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Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials
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Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 26939

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tim Coombs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Electrical Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
Interests: high field magnets; flux pumping; AC losses; power applications of superconductivity (SFCLS, SMES, turbines, motors, cables)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The search for clean energy sources has been a fundamental key in materials research. The development of superconducting materials attracts significant scientific and technological resources towards achieving low costs, as well as suitable and profitable power generation, storage, distribution and transmission. In addition, superconducting electronics can provide devices and circuits with properties not obtainable by any other known technology; i.e., very low loss, zero frequency-dispersion signal transmission lines, very high Q-value resonators and filters, and quantum limited electromagnetic sensors.

All of these advances require high quality superconducting materials and, in recent years, great strides have been made to improve the properties of existing materials, as well as the continuing discovery of new systems and materials, such as the Pnictides.

In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury by cooling it down to a frosty 4.2 K (–268.95 °C). Since then, it has been the Holy Grail of material scientists to achieve this transition—from normal to superconducting state—at room temperature (above 273.15 K or 0 °C). The hope of finding a room-temperature superconductor (RTS) bloomed after physicists discovered high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) in the 1980s and 1990s in a class of ceramic materials called cuprates. They are characterised by the presence of interleaving copper-oxide layers. Their transition temperature—also known as critical temperature (Tc)—was significantly higher than those of conventional metallic superconductors discovered decades earlier.

From 1911 until the discovery of superconductivity in Lanthanum Barium Cuprate in 1986, there was a steady rate of discovery of new materials including Nb3Sn and NbTi (important in NMR, MRI and high field magnets). However the discovery that really opened the R&D floodgates was of superconductivity in an yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) system, in which Tc was 93 K. Soon, scientists were investigating a wide variety of such systems, including bismuth- and mercury-based compounds. More recently, a range of materials, which are distinct from the cuprates, such as MgB2 and iron based superconductors, have been discovered.

There is a continuous drive towards higher and higher transition temperatures and to date, the highest superconducting Tc achieved, and confirmed, is 203 K, in 2015. However, this was not in a high-Tc cuprate system but in hydrogen-sulphide (H2S) subjected to very high pressure: About 1.5 million atmospheres. The highest Tc achieved in a cuprate material was in 1993 at 138 K, in a mercury-barium-calcium-copper-oxide system at atmospheric pressure. The Tc increased to 164 K when the pressure was increased to ~296,000 atmospheres.

From an engineering point of view, although higher transition temperatures are desirable, of greater interest, is the development of the engineering properties of the materials. Consequently, this Special Issue aims to focus the development of superconductors, in a materials relationship framework, and specifically to collate their engineering properties. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Coated conductors, especially critical current versus field and temperature
  • Iron based superconductors
  • Superconductivity in unconventional materials (e.g. graphene)
  • Flux pinning mechanisms
  • AC losses
  • Normal zone propagation velocity
  • Materials and process for high-throughput fabrication

Dr. Tim Coombs
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • superconductors
  • engineering
  • power
  • critical current
  • critical temperature

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

2 pages, 148 KiB  
Editorial
Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials
by Tim Coombs
Materials 2020, 13(20), 4652; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13204652 - 19 Oct 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2306
Abstract
Taking a technology from the laboratory to industry is a long and resource-consuming process. Discovered more than a century ago, the phenomenon of superconductivity is testament to this process. Despite the promise of this technology, currently the only major use of superconductors outside [...] Read more.
Taking a technology from the laboratory to industry is a long and resource-consuming process. Discovered more than a century ago, the phenomenon of superconductivity is testament to this process. Despite the promise of this technology, currently the only major use of superconductors outside the laboratory is in MRI machines. The advent of high-temperature superconductors in 1986 heralded a new dawn. Machines which do not require cooling with liquid helium are a very attractive target. A myriad range of different superconductors were rapidly discovered over the next decade. This process of discovery continues to this day with, most recently, a whole new class, the pnictides, being discovered in 2006. Many different usages have been identified, including in motors, generators, wind turbines, fault current limiters, and high-current low-loss cables. This Special Issue looks at some of the different factors which will help to realise these devices and thereby bring about a superconducting world Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

