Method of making superconducting wind-and-react coils
AssigneeAmerican Superconductor Corporation
InventorsMichael D. Manlief, Gilbert N. Riley, Jr., John Voccio, Anthony J. Rodenbush
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Abstract
A process for manufacturing superconducting magnetic coils from strain-tolerant, superconducting multi-filament composite conductors is described. The method involves winding the precursor to a multi-filament composite conductor and an insulating material or its precursor around a mandrel in order to form a coil, and then exposing the coil to high temperatures and an oxidizing environment. The insulating material or its precursor is chosen to permit exposure of the superconductor precursor filaments to the oxidizing environment, and to encase the matrix-forming material enclosing the filaments, which is reversibly weakened during processing.
Claims21
A method for producing a superconducting magenetic coil comprising the steps of:
- fabricating a precursor to a multi-filament composite conductor comprising multiple superconductor precursor filaments enclosed in a matrix-forming material,
- surrounding said precursor to said multi-filament composite conductor with one of an insulating layer and a precursor to an insulating layer,
- forming said precursor to said multi-filament composite conductor as a coil, and
- heat treating said coil after said forming step by exposing said coil to high temperatures and an environment comprising oxygen, said superconductor precursor filaments being oxidized and said matrix-forming material reversibly weakening during said heat treating step,
- a composition and thickness of one of said insulating layer and said precursor to said insulating layer chosen to encase said weakened matrix-forming material and said superconductor precursor filaments and to permit exposure of said superconductor precursor filaments to oxygen during said heat treating step,
- said heat treating step resulting in formation of a superconducting magnetic coil.
A method for producing a superconducting magnetic coil, comprising the steps of:
- winding one layer of a precursor to a multi-filament composite conductor comprising multiple superconductor precursor filaments enclosed in a matrix-forming material around a mandrel to form a precursor layer,
- winding one layer of a material comprising one of an insulating material and a precursor to an insulating material on top of said precursor layer to form a composite layer,
- forming a plurality of said composite layers by repeating said winding steps,
- said plurality of composite layers forming said coil, and
- heat treating said coil after said forming step by exposing said coil to high temperatures and an environment comprising oxygen, said superconductor precursor filaments being oxidized and said matrix-forming material reversibly weakening during said heat treating step,
- a composition and thickness of one of said insulating material and said precursor to said insulating material chosen to encase said weakened matrix-forming material and said superconductor precursor filaments, and to permit exposure of said superconductor precursor filaments to oxygen during said heat treating step,
- said heat treating step resulting in formation of a superconducting magnetic coil.
A method for producing a superconducting magnetic coil comprising the steps of:
- fabricating a precursor to a multi-filament composite conductor comprising multiple superconductor precursor filaments enclosed in a matrix-forming material,
- surrounding said precursor to said multi-filament composite conductor with one of an insulating layer and a precursor to an insulating layer,
- forming said precursor to said multi-filament composite conductor as a coil, and
- heat treating said coil after said forming step by exposing said coil to high temperatures and an environment comprising oxygen, said superconductor precursor filaments being oxidized and said matrix-forming material reversibly weakening during said heat treating step,
- the composition and thickness of one of said insulating layer and said precursor to said insulating layer chosen to encase said weakened matrix-forming material and said superconductor precursor filaments and to permit exposure of said superconductor precursor filaments to oxygen during said heat treating step,
- said heat treating step resulting in formation of a multi-filament composite conductor from said precursor to said multi-filament composite conductor,
- said multi-filament composite conductor formed into said coil being subjected to a bend strain in excess of the critical strain of said multi-filament composite conductor,
- said coil, after said heat treating step, having a minimum critical-current of about 1.2 Amperes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.