The Jc Limit of Multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 Tapes

To improve on present critical current (J _c) performance, multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 tapes with a large range of reduction rates were manufactured. The relative core mass density D was calculated, dependent on the measured geometric dimensions of the tapes. Experimental results, D vs. J _c, D vs. maximum pinning force density F _max , and D vs. irreversible magnetic field B _irr, are quantitatively formatted. In particular, the magnetic field dependence of J _c is critically dependent on its core density. If the core density increases by 10%, J _c of the tapes in this experiment is enhanced by as much as 100%. Therefore, in the present state of the technological process for manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, increasing the core density is clearly a significant strategy in improving the electronic and magnetic properties of the tapes and enhancing the capacity for carrying current at high magnetic fields. The limit of the bulk self-field-J _c can be calculated by the relationships of J _c vs. D. The limit is estimated to be on the order of 200 kA/cm² for multifilamentary Bi-2223 tapes, which was supported by magneto-optical (MO) magnetization measurements results. It is a hard task to approach this limit with the present state of the art in manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, and it is the time to suggest some new ideals for Bi-2223 tapes to promote large-scale applications.     

Fabrication and Properties of Ag–Ni Bimetallic Sheathed (Bi,Pb)-2223 Tapes

10-meter-long Ag?CNi bimetallic sheathed (Bi,Pb)-2223 tapes with outer nickel sheath and inner silver sheath have been successfully fabricated by the ??Powder in tube?? technique. Microstructure and phase evolution studies by means of SEM and XRD, as well as critical current density (J _c ) measurements have been performed. It is found that the nickel sheath and dwell time in the first sintering process have great influences on the texture evolution, phase transformation and J _c of the Bi-2223/Ag/Ni tapes. Mono-filament (Bi,Pb)-2223 tape with a J _c of 6656?A?cm^?2 and 61-filament tape with a J _c of 12420?A?cm^?2 are obtained. Although using composite bimetallic sheaths can reduce production costs and improve mechanical properties of the Bi-2223 tapes, the Bi-2223 content and J _c of Bi-2223/Ag/Ni tapes are relatively lower than that of traditional Bi-2223/Ag tapes. Meanwhile, due to higher Bi-2223 content and better alignment of Bi-2223 grains, tapes with 61-filament have higher J _c than mono-filament tapes.     

The J c Limit of Multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 Tapes

To improve on present critical current (J _c) performance, multifilamentary Ag/Bi-2223 tapes with a large range of reduction rates were manufactured. The relative core mass density D was calculated, dependent on the measured geometric dimensions of the tapes. Experimental results, D vs. J _c, D vs. maximum pinning force density F _max , and D vs. irreversible magnetic field B _irr, are quantitatively formatted. In particular, the magnetic field dependence of J _c is critically dependent on its core density. If the core density increases by 10%, J _c of the tapes in this experiment is enhanced by as much as 100%. Therefore, in the present state of the technological process for manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, increasing the core density is clearly a significant strategy in improving the electronic and magnetic properties of the tapes and enhancing the capacity for carrying current at high magnetic fields. The limit of the bulk self-field-J _c can be calculated by the relationships of J _c vs. D. The limit is estimated to be on the order of 200 kA/cm² for multifilamentary Bi-2223 tapes, which was supported by magneto-optical (MO) magnetization measurements results. It is a hard task to approach this limit with the present state of the art in manufacturing Ag/Bi-2223 tape, and it is the time to suggest some new ideals for Bi-2223 tapes to promote large-scale applications.     

Effect of starting precursor powders on microstructural development and critical current density properties of BSCCO 2223 tapes

Bi-2223/Ag tapes with different lead content (Pb=0.2–0.4) powders were fabricated. The microstructural development and J_c properties were studied with starting precursor powder prepared in different conditions. The experimental results indicate that the variations of lead content extremely influence the reactivity of precursor powders, which is closely related to the formation rate of 2223 phase, microstructure and J_c values of Bi-2223/Ag tapes. In addition, the particle size distribution of precursor powders has a large effect on the transport properties. By optimizing these powder parameters, J_c values above 60,000 A/cm² (77 K, 0 T) in short tapes were achieved.     