9 pages, 1648 KiB  
Article
Modeling of High-Tc Superconducting Bulk using Different Jc–T Relationships over Dynamic Permanent Magnet Guideway
by Ye Hong, Jun Zheng and Hengpei Liao
Materials 2019, 12(18), 2915; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12182915 - 9 Sep 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2623
Abstract
The linear temperature dependence of critical current density Jc∝((Tc-T)/(Tc-T0)) and the nonlinear functions of Jc∝(1-(T/Tc)2)α with the exponent α equal to 1, [...] Read more.
The linear temperature dependence of critical current density Jc∝((Tc-T)/(Tc-T0)) and the nonlinear functions of Jc∝(1-(T/Tc)2)α with the exponent α equal to 1, 3/2, and 2 are used to calculate the dynamic levitation force, the temperature distribution, and the current density distribution of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) YBaCuO bulk over a permanent magnetic guideway (PMG). The calculations were based on the H-formulation and E–J power law. The model of the HTS bulk and the PMG has been built as a geometric entity by finite element software. To simulate the magnetic field fluctuation caused by the PMG arrangement irregularity, a small amplitude vibration in the vertical direction is applied to the PMG during the calculations. Both the low vibration frequency of 2 Hz and the high vibration frequency of 60 Hz are analyzed as the representative converted linear speeds of 34 km/h and 1018 km/h for magnetic levitation (Maglev) application. We compared the electromagnetic-thermo-force modeling with the experiments and the previous model without considering the thermal effect. The levitation force computed by the Jc–T relationship, in which Jc is proportional to (1-(T/Tc)2)2, is found to be in best agreement with the experimental data under quasi-static conditions. This work can provide a reference for the HTS electromagnetic-thermal-force coupling reproduction method of HTS Maglev at high speed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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17 pages, 6193 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on Transient State of Inductive Fault Current Limiter Based on Field-Circuit Coupling Method
by Wenrong Li, Jie Sheng, Derong Qiu, Junbo Cheng, Haosheng Ye and Zhiyong Hong
Materials 2019, 12(17), 2805; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12172805 - 31 Aug 2019
Viewed by 2770
Abstract
As the capacity of the power grid continues to expand, high-level fault currents might be caused during a contingency, and the problem of short-circuit current over-limitation is imminent. The high-temperature superconducting (HTS) fault current limiter (FCL) is an effective method to solve this [...] Read more.
As the capacity of the power grid continues to expand, high-level fault currents might be caused during a contingency, and the problem of short-circuit current over-limitation is imminent. The high-temperature superconducting (HTS) fault current limiter (FCL) is an effective method to solve this problem. In this paper, a transient numerical model for the process of limiting current in the inductive FCL is proposed. The model is based on the coupling of multiphysics finite element simulation and a circuit model. The voltage source is used as input, which can simulate the macroscopic characteristics in the process of limiting current, such as the voltage and current waveforms, and can also simulate microscopic characteristics, such as temperature, magnetic field, and electrodynamic force distribution. The short-circuit experimental data of an air core inductive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) prototype was compared with the simulation results to verify the reliability of the simulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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19 pages, 1509 KiB  
Article
How to Choose the Superconducting Material Law for the Modelling of 2G-HTS Coils
by Bright Chimezie Robert, Muhammad Umar Fareed and Harold Steven Ruiz
Materials 2019, 12(17), 2679; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12172679 - 22 Aug 2019
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4191
Abstract
In an attempt to unveil the impact of the material law selection on the numerical modelling and analysis of the electromagnetic properties of superconducting coils, in this paper we compare the four most common approaches to the E-J power laws that serve as [...] Read more.
