Assessment of higher-temperature superconductors for utility applications: Final report

Technical Report · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:6235279

Arendt, P N; Maley, M P; Peterson, D E

This report describes the first phase of a program to evaluate the application of high temperature oxide superconductors to ac power transmission -- specifically to measure and understand ac losses in the new materials. Information on the known alloy systems was evaluated and Y based materials were selected for development and evaluation. This decision was modified during the course of the research to include Tl based materials. A preliminary evaluation of a variety of fabrication techniques was carried out and sputtering, Taylor wire, and liquid phase epitaxy processes were selected for detailed study. This was later reduced by the elimination of the Taylor wire technique. Development of two sputtering approaches is described. One is based on the use of multiple targets and allows rapid variation of composition; the other is based on a single composite target allowing uniform coverage of larger areas and better reproducibility. The Taylor wire process for producing glass encapsulated HTSC filaments is described and associated problems of contamination discussed. Attempts to expitaxially grow Y, Tl, and Bi based materials on SrTiO/sub 4/ and other substrates were only partially successful, and samples suitable for critical current measurements were not produced. Transport critical current measurements were performed on both bulk and thin film samples. The behavior of J/sub c/ in an applied magnetic field showed unusual hysterisis effects which are explained by flux trapping associated with the weak link structure. An apparatus for measuring hystertic ac losses similar to one developed in an earlier EPRI program is described and losses were measured on a sintered sample of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/. 10 refs. , 8 figs., 5 tabs.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (USA); Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6235279
• Report Number(s): EPRI-ER-6399
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTING CABLES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
BISMUTH BASE ALLOYS
CRITICAL CURRENT
CURRENT DENSITY
FABRICATION
MAGNETIC FLUX
POWER LOSSES
PROGRESS REPORT
SPUTTERING
SUPERCONDUCTING WIRES
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
THALLIUM BASE ALLOYS
UNDERGROUND POWER TRANSMISSION
VORTICES
YTTRIUM BASE ALLOYS
ALLOYS
BISMUTH ALLOYS
CABLES
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
CURRENTS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTRIC CABLES
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENERGY LOSSES
EQUIPMENT
LOSSES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POWER TRANSMISSION
THALLIUM ALLOYS
WIRES
YTTRIUM ALLOYS
200303* - Power Transmission & Distribution- Superconducting & Cryogenic Systems- (-1989)
420201 - Engineering- Cryogenic Equipment & Devices