INCREASED NORMAL ZONE PROPAGATION VELOCITY IN SUPERCONDUCTING SEGMENTS

摘要

There is described herein a superconducting segment and method of making same comprising one or several layers with very high electrical resistivity, acting as a current flow diverter when the current transfers from the superconductor to the stabilizer. The purpose of this current flow diverter is: i) to increase the contact resistance between the superconductor and the stabilizer, by reducing the contact area, and ii) to force the current to flow along a specific path, so as to increase momentarily the current density in a specific portion of the stabilizer. The consequence of i) and ii) is that heat generated at the extremities of the normal zone is increased and spread over a longer length along the superconducting segment, which increases the NZPV and thus, the uniformity of the quench.

主权项

1. A superconducting segment comprising:
a substrate; a superconducting layer on the substrate, having a width and made of a material that undergoes a transition from a superconducting state to a normal state when its temperature (T) rises beyond a critical temperature (Tc), a stabilizer having an electrical resistance greater than the superconducting layer when T is below Tc and lower than the superconducting layer when T is equal to or above Tc, and having an inner surface at least partly in contact with the superconducting layer and an opposed outer surface; and a current flow diverter having a greater electrical resistance than the stabilizer when T is below Tc, and located between the stabilizer and the superconducting layer or inside the stabilizer, the current flow diverter extending between the superconducting layer and the outer surface of the stabilizer along at least a portion of the width of the superconducting layer and having a first contact resistance along the portion of the width, and defining at least one current path from the superconducting layer to the outer surface of the stabilizer having a second contact resistance lower than the first contact resistance.