Development of an optimization program for a 2G HTS conductor design process

Abstract

The properties of the conductor-mechanical, thermal, and electrical-are the key information in the design and optimization of superconducting coils. Particularly, in devices using second generation (2G) high temperature superconductors (HTS), whose base materials (for example, the substrate or stabilizer) and dimensions are adjustable, a design process for conductor optimization is one of the most important factors to enhance the electrical and thermal performance of the superconducting system while reducing the cost of the conductor. Recently, we developed a numerical program that can be used for 2G HTS conductor optimization. Focusing on the five major properties, viz. the electrical resistivity, heat capacity, thermal conductivity, Z-value, and enthalpy, the program includes an electronic database of the major base materials and calculates the equivalent properties of the 2G HTS conductors using the dimensions of the base materials as the input values. In this study, the developed program is introduced and its validity is verified by comparing the experimental and simulated results obtained with several 2G HTS conductors.