Ar Dennis

A trapped field of >3 T in bulk MgB2 fabricated by uniaxial hot pressing

A trapped field of over 3 T has been measured at 17.5 K in a magnetized stack of two disc-shaped bulk MgB2 superconductors of diameter 25 mm and thickness 5.4 mm. The bulk MgB2 samples were fabricated by uniaxial hot pressing, which is a readily scalable, industrial technique, to 91% of their maximum theoretical density. The macroscopic critical current density derived from the trapped field data using the Biot–Savart law is consistent with the measured local critical current density. From this we conclude that critical current density, and therefore trapped field performance, is limited by the flux pinning available in MgB2, rather than by lack of connectivity. This suggests strongly that both increasing sample size and enhancing pinning through doping will allow further increases in trapped field performance of bulk MgB2.

Modelling and comparison of trapped fields in (RE)BCO bulk superconductors for activation using pulsed field magnetization

The ability to generate a permanent, stable magnetic field unsupported by an electromotive force is fundamental to a variety of engineering applications. Bulk high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials can trap magnetic fields of magnitude over ten times higher than the maximum field produced by conventional magnets, which is limited practically to rather less than 2 T. In this paper, two large c-axis oriented, single-grain YBCO and GdBCO bulk superconductors are magnetized by the pulsed field magnetization (PFM) technique at temperatures of 40 and 65 K and the characteristics of the resulting trapped field profile are investigated with a view of magnetizing such samples as trapped field magnets (TFMs) in situ inside a trapped flux-type superconducting electric machine. A comparison is made between the temperatures at which the pulsed magnetic field is applied and the results have strong implications for the optimum operating temperature for TFMs in trapped flux-type superconducting electric machines. The effects of inhomogeneities, which occur during the growth process of single-grain bulk superconductors, on the trapped field and maximum temperature rise in the sample are modelled numerically using a 3D finite-element model based on the H-formulation and implemented in Comsol Multiphysics 4.3a. The results agree qualitatively with the observed experimental results, in that inhomogeneities act to distort the trapped field profile and reduce the magnitude of the trapped field due to localized heating within the sample and preferential movement and pinning of flux lines around the growth section regions (GSRs) and growth sector boundaries (GSBs), respectively. The modelling framework will allow further investigation of various inhomogeneities that arise during the processing of (RE)BCO bulk superconductors, including inhomogeneous Jc distributions and the presence of current-limiting grain boundaries and cracks, and it can be used to assist optimization of processing and PFM techniques for practical bulk superconductor applications.

Growth of large sized Y Ba2Cu3O7 single crystals using the top seeded melt growth process

Neutron scattering experiments are fundamental to the study of magnetic order and related phenomena in a range of superconducting and magnetic materials. Traditional methods of crystal growth, however, do not yield single crystals of sufficient size for practical neutron scattering measurements. In this paper, we demonstrate the growth of relatively pure, large Y Ba2Cu3O7 single crystals up to 30?mm in diameter using a top seeded melt growth process. The characterization of the microstructural and magnetic properties of these crystals indicates that they contain <2% of impurity phases and, hence, exhibit only weak flux pinning behaviour.

Top seeded melt growth of Gd?Ba?Cu?O single grain superconductors

Top seeded melt growth (TSMG) has been used extensively to fabricate large, single grain Y?Ba?Cu?O (YBCO) bulk superconductors that can trap large magnetic fields. The TSMG method is relatively economical and has enabled the development of batch processes for the fabrication of a large number of bulk single grain superconductors in a single furnace. In addition, the technique allows the fabrication of complex-shaped bulk samples with controlled and strongly connected grains by using a novel, multi-seeding process. A practical processing route for processing of LRE?Ba?Cu?O (where LRE represents a light rare earth element) single grain superconductors (which have superior properties to YBCO) has been developed at Cambridge over the past three years, based on the development of a generic seed of melt textured Mg-doped Nd-123 and suppression of solid solution phase formation in air by enriching the precursor composition with excess Ba. In this paper we report the successful application of a practical TSMG process in the fabrication of high performance Gd?Ba?Cu?O (GdBCO) single grain superconductor. This method has enabled the development of a batch process for GdBCO and we demonstrate for the first time the fabrication of a large number of high performance single grains of this material in a single process. Finally, we report the processing of bulk GdBCO in the form of complex geometries with controlled grain orientation for bespoke engineering applications.

The influence of Gd-2411(Nb) on the superconducting properties of GdBCO/Ag single grains

Large Ag2O doped Gd?Ba?Cu?O (GdBCO) single grains containing Gd2Ba4CuNbOy (Gd-2411(Nb), a niobium compound) have been fabricated successfully in air by a cold-seeding melt-processing technique using a generic Mg?Nd?Ba?Cu?O seed crystal. An optimum amount of BaO2 addition to the precursor composition is found to suppress Gd/Ba solid-state substitution in the superconducting phase composition. A study of the microstructures and superconducting properties of these GdBCO bulk superconductors containing such Gd-2411(Nb) phases is presented. A trapped field of over 0.9?T has been recorded finally at 77?K for the GdBCO/Ag contained Gd-2411(Nb) with 26?mm diameter.

Synthesis of dense bulk MgB2 by an infiltration and growth process

We report the processing of dense, superconducting MgB2 (????2.4 g cm?3) by an infiltration and growth technique. The process, which involves infiltration of liquid magnesium at 750 ?C into a pre-defined boron precursor pellet, is relatively simple, results in the formation of a hard, dense structure and has the potential to fabricate large bulk samples of complex geometries. X-ray diffraction has been used to confirm the presence of the MgB2 primary phase with only residual magnesium content in the fully processed samples. The samples exhibit sharp superconducting transitions at 38.4 K and have critical current densities of up to 260 kA cm?2 in self-field at 5 K. Modest measured values of Hc2(0) of 17 T suggest that superconductivity in bulk MgB2 fabricated by this technique is in the clean pairing limit.

