The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Dr Nicky Athanassopoulou, Ms Andi Jones and Dr Rob Phaal of Institute for Manufacturing Education and Consultancy Service Ltd for their excellent work in organising and facilitating the Road-Mapping exercise upon which this current work is based. The authors would also like to express their appreciation of the contribution made by the other participants at the workshop: Hari Babu Nadendla (Brunel University), Pavol Diko (Slovak Academy of Sciences), Tomas Hlasek (CAN Superconductors), John Hull (The Boeing Company), Lars Kuhn (evico), Mathias Noe (KIT), Jan Plechacek (CAN Superconductors), Yunhua Shi (University of Cambridge) and Frank Werfel (ATZ). The authors acknowledge financial support for the Road-Mapping exercise on which this work is based from the University of Cambridge EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (EP/K503757/1).

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6668/aad7ce/pdf

Bulk superconductors: a roadmap to applications

Bulk (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO] cuprate HTS have been developed steadily towards a wide range of sustainable engineering and technological applications since their discovery in 1986 based primarily on their unique potential to trap very large magnetic fields (>5 T) at temperatures that are accessible potentially by thermo-electric cooling techniques. Trapped fields of ∼10 T at the surface of individual (RE)BCO bulk single grains and in excess of 17 T in a reinforced two-sample stack are now being achieved reliably. This paper reviews the current state of the art of the processing of large, single grain (RE)BCO bulk superconductors required to trap fields of this magnitude, and specifically via two advanced fabrication approaches; the traditional TSMG process and the more recently developed TSIG technique. The focus of the review is on optimising the critical processing parameters to achieve high-quality, high performance single grain (RE)BCO bulk superconductors specifically for high-field applications. The review also summarises recent advances in processing, such as the integration of the so-called buffer technique into the TSMG and TSIG processing methodologies to achieve improved reliability in single grain growth with a success rate exceeding 90%, the development of a Mg-doped NdBCO generic seed crystal for the successful growth of all rare-earth and light-rare earth based bulk superconductors [(RE)BCO and (LRE)BCO] and the introduction of nano-size stable, non-superconducting phase(s) to the bulk microstructure to improve the intrinsic flux pinning strength of the material, and hence trapped magnetic field. Details of the two-step buffer-aided TSIG technique developed recently that yields dense, near-net shaped, high performance (RE)BCO bulk superconductors with improved superconducting and mechanical properties are also presented. Suitable sample-seed configurations for effective multi-seeding are discussed, which enables the production of high aspect ratio, bar-shaped (RE)BCO quasi-single grains that exhibit improved levitation forces required in Maglev-based applications, for example, are discussed. The electrical, mechanical, microstructural and magnetic properties (including those achieved from a pulsed-field magnetisation approach) of the different (RE)BCO systems are presented and the relevant correlation in properties and performance highlighted, accordingly. Finally, a brief summary of existing applications and prospects for near-future exploitation of these remarkable, technologically important materials, and particularly in the medical and pharma-industries, is provided.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6668/abde88/pdf

The processing and properties of bulk (re)bco high temperature superconductors: current status and future perspectives

Synthesis of Y2BaCuO5 nano-whiskers by a solution blow spinning technique and their successful introduction into single-grain, YBCO bulk superconductors

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6668/ab7846/pdf

High magnetic shielding properties of an MgB2 cup obtained by machining a spark-plasma-sintered bulk cylinder

In this paper we investigate the magnetic shielding of hollow and semi-closed bulk superconducting tubes at 77 K. We first consider the properties of a commercial Bi-2223 tube closed by a disk-shaped cap placed against its extremity. The results are compared with those obtained on a bulk large grain Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) tube produced by buffer-aided top seeded melt growth. In this process, the disk-shaped pellet and the tubular sample are grown together, resulting in a tube naturally closed at one extremity. The field to be shielded is either parallel or perpendicular to the main axis of the tube. The experimental results are compared with the results of finite element numerical modeling carried out either in two dimensions (for the axial configuration) or three dimensions (for the transverse configuration). In the axial configuration, the results show that the shielded volume can be enhanced easily by increasing the thickness of the cap. In the transverse configuration, the results show the critical role played by the superconducting current loops flowing between the tube and the cap for magnetic shielding. If the tube and the cap are separated by a non-superconducting joint or air gap, the presence of a cap leads only to a small improvement of the transverse shielding factor, even for a configuration where the gap between the cap and the tube contains a 90° bend. The cap leads to a significant increase in the transverse shielding when the cap and the tube are naturally grown in the same process, i.e., made of a continuous superconducting material. The experimental results can be reproduced qualitatively by 3-D numerical modeling.

Magnetic Shielding of Open and Semi-closed Bulk Superconductor Tubes: The Role of a Cap

© 2002-2011 IEEE. YBCO tubes of ∼10 mm diameter closed at one extremity were engineered by a buffer-aided top seeded melt growth fabrication process. These tubes can act as efficient 'dc' magnetic shields and are observed to reduce axial flux densities of 1.5 T by a factor of 100 at 20 K. Such performances are comparable in magnitude to the record threshold inductions reported for bulk MgB2 and Bi-2212 materials at lower temperatures. Magnetic shielding measurements for open and closed tubes at 77 K also show that the presence of the cap improves substantially the shielding performance at the closed extremity since it reduces the penetration through the open end. This fabrication technique is extremely promising for shielding 'dc' stray fields generated by high temperature superconductor magnets operated in a temperature range obtained by cryocoolers, liquid hydrogen (20 K), or liquid neon (27 K).

/pdf/magnetic-shielding-above-1-t-at-20-k-with-bulk-large-grain-13nga0txfu.pdf

Nambury Devendra Kumar

Papers

Magnetic Shielding above 1 T at 20 K with Bulk, Large Grain YBCO Tubes Made by Buffer-Aided Top Seeded Melt Growth