In an attempt to unveil the impact of the material law selection on the numerical modelling and analysis of the electromagnetic properties of superconducting coils, in this paper we compare the four most common approaches to the E-J power laws that serve as a modelling tool for the conductivity properties of the second generation of high-temperature superconducting (2G-HTS) tapes. The material laws considered are: (i) the celebrated E-J critical-state like-model, with constant critical current density and no dependence with the magnetic field; (ii) the classical Kim’s model which introduces an isotropic dependence with the environment magnetic field; (iii) a semi-empirical Kim-like model with an orthonormal field dependence, J c ( B ) , widely used for the modelling of HTS thin films; and (iv) the experimentally measured E–J material law for SuperPower Inc. 2G-HTS tapes, which account for the magneto-angular anisotropy of the in-field critical current density J c ( B ; θ ) , with a derived function similar to Kim’s model but taking into account some microstructural parameters, such as the electron mass anisotropy ratio ( γ ) of the superconducting layer. Particular attention has been given to those physical quantities which within a macroscopic approach can be measured by well-established experimental setups, such as the measurement of the critical current density for each of the turns of the superconducting coil, the resulting distribution of magnetic field, and the curve of hysteretic losses for different amplitudes of an applied alternating transport current at self-field conditions. We demonstrate that although all these superconducting material laws are equally valid from a purely qualitative perspective, the critical state-like model is incapable of predicting the local variation of the critical current density across each of the turns of the superconducting coil, or its non-homogeneous distribution along the width of the superconducting tape. However, depending on the physical quantity of interest and the error tolerance allowed between the numerical predictions and the experimental measurements, in this paper decision criteria are established for different regimes of the applied current, where the suitability of one or another model could be ensured, regardless of whether the actual magneto angular anisotropy properties of the superconducting tape are known. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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27 pages, 12649 KiB  
Article
Study on Quenching Characteristics and Resistance Equivalent Estimation Method of Second-Generation High Temperature Superconducting Tape under Different Overcurrent
by Siyuan Liang, Li Ren, Tao Ma, Ying Xu, Yuejin Tang, Xiangyu Tan, Zheng Li, Guilun Chen, Sinian Yan, Zhiwei Cao, Jing Shi, Leishi Xiao and Meng Song
Materials 2019, 12(15), 2374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12152374 - 25 Jul 2019
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 4464
Abstract
In this paper, through AC and DC overcurrent tests on second generation high temperature superconducting tape (2G HTS tape), we respectively summarize the typical types of quenching resistance and corresponding quenching degree, in which there are three types under AC overcurrent and two [...] Read more.
In this paper, through AC and DC overcurrent tests on second generation high temperature superconducting tape (2G HTS tape), we respectively summarize the typical types of quenching resistance and corresponding quenching degree, in which there are three types under AC overcurrent and two types under DC overcurrent. According to experimental results, a rule was found that, when 2G HTS tape quenches to normal state, the relationship between quenching resistance and joule heat generated from 2G HTS tape presents a fixed trend line, and the influence of liquid nitrogen can be ignored. Then, the characteristics and rules of quenching resistance found in experiments are well explained and confirmed by a detailed 3D finite element model of 2G HTS tape including electromagnetic field and thermal field. Finally, based on above works, our group proposes a new equivalent method to estimate the quenching resistance, where the results of AC and DC overcurrent experiments can be equivalent to each other within a certain range. Compared with FEM, the method has the following advantages: (i) The method is simple and easy to implement. (ii) This method combines precision and computational efficiency. (iii) With superconducting tape quenching to normal state, this method presents a good consistency with experimental results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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11 pages, 2165 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Flux Pinning of Reacted-and-Pressed, Polycrystalline Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 Powders
by Michael R. Koblischka, Anjela Koblischka-Veneva, Jörg Schmauch and Masato Murakami
Materials 2019, 12(13), 2173; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12132173 - 6 Jul 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2918
Abstract
The flux pinning properties of reacted-and-pressed Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 powder were measured using magnetic hysteresis loops in the temperature range 20 K ≤ T ≤ 35 K. The scaling analysis of the flux pinning forces ( [...] Read more.