Microstructure controls and their effects on the properties of Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2Ox superconductors

This paper reports our recent progresses in the development of Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O _x /Ag tape conductors for the applications of magnetic field generation in liquid helium or around 20 K, using a refrigerator. We have carried out extensive work to optimize the processing parameters, investigating the relationship between the microstructure and transportJ _c. We have found that the partial melting in oxygen atmosphere is effective to have large transportJ _c with good reproducibility. The pre-annealing and intermediate rolling (PAIR) process has been successfully applied to the multilayer conductors to improve the grain alignment and transportJ _c. TheJ _c of 5×10⁵A/cm² at 4·2 K and 10 T has been achieved, which is the highest value reported so far. Two magnets fabricated by using different types of Bi-2212/Ag conductors were tested. One is a magnet designed as an insert magnet for a 18 T-class large bore Nb-Ti/Nb₃Sn superconducting magnet. The conductor of this magnet was multifilamentary tape processed by powder-in-tube method. TheI _c was 98 A in the backup field of 18 T, which generated the self field of 1·79 T. A large pancake coil was fabricated with multilayer conductor and tested under the operation of cryocooler system. The coil was stably operated up to theJ _c of the coil at the temperatures below 30 K.     

Fabrication and Properties of Powder-in-Tube Processed MgB2 Tapes and Wires

MgB₂ tapes were fabricated with MgB₂ powder and several sheath materials such as Cu, Cu-Ni, Fe, carbon steel (Fe-C) and stainless steel. High-density MgB₂ cores were obtained for these sheath materials. J _c of the as-cold rolled (non heat treated) tape significantly increased with increasing the cross sectional area reduction by the cold working. Hard sheath materials (Fe-C and stainless steel) are effective to enhance J _c values. These results can be explained by the densification of MgB₂ core. Non heat treated MgB₂/(stainless steel) and MgB₂/(Fe-C) tapes showed extrapolated J _c values of 300–450 kA/cm² at 4.2 K and zero field. MgB₂ tapes show anisotropy in J _c with respect to field orientation. This anisotropy can be explained by the MgB₂ grain orientation. Heat treatment after the cold rolling is effective to enhance J _c values. An order of magnitude higher J _c values were obtained for Fe-C and stainless steel sheathed tapes by the heat treatment. J _c values extrapolated to zero field of MgB₂/(SUS 316) and MgB₂/(Fe-C) tapes reached 1,000 kA/cm² at 4.2 K.     

The influence of the first heat-treatment on the critical current density of (Bi,Pb)-2223/Ag superconducting tapes

Optimization heat-treatments have been performed on multi-filament Bi-2223/Ag superconducting tapes under 1 bar total gas pressure, the oxygen partial pressure being 8.5%. In a first heat-treatment (HT1), the tapes were sintered within 822-838 °C for 1-50 h. After intermediate deformation, all the samples underwent the second heat-treatment (HT2) at 825 °C and 830 °C for 20 h followed by a thermal sliding procedure. The relative content of the phases present in HT1 samples was measured by XRD. It was found that the Bi-2212 phase content after HT1 strongly influences the values of J_c after HT2. There is a correlation between the amount of Bi-2212 phase after HT1 and the final J_c values after HT2. A maximum of J_c was found for a ratio of 0.15 between Bi-2212 and Bi-2223.     

Effects of Rolling Passes on the Transport Properties of 37-Filamentary AgAu-Sheathed Bi-2223 Tapes

