Dynamic resistance and voltage response of a REBCO bifilar stack under perpendicular DC-biased AC magnetic fields

Abstract

The dynamic resistance of REBCO (REBa2Cu3O7-d, RE stands for rare earth), coated conductors (CCs) is a key parameter in many high-temperature superconductor applications where CCs carry DC currents exposed to AC and DC magnetic fields, such as field-triggered persistent current switches, flux pumps, and fault current limiters. In this work, dynamic resistance and dynamic voltage have been studied via experiments and finite element method (FEM) simulations in a REBCO bifilar stack at 77 K, under combined AC and DC magnetic fields with different magnitudes, frequencies, and waveforms. Our results show some distinct features of dynamic resistance and voltage from those under pure AC magnetic fields. With an increasing DC magnetic field, the dynamic resistance exhibits an obvious linearity with the applied AC magnetic field, and becomes less dependent on the AC field frequency. The fundamental frequency of the dynamic voltage under a DC magnetic field becomes the same as that of the applied AC field, which completely differs from the pure AC field case where the fundamental frequency doubles. For the first time, instantaneous threshold field (B th) values are obtained from the dynamic voltage, which are substantially different in the field-increasing and field-decreasing processes. These key differences are attributed to the dominant role of DC magnetic fields in determining the critical current of the superconductor, which significantly dwarfs the influence of AC fields. These new discoveries may help researchers better understand the electromagnetism of superconductors and be useful for relevant applications.