors occurs to exceed 600 MPa, making them one of the strongest superconductors available. Mechanically decoupling the ceramic REBCO films from the overall CORC® conductor allows effective protection against the high operating stresses in high-field magnets. This breakthrough presents a monumental shift for HTS magnet technology, bringing reliable high-field superconducting magnets for compact fusion machines, the next generation of particle accelerators, and 40–60 T research solenoids within reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superconducting cables based on high temperature superconductors (HTS) are necessary for applications requiring large currents and low inductance, such as compact fusion reactors. In this paper, we report the proof-of-concept of a SMART Conductor on Round Core (CORC®) wire realized via integration of optical fibers into the copper core. A SMART CORC® wire with integrated optical fibers was manufactured and its capabilities have been experimentally demonstrated. Results show that by interrogating the optical fibers via Rayleigh backscattering, a Spectral Shift signal as a function of time and position along the cable can be used to detect and locate hot-spots that are developed within the wire or its terminations. It has been found that highly localized current injection into the terminations could initiate hot-spots within the cable at locations where current redistribution between tapes occur. This effect is virtually eliminated when adequate current connections are used that inject current evenly along the cable terminations. Normal zone propagation velocities have been calculated as a function of time using Spectral Shift data for a heater-induced quench as well as a quench induced by overcurrent. In both cases the normal zone propagation velocity was about 6 cm s−1, but in the heater-induced experiment it was preceded by 500 ms of slower propagation at 2.5 cm s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced magnet systems for fusion applications would greatly benefit from the use of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). These materials allow fusion magnets to operate at higher magnetic fields, allowing for more compact fusion machines, and allow for operation at elevated temperatures, enabling demountable coils that provide access for maintenance of the fusion reactor. Quench detection remains a major challenge in the protection of HTS magnets that are vulnerable to localized conductor burnout due to their low quench propagation velocities. One of the methods explored is the use of Hall sensors that are incorporated in or near the magnet terminations that can detect local field variations that occur as a result of current redistribution within the conductor to bypass a hotspot within the magnet winding. This method is potentially well suited for Cable in Conduit Conductors, such as those made from Conductor on Round Core (CORC) cables, in which sub-cables containing HTS tapes are connected to the terminations at a low resistance. To demonstrate the technique, a CORC® triplet consisting of three sub-cables, rated for 4 kA operation at 77 K, was manufactured and Hall sensors were used to measure local field variations next to the terminations due to current redistribution between the cables. The Hall response was compared to voltages that developed over the cables and terminations as a local hotspot was applied to different cables in the triplet. It was found that the Hall sensors were faster and more sensitive than voltage contact measurements and were able to reliably detect current redistribution of only a few amperes caused by a hotspot, well before the triplet exceeded its critical current. The method also allowed the detection of heater-induced hotspots during high ramp rates of 2 kA s−1 relevant for fusion applications. Hall sensors have a distinct benefit of being less sensitive to inductive pickup of AC interference compared to voltage contact measurements that make quench detection through voltage measurements in magnets especially challenging. The method can also be used for diagnostic measurements of current redistribution caused by other sources such as inhomogeneous current injection from faulty joints, or localized conductor damage. The Hall sensors are likely capable of detecting the onset of a quench that may occur a far distance away from the sensor location, presenting a breakthrough in HTS quench detection that potentially removes one of the remaining barriers to reliable operation of large HTS magnet systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safe operation of large superconducting magnets wound from high-temperature superconductors (HTS) requires reliable detection of the onset of a quench. A novel method to integrate optical fibers and voltage wires within the core of multi-tape HTS CORC® wires has been developed that allows real time monitoring of local changes in strain, temperature and of the superconducting state of the magnet windings. The ability to detect highly localized changes in temperature with Rayleigh scattering in the embedded optical fibers provides invaluable information about local heating at hot spots from which a quench may originate. Integrated voltage contacts allow accurate voltage