MONOFILAMENT FOR PRODUCING AN NB3SN-CONTAINING SUPERCONDUCTOR WIRE, ESPECIALLY FOR INTERNAL OXIDATION

• US 20200136009A1
• Filed: 10/25/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bruker EAS GmbH (Bruker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bruker EAS GmbH (Bruker Corporation)
• Inventors: BUEHLER, Carl, ABAECHERLI, Vital, SAILER, Bernd, SCHLENGA, Klaus, THOENER, Manfred, WANIOR, Matheus
• Granted Patent: US 11,758,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/12 of wires of tubes B22F5/10
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/04 with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 12/06 Films or wires on bases or cores
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/0128 of composite superconductor filaments comprising copper oxide H10N60/0268
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/0156 of devices comprising Nb or an alloy of Nb with one or more of the elements of group IVB, e.g. titanium, zirconium or hafnium
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/0184 of devices comprising intermetallic compounds of type A-15, e.g. Nb3Sn
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/85 Superconducting active materials

Abstract

A monofilament (100) for producing an Nb₃Sn-containing superconductor wire (33) includes a powder core (1) with an Sn-containing powder, a reaction tube (3) composed of an Nb alloy that includes Nb and at least one further alloy component X. The powder core is disposed within the reaction tube. The monofilament also includes at least one source (4) for at least one partner component Pk. A respective source includes one or more source structures at a unitary radial position in the monofilament. The alloy component X and the partner component Pk form precipitates XPk on reaction annealing of the monofilament in which Sn from the powder core and Nb from the reaction tube react to produce Nb₃Sn. The powder core is disposed in a moderation tube, which in turn is disposed within the reaction tube. This provides a monofilament for a powder-in-tube based Nb₃Sn-containing superconductor wire with improved current carrying capacity.

Claims

1. A monofilament for producing an Nb₃Sn-containing superconductor wire, comprising:

a powder core comprising an Sn-containing powder,

a reaction tube composed of an Nb alloy comprising Nb and at least one further alloy component X,

wherein the powder core is disposed radially within the reaction tube

at least one source for at least one partner component Pk,

wherein each source is disposed in a unitary radial position in the monofilament and comprises at least one source structure;

wherein the alloy component X and the partner component Pk are selected to form precipitates XPk through reaction annealing of the monofilament, in which Sn from the powder core and Nb from the reaction tube react to produce Nb₃Sn, and

a moderation tube disposed within the reaction tube and in which the powder core is disposed.

2. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least two source structures, for the at least one partner component Pk, wherein the source structures are disposed at differing radial positions within the monofilament.

3. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moderation tube (2) is fabricated at least partly from a material selected from the group:

Cu, a Cu alloy, Ag, an Ag alloy, Sn, an Sn alloy, Nb, or an Nb alloy.

4. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source for the at least one partner component Pk comprises a powder.

5. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source for the at least one partner component Pk comprises a powder present in the powder core.

6. The monofilament as claimed in claim 5, wherein the source which comprises a powder present in the powder core comprises oxygen as the partner component Pk, and wherein the moderation tube is fabricated of Cu or a Cu alloy.

7. The monofilament as claimed in claim 5, wherein a wall thickness WM of the moderation tube is defined by:

WM≤

0.075*DP and/or WM≤

0.2*WR

where DP is the diameter of the powder core and WR is the wall thickness of the reaction tube.

8. The monofilament as claimed in claim 5, wherein the powder core comprises at least one of the following elements:

Cu, Ag and Sn.

9. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source for the at least one partner component Pk comprises an annular source, and wherein the moderation tube is disposed radially within the annular source.

10. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the annular source comprises a powder in a circumferential powder layer.

11. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the annular source comprises a powder in a powder filling of annularly disposed source tubules or source pockets.

12. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the annular source comprises a metallic powder.

13. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the annular source is adjacent to the reaction tube or to the moderation tube, and comprises a circumferential coating on the reaction tube or on the moderation tube.

14. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the reaction tube is disposed radially within the annular source.

15. The monofilament as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

an ancillary reaction tube which comprises Nb, wherein the annular source is disposed radially within the ancillary reaction tube.

16. The monofilament as claimed in claim 9, wherein the annular source is disposed radially outside the moderation tube and radially within the reaction tube.

17. The monofilament as claimed in claim 16, wherein the monofilament further comprises an ancillary moderation tube,

wherein the annular source is disposed radially within the ancillary moderation tube, and

wherein the ancillary moderation tube is disposed radially within the reaction tube.

18. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises a chemical compound comprising a partner component Pk of the at least one partner component Pk, where the chemical compound, on exposure to heat, breaks down at a first temperature T1 into the partner component Pk and a first residual compound, where the first residual compound also still comprises the partner component Pk, but with a lower stoichiometric fraction than the chemical compound, and on further exposure to heat, at a second temperature T2, with T2>

T1, the first residual compound breaks down into the partner component Pk and a second residual compound.

19. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises at least two differing partner components Pk, which on reaction annealing form differing precipitates XPk with the at least one further alloy component X.

20. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one source comprises a first chemical compound and a second chemical compound, which each comprise a mutually same partner component Pk, and wherein, on heat treatment, the first chemical compound releases the partner component Pk at a lower temperature than does the second chemical compound.

21. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one partner component Pk comprises oxygen, and the at least one alloy component X comprises a metal which is less noble than Nb.

22. The monofilament as claimed in claim 21, wherein the source for the at least one partner component Pk comprises a powder comprising a metal oxide.

23. The monofilament as claimed in claim 21, wherein the at least one alloy component X comprises at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of Mg, Al, V, Zr, Ti, Gd or Hf.

24. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the precipitates XPk comprise nonoxidic precipitates.

25. The monofilament as claimed in claim 1, wherein the precipitates comprise nonmetallic precipitates.

26. The monofilament as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one partner component Pk comprises sulfur, and the at least one alloy component X comprises zinc.

27. The monofilament as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one partner component Pk comprises silicon, carbon or a halogen.

28. A method for producing a superconductor wire, comprising:

subjecting a plurality of monofilaments as claimed in claim 1 to single-stage or multistage bundling and reshaping, to provide a precursor wire,

bringing the precursor wire into a desired shape, and

subjecting the shaped precursor wire to a reaction annealing, wherein precipitates XPk are formed from the at least one alloy component X and the at least one partner component Pk, and wherein Nb₃Sn is formed from the Nb of the reaction tubes and the Sn of the powder cores.