Oxide Superconductor Wire Production via Controlled Atmosphere Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oxide superconducting wires have low density and purity due to residual carbon, nitrogen, and water, which reduce the superconducting properties such as critical current value.
Innovation Solution
A method involving ionizing material atoms in a solution, spraying it in a first atmosphere to remove the solvent, and then cooling the powder in a second atmosphere with reduced carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and water vapor concentrations to minimize residue adhesion, followed by heat-treatment to further reduce impurities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional heat treatment and pulverization are performed multiple times to make material powder uniform, then uniformity is improved, but production complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary mixing of raw material powders before sintering, ensuring uniform distribution of elements in advance. This preliminary action eliminates the need for multiple subsequent heat treatment and pulverization cycles, resolving the contradiction between achieving uniformity and reducing process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes harmful residual substances (carbon, nitrogen, water) from the material powder through controlled heat treatment in a specific atmosphere. By taking out these impurities systematically, the method achieves high uniformity without requiring multiple complex processing cycles
2Productivity
If spray drying is used to produce oxide superconductor material, then production efficiency is improved, but residual carbon, nitrogen, and water increase reducing purity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the atmospheric parameters during and after spray drying by introducing a specific atmosphere with controlled oxygen concentration and humidity. This parameter change enables the removal of residual carbon, nitrogen, and water without requiring additional processing steps, thus maintaining both high productivity and high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses oxygen-containing atmosphere to accelerate the oxidation and removal of residual carbon and other impurities from the spray-dried material. This strong oxidizing environment converts harmful residues into removable gaseous products, improving purity while maintaining the efficiency of the spray drying process
3Speed
If cooling is performed in atmosphere containing removed solvent components, then cooling efficiency is improved, but residue adhesion to powder increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses an inert or controlled atmosphere (low oxygen, low humidity) during the cooling phase to prevent adhesion of residual substances to the powder. This controlled environment allows rapid cooling while minimizing impurity incorporation, resolving the contradiction between cooling speed and powder purity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method increases the density and purity of the oxide superconductor, enhancing its critical current value and overall superconducting properties.
Implementation Method 1
the nitrate solution is sprayed in a high-temperature atmosphere to remove the solvent so that a powder can be obtained
Implementation Method 2
cooling the powder in a second atmosphere into which a cooling gas is introduced
Implementation Method 3
the obtained wire is heat-treated to sinter the material of the oxide superconductor
Data Source
AI summary
A method of producing a material of an oxide superconductor comprises the following steps: (a) in a solution, ionizing a material containing an atom for constituting the oxide superconductor, (b) by removing a solvent by spraying the solution in a first atmosphere, producing a material powder containing the atom for constituting the oxide superconductor, and (c) cooling the material powder in a second atmosphere into which a cooling gas is introduced. In this method, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the second atmosphere is lower than that in the first atmosphere, which contains the removed solvent component. The concentration of nitrogen oxide in the second atmosphere is lower than that in the first atmosphere, which contains the removed solvent component. The concentration of water vapor in the second atmosphere is lower than that in the first atmosphere, which contains the removed solvent component. These specifications enable the method to increase the density and purity of the oxide superconductor.