Recent Progress in Second-Generation HTS Conductor Scale-Up at SuperPower

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity 2007-06, Vol.17 (2), p.3231-3234
• Main Authors: Selvamanickam, V., Chen, Y., Xiong, X., Xie, Y.Y., Reeves, J.L., Zhang, X., Qiao, Y., Lenseth, K.P., Schmidt, R.M., Rar, A., Hazelton, D.W., Tekletsadik, K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; Coated conductor; coil; Conductors; Conductors (devices); Connection and protection apparatus; Construction; COPPER OXIDE; Critical current; Electric connection. Cables. Wiring; ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS; Electrical engineering. Electrical power engineering; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; FAILURE; FCL; High temperature superconductors; IBAD; MAGNETIC FIELD; Magnetic fields; Manufacturing; Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology); Micrometers; MOCVD; Organic chemicals; scale-up; Scaling up; second-generation HTS; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Superconducting tapes; SUPERCONDUCTORS; TAPE; Thick films; Throughput; Various equipment and components; Yttrium barium copper oxide; YTTRIUM OXIDE
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2007.899360

YBa 2 Cu 3 O x (YBCO) second-generation (2G) HTS conductors have been produced in lengths over 300 m in pilot scale facilities established at SuperPower. High throughput pilot-scale manufacturing has been demonstrated with tape speeds at or above 30 m/h of 12 mm wide tape (corresponding to 90 m/h of 4 mm wide conductor) in all steps. A 322 m long conductor with a minimum critical current value of 219 A/cm has been produced, which corresponds to a critical current x length value of 70,520 A-m. A 270 m long, 4 mm wide conductor with an end-to-end critical value of 100 A has also been demonstrated. In a campaign to manufacture 2G conductor for the Albany cable project, SuperPower has produced 12,470 m of conductor that meets or exceeds the specification for piece length (42.4 m) and critical current (100 A/cm). In fact, more than 55% of the conductor produced is at least 100 m in piece length and more than 27% greater than 200 m in piece length. In addition to scaling up 2G conductors to high-throughput pilot-scale manufacturing, we have demonstrated high critical currents in short samples produced by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). Critical current values of 557 A/cm have been achieved in 2.1 micrometer thick films in 12 mm wide, 10 cm long tapes. These samples exhibit a critical current value of 116 A/cm at 1 T and 76 K, in the orientation of field parallel to the c-axis. We have also constructed a 4-pancake coil that generated a magnetic field of 1.1 T at 77 K and 2.4 T at 64 K. A Fault Current Limiter (FCL) assembly has been successfully constructed and tested at high power levels. A prospective current of 90 kA was successfully limited to 32 kA within 1 ms without any HTS element failure.