Thirty-seven-filamentary AgAu-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes were fabricated by a powder-in-tube (PIT) process. And, the round wires (? 1.86 mm) were rolled to 0.35-mm tapes with 12, 7, 5, and 4 rolling passes through flat rolling, respectively. The influences of different rolling passes on the core density, deformation, and transport properties of Bi-2223/AgAu tapes were systematically investigated. It was noticed that after rolling, the Vickers microhardness of the superconducting core and deform homogeneity along both the horizontal and vertical directions on the cross section of seven-pass rolled tape were better than those on the tapes with other passes, which proved the larger core density and uniform deformation with the seven-pass rolling process. Meanwhile for the wires with 12 and 7 passes, the AgAu/superconducting core interfaces were much flatter. With the rolling passes decreasing from 12 to 4, the critical current density (J_c) first increased and then decreased. Due to the better homogeneity and flatter interfaces, J_c reached the maximum value of 17.3 kA/cm² on the seven-pass sample. Meanwhile, the enhancement of current capacities in magnetic field applied parallel to the Bi-2223/AgAu tape surface could also be recognized as the evidence of improving intergrain connections due to the higher density in seven-pass rolled tapes.     

Process Optimization for Ag-Sheathed Bi-2212 Superconductors

The powder-in-tube (PIT) process has been widely used to fabricate long lengths of superconducting wires and tapes. However, it has been noted that the performance of long lengths of superconductor is variable and difficult to replace. To help pinpoint the possible sources of variation, a systematic study of the effect of processing variables, including deformation and heat treatment procedures, on the electrical properties of the Bi-2212 tapes at cryogenic temperatures was conducted. In addition, the effect of varying powder particle sizes was examined. For tapes fabricated by different thickness reduction schedules, significant variations in critical current density (J _c) were observed. It is concluded that a combination of small roll diameter and small reduction-per-pass produces tapes with highest J _c. Moreover, the maximum J _c occurred in a narrow temperature range when melt processing was done in pure oxygen. Microstructural examination was used to correlate J _c and both the volume fractions of a nonsuperconducting second phase and the Bi-2212 grain orientation.     

Study for AC Loss Reduction in Bi2223 Tapes by Introducing Oxide Barriers

This paper presents our recent activities for the development of low-loss Bi2223 tapes with interfilamentary oxide barriers. In order to suppress the side effect on Bi2223 phase formation during sintering process, SrZrO₃ was selected as barrier materials. Moreover, small amount of Bi2212 was mixed with SrZrO₃ to improve their ductility for cold working. By controlling coating thickness of oxide barriers before stacking, reducing a tape width below 3 mm and careful twisting of the filaments with its length below 5 mm, coupling frequency f _c exceeded 250 Hz even in an AC perpendicular magnetic field. Critical current densities J _c of tightly twisted barrier tapes were ranged in 12?C14 kA/cm² at 77 K and self-field, which was 25% lower than the nontwisted one (=18 kA/cm²). To our knowledge, this is the first result to achieve both J _c>12 kA/cm² and f _c>250 Hz simultaneously for Bi2223 tapes in an isolated state. These twisted barrier tapes showed 60?C70% lower perpendicular field losses than a conventional 4 mm-width tape with fully coupled filaments at 50 mT and 50 Hz.     

Phase and Texture Evolution of Ag/Ni Composite-Sheathed Bi-2223 Tapes with Different Thickness

The influence of green tape thickness on the Bi-2223 phase formation and texture evolution in Ag/Ni composite-sheathed tapes fabricated by the “powder-in-tube” technique has been studied. Microstructural observations by SEM as well as critical current density (J _c) measurements at 77 K, 0 T have been performed to analyze the performance of the tapes. The results show an important influence of the green tape thickness on the critical current depending on the content and texture of Bi-2223 phase. The J _c increases with decreasing thickness. Moreover, texture measured by omega scans shows that the texture of the Bi-2223 phase is significantly influenced by the thickness of the green tape after the first and final sintering processes. Alignment of Bi-2223 grains in the thin tapes is much better. Higher performance of Ag/Ni composite-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes can be obtained by controlling the thickness of the green tapes.     

Development of Bi-2223 HTS tape and its application to coil and current leads

We are developing Bi-2223/Ag tapes with a high engineering critical current density by optimizing the powder-in-tube process and are studying its application to coil and current leads. We have fabricated 250 m-long tape and investigated optimized processing conditions to enhance engineering critical current density. More bubbling was found when the tape was heat-treated with a higher heating rate. Different kinds of superconducting joints were fabricated with multi-filamentary Bi-2223/Ag tapes, and 58% of retained I_c was achieved using the insertion of Bi-2223 core between two exposed tapes. Current decay property of the persistent mode HTS coil was investigated. Rapid current decay was observed when the operating current is in a flux-flow range. We could successfully fabricate a low heat leak type HTS current lead with Bi-2223/Ag–Au tapes by employing a stepped geometry. Using this lead, safe operation of 2 kA current transport was confirmed.     