The flux pinning properties of reacted-and-pressed Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 powder were measured using magnetic hysteresis loops in the temperature range 20 K ≤ T ≤ 35 K. The scaling analysis of the flux pinning forces ( F p = j c × B , with j c denoting the critical current density) following the Dew-Hughes model reveals a dominant flux pinning provided by normal-conducting point defects ( δ l -pinning) with only small irreversibility fields, H irr , ranging between 0.5 T (35 K) and 16 T (20 K). Kramer plots demonstrate a linear behavior above an applied field of 0.6 T. The samples were further characterized by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis to elucidate the origin of the flux pinning. We compare our data with results of Weiss et al. (bulks) and Yao et al. (tapes), revealing that the dominant flux pinning in the samples for applications is provided mainly by grain boundary pinning, created by the densification procedures and the mechanical deformation applied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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13 pages, 4404 KiB  
Article
Phase Transition and Metallization of Orpiment by Raman Spectroscopy, Electrical Conductivity and Theoretical Calculation under High Pressure
by Kaixiang Liu, Lidong Dai, Heping Li, Haiying Hu, Linfei Yang, Chang Pu, Meiling Hong and Pengfei Liu
Materials 2019, 12(5), 784; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12050784 - 7 Mar 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3161
Abstract
The structural, vibrational, and electronic characteristics in orpiment were performed in the diamond anvil cell (DAC), combined with a series of experimental and theoretical research, including Raman spectroscopy, impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and first-principles theoretical calculations. [...] Read more.
The structural, vibrational, and electronic characteristics in orpiment were performed in the diamond anvil cell (DAC), combined with a series of experimental and theoretical research, including Raman spectroscopy, impedance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and first-principles theoretical calculations. The isostructural phase transition at ~25.0 GPa was manifested as noticeable changes in the compressibility, bond lengths, and slope of the conductivity, as well as in a continuous change in the pressure dependence of the unit cell volume. Furthermore, a pressure-induced metallization occurred at ~42.0 GPa, accompanied by reversible electrical conductivity. We also determined the metallicity of orpiment at 45.0 GPa by first-principles theoretical calculations, and the results were in good agreement with the results of the temperature-dependent conductivity measurements. The HRTEM and AFM images of the recovered sample confirmed that orpiment remains in the crystalline phase with an intact layered structure and available crystal-shaped clusters. These high-pressure behaviors of orpiment present some crucial information on the structural phase transition, metallization, amorphization and superconductivity for the A2B3-type of engineering materials at high pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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20 pages, 5328 KiB  
Article
Study of Resistive-Type Superconducting Fault Current Limiters for a Hybrid High Voltage Direct Current System
by Lei Chen, Huiwen He, Guocheng Li, Hongkun Chen, Lei Wang, Xiaoyuan Chen, Xin Tian, Ying Xu, Li Ren and Yuejin Tang
Materials 2019, 12(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12010026 - 21 Dec 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3573
Abstract
In this paper, a hybrid high voltage direct current transmission system containing a line commutated converter and a voltage source converter is developed. To enhance the robustness of the hybrid transmission system against direct current short-circuit faults, resistive-type superconducting fault current limiters are [...] Read more.
In this paper, a hybrid high voltage direct current transmission system containing a line commutated converter and a voltage source converter is developed. To enhance the robustness of the hybrid transmission system against direct current short-circuit faults, resistive-type superconducting fault current limiters are applied, and the effectiveness of this approach is assessed. Related mathematical models are built, and the theoretical functions of the proposed approach are expounded. According to the transient simulations in MATLAB software, the results demonstrate that: (i) The superconducting fault current limiter at the voltage source converter station enables to very efficiently mitigate the fault transients, and owns an enhanced current-limiting ability for handling the short-line faults. (ii) The superconducting fault current limiter at the line commutated converter station is able to mildly limit the fault current and alleviate the voltage drop, and its working performance has a low sensitivity to the fault location. At the end of the study, a brief scheme design of the resistive-type superconducting fault current limiters is achieved. In conclusion, the application feasibility of the proposed approach is well confirmed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Properties of Superconducting Materials)
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