Multifilament superconductor, as well as method for its production

• US 8,173,901 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: European Advanced Superconductors GmbH & Co. KG.
• Original Assignee: European Advanced Superconductors GmbH & Co. KG.
• Inventors: Thoener, Manfred, Ehser, Horst, Szulczyk, Andreas, Auer, Alfred, Abaecherli, Vital
• Primary Examiner(s): Semenenko, Yuriy
• Application Number:
  US12/104,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20090038822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 174/125.1, 174/15.4, 505230-232, 505/704, 505/925, 505/926, 257661-663
• US Class Current: 174/125.1
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/0184 of devices comprising intermetallic compounds of type A-15, e.g. Nb3Sn
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 60/20 Permanent superconducting devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49014 Superconductor

Abstract

A multifilament superconductor (1) has a core area (2), several superconductor filaments (7) and reinforcement filaments (6). The superconductor filaments (7) and the reinforcement filaments (6) are arranged, so that they have a regular two-dimensional matrix (5) in the cross-section of core area (2). The reinforcement filaments (6) consist of tantalum or a tantalum alloy, and the superconductor filaments (7) each have a core (8), made from a powder metallurgically produced superconductor, which is enclosed by an inner shell (9), made of a non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy. The core area (2) is enclosed by an outer shell (3), made of a non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy.

Claims

1. A multifilament superconductor comprising:

a core area including several superconductor filaments and reinforcement filaments, each of the superconductor filaments and the reinforcement filaments having a hexagonal cross section, wherein;

the superconductor filaments and the reinforcement filaments are arranged such that they form a regular hexagonal matrix in the cross-section of the core area;

the reinforcement filaments are disposed in a radially symmetric pattern along the length of the core area and in the cross-section of the core area;

wherein each of two adjacent of the reinforcement filaments directly abut each other;

the core area being enclosed by an outer shell made of an non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy;

the reinforcement filaments consist of tantalum or a tantalum alloy; and

the several superconductor filaments each have a core made of a powder metallurgical superconductor, which is enclosed by an inner shell made of a non-superconducting metal or a non-superconducting alloy.

2. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the multifilament superconductor has the shape of a wire or strip.

3. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement filaments are arranged in the matrix or on the superconductor filaments.

4. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement filaments are arranged only in an edge area of the matrix.

5. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement filaments are arranged with azimuthal symmetry in matrix.

6. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement filaments are arranged distributed over the cross-section of matrix.

7. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcement filaments are arranged with axial symmetry in matrix.

8. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the superconductor filaments and the reinforcement filaments each have roughly the same cross-sectional area.

9. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 8, wherein the percentage of reinforcement filaments lies between about 10% and about 25% of the total number of filaments of the matrix.

10. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the cores of superconductor filaments each have the components of an A15 superconductor.

11. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 10, wherein the cores of the superconductor filaments each have (Nb, Ta)₃Sn or Nb₃Sn or Nb₃Al or Nb₃Si or Nb₃Ge of V₃Si or V₃Ga.

12. A multifilament superconductor according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement filaments each have a core of tantalum or a tantalum alloy, enclosed with a shell made of copper.