Composite Superconducting Tape with Wide Current-Sharing Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing superconducting tapes, particularly ReBCO tapes, face challenges in current distribution and sharing, especially in large-scale magnets, due to the high-resistance layer limiting current redistribution and distribution to multiple paths, and traditional joints cause mechanical property variations.
Innovation Solution
A composite superconducting tape design with misaligned superconducting tapes and conductive tapes, allowing for a wide low-resistance current path and defect bypassing through staggered conductor paths, enhancing mechanical symmetry and enabling flexible joint connections without thickness or mechanical property changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If multiple ReBCO superconducting tapes are stacked or wound in TSTC or CORC manner, then the conductor can sustain high magnetic fields at high operating temperatures, but current distribution becomes difficult due to the high-resistance layer limiting current sharing paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dual-sided conductive layer structure where conductor tapes are attached to both the front and back surfaces of superconducting tapes. This creates two-dimensional current distribution paths, allowing current to flow laterally through the conductive layers on both surfaces, thereby overcoming the limitation of one-dimensional current sharing through the high-resistance layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive tapes serve as intermediary elements that facilitate current redistribution between adjacent superconducting tapes. These conductive tapes are bonded to the superconducting tapes and provide low-resistance pathways for current to flow laterally, acting as mediators that enable effective current sharing in multi-tape configurations.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional joints are used to connect superconducting tapes, then the tapes can be joined together, but mechanical property variations and thickness changes occur at the joint locations
Solution Approach 1:
The joint connection is divided into multiple functional segments: the conductive tape portion that provides electrical connection, the bonding interface that ensures mechanical attachment, and the staggered arrangement that distributes stress. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize its function while maintaining overall uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric staggering of conductor tapes at joints, where the conductor tapes are positioned at different locations on adjacent superconducting tapes. This asymmetric arrangement prevents alignment of joints, distributing mechanical stress and avoiding concentration of defects at single locations, thereby maintaining mechanical property uniformity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the high-conductivity metal protective layer is coated on single side only, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but current distribution capability is limited compared to double-sided coating
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive tapes serve multiple functions: they provide current distribution pathways, act as protective layers, and enable joint connections. By attaching conductive tapes to both sides of the superconducting tape, the structure achieves enhanced current distribution capability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized bonding processes.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A composite superconducting tape, a combination and preparation method thereof, and a defect bypassing or an end joint connection method. The composite superconducting tape includes a plurality of superconducting tapes, including a first superconducting tape and a second superconducting tape. The first superconducting tape includes a first superconducting layer, and the second superconducting tape includes a second superconducting layer. A side of the first superconducting tape close to the first superconducting layer is bonded with a side of the second superconducting tape close to the second superconducting layer along a length direction. The first superconducting tape is misaligned with the second superconducting tape along a width direction, such that the side of the first superconducting tape has a first vacant area for bonding with a second conductive tape, and the side of the second superconducting tape has a second vacant area for bonding with the first conductive tape. By means of the staggered conductor path facing both sides provided herein, the low-resistance current path between the tapes is improved from a narrow path only at the edge to a wide path, notably improving the current redistribution.