The processing and properties of single grain Y?Ba?Cu?O fabricated from graded precursor powders

The preparation of single grain, Y?Ba?Cu?O (YBCO) bulk superconductors by top-seeded melt-growth (TSMG) usually involves precursor powders that contain a uniform distribution of the constituent YBa2Cu3O7?? (Y-123) and Y2BaCuO5 (Y-211) phase compounds. However, it has been observed that the concentration of Y-211 particles in the fully melt processed superconducting bulk increases significantly with distance from the seed, which results in a degradation of superconducting properties towards the edge and bottom of the sample. Here we investigate the effect of preparing bulk YBCO superconductors by TSMG using spatially graded Y-211/Y-123 precursor powder. The graded precursor bulks were prepared with a maximum composition of 40?wt% Y-211 in the vicinity of the seed, which decreased to 30?wt% and then 20?wt% towards the bottom and edge of the green body. Standard samples were melt processed from precursor powders containing 30?wt% Y-211 to enable comparison. The field trapping ability, Tc and Jc, of three graded and two standard samples were investigated and compared statistically. The distribution of Y-211 particles along different growth directions of the samples was analysed, and any crystallographic misorientation was investigated. The observed distribution of Y-211 particles in YBCO is explained qualitatively by trapping/pushing theory, and its correlation with the superconducting properties of the melt processed bulk samples has been analysed. Finally, the practical feasibility of the graded technique is evaluated.

Enhanced trapped field performance of bulk high-temperature superconductors using split coil, pulsed field magnetization with an iron yoke

Investigating and predicting the magnetization of bulk superconducting materials and developing practical magnetizing techniques is crucial to using them as trapped field magnets in engineering applications. The pulsed field magnetization (PFM) technique is considered to be a compact, mobile and relative inexpensive way to magnetize bulk samples, requiring shorter magnetization times (on the order of milliseconds) and a smaller and less complicated magnetization fixture; however, the trapped field produced by PFM is generally much smaller than that of slower zero field cooling or field cooling techniques, particularly at lower operating temperatures. In this paper, the PFM of two, standard Ag-containing Gd–Ba–Cu–O samples is carried out using two types of magnetizing coils: (1) a solenoid coil, and (2) a split coil, both of which make use of an iron yoke to enhance the trapped magnetic field. It is shown that a significantly higher trapped field can be achieved using a split coil with an iron yoke, and in order to explain these how this arrangement works in detail, numerical simulations using a 2D axisymmetric finite element method based on the H -formulation are carried to qualitatively reproduce and analyze the magnetization process from both electromagnetic and thermal points of view. It is observed that after the pulse peak significantly less flux exits the bulk when the iron core is present, resulting in a higher peak trapped field, as well as more overall trapped flux, after the magnetization process is complete. The results have important implications for practical applications of bulk superconductors as such a split coil arrangement with an iron yoke could be incorporated into the design of a portable, high magnetic field source/magnet to enhance the available magnetic field or in an axial gap-type bulk superconducting electric machine, where iron can be incorporated into the stator windings to (1) improve the trapped field from the magnetization process, and (2) increase the effective air-gap magnetic field.

Growth rate of YBCO single grains containing Y-2411(M)

Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) single grains have the potential to generate large trapped magnetic fields for a variety of engineering applications, and research on the processing and properties of this material has attracted world-wide interest. In particular, the introduction of flux pinning centres to the large grain microstructure to improve its current density, Jc, and hence trapped field, has been investigated extensively over the past decade. Y2Ba4CuMOx [Y-2411(M)], where M = Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Ru, Zr, Bi and Ag, has been reported to form particularly effective flux pinning centres in YBCO due primarily to its ability to exist as nano-size inclusions in the superconducting phase matrix. However, the addition of the Y-2411(M) phase to the precursor composition complicates the melt-processing of single grains. We report an investigation of the growth rate of single YBCO grains containing Y-2411(Bi) phase inclusions and Y2O3. The superconducting properties of these large single grains have been measured specifically to investigate the effect of Y2O3 on broadening the growth window of these materials.

A trapped magnetic field of 3T in homogeneous, bulk MgB2 superconductors fabricated by a Modified Precursor Infiltration and Growth (MPIG) process

The wetting of boron with liquid magnesium is a critical factor in the synthesis of MgB2 bulk superconductors by the infiltration and growth (IG) process. Poor wetting characteristics can therefore result potentially in non-uniform infiltration, formation of defects in the final sample structure and poor structural homogeneity throughout the bulk material. Here we report the fabrication of near-net-shaped MgB2 bulk superconductors by a modified precursor infiltration and growth (MPIG) technique. A homogeneous bulk microstructure has subsequently been achieved via the uniform infiltration of Mg liquid by enriching pre-reacted MgB2 powder within the green precursor pellet as a wetting enhancer, leading to relatively little variation in superconducting properties across the entire bulk sample. Almost identical values of trapped magnetic field of 2.12 T have been measured at 5 K at both the top and bottom surfaces of a sample fabricated by the MPIG process, confirming the uniformity of the bulk microstructure. A maximum trapped field of 3 T has been measured at 5 K at the centre of a stack of two bulk MgB2 samples fabricated using this technique. A steady rise in trapped field was observed for this material with decreasing temperature down to 5 K without the occurrence of flux avalanches and with a relatively low field decay rate (1.5%/d). These properties are attributed to the presence of a fine distribution of residual Mg within the bulk microstructure generated by the MPIG processing technique.