measurements in long CORC® wires without being affected by high current ramp rates or electromagnetic interference. They also allow detection of inductively driven redistribution of current between tapes in CORC® wires that may occur at high current ramp rates. Continuous monitoring of temperature and voltage was used to detect the formation of local hot spots induced by a heater or by operating the CORC® wire above its critical current. The results show that, within the boundary conditions of the experiment and the method by which the optical fibers were integrated into the CORC® wire in this study, the speed and resolution with which hot spots can be detected with optical fibers lagged that of the integrated voltage wires. This study also shows that integrated voltage wires reliably detected the formation of a local hot spot in a 5.1 meter long coiled CORC® wire, down to a hot spot size covering 0.1% of the conductor length and at current ramp rates as high as 2000 A s−1. Voltage measurements thus remain an effective option for quench detection in magnets wound with HTS conductors for which current sharing between tapes allows for operation within the flux flow regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many high-temperature superconductor (HTS) applications require superconducting cables with high currents while operating in an alternating magnetic field. HTS cables should be composed of numerous superconducting tapes to achieve the required current capacity. Alternating current and magnetic fields cause AC losses in such cables and can provoke conductor instability. AC losses and contact resistances were measured of several cable designs based on commercially available REBCO tapes at the University of Twente. The AC loss was measured under identical conditions for eight REBCO conductors manufactured according to three types of cabling methods—CORC® (Conductor on Round Core), Roebel, and stacked tape, including a full-size REBCO CICC (cable in conduit conductor). The measurements were done at T = 4.2 K without transport current in a sinusoidal AC magnetic field of 0.4 T amplitude and frequencies from 5 to 55 mHz. The AC loss was measured simultaneously by calibrated gas flow calorimeter utilizing the helium boil-off method and by the magnetization method using pick-up coils. Also, the AC loss of two CORC® conductors and a Roebel cable was measured at 77 K. Each conductor was measured with and without background field of 1 T. The measured AC coupling loss in the CORC® and Roebel conductors is negligible at 4.2 K for the applied conditions while at 77 K coupling loss was observed for all conductors. The absence of coupling loss at 4.2 K can be explained by shielding of the conductor interior; this is confirmed with measurement and calculation of the penetration field of CORC® and Roebel cables. The inter-tape contact resistance was measured for CORC® and stacked tape samples at 4.2 and 77 K. It was demonstrated that a short heat treatment of CORC® conductor with solder-coated tapes activates tape-to-tape soldering and decreases the contact resistance. The reduction of contact resistance by two orders in magnitude to tens of nΩm is comparable with the interstrand contact resistance in ITER Nb3Sn type conductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results presented in this Letter describe the successful test of the first high-temperature superconducting multi-tesla insert solenoid tested at currents exceeding 4 kA while operating in a background magnetic field of a low-temperature superconducting outsert magnet. A 45-turn insert solenoid, wound from 19 meters of CORC® cable, was designed to operate at high current, high current density, and high hoop stress in high magnetic background field; a combination that is essential in the development of low-inductance, high-field magnets. The CORC® cable insert solenoid was successfully tested in liquid helium in background magnetic fields of up to 14 T, resulting in a combined central magnetic field of 15.86 T and a peak magnetic field on the conductor of 16.77 T at a critical current of 4404 A, a winding current density of 169 A mm−2, an engineering current density of 282 A mm−2, and a JBr source stress of 275 MPa. Stable operation of the CORC® cable insert magnet in its superconducting-to-normal transition was demonstrated, during charging at rates of 20–50 A s−1, without inducing a quench. The results are a clear demonstration of the major benefits of this multi-tape CORC® magnet conductor in which current sharing between tapes is possible, thereby removing some of the stringent conductor requirements of single-tape magnets. The CORC® cable insert solenoid demonstrated operation at about 86% of the expected CORC® cable performance and showed no significant degradation after 16 high-current test cycles in background fields ranging from 10 to 14 T. CORC® cables have matured into practical and reliable high-field magnet conductors, achieving important high current, high current density, stress tolerance, and quench protection milestones for high field magnet technology. They have established a straightforward path towards low-inductance magnets that operate at magnetic fields exceeding 20 T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]