Scalable Production of High-Quality Bi2212 Precursor Powders
- Engi-mat Co., Lexington, KY (United States)
Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi2212) superconductor is the only available high temperature superconductor (HTS) that can be fabricated into an architecture of twisted, multifilamentary round wires, which are highly preferred for high field superconducting magnet design and construction, particularly for high energy physics accelerator magnet applications. Consistent, high quality powder production is a crucial requirement for such applications. Prior to this project, Nexans, a Germany company, provided Bi2212 powders to the superconducting community. Recently, Nexans stopped Bi2212 powder production. It therefore became urgent for the community to secure a new Bi2212 powder provider that could produce Bi2212 powder with consistent high quality. The primary goal of this DOE Phase IIA SBIR project was for Engi-Mat Co. to develop and commercialize high performance Bi2212 precursor powder that meets the stringent requirements for very high field magnet construction, mainly for high energy physics accelerator magnets. Other applications include insert coils able to reach very high fields, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnets that can achieve highly stable and homogeneous magnetic fields. The main objectives were to achieve a 25% increase in engineering critical current $$J_e$$, relative to the state-of-the-art, at 4.2 K and 5 T in Bi2212 wires fabricated using Engi-Mat’s powder, and to demonstrate the reproducibility of high quality powder production. Bi2212 powder was successfully produced at Engi-Mat using its proprietary Nanomiser® technology, with dramatic results. Powder stoichiometry, purity, and phase assemblage were all investigated and optimized to produce Bi2212 powder that contributed to a world record $$J_e$$(4.2 K, 5 T) ~1.9 kA/mm2, a value ~50% beyond the goal of this project and ~70% above the state-of-the-art. Manufacturing infrastructure was also enhanced to successfully establish reliable and consistent Bi2212 powder production by a domestic supplier. During this Phase IIA effort, eight powder lots of 0.5 kg each were provided by Engi-Mat to Bruker OST for Bi2212 wire fabrication, and the fabricated wires were over pressure heat treated (OPHT) and evaluated at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL). Additionally, ~24.6 kg of Bi2212 powder have been produced by Engi-Mat and delivered to various members of the superconducting community for wire fabrication. Through this project, Engi-Mat Co., with support from Bruker OST, the NHMFL and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), established its position as the leading manufacturer of high performance Bi2212 powder. Engi-Mat also successfully collaborated with members of the HTS community, including the NHMFL, LBNL, Bruker OST, SPIN-CNR, and another U.S.-based company. The high performance Bi2212 wires produced during the effort were donated to LBNL for coil design and construction aiming for accelerator magnet applications. The resulting prototype dipole coils exhibited ~50% performance improvement.
- Research Organization:
- Engi-mat Co., Lexington, KY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0009705
- OSTI ID:
- 1529374
- Type / Phase:
- SBIR (Phase IIA)
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-Engi-Mat-09705
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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