• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

So far, large-scale scientific devices such as nuclear fusion tokamaks and high energy circular accelerators were constructed using high-current conductors made of metallic superconducting wires. Recently, as REBCO superconducting wires usable in high magnetic fields have been developed by several companies, researchesto apply high current cable type REBCO conductors to next-generation large superconducting magnets were also started. High critical currents of several kA or more in high magnetic fields have been successfully demonstrated on test samples of REBCO cable conductors by several research groups. In this review article, the main features and properties of the representative high current REBCO conductors such as CORC(Conductor On Round Core), TSTC(Twisted Stacked-Tape Cable) and RACC(Roebel-Assembled Coated Conductor), which are currently being developed at abroad are briefly introduced. Research activities of high-current density REBCO MHOS(Multi HTS layers on One Substrate) conductor at KERI, whose structure is different from other cable type REBCO conductors are also shortly introduced.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.78-83
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• 2022

REBCO coated conductors are widely used for HTS power application, high magnetic field magnet application, and etc. A thermal stability of the REBCO conductor is essential for the operation of HTS-based device, and thermal conductivities of the conductor are relevant parameters for modeling cryogenic heat transfer. REBCO conductors consist of a REBCO layer, copper layers for electrical stabilization and a hastelloy substrate. At cryogenic temperature, thermal conductivity of copper and silver strongly depend on the purity of the material and the intensity of the magnetic field. In this study, thermal conductivities of the laminated composite structure of REBCO conductor are evaluated by using the thermal network model and the multidimensional heat conduction analysis. As a result, the thermal network model is applicable to REBCO conductors configured in series or parallel alone and multidimensional heat conduction analysis is necessary for complex cases of series and parallel configuration.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.11
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• pp.2209-2213
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• 2009

$REBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{7-d}$(REBCO) coated conductors(REBCO CCs) have been studied for electric power applications which require high current density wires. As long as the critical transition temperature(Tc) is concerned, REBCO CCs with large $RE^{3+}$ ions have been expected to have better current transport properties than those with smaller $RE^{3+}$ ions. For this reason, REBCO's with large $RE^{3+}$ ions which include GdBCO, NdBCO and SmBCO have been mainly considered as the superconducting layer of CCs. On the other hand, REBCO's with smaller $RE^{3+}$ions are expected to have advantages in the fabrication process of CCs because of the lower melting temperature. But it has not yet been made clear which REBCO is the most suitable for the superconducting layer of CCs. In this study, we investigated the current transport properties of REBCO CCs with small $RE^{3+}$ ion and advantages of using that in the CC fabrication process. Thin films of TmBCO, which has smaller $RE^{3+}$ion than most other $RE^{3+}$ ions, were fabricated on buffered metal substrate as the superconducting layer of CC by PLD process. TmBCO CC shows critical current density (Jc (77 K, sf) = $2.3\;MA/cm^2$) high enough to be utilized for application in electric power devices. Compared with previous experiments using the same PLD system, deposition temperature was approximately $20^{\circ}C$ lower than NdBCO thin films on buffered metal substrates.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.9-13
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• 2017

This study presents a simple method to control the seed orientation which leads to the various growth characteristics of a single grain REBCO (RE: rare-earth elements) bulk superconductors. Seed orientation was varied systematically from c-axis to a-axis with every 30 degree rotation around b-axis. Orientations of a REBCO single grain was successfully controlled by placing the seed with various angles on the prismatic indent prepared on the surface of REBCO powder compacts. Growth pattern was changed from cubic to rectangular when the seed orientation normal to compact surface was varied from c-axis to a-axis. Macroscopic shape change has been explained by the variation of the wetting angle of un-reacted melt depending on the interface energy between $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (Y123) grain and melt. Higher magnetic levitation force was obtained for the specimen prepared using tilted seed with an angle of 30 degree rotation around b-axis.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.33-39
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• 2017

This study presents that the orientation and the geometry of seed affect on the growth behavior of melt processed single grain REBCO bulk superconductor and its magnetic properties. The effects of seed geometry have been investigated for thin $30mm{\times}30mm$ rectangular powder compacts. Single grain REBCO bulk superconductors have been grown successfully by a top seed melt growth method for 8-mm thick vertical thin REBCO slab. Asymmetric structures have been developed at the front surface and at the rear surface of the specimen. Higher magnetic properties have been obtained for the specimen that c-axis is normal to the specimen surface. The relationships between microstructure, grain growth and magnetic properties have been discussed.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.31-35
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• 2018