Development of gas pressure melting (GPM) method for Ag-sheathed Bi-2212 wires

A serious problem for Ag-sheathed Bi-2212 wires produced by a partial melt process is an oxygen release which causes effluence of the oxide materials from the Ag sheath and/or formation of voids inside the sheath. To solve it, the oxygen release from the powders should be minimized and any voids should be small and homogeneously distributed. Using formed powders with minimized oxygen content, we investigated melting atmospheric conditions on the properties of the Bi-2212 wires and established a Gas Pressure Melting (GPM) method which is characterized by a higher total gas pressure than the atmospheric pressure. We found that the combined conditions of appropriate oxygen partial pressures of 1.0 to 303.9 kPa and total gas pressure of over 303.9 kPa are very effective for obtaining small voids with a homogeneous dispersion and good superconductivity over a wide melting temperature range. We obtained reproducibly highJ _c round wires withJ _c of 140000 Acm^–2 (OT) and 40000Acm^–2 (23T) at 4.2 K. A solenoid coil which has several advantages in its fabrication compared with a pancake coil was successfully fabricated, using a 9 m round wire, based on the findings. The coil generated a maximum magnetic field of 0.7 T.     

Fabrication of BSCCO Films on SrTiO3 Substrates Using Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis (USP) Technique

In this study, the BiSrCaCuO (Bi-2212) films on SrTiO₃ substrates were fabricated using an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique (USP). Structural, electrical, magnetic, and critical current density, J _c, properties of the films fabricated were investigated under different heat treatment conditions. XRD analysis showed that the films mainly consisted of the Bi-2212 phase, but the Bi-2223 phase was also detected. T _c values of the films were found between 81 K and 88 K, depending on the heat treatment conditions. J _c values of the films were calculated using the Beans’ equation. Highest J _c value was found to be 2.93×10⁵ A?cm^?2 at 5 K and 0 T for Film C. The results obviously showed that USP method is a very effective technique for fabrication of the HT _c films having high J _c values as well as its simplicity, low cost, and easily coating.     

Effect of Various Intermediate Deformation Techniques on Jc and Grain Texture for Ag/Bi-2223 Tapes

Three Ag sheathed Bi-2223 multifilamentary tapes were produced by a processing method that consists of two sintering treatments with an intermediate deformation, involving sandwich rolling (SR), pressing (P), or normal rolling (NR). The magnetic field dependence of the critical current density J _c was measured with the magnetic field H applied parallel to both the ab plane (H ab) and the c-axis (H c) of the Bi-2223 grains. Experimental results show that J _c of the pressed (P) tape (J _cP) for both H ab and H c is about 1.5–1.8 times higher than that for the NR tape (J _cNR) and the SR tape, although J _cSR is always larger than J _cP. The ratio of J _cSR/J _cNR for H c increases rapidly with the applied magnetic field and reaches a maximum of about 12 at ₀ H 900 T. The calculated density of the pinning force F as a function of magnetic field shows that curves of F for SR, NR, and P tapes all have their maximum F _max at different magnetic fields and the magnitudes of F _max are also different from each other. The SR tape has the largest value of F _max, while NR has the smallest. XRD analysis shows that an intermediate deformation can destroy the grain alignment, and the larger the deformation, the worse the grain texture will be. Our experimental results, however, clearly show that J _c for Bi-2223 multifilamentary tapes is independent of grain alignment. The significant differences in J _c for tapes processed using the three different intermediate deformation procedures are dependent on the density of the pinning force and cannot be attributed to the grain alignment. Our experimental results support the view that SR processing is the best method for fabricating Ag/Bi-2223 tapes of high quality.     

