SOLID MATERIAL SOLUTIONS LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 26a

Description

High temperature superconductor (HTS) based wires provide the opportunity for ground breaking advances in the field levels and operating conditions of high field magnets, while greatly reducing their weight, size and power consumption. This program will establish and prove the technical approach, based on the Bi2212 (Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2Ox) HTS material, for a first- of-its-kind, strong, high-current HTS round wire that enables superior stress tolerance, current- carrying capacity and operating temperatures. Reinforcement will be achieved by diffusion bonding high-strength strips to attain the required strengths, and in the round wire forms proven to work with low temperature superconductors, and that can be utilized in applications where presently available tape-shaped HTS conductors cannot meet all the requirements. The approach for producing strong, round, high Je, multifilament Bi2212 wire will be established by developing each of these steps: applying very high strength, high modulus strips to the surface of round, silver-sheathed, as drawn Bi2212 wire; diffusion bonding the strips to the surface of the wire; and melt texture reacting the wire to produce high current density Bi2212 by advanced melt texturing heat treatments. The aim in phase 1 is a high current density, round 2212 wire that will support in excess of the required 400 MPa tensile stress with less than 30% reinforcement and that is suitable for fabricating into compact, high-field coils with superior performance, as well as for cabling into transposed, high-current configurations. This strong, advanced superconductor will enable vital advances in the performance envelope of a variety of large particle accelerator and fusion reactor development magnets. Additionally, it is a promising candidate for use in next-generation large-scale commercial applications in the electric power industry, such as high-powered but lighter-weight and more efficient wind generators and motors.