When REBCO coated conductors (CCs) are applied to superconducting devices such as coils and magnets, they are subjected to deformation in various modes such as compression/tension bending, uniaxial/transverse tension and torsion. Despite outstanding performances by REBCO CC tapes, their electromechanical properties have been evaluated primarily under uniaxial tension, therefore data about the critical current ($I_c$) response in the compressive strain region are lacking. In this study, the characteristic responses of $I_c$ in REBCO CC tapes under bending strains in the range from tensile to compressive were evaluated. The springboard bending beam was used, wherein the CC tape sample was soldered onto the surface of the springboard. A Goldacker-type bending test rig, which lacks a support holding the sample during testing, was used as a comparator. Degradation in $I_c$ behaviors, including strain sensitivity, in differently processed REBCO CC tapes were examined based on the test rig used.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.65-69
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• 2018

Due to large in-field current carrying capacity and strong mechanical strength, a REBCO wire has been regarded as a viable high temperature superconductor (HTS) option for high field MRI and > 1 GHz (>23.5 T) NMR magnets. However, a REBCO magnet is well known to have an inherent problem of field inhomogeneity, so-called 'Screening Current induced magnetic Field (SCF)'. Recently, 'field shaking' and 'current overshoot operation' techniques have been successfully demonstrated to mitigate the SCF and enhance the field homogeneity by experiments. To investigate the effectiveness of current overshooting operation technique, a numerical simulation is conducted for a test REBCO magnet composed of a stack of double pancake coils using '2D edge-element magnetic field formulation' combined with 'domain homogenization' scheme. The simulation result demonstrates that an appropriate amount of current overshoot can negate the SCF. To verify the simulation results, current overshoot experiments are conducted for the REBCO magnet in liquid nitrogen. Experimental results also demonstrate the possible application of current overshoot technique to mitigate the SCF and enhance the field homogeneity.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.43-46
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• 2019

A rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) superconducting magnet was designed using no-insulation (NI) and multi-width (MW) winding techniques. The proposed magnet is comprised of 58 REBCO-wound single pancake coils with a bore size of 240 mm. When the magnet is operated at 20 K, the center magnetic flux density is designed to reach 3 T with an operational current of 169.55 A, 70 % of its critical current. The critical current was evaluated using experimental data of a short REBCO conductor sample. The designed magnet was then simulated using FEM software with uniform current density model. Magnetic field and mechanical properties of the magnet are evaluated using the simulated data. This magnet was designed as one of the base designs for the project "Tesla-Level Magnets with Large Bore Sizes for Industrial Applications" which was initiated in 2019, and will be wound using REBCO wires with the defect-irrelevant-winding (DIW) technique incorporated to reduce the overall manufacturing cost.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2023

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61788-26:2020 provides guidelines for measuring the critical current of Rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) tapes using two methods: linear ramp and step-hold methods. The critical current measurement criterion, 1 or 0.1 μV/cm of electric field from IEC 61788-26 has been normally applied to REBCO coils or magnets. No-insulation (NI) winding technique has many advantages in aspects of electrical and thermal stability and mechanical integrity. However, the leak current from the NI REBCO coil can cause distortion in critical current measurement due to the characteristic resistance which causes the radial current flow paths. In this paper, we simulated the NI REBCO coil by applying both linear ramp and step-hold methods based on a simplified equivalent circuit model. Using the circuit analysis, we analyzed and evaluated both methods. By using the equivalent circuit model, we can evaluate the critical current of the NI REBCO coil, resulting in an estimation error within 0.1%. We also evaluate the accuracy of critical current measurement using both the linear ramp and step-hold methods. The accuracy of the linear ramp method is influenced by the inductive voltage, whereas the accuracy of the step-hold method depends on the duration of the hold-time. An adequate hold time, typically 5 to 10 times the time constant (τ), makes the step-hold method more accurate than the linear ramp method.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.7-12
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• 2020

Electromechanical properties of REBCO CC tapes are known to be limited by defects (cracks) that form in the brittle REBCO layer. These defects could be inherently acquired during the CC tapes' manufacturing process, such as slitting, and which can be initiated at the CC tapes' edges. If propagated and long enough, they are believed to cause critical current degradation and can substantially decrease the delamination strength of CC tapes. Currently, commercially available CC tapes from various manufacturers utilize different growth techniques for depositing the REBCO layers on the substrates in their CC tapes preparation. Their epitaxial techniques, unfortunately, cannot perfectly avoid the formation of particles, in which sometimes acts as current blocking defects, known as outgrowths. Collective research regarding the composition, size, and formation of these particles for various CC tapes with different deposition techniques are particularly uncommon in a single study. Most importantly, these particles might interact in one way or another to the existing cracks. Therefore, systematic investigation on the interactions between the cracks' development mechanism and particles on the REBCO superconducting layers of practical CC tapes are of great importance, especially in the design of superconducting devices. Here, a proper etching process was employed for the CC tapes to expose and observe the REBCO layers, clearly. The scanning electron microscope, field emission scanning microscope, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were utilized to observe the interactions between cracks and particles in various practical CC tapes. Particle compositions were identified whether as non-superconducting or superconducting and in what manner it interacts with the cracks were studied.