Long multifilament Bi-2223 Ag-sheathed superconducting tapes and solenoids

Multifilament Ag-sheathed BiPbSrCaCuO (2223) superconducting tapes containing 49 filaments were fabricated by the powder-in-tube route and the roll-anneal process. The transport critical current densityJ _c was 1.3×10⁴ A cm^–2 at 77 K and 7×10⁴ A cm^–2 at 4.2 K in self-field. A 12-m-long tape was used to construct superconducting solenoids (50, 28, and 14 mm internal diameters) generating dc fields 380–1070 G at 4.2 K. Measurements of the variation ofJ _c with field (0–1.6 T) and bend strain (0–5%) are used to explain the performance of the solenoids. The critical bend strain of tapes was about 1.5%.     

Relationship Between Growth Speed and Magnetic Properties in Bi-2212/Ag Textured Composites

In this paper, the measured magnetic properties of Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O _x /3 wt.% Ag textured composite materials prepared by a LFZ melting technique at different growth speeds (5, 15, 30, and 60 mm/h) are presented. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that Bi-2212 phase is the major one in all cases. The magnetization measurements have been carried out as a function of the magnetic field up to 10 kOe. J _c values, calculated using Bean’s model, indicate that the growth speeds have a significant effect on J _c . It has been found that the maximum critical current density, 4.42×10⁵ A/cm² at 10 K, has been obtained for the 15 mm/h grown sample.     

Isothermal melt processed Bi-2212/Ag tapes containing MgO and Al2O3 additions

The development of the superconducting phase in melt-processed Bi-2212 tapes depends on controlling the development of solid phases in the partial melt and the conversion of the partial melt into a highly-aligned superconducting phase. MgO and Al₂O₃ additions have been used with isothermal melt processing (IMP) for the grain refinement of phases in the partial melt and the prevention of secondary phase growth during solidification. Controlled solidification with reduced oxidation rates also significantly increased the transport properties of the tapes with or without the oxide additions. The optimal oxidation rate was found to depend upon the processing temperature. Critical current densities in excess of 100 kA cm^–2 were obtained in tapes melt-processed below 800 °C.     

Synthesis of BSCCO Films on MgO (100) Substrate by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Technique

In this study, the HT _c Bi-2212 films were fabricated using the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique (USP). Structural/microstructural, electrical, magnetic, and critical current density, J _c , properties of the films fabricated were studied depending on heat treatment conditions in detail. XRD analysis revealed that a pure Bi-2212 phase formed in all the films, which is confirmed by SEM-EDX analysis. T _c values of the films were found near 75?K. J _c values of the films were calculated using Beans?? equation. Highest J _c value was found to be 3.36×10⁵?A?cm^?2 at 5?K and 0?T for film?A. The results obviously showed that the USP method is a very effective technique for fabrication of the HT _c films having high J _c values as well as its simplicity, low cost, easily coating.     

The Contradiction Behavior Between Mechanical Performance and Degradation Mechanism of Electric at Cryogenic Temperature in Bi-2222/Ag Tapes with Different Protective Layer

The mechanical performance at cryogenic temperature and the degradation mechanism of electric behaviors of Bi-2222/Ag tapes with different protective layers as well as their contradiction laws are discussed. A variable temperature cryostat system is constructed to provide the successive cooling environment from room temperature (RT) to the liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT), and a cryogenic-type extensometer is also used to measure strain behavior of the superconducting tapes. And, the effects of bending strain on the critical current of Bi-2222/Ag tapes with different protective layer were measured using arched abrasives with different radius. Experimented results have shown that the protective layer of the tapes could have strong positive effects on the measured mechanical performance at room temperature and cryogenic temperature. The irreversible degradation on strain indicates that the I _c reduction is caused mainly by crack formation and propagation in the brittle Bi-2222/Ag tapes. In particular, the degradation mechanism of multifilamentary sample with protective layer was also elaborated, and protective layer has some negative effect on electric behaviors. In addition, the behaviors of the n value with strains on standard Bi2222/Ag tape was also argued to predict the damage process in Bi-2222 tapes indirectly during bending tests.