Seunghyun Song

Feasibility Study of the Impregnation of a No-Insulation HTS Coil Using an Electrically Conductive Epoxy

This paper reports the feasibility of the impregnation of no-insulation (NI) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils using an electrically conductive epoxy resin. Recently, several studies of HTS coils without turn-to-turn insulation have been reported for field coils used in rotating machines such as motors and generators. The NI winding technique enhances the thermal stability of the HTS coil without requiring complicated protection techniques because the quench current is automatically bypassed through the turn-to-turn contacts within the HTS coil. Nevertheless, there is still a question as to whether the NI technique can be applied to rotating machines. To utilize an HTS coil under high mechanical loads such as field coils for rotating machines, the HTS tapes must be stabilized mechanically. For HTS field coils intended for use in rotating machines, epoxy impregnation is generally necessary to protect the HTS field coil from mechanical disturbances caused by the magnetic field and rotational vibration of the rotor to enhance the mechanical stability [1], [2] . However, the NI HTS coil cannot be fabricated by wet winding using epoxy resin because epoxy resins such as Stycast 2850 FT and CTD 521 are electrically insulating materials. This study examines the electrical stability of an NI HTS coil impregnated with an epoxy resin containing electrically conductive particles. The results are likely to present useful data for the application of electrically conductive epoxy impregnated NI HTS coils to rotating machines.

Quench Analysis of a Superconducting Magnet for RISP 28 GHz ECR Ion Source

This paper presents quench analysis of a superconducting magnet system for 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. The magnet system consists of a hexapole coil and four solenoid coils located outside of the hexapole one. All coils were wound with NbTi wire and impregnated by epoxy. To analyze the characteristic of superconducting coil when the quench occurs, a numerical code was developed. The analysis procedures are as follows. First, normal zone propagation (NZP) velocity which is as a function of magnetic field was calculated. Second, a fraction of the winding volume was obtained by transient analysis, considering longitudinal and transverse NZP velocities. Third, a generated resistance and temperature rising over time were simulated. Lastly, current trace of the coil was calculated. The current trace calculated by simulation well agrees with the test result. Also the result of hot-spot temperature is reasonable. Since simulated hot-spot temperature and experimental result are 60.32 K and 63 K when the operating current is 169 A. The normal zone resistances are also identical for 1.13 s which is the convergence time of simulation. The final resistances are about 10.2 Ω and 11.23 Ω. Therefore it is expected that the analysis code can be used to estimate the characteristic of superconducting magnet when the quench occurs.

Quench Detection Method for HTS Coils Using Electromagnetically Coupled Coils

Generally, in order to detect the quench of the superconducting field coil for the superconducting rotating machine, signal wires for voltage taps are indispensably needed. However, the problem of the conventional method is wire twisting as the superconducting field coil rotates. Therefore, in this paper, authors suggest a new method to detect the quench of the superconducting field coil using electromagnetically coupled coils. The suggested method consists of two superconducting pancake and copper solenoid coils. Two superconducting pancake coils play roles of a field coil and external (alternating) field generation for the rotating machine. In addition, two copper solenoid coils are used to transmit the voltage wirelessly and receive the transmitted voltage using electromagnetic induction. In order to verify the feasibility of this method, experiments are performed according to the transporting current flowing through two superconducting pancake coils and separation distance between two copper solenoid coils. The result shows that it is expected to apply this method to the superconducting rotating machines for the detection of quench without direct connection of voltage taps.

Proof-of-Concept of a Millisecond-Scale Electromagnetic Levitator Using High-Temperature Superconducting Coils

This paper proposes a millisecond-scale electromagnetic levitator using high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. The proposed apparatus consists of an AC power supply, short-circuit switches, an aluminum plate, and two HTS coils. The HTS coils are wound in opposite directions and electrically connected in parallel. Thus, in a symmetric current distribution, the magnetic fluxes generated by the two HTS coils ideally cancel each other. However, in a sudden asymmetric current distribution created by the short-circuit switches, the magnetic fluxes are not cancelled, and the effective magnetic flux induces an eddy current in the aluminum plate placed above the HTS coils. The magnetic flux generated by the eddy current in the aluminum plate and the effective magnetic flux generated by the HTS coils together generate the repulsive force to levitate the aluminum plate. In this paper, numerical calculations and experimental verification of the repulsive force are performed. We show that this apparatus is able to provide a levitation force that we expect will be helpful for devices that need fast switching behavior of the levitation force.

Operational Characteristics of a Small-Scale Novel Hybrid Resistive-Type SFCL With Controlled Power Electronics

As electric power systems become more complicated, the fault current experiences more frequent changes. To solve this problem, we suggest a novel hybrid-type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). Some issues accompany application of resistive-type SFCLs to electric power systems, including initial installation price, operation and maintenance costs, and high-current problems. To overcome these problems, hybrid SFCLs have been developed in some institutions. This paper presents experimental tests of a novel hybrid-type SFCL composed of a resistive superconducting coil, two thyristors, and a control circuit. The superconducting coil limits the first peak of the fault current, and the thyristors control the magnitude of the fault current other than the first peak by adjusting the firing angles. The interactions between the superconducting coil and the thyristors reduce the use of superconducting wire.

Analysis of the Current Charge and Discharge Characteristics of a Small-Scale Turn-to-Turn Soldered HTS Coil

A semipersistent current-mode operation with a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil is very useful for some applications, including maglev. An HTS coil for semipersistent mode operation includes at least one residual joint to make a closed-loop coil. A low current decaying rate is achieved by reducing the residual joint resistance. This paper suggests a winding method with a turn-to-turn soldering process. The turn-to-turn soldering process provides a wide flow path for the charged current in the HTS coil during the semipersistent mode operation. Therefore, the total equivalent residual resistance is reduced. However, this reduced residual resistance also prevents the current from participating in the charging process. Therefore, a new current charging method for the turn-to-turn soldered HTS coil needs to be tested. In this paper, a small-scale sample HTS coil with turn-to-turn soldering method is fabricated for testing. A simple charging-discharging experiment is performed on the sample coil. The time constant of the sample coil is calculated from the experimental results. A fast current charging sequence for the turn-to-turn soldered coil is also tested and analyzed from the perspective of power and energy consumption during the current charging operation.

Operational Characteristics of HTS Coils With Flux Diverters in Semipersistent Mode Under Alternating Magnetic Field

This paper deals with the effect of magnetic flux diverters on the current decay behaviors of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils which operate in semipersistent current mode (PCM) under alternating magnetic field. In superconducting synchronous machines, the HTS field coil can be designed to operate in PCM to obtain a steady magnetic field during operation. Due to the alternating magnetic field from the armature winding, the HTS field winding experiences an external magnetic field. As a result, the additional magnetization ac loss in the field coil would be induced, and it affects the current decay characteristics. In order to improve the current decay behavior of the HTS field coil, the use of flux diverter made of magnetic material can be considered. In this paper, we experimentally investigated the current decay characteristics of HTS field coils with magnetic flux diverters under alternating magnetic field. The measurement setup, which is composed of HTS field coil and armature coil, was fabricated. The measurement test of the current decay on the HTS field coil in PCM operation was carried out as functions of the amplitude and frequency of the armature coil.

Magnetic Field Stability Analysis on No-Insulation and Turn-to-Turn Soldered HTS Magnets Under Sinusoidal Noise Operation

The field stability of a no-insulation and a turn-to-turn soldered high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet is analyzed under sinusoidal noise operation. The stability of the magnetic field is a critical factor for some applications such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. The no-insulation and turn-to-turn soldered HTS magnets have intrinsic residual resistance which acts like a low-pass filter attached to the main magnet. The intrinsic low-pass filter can improve the time stability of the magnetic field by reducing ac noises generated by the power supply. In this paper, the improved field stability is analyzed with a no-insulation and a turn-to-turn soldered HTS magnet sample. The sample magnets are operated under sinusoidal power supply noise. Qualitative analysis is conducted by simulating the virtual NMR lineshapes based on the field mapping results obtained during sample magnet operation. Both the no-insulation and turn-to-turn soldered magnets demonstrated improved field stability, but the field stability in the turn-to-turn soldered case is greater.

Analysis of the Notch Effect on Flux Diverters for High-Temperature Superconducting Magnets

Flux diverters made of ferromagnetic materials can be used in high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets to change the magnetic field distribution and increase the critical current of the magnet. In this paper, the notch-shaped flux diverter increases the critical current of the HTS magnet by detouring the magnetic flux more effectively than the flat surface-shaped (simple) flux diverter. Numerical analyses are carried out to calculate the critical current using the simple-shaped and the notch-shaped flux diverters. Then, experiments are conducted to verify the results of the numerical analyses. As a result, the HTS coil with a notch-shaped flux diverter shows the increased critical current.