Characterization of high-temperature superconducting conductor on round core cables in magnetic fields up to 20 T

Published

February 13, 2013

Author(s)

Daniel C. van der Laan, Patrick D. Noyes, Miller E. George, Hubertus W. Weijers, Willering P. Gerard

Abstract

The next generation of high-field magnets that will operate at magnetic fields substantially above 20 T, or at temperatures substantially above 4.2 K, requires high-temperature superconductors (HTS). Conductor on round core (CORC) cables, in which RE-Ba₂Cu₃O_7-δ (RE = rare earth) (REBCO) coated conductors are wound in a helical fashion on a flexible core, are a practical and versatile HTS cable option for low-inductance, high-field magnets. We performed the first tests of CORC magnet cables in liquid helium in magnetic fields of up to 20 T. A record critical current I_c of 5021 A was measured at 4.2 K and 19 T. In a cable with an outer diameter of 7.5 mm, this value corresponds to engineering current density J_e of 114 A mm^-2, the highest J_e ever reported for a superconducting cable at such high magnetic fields. Additionally, the first magnet wound from an HTS cable was constructed from a 6 m-long CORC cable. The 12-turn, double-layer magnet had an inner diameter of 9 cm and was tested in a magnetic field of 20 T, at which it had an I_c of 1996 A. The cables were quenched repetitively without degradation during the measurements, demonstrating the feasibility of HTS CORC cables for use in high-field magnet applications.

Citation

Superconductor Science and Technology

Volume

26

Issue

045005

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

high-temperature superconductivity, high-field superconducting magnet cables, critical current

Citation

van, D. , Noyes, P. , George, M. , Weijers, H. and Gerard, W. (2013), Characterization of high-temperature superconducting conductor on round core cables in magnetic fields up to 20 T, Superconductor Science and Technology, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=912015 (Accessed October 